DC Mexico 2024 Recap: Pics, Slides, Memories, and More

This was our biggest Spring event yet. We had 201 attendees, 20 presentations, 60 meet-ups, and countless conversations. The goal was to create more connections between attendees.

Playa and the Hyatt were successful locations despite being first-time hosts to a major DC event.

Here’s a 2-Minute Video on What We Were Up To:

Here's What Members Had to Say:

“The event will be a highlight of my year. Exotic beach, 5-star hotel, interesting, kind, and fun people, and tons of business value. I had an amazing time and feel very lucky to be a part of this community and be able to attend and take part in these events.” Frankie Thorogood

“It exceeded expectations! I’m so glad I went, and I am eager to go to future events. Everyone is warm, welcoming, and wired the same way, so the energy is phenomenal. Great job curating the right people.” Kelly Phenicie

A Little DC Mexico History

The first major DC spring event was in Austin in April 2018. By April 2019, DC Austin was gaining momentum. When 2020 rolled around, COVID stopped that event (many refunds had to be issued!). Due to the pandemic, other cities were considered for a Spring event. In 2021, the event was moved to Mexico City, and ‘DCMEX’ was born. In 2022, we did DC Playa Del Carmen, then in 2023, we repeated DCMEX in Mexico City.

For 2024, we wanted something new, tropical, and had beach vibes. That’s why Playa Del Carmen was chosen for DC Mexico.

It was fun experimenting with different locations, as they significantly alter the event atmosphere. We’ve now found a home for our Spring event in Playa Del Carmen.

Why Playa Del Carmen?

As Dan and Ian like to say on the pod, the city has an amazing ‘UI.’ Everything you need is within 15 minutes of walking distance: restaurants, gyms, pools, and the beach.

Maybe the most important factor is the community here. There are incredible DCers living in Playa who welcome DCers to their homes, making the city better. These DCers were extremely helpful in hosting meet-ups, providing advice, and making us feel at home.

Shoutout to Jordan Carroll, Serge Zhevelyuk, Kristen Zalatan, Karla Singson, Alex Jimenez, Aurika Savickaite, David Lukauskas, and Jason Long.

DC Mexico 2024 Highlights

Quick highlights:

200 attendees

20 presentations from the stage

60 member-organized meet-ups

Every party was within walking distance

Useful swag (beach bag, lip balm, and sunscreen)

50% of attendees joined pre-event Coffee Calls

Structure networking: DCMex Mixer, Member Meets, and Masterminds

Families turned it into a vacation. DCers brought the whole family and they were busy going on day trips and hanging by the pool.

Our Hotel Partner is the Hyatt. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by its beauty and perfect downtown location.

Pool Time. I’ve never seen so many pics of DCers in a pool. We’ve had pool parties at other events, but I think this event has the record for the most time in the pool.

We started early. We started at 9:30 and ended earlier each day. The sun and ocean breeze woke us up and got us moving. This gave us more time to hang out in the afternoon.

‘Healthy’ is trending. There were more morning workouts, pool hangs, and breakfast meetings than in previous events. Meanwhile, there fewer late nights.

Structured Networking. The goal was to give you more connections, and that was achieved with the DCMex Mixer, Member Meets, and Masterminds.

A Truly Tropical Event. I’ve never seen so many barefooted DCers enjoying the sand and taking in the tropical vibe.

Pre-Event Connections

Coffee Calls

50% of attendees participated in Coffee Calls before the event. This was a way for participants to meet other DCers in quick one-on-one conversations.

During the event, attendees recognized each other from the virtual calls and walked into the event with new friends.

Bios of Attendees

DCers shared short bios and listed what they were working on and business owners they wanted to meet.

This was one of our most viewed forum posts in March and April, as attendees read bios and reached out to meet attendees.

The Two Scholarship Winners

Since 2017, our community members have paid to send thirteen entrepreneurs to DC events in Bangkok, Austin, London, and Mexico City.

This has happened thanks to the ‘Event Scholarship’ tradition. Before each major event, members rally resources and help pay for the trip expenses of deserving members.

The tradition started in 2017, thanks to Greg Gerber (Gerbz). He was struck by the value of in-person connections at DC events and wanted to help more members experience the magic for themselves.

This year we hosted two scholarships:

Scholarship for DC Members

Scholarship for the TMBA

Here were the winners:

Rob Sanchez - DC Scholarship

Thomas Griswold - TMBA Scholarship

These DCers had the chance to experience a DC event in person for the first time.

This happened thanks to the generosity of Greg Gerber and Allen Walton, who sponsored the scholarships

The Grand Hyatt Hotel & Playa Del Carmen

There was lots of love for PDC and the Hyatt. The Hyatt quickly won over the community, with it’s ocean breezes, stunning views, and plenty of areas to hang out.

In downtown Playa Del Carmen, no taxis were necessary. Everything is a 10-15 minute walk. Most of the attendees stayed at the Hyatt, but those who didn’t could easily participate and walk to the venue quickly.

