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Shifting Revel, a Community for Women Over 40, from In-Person to Online Overnight

Published: Oct. 4, 2021, 9:30 a.m.

As community practitioners, we often serve communities that we don\u2019t necessarily belong to. But how would you approach designing a community platform, events, and policies for a demographic that you don\u2019t belong to?\xa0Alexa Wahr, the COO of\xa0Revel, a community for women over 40, says that she and her co-founder build by putting their community first. \u201cWe absolutely listen to our members. We don\u2019t try to pretend like we know what exactly our members are going through or what it\u2019s like to be a woman in their life. That doesn\u2019t mean that we can\u2019t help to build the community and build the tools that help them connect.\u201d

In this episode of Community Signal, Alexa shares how the policies that govern the platform, Revel\u2019s approach to safety during the pandemic, and Revel\u2019s acquisition of\xa0The Woolfer, are all grounded in putting their members\u2019 needs, safety, and experiences first.

Alexa also discusses how Revel, an in-person events-based community, shifted entirely to virtual events in light of the pandemic. Through this model, Revel members have continued to have meaningful interactions, build friendships, and support one another through COVID-19.

Alexa and Patrick also discuss:

How Revel is encouraging their event hosts to stay safe now that in-person events have resumed
Revel\u2019s plans to introduce paid events into their community
The differences between the Revel and Woolfer communities and how they\u2019re balancing the needs for both

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Big Quotes

Building the Revel community with member needs first (5:10):\xa0\u201cWe don\u2019t try to pretend like we know what exactly our members are going through or what it\u2019s like to be a woman in their life. That doesn\u2019t mean that we can\u2019t help to build the community and build the tools that help them connect.\u201d \u2013@alexawahr

Virtual events are impactful and here to stay (12:20):\xa0\u201cWe\u2019ve seen that over [virtual meetings], you can actually form really deep connections. We now have members who have formed really great friendships across the country. Can\u2019t wait to travel to meet one another. \u2026 [I\u2019m] happy to say that virtual events are definitely here to stay. We have yet to see what the final balance of in-person versus virtual events will be at scale, but certainly, a large percentage of our events will continue to be virtual.\u201d \u2013@alexawahr

Fostering the events that Revel members want (14:50):\xa0\u201cIf our members start to perceive that going to a Revel event is being pushed products or services in a sneaky way, they simply won\u2019t come back. We take it very seriously and really err on the side of our members first and our hosts secondary when it comes to violations like that.\u201d \u2013@alexawahr

On the future of Revel (24:40):\xa0\u201c[Revel is] a community for women over 40. The community shares that identity and we\u2019re about making connections, finding friendships, supporting one another, and really bringing light to women in midlife and all of the amazing things that they\u2019re doing. That doesn\u2019t mean that women within the community don\u2019t have their own interests, feelings, and identities and allowing every woman over 40 to join Revel, but then find her niche, her group within the community, is also something that we think will be a big part of what Revel is and [we\u2019re] excited to build that out.\u201d \u2013@alexawahr

About Alexa Wahr

Alexa Wahr\xa0is the co-founder and COO of\xa0Revel Gatherings. Previously, Alexa was a senior director in operations at health insurance startup Bright Health. Prior to Bright Health, Alexa worked in strategy and business development for Target and was an healthcare investment banking analyst at Piper Jaffray. Alexa has a BBA from Emory University and a MBA from Harvard Business School.