As a social community obsessed twenty year-old, I am always on the lookout for new opportunities to meet new people and build relationships with others in the digital space. Thanks to some great timing and a bit of luck, I was granted an invite to the ultra exclusive Mashable Connect conference in Disney World. I wish I could give you all a more detailed account of the entire weekend, but between Disney scavenger hunts, countless of great content sessions, and 325 of the world’s top movers & shakers in digital, my head is still spinning!

That being said, what I can explain is what I took from the conference from a community management perspective. That’s what this site is all about, right? I’ve been to many conferences and have heard many more accounts from other conferences where attendees make dozens of contacts that they can take home to develop. The difference between Mashable Connect and these conferences is that myself and the other attendees didn’t make only contacts, but rather connections. The engagement between each attendee, Mashable staff member, and the speakers was astounding.

With this being Mashable’s first all-out conference, I’m sure many; including the Mashable team, were unsure of what the final product would look like. The conference did the Mashable Connect name justice.

I think that we can all take a page out of Mashable’s book. Mashable created a conference to not only provide content, but also community. They allowed the conference attendees to connect and communicate on such an intimate level that is seldom seen at a major conference.

That is the way communities should be built. Not only does your community team have to communicate with your members or followers, but its imperative that you allow them to communicate with each other. Because we were able to communicate together at the conference both online and in person, we became evangelists for the conference, Mashable, and the other brands that were just merely associated with the event. That buzz isn’t going away. In fact, it’s growing at a rapid pace.

By allowing your fans, customers to come together, your community will grow stronger and will start to create their own conversations and brand engagement. Just because you manage a community doesn’t mean you have to start every conversation. Managing consistent conversation is everything, and it will strengthen your brand’s equity and empower your followers to help your brand grow in the digital space.

Mashable knew what they were doing and created champions out of everyone who experienced the magic of Disney at Mashable Connect. Take note, how will you create a champion for your brand?

Harrison Kratz