Ther are more food and bar options within a stone’s throw than any other venue we’ve chosen. With all the walking around the streets felt like hotel hallways and DCers were bumping into each other everywhere.

60+ Meet-Ups

Members frequently ask, “When should I arrive before the event?” It’s safe to say you can arrive one week before and there’ll be plenty of things going on. There were 60 meet-ups led by DCers that were published in event app, and even more were organized in the WhatsApp group. Two weeks after the event, DCers were still organizing meet-ups in the chat.

Here were some of the meet-ups:

Tours and Food Experiences

Taco Tour

Coffee Tour

Chichen Itza

Couples Night

Filipino Cooking Class

Dinner and Art Gallery

Cozumel Snorkling

DC Stand Up Comedy Night

Playacar Pool Party

Tulum Day Trip

Cenote Trip

Prviate Yacht with Open Bar & Food

Activities and Sport

Golf Day

Boxing

Coco Bongo

Karoake

Spin Class

Xcarat Adventure Park

Game Night!

Morning Runs

Pick-Up Basketball

Open Water Swimming

Morning Workouts

Hydrotherapy Circuit

Sunset Paddle Boarding

Ice Bath and Breathwork on the Beach

Learnings and Networking

DC Flail

Crypto 2024

DCMex Mixer

DC Coworking

How are you using AI?

Overcoming Burnout

Content Creators Meet-Up

Hiring and Remote Team Culture

VC Fundraising and Angel Investing

Fun for the Whole Family

Even though event is only for attendees, families were keeping busy throughout the whole event. One DCer told me “My family has seen more of Mexico than I have!”

The ‘DC Families’ were connected in a WhatsApp group. They were able to make plans and coordinate activities together. DC Families enjoyed:

Walking tours

Cenote trip

Tulum trip

Chicen Itza tour

Lunches and dinners together

They were also hanging out by the pool and the kids were active in the free activities offered by the Hyatt. Some local members even invited families over to their pools. I hope the families are excited to come back next year!

Pre-Event: Sunday, May 5th, 2024

DC Mex Mixer

The night before the event, we hosted the ‘DC Mex Mixer,’ where DCers had a chance to make new friends in a structured way.

The activities were led by Noel Andrews and Seonaid Beckwith, who provided the structure and the questions for attendees to ask each other. This was a successful event function that we hope to repeat at future events.

DC Black Cocktail Party

The DC Black members got together after the DC Mex Mixer on the beachfront patio at the Hyatt. There was good food, drink, and conversations, and many of the members were anxious to meet each other for the first time.

Day 1: Monday, May 6th | Masterminds, Meet-Ups, and DC Black Day

Women’s Breakfast

The women of the DC got together for breakfast and structured conversations. They had a chance to get to know each other some more.

Masterminds

81% of attendees participated in masterminds; this is an all-time high. Our events usually average a 75% participation rate. The last two events have had some changes that have led to the increase. One major improvement is the masterminds are hosted in smaller, quieter rooms for an intimate experience.

Member-Led Meet-Ups

Since we started at 9:30, the Masterminds were able to finish at 2:30 PM. This gave us a full afternoon for meet-ups.

Here were the Monday Meet-Ups:

DC Flails: Founders Breaking Through $250k Annual Revenue with Robin Stift

Remote Hiring & Team Culture with Noel Andrews & Greg Valentine

Coaches and Consultants with Tom Rogers

ADHD Discussion with Eagan Heath

How are you using AI today? with Frank Jones

Content Creators: Video Creators, Podcasters & Writers with Seonaid Beckwith and Gabriel Gelman

Crypto 2024 with Greg Gerber

‘DC Black Day’

On Monday, instead of the traditional ‘Mastermind Day,’ 35 DC Black members participated in a different experince. There were presentations, discussions of ‘shiny objects’, and special guests Noah Kagan and Ayman Al Abdullah.

The day kicked off with a presentation from Pete Schuh who shared the story and learnings from his recent exit. It was an epic story with some helpful, tactical takeaways.

Next, Alex Pantich, Ryan Carrigan, and Pat Doyle gave awesome lightning talks, each offering a unique perspective on entrepreneurial success:

Optimizing an Old-School Business by Alex Pantich

How to use affiliate marketing to take a brand from $0 to $20 million in under 2 years by Ryan Carrigan

Bootstrapped to Private Equity by Pat Doyle

Mid-day, they had a sushi lunch at the Hyatt. After lunch, they broke into small groups to discuss peer’s shiny objects.

The day wrapped up with Noah Kagan and Ayman Al Abdullah who shared insights on how they escalated from 4.5M to 80MM in annual revenue. It was interesting to hear from both of their perspectives how the partnership evolved as they grew.

Opening Party Tropical Party

Sticking with DC tradition, the opening party had tropical vibes with attendees bringing out their best floral attire.

