independent organisers on the podcast and the community is growing daily . It created this online community but I ’ m still really passionate about putting it into a large scale event .”
Her dream for Talk Twenties is for her show to be “ a festival of 20-something fun where you can learn about adult life and learn about what life has in store for you .”
And nothing is holding her back . She has unwavering belief in her idea and is not daunted by the task ahead of her .
She is already thinking about how the show can be expanded and taken international in future .
“ There isn ’ t anyone else I see who is 26 and trying to launch their own show ,” she says .
“ I had a lot of responsibility in my old job and was fortunate that my opinions were heard . I ’ m really confident in the people I want to take on board . They might be younger , but they really believe in it . I just need to get the money to pay them to quit their jobs and come and do it .
“ With them on board I feel very confident we can pull this off .”
Mendes already has the upper had on many established shows by having such an engaged community at her fingertips .
“ They might have had a show running for however many years but the pandemic has meant they couldn ’ t run that show or its changed in the calendar . They have had to pivot to online options . Their audience might not be interested . They are doing it that way round . My way is I have built the online platform , people are used to seeing the 365 content on the podcast . We have built the online side of things and now we want to turn that audience into a show .”
Mendes says she is grateful to have received support from within the exhibitions industry . Mike Seaman , CEO of Racoon Events , is mentoring her , she took part in an EN Roundtable on launching a show in November and says she has been inundated with offers of advice and support . So now the next steps . “ I know what I need to do to make it
Gaby Mendes
happen . I ’ ve got all my business plans sorted . It ’ s all there and been read by quite a few influential people in the industry who have loved it , and who event want to invest in it .
“ I know I ’ ve got a really strong network . If I ’ m struggling I can put feelers out there and someone will help me .”
A pilot event – with 65 attendees- was a huge success , turning a healthy profit and gaining invaluable support .
“ We ’ ve done a successful pilot show , we ’ ve got the audience , we tick a lot of boxes , but now we need to shift it into funding ,” she says .
The last thing she needs from the EN community community ? “ Support and contacts ,” she says to anyone wanting to help . Then her dreams can take flight . “ It ’ s happened a lot faster than I ever could have imagined . For me our dreams are massive . Why not dream big ? Why not just go for it ?” EN
February — 19