Rachel Elnar

Rachel Elnar is a creative-community builder who designs experiences that turn audiences into communities.

Most Events Are Expensive Mistakes Pretending to Be Strategy

I attended three corporate events in a row where the chat begged for acknowledgment like ghosts in the machine. No one looked. No one cared. This is the story of how we let “content delivery” replace connection... and how to fix it before everyone stops showing up.

Event Programming

From Cleveland to Chicago: How Jenn Visocky O’Grady & Justin Ahrens Built a Design Legacy with AIGA on Pyramids, Posters, and Pizza Costumes

From student chapters to national impact, here’s how two AIGA leaders turned board service into a career-defining friendship (with karaoke).

Podcast Episodes

Beyond Thank Yous: What Community Leaders Really Need

Last week, I watched something that shouldn’t be remarkable: 50+ volunteer leaders getting a night off.

Creative Community

When Love Meets Leadership: Laurel Webster and James Hersick’s Journey from AIGA Blue Ridge to Community Impact

Or: How Refusing to Dance at a Design Conference Led to Marriage, 3,000 Student Competition Entries, and an Air Horn That Didn’t Last Long

Podcast Episodes

Why I Stopped Trusting General Event “Best Practices” and Started Building Community Instead

I watched a student’s prototype crash before presenting—then witnessed the moment that changed everything I knew about virtual events. This isn’t about better production; it’s about the profound difference between building an audience and activating a community.

Creative Community

Room Sharing & Pyramid Schemes: How Kevin Berger & Aaron Shurts Saved AIGA Seattle

Some leaders craft five-year strategic plans. Others accidentally save a chapter through shared hotel rooms, tactical pyramid deployment, and the revolutionary discovery that you can’t recruit members when you’re hemorrhaging money on every single event.

Podcast Episodes

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should: The Problem With Messy Webinars

Just because your webinar platform can do everything doesn't mean it should. After years of hosting virtual events, I've learned that sometimes the most powerful choice is deciding what to leave out.

Livestreaming

Cheers & Tiers: When AIGA Jacksonville’s Karen & Varick Accidentally Engineered the Perfect Chapter Culture & Had No Idea They Were Doing It

Some leaders plan their legacy. Others stumble into it with a cooler full of beer, a can of Pringles, and an unshakeable belief that work should be fun.

Podcast Episodes

Webinars Aren’t Just Events. They’re Long Sales Conversations.

And most companies are having them all wrong.

Event Programming

When AIGA Philadelphia’s Kelly Holohan & Michele Cooper Ruled the AIGA World (And Facebook Didn’t Exist)

The Secret to Design Leadership? Say “Sure, Why Not?” to Strangers.

Podcast Episodes

Letters Alone Mean Nothing: How TypeCon Keeps the Craft and the Community Alive

The most powerful creative communities aren't the biggest ones—they’re the ones where expertise gets passed hand-to-hand like family recipes.

Creative Community

Cheers & Tiers: Seth Johnson & Jenny Price: How AIGA Leadership Changed Everything

Why our conversation with Seth Johnson and Jenny Price on Cheers & Tiers is required listening for any designer who's ever wondered if volunteer leadership actually matters

Podcast Episodes

The Behavioral Psychology Behind Virtual Events That Actually Work

Why some digital experiences feel like magic (and others feel like watching someone explain how to maneuver Excel pivot tables through a broken headset). Oh, and get the bonus resource: the complete STREAM + Behavioral Psychology quick reference guide.

Event Hosting

Why Community Isn't a Vibe—It’s a Strategy

The moment I realized I'd been designing competitive events backwards—and how shifting from audience-first to community-first thinking changed everything about engagement, retention, and lasting impact.

Creative Community

From Poll to Practice | Your Event Bottleneck & How to Fix It Without Losing Your Mind

Which part of your event planning could use a glow-up? You told me where you’re stuck in your event process, and honestly, I felt seen.

Poll Advice

Deep Dive on the Creative Workshop: How We Turned Digital Events from Snore-fest to More-fest

We've all been there—staring at a screen while someone clicks through slides, desperately hoping for something, anything, to break the monotony of yet another "exciting product announcement."

Event Programming

From Poll to Practice | Your #1 Goal Just Called and It Wants a Strategy That Works

We threw out a poll about your #1 business goal right now. Whether you voted or not, these are the four core challenges that keep coming up in my conversations with creative professionals... and here’s how to tackle each one.

Poll Advice

From Poll to Practice | From the Solo Host to Dream Team Leader

Who’s on Your Event Dream Team? You shared where you’re at today—here’s how to make the most of your current setup while building toward your next level of ease, flow, and support.