Founder Feud

The day began with an interactive game called Founder Feud. Our emcee, Adam Palmeter, pitted audience members against each other in guessing different ‘DC Business' questions. All of the data came from your answers, so thank you for participating!

Mainstage Presentations

The day started presentation in the Grand Ballroom. We heard from:

Ray Blakney - From ‘Set for Life’ to Calls with Bankruptcy Lawyers in One Week

Rob te Braake - How Being a Bad Manager Makes a Great Team

Freddy Lansky - My Biggest Win of 2021: Failing at Buying a Business

Karla Singson - What I Learned from Starting All Over Again, Many

Times in My Life

Emil Barr - Lessons from Running a $2M Agency While Being a Full-Time College Student

(All presention slides available to Dynamite Circle member in the forum)

[New Activity] Member Meets

After lunch, we tried out a new activity called ‘Member Meets.’ DCers were placed in random groups and asked to share their ideas on marketing and operational topics.

Attendees enjoyed the chance to speak with DCers they had never met, and have deeper conversations with friends.

Meet-Ups

After the Member Meets, the finished with more member led meet-ups. Here were the Tuesday meet-ups:

Angel Investing and VC in the DC with Derek Rodriguez and Bob Sheard

SaaS Founders Meet-up with Amar Ghose

Business Acquisition Meet-Up

Course Creators Met-up with John Ainsworth

Real Estate Meet-up with Jeff Fruhwirth

Overcoming Burnout with Jamie Toyne

Party at Zitla

Our Tuesday Party was a casual hang at the Zitla bar. Members continued their conversations from earlier over some good food and drink.

Day 3: Wednesday, May 8th, 2024

Mainstage Presentations

We spent the final day together in the Grand Ballroom, hearing stories and tactics from fellow DCers. Here’s who presented on Wendesday:

DC Black Panel - 5 Insights From Working with 100 7&8 Figure Founders

John Doherty - A Journey to Happiness

Max Sinclair - Surviving the Start-Up Apocalypse

Pamela Wagner - Hustle Less and Live More

Crystal Stranger - The simple hack I used to make $10,000 in the first week of my new venture on LinkedIn

Jeff Sauer - Million Dollar Merger: How a Merger and Swallowing Your Pride Might be the Boost You Need

Ayman Al Abdullah - The 5 Things a CEO Can't Delegate

Timothy Moser - How a Rebrand Took Us from Layoffs to Seven Figures

Khai Nguyen - Acquiring Businesses (Your Way)

Jenna Clark - The Art of Looking Better and Bigger Than You Are

Jeff Fruhwirth - Maybe Just Be Better

Jason Long - Top Tools Every CEO Needs

Sam Hill - Fractional HR Lessons

Cathryn Lavery - From Exit to Entry

Closing Party (with Fire Dancers!)

The Closing Party on the beach kept the tropical theme strong. Since the party was on the sandy beach, DCers kicked off their shoes and settled right into the good times. One of the surprises of the night was the fire show.

The Whova Contest Winner

We ran a contest to see who could win the most points in Whova. The competition was heated, and everyone who participated gave a valient effort. Congratulations to our winner, Jordan Carroll!

Shoutout to everyone else who made the top ten:

Frank Jones

Jonathan B. Strong

Jeff Fruhwirth

Khai Nguyen

Serge Zhevelyuk

Alex Salinsky

Patty Castaneda

Alexandra Jimenez

Nattha Wannissorn

Looking Ahead to DC Mexico 2025

Next Spring, we’re planning on coming back to the Hyatt and Playa Del Carmen. There’s a lot of excitement around the venue, the location, the sunshine, and the tropical vibes. We’re excited to play it again next year.

Many DCers have signed on to join us again next year. Shoutout to the DCers who bought the first five tickets for DC Mexico 2025 and earned themselves a rare ‘Stone Face Ian Selfie’:

Noel Andrews

Andy Morgan

Davis Nguyen

Kevin Miller

Peter Schuh

Want to join us next year? Grab your DC Mexico 2025 ticket .

Tickets are available and prices will be increasing incrementally as we approach the event. We have a generous refund policy, so reserve early.

Thank You, Sponsors!

Of course, this event couldn’t have happened without our sponsors. These are companies from the DC, excited to support their fellow entrepreneurs.

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Remote First Recruiting - Hire Your Next Team Member in 30 Days or Less

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They've helped hundreds of DCers grow their remote teams, specializing in Customer Success Managers and Sales DeveloPMent Reps.

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Thank you for checking out this post and sharing the excitement!

Some of the best ‘DC Magic’ occurs at DC events. Here are the upcoming events:

July 11-14 - DCX London

July 30-Aug. 1 - DC Black: Barcelona

Sept. 19 - DCA & DCB in Austin, Texas

Oct. 17-20 - DCBKK (Tickets Re-Open June 17th)

Dec. 6-8 - DC Black: NYC

May 2025 - DC Mexico

All of our events are only for members of the Dynamite Circle.

We’re looking forward to seeing you at some of them!

Thank you,

Alex and the DC Team