They say Los Angeles is the most photographed city in the world. Sitting at the iconic House of Pies for the first time, it feels familiar — you’ve seen this plate before. The hum of Los Angeles is distinct, and as the plates of fries and French Dips rattled out of the kitchen, it was one of those moments where you take stock of the sensory details, living in the moment with full attention. And as the massive bowl of clam chowder and slice of key lime pie hit the table, I couldn’t help but ask: How did I get here?
The short answer? We threw a party: The Instagram Summit by Manychat. Typically, it’s online — and still is (save your spot here) — but this year, we went for it in person. We hoped for the best.
What “the best” became far surpassed what we imagined.
Trials and Tribulations
It wasn’t without its drama. Our original venue, NeueHouse Hollywood, shut down two weeks before the event. For a minute, we were screwed. Everything our teams had worked so hard for felt like it hung in the balance — but just for a moment.
With luck (and a little side quest along the way), we locked down the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood, and the space couldn’t have been better. When you’re in LA, you want the whole package: rooftop bar, sharp-dressed attendees, skyline views. The 1 Hotel gave us all of it, space to breathe without being away from the action. We could have packed it all in and refunded the money, but it happened, and it went off without a hitch.
Los Angeles buzzes 24/7, so it was the perfect backdrop for bringing people together to creatively showcase the best of social media. That curveball with the venue turned into a lesson in resilience: the team hustled, adapted, and pulled it off like pros.
Standing in the middle of a sold-out crowd, I had one thought: holy shit, we did this.
The event was everything we want an experience to be: worth the time, money, and effort to be there in person. People didn’t just watch speakers; they connected. They walked away with a phone full of new contacts and ideas that felt personal, not prescriptive.
Instagram Summit IRL Takeaways
Atmosphere matters, and this one clicked. Breakout rooms, courtyard tables, and corners that turned into hangouts gave the whole thing the feel of a big meetup, not a stiff, name-tagged convention. People dropped into conversations at random tables. Creators, behind-the-scenes operators, and entrepreneurs all talked like peers. That’s the difference between a good event and a forgettable one — when the crowd sees itself as part of the show, not just spectators.
And the stage? Stacked.
- Zach King had the room hanging on his every trick.
- Colin & Samir broke down how creators balance art with business.
- Gabby Windey spoke on authenticity.
- Brock Johnson rattled off growth tactics that had people scribbling like mad.
- Karen Civil shared brand lessons.
- Natasha Willis mapped the future of automation.
And if all of that’s not enough, Maya Carter of Meta, and our own Mike Yan zoomed out on the big picture. The lineup wasn’t just good; it was, as the kids say, “generational.”
What matters is that in such a transactional world, we’re always searching both within ourselves and the greater narrative: we all want to break through. In 2025, moving into 2026, people don’t want a regular gig; they want to be alive with the world watching.
You Can’t Plan Connection, but you can Foster it
I roamed the grounds interviewing people who made content about personal finance, drone footage, food, comedy — no two creators were the same. Even better? In that environment, I watched a food creator realize the drone operator could solve her biggest problem: getting those perfect overhead shots for her restaurant reviews. They were exchanging numbers and planning shoots before our conversation even ended.
Isn’t that what you want out of an event? A means for the users of a product to work together to foster community, rather than just be another place where you collect a bag of stuff you’ll throw away and hope the hotel bar drinks are good. Standing at the top of the stairs watching so many people laughing and smiling is telling.
That’s something you can’t force in corporate America; it just has to be.
Across LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and in real life, many people shouted Manychat out. We got the love a hundred times over. When you constantly hear, “this is the best event I’ve ever been to” and then compare your little get together to the likes of multinational massive companies, you feel a sense of pride that we did it — we made something beautiful that’s not this bland, tucked-in polo shirt of an event.
Instead, we created something people want to attend again. (Here’s where we plug the link to our Virtual Summit, happening October 22-23.)
Sweet as Pie
What Manychat should be proud of isn’t just that we pulled it off — it’s that people flew in from across the world, left following strangers they met in line, and felt more connected than when they walked in.
For an event that started as a big risk, that’s one hell of a return.
I keep thinking about my meal at House of Pies; that BLT was excellent. Maybe when we do it again next year, I’ll have to make it part of my pre-event ritual.
Until then, I’ll see you online in October.
