460 Her Signature Event Generated 369 Referrals with Host Michael J Maher and Guest Jill McNamee

Title: Her Signature Event Generated 369 Referrals

Host: Michael J. Maher

Guest: Jill McNamee, McNamee Real Estate Team

Description: What happens when a simple jewelry swap evolves into a signature community event that people talk about, sponsors want to be part of, and new people actively seek out?

For the past 14 years, Jill McNamee has hosted Baubles & Bubbles, an intimate jewelry swap and networking event designed to bring women together, support local businesses, give back to the community, and create genuine connection.

This year, 125 people attended — and roughly three-quarters of them were new to Jill's network. The event included food, drinks, jewelry swapping, a charm bar, prizes, swag bags, charitable donations, and 44 sponsors.

But the number that stopped Michael in his tracks?

369 outgoing referrals to Jill's sponsors.

In this episode, Jill takes Michael behind the scenes of how Baubles & Bubbles grew from a casual gathering with no sponsors into a polished event generating approximately $15,000 in sponsorship revenue, plus additional in-kind contributions.

They talk about how Jill structures her sponsorships, why she intentionally keeps the event at about 125 people, how she creates visibility and value for sponsors, and why she believes making an event bigger doesn't necessarily make it better.

Jill also shares one of the biggest lessons she has learned after 14 years of hosting events: You don't need to have every detail figured out before you invite people. Start small. Build confidence. Create the experience. Then improve it each year.

Michael and Jill also dig into what happens after the event — including how to responsibly manage hundreds of sponsor referrals without overwhelming attendees, and why Jill may add a dedicated Sponsor Concierge to her team next year.