Poll Advice

Host Like a Human Instead of a Corporate Robot

Your audience doesn’t want another polished presentation. They want connection, curiosity, and the feeling that they belong somewhere. Time to stop performing and start hosting like a human. Just use my bonus resource: the Human-First Host guide.

Event Hosting

Cheers & Tiers: Season One Wrap-Up: Six Leadership Lessons (And Why Lobsters Make Terrible Leaders)

Well, folks, we did it. Erik and I somehow managed to wrangle 15 episodes of *Cheers and Tiers: Design Leadership Tales Retold* without completely embarrassing ourselves (though Erik’s story about literally destroying his first album... well, you’ll have to listen for that gem).

Podcast Episodes

From Poll to Practice | Your Community Superpower, Unlocked

What kind of community builder are you? After nearly 20 years of hosting everything from intimate design meetups to massive virtual events, I’ve cracked the code on community building. Spoiler alert: there’s no single “right” way, and that's exactly what makes it work.

Poll Advice

Cheers & Tiers: From $350 to $85K: The Kristine Johnson Masterclass in AIGA Leadership

Or: How to Ask for Money Without Getting Kicked Out of Mountain Retreats

Podcast Episodes

From Poll to Practice | Your Webinar Wipeout Fix: A 4-Part Rescue Plan

I've been running virtual events since 2013, which means I've made every mistake you're probably worried about making. The good news? Most webinar disasters are completely preventable once you know what to look for.

Poll Advice

Cheers & Tiers: Bernardo Margulis, the Accidental Leader—How Saying Yes to Everything Shaped a Design Career

What happens when a fresh graduate gets thrown into AIGA leadership with zero experience and maximum enthusiasm? You get Bernardo Margulis, a designer-turned-engineer-turned-marketing director whose career reads like a masterclass in saying yes to opportunities you're not quite ready for.

Podcast Episodes

Cheers & Tiers: Gage Mitchell Can’t Stop Building AIGA Communities

TL;DR: We sat down with the guy who’s basically the Johnny Appleseed of AIGA chapters, and somehow this serial chapter-starter made starting design communities sound easier than assembling IKEA furniture.

Podcast Episodes

Rachel Elnar

Most Events Are Expensive Mistakes Pretending to Be Strategy

From Cleveland to Chicago: How Jenn Visocky O’Grady & Justin Ahrens Built a Design Legacy with AIGA on Pyramids, Posters, and Pizza Costumes

Beyond Thank Yous: What Community Leaders Really Need

When Love Meets Leadership: Laurel Webster and James Hersick’s Journey from AIGA Blue Ridge to Community Impact

Why I Stopped Trusting General Event “Best Practices” and Started Building Community Instead

Room Sharing & Pyramid Schemes: How Kevin Berger & Aaron Shurts Saved AIGA Seattle

Just Because You Can, Doesn’t Mean You Should: The Problem With Messy Webinars

Cheers & Tiers: When AIGA Jacksonville’s Karen & Varick Accidentally Engineered the Perfect Chapter Culture & Had No Idea They Were Doing It

Webinars Aren’t Just Events. They’re Long Sales Conversations.

When AIGA Philadelphia’s Kelly Holohan & Michele Cooper Ruled the AIGA World (And Facebook Didn’t Exist)

Letters Alone Mean Nothing: How TypeCon Keeps the Craft and the Community Alive

Cheers & Tiers: Seth Johnson & Jenny Price: How AIGA Leadership Changed Everything

The Behavioral Psychology Behind Virtual Events That Actually Work

Why Community Isn't a Vibe—It’s a Strategy

From Poll to Practice | Your Event Bottleneck & How to Fix It Without Losing Your Mind

Deep Dive on the Creative Workshop: How We Turned Digital Events from Snore-fest to More-fest

From Poll to Practice | Your #1 Goal Just Called and It Wants a Strategy That Works

From Poll to Practice | From the Solo Host to Dream Team Leader

Host Like a Human Instead of a Corporate Robot

Cheers & Tiers: Season One Wrap-Up: Six Leadership Lessons (And Why Lobsters Make Terrible Leaders)

From Poll to Practice | Your Community Superpower, Unlocked

Cheers & Tiers: From $350 to $85K: The Kristine Johnson Masterclass in AIGA Leadership

From Poll to Practice | Your Webinar Wipeout Fix: A 4-Part Rescue Plan

Cheers & Tiers: Bernardo Margulis, the Accidental Leader—How Saying Yes to Everything Shaped a Design Career

Cheers & Tiers: Gage Mitchell Can’t Stop Building AIGA Communities

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