The Laylee Emadi Podcast — For Speakers, Coaches, and Course Creators · Laylee Emadi

234: Event ROI Starts with Relationships: Strategic Networking for Creatives with Angelica Pompy

February 16, 2026·26 min

Angelica starts with relationships, and Laylee stays right there with her. She sets Angelica up as an educator, photographer, event person, Creative Educator Conference alum, and upcoming co-emcee who knows how to meet people without turning the whole thing awkward. The advice is plain: an event only keeps paying off if the follow-up and follow-through feel like they belong to a real connection, not a forced networking routine. Angelica talks about intention before anything else. She likes going in with a goal to make a handful of aligned connections, while leaving room for a conversation to simply be a conversation. That takes the pressure down. Instead of hunting for a sale, she watches for rapport, fit, and whether this person makes sense in her world. Laylee is clearly into it, and her quick agreement gives the episode a warm, practical pace. The best part is Angelica's story from a photography conference. She wanted to serve the attendees, but she also chose to build a real relationship with the host. Then one woman she met came back for one-to-one marketing coaching, stayed connected on Instagram, and later bought a retreat ticket. Angelica recognized the name when the purchase came through, which made the whole idea click. The sale was not where the relationship started. It came after service, contact, and enough trust for someone to keep moving closer to her work. That is the useful piece here. Events can bring results, but not when creatives treat the room like a checkout line. The episode closes in the same spirit, with Angelica inviting listeners to message her on Instagram with questions.

As heard by us

Real networking pays off when the follow-up feels genuine.

Angelica Pompey makes the case that the real return from an event begins with purposeful relationship-building, not with collecting a pile of business cards.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Use events to build relationships that keep paying off after the room empties.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify