GIANNA'S GEM: How We Pulled Off a User Conference in Brazil with 60 Days sans Site Visit

/

Why the Best Events Aren't Built on Perfect Plans—They're Built on Trust and Team

Here's a story about what happens when you cancel a user conference, get acquired by a company, and then decide to plan a last-minute event in said company’s first market, Brazil, with barely two months of runway. Spoiler: it taught me more about what truly matters in event planning than a decade of perfectly executed programs ever could.

The Challenge That Changed Everything

Picture this: Windsurf gets acquired by Cognition AI. We cancel Windsurf's planned user conference slated for San Francisco, November 2025. Then, in a plot twist worthy of a telenovela, we decide to host a user conference in São Paulo with a planning timeline so compressed it would make even seasoned planners break out in hives (not that I did, but may have sprung a few gray hairs along the way). Two months. In Brazil. A country we'd never worked in before that takes no less than two days of plane travel (each way) from San Francisco.

The math was brutal: as flights take two days each way, a traditional site visit would consume a full week of our already impossible timeline. We had to launch registration immediately, which meant committing to a venue we'd never physically seen and locking it in within a week of kicking off a search (!). Every event planner reading this just felt their stomach drop—I know, because mine did too.

Why This Story Matters: The Success Formula Nobody Talks About

We pulled it off. Not just pulled it off—we exceeded our attendance goals, delivered an experience that had attendees showing up in custom Cognition-branded polo jerseys they'd competed for against Devin in a math game activation onsite, and created the most engaged user conference audience I've seen in my entire career. One attendee even brought his wife to teach her about AI agents. When was the last time that happened at your conference?

But here's what made it work, and it wasn't perfect planning or unlimited budgets or even divine intervention (though I'll admit to some heavy manifesting). It was four things that matter more than any venue or vendor contract:

  • A United Team

  • Unwavering Positive Attitude

  • Seamless Collaboration

  • A Trusted Agency Partner

Let me break down why these four elements transformed what could have been a disaster into one of the most memorable events I’ve planned recently:

The Power of Partnership: Why a Decade of Trust Made the Impossible Possible

I've worked with my production agency for over a decade (message me if you need an intro!). That relationship became the bedrock of this entire production. When we couldn't do a site visit, they activated their local agency partner in São Paulo—boots on the ground who knew the market, spoke the language, and understood the cultural nuances we couldn't possibly grasp from California.

But here's the critical learning: even trusted partners can't replace your own eyes on complex venues. We thought we had it figured out remotely. We booked what looked like a perfect historic venue—the Jockey Society—with a second floor perfect for an executive track. Then one of our team members traveled to Brazil for work a month before the event and discovered that second floor wasn't up to our standards.

Crisis? No. This is where trust and collaboration turn problems into solutions. We pivoted fast—launched a new venue search, moved the executive track to a different venue and different day. Did it create extra work? Absolutely. But our agency partnership and team unity meant we could adapt without panic. And pivot we did! Within just a few days, we’d locked in the Rosewood on an even more optimal date (day before F1) and had a contract signed in less than a week before someone else could swoop in and challenge it.

Learning #1: Build relationships with agencies, and any partners before you need them. 

When you're planning an event in an unfamiliar market with an impossible timeline, decade-long partnerships become your insurance policy. I also had my favorite photographer I’ve worked with for close to two decades onsite. I didn’t have to micromanage him - every time I wanted a shot captured, he’d already taken it. That’s the power of working with trusted team members and building relationships that last decades and through many companies and clients. You learn each other's preferences and can start working even more seamlessly anticipating each other's needs.

The Brazil Reality Check: What They Don't Tell You in Planning Guides

Let's talk about what working in Brazil actually means for event planners:

The Response Time Reality

Brazilians operate on a different timeline. Vendor responses that take hours in the US can take days in Brazil. There's a language barrier, yes, but there's also a cultural approach to efficiency and quality standards that differs from what we're accustomed to. This isn't good or bad—it's just different, and you need to plan for it. I didn’t get our menus for the event until the week prior, but I relaxed and trusted that this was normal and low and behold, food/beverage was one of the highest rated aspects of the experience.

The Buffer Principle

We built substantial buffer time into every deadline, and we needed every minute of it. For two days straight, we worked around the clock—literally overnight shifts—to deliver the exceptional experience we'd promised. Would I recommend working 48 hours straight? No. But I would recommend building in twice the buffer time you think you need when working internationally. Not to mention, Government shutdown in the US caused half of our team’s flights (including my own) to be severely delayed or canceled, so definitely leave yourself and speakers buffer as well. We had to rejigger a few speakers and staff members as a result, but luckily it still worked out seamlessly.

The Load-In Reality

Load-in in Brazil requires significantly more time than comparable US events. The infrastructure, processes, and logistics simply move differently. Budget extra time, extra hands, and extra patience.

Learning #2: International events require international-sized buffers. Triple your timeline estimates. Double your team. And accept that "normal" doesn't translate across borders.


Why Unique Venues and Exceptional Food Still Matter—Maybe More Than Ever

Despite the compressed timeline and logistical challenges, we didn't compromise on two things: a unique and venue that paid homage to local culture, and food quality. And these small details matter.

The Venue Choice

We chose the Jockey Society—historic, distinctive, and completely unlike any convention center or hotel ballroom. Open-air terraces overlooked the horse track with sweeping views of São Paulo - it’s cool and classy (like our Cognition brand!). During keynotes and meals, attendees could step outside, feel the breeze, and remember they were in this beautiful, vibrant city. The venue wasn't just a backdrop—it was part of the experience.

The Food Philosophy

We curated a diverse, healthy menu that honored local favorites: great wines, caipirinhas, fresh coconuts you could drink from straws, and authentic Brazilian cuisine alongside international options. We treated our attendees like royalty, and they noticed and were so happy, we had virtually no attrition.


Learning #3: People remember how you made them feel, and nothing makes people feel valued like exceptional food and hospitality or a friendly greeting in a memorable setting. Don't cut corners here, even when timelines and budgets are tight. We had translation and the most exceptionally talented (and might I say gorgeous) brand ambassadors supporting the experience onsite. They truly went above and beyond and having staff that actually cares and is helpful and informative is a major signal of hospitality and also of how your company treats its customers and community.

The Audience That Changed My Perspective on Engagement

Here's what stunned me most: the Brazilian audience repaid our investment with the highest level of engagement I've ever witnessed at a user conference.

Minimal attrition throughout the entire day—from morning keynotes through afternoon breakouts, hands-on labs, demos, and evening networking. Every seat filled in the keynotes. Every breakout full. People actually showed up to absorb the experience, not just check the boxes, or grab the swag and part of the session and jet.

In the US, we're accustomed to networking-focused conferences where learning sometimes takes a back seat to deal-making and socializing. In Brazil, attendees came to learn. They wanted to understand our products, see real use cases, test features hands-on. They asked questions. They stayed for every session. They wore those Cognition jerseys with genuine pride, not ironic detachment. They did our “man on the street” video interviews, stood and kindly practiced their English when I asked them what we could do better (see my blog on why I love feedback), and one of them even asked if I was going to be sending out an event survey!


Learning #4: Different markets have different motivations. Understanding what your audience truly values—and delivering on that—creates engagement that no marketing budget can buy.

The Real Lessons: What Two Months Leading up to in Brazil Taught Me About What Matters

After a decade of planning events, here's what this compressed, chaotic, completely imperfect Brazil conference planning sprint clarified for me:

Trust Beats Timelines: A trusted agency partner with local expertise is worth more than a perfect project plan. When things go sideways (and they will), relationships are what save you.

Team Unity Is Your Superpower: A collaborative team that can pivot gracefully when the unexpected happens will outperform a larger team with perfect processes every time. Our team stayed positive, adapted constantly, and supported each other through two days of round-the-clock work—that attitude made everything possible, and might I say FUN?

Cultural Intelligence Trumps Assumptions: What works in San Francisco or New York doesn't automatically translate to São Paulo. Respect the local market, work with people who understand it, and be humble enough to learn from what surprises you.

Excellence Is Universal: Despite language barriers and cultural differences, people everywhere recognize and appreciate when you've invested in creating an exceptional experience. The food, the venue, the care we took—it all communicated respect, and our attendees responded with enthusiasm and engagement.

Buffer Time Is Event Insurance: When working internationally, especially in markets with different operational rhythms, build in buffer time you think is excessive. Then add more. You'll use it, and you'll be grateful you have it.

The Bottom Line: What Actually Delivers Unforgettable Events

Perfect planning is overrated. Perfect partnerships are priceless. You can have the most detailed project plan in the world, but if you don't have a team that trusts each other, maintains positive attitudes under pressure, and can collaborate through chaos, your event will suffer. And if you don't have agency partners who know you, understand your standards, and have local expertise you can rely on, you're flying blind.

The Brazil conference succeeded not because we had more time or resources (we had less of both), but because we had the right people in the right relationships approaching challenges with the right mindset - which was, we would succeed (if humbly) at all costs with determination and grit and a bit of humor and levity too.

For Planners Considering International Events:

  • Build agency partnerships before you need them

  • Invest in local expertise—you can't Google (Or Claude/GPT) your way through cultural nuances

  • Budget significantly more time and expense for travel and logistics

  • Don't compromise on venue uniqueness and food quality—they're worth the investment and try to focus on what’s important locally even if it’s different from what you’re used to

  • Understand that your audience's motivations may differ from your domestic expectations

  • Assemble a team that values collaboration and maintains positivity under pressure

  • Accept that some things won't go as planned, and that's okay—flexibility is a feature, not a bug

The Brazil Bottom Line:

Would I do it again with two months' notice? Honestly? Probably not—the overnight shifts and stress took years off my life. But would I encourage planners to take calculated risks on international events with the right team and partners? Absolutely.

Because sometimes the events that push you furthest outside your comfort zone teach you the most valuable lessons. And sometimes—when you have trust, team unity, and a little bit of samba in your soul—the impossible becomes not just possible, but extraordinary.

Ready to discuss how the right partnerships and team can transform your next event from logistically challenging to genuinely unforgettable? Always happy to chat. 

What international event challenges have pushed you to grow as a planner? I'd love to hear your stories—drop me a note and let's compare notes on what we've learned in the field.

Book me here 👉 intro.co/giannagaudini

Let me guide your team 👉https://www.giannagaudini.com/learn-from-me

Gianna Gaudini is an event strategist, advisor, and author of the Amazon bestselling book "The Art of Event Planning." She's held leadership roles at Google, AWS, SoftBank Vision Fund, and Airtable, creating unforgettable experiences that drive business results.