I didn’t attend Essence this year but the response from our community was impossible to ignore. As someone who builds community-backed brands and real-world strategies for nonprofits, small businesses, and athletic programs, what happened at Essence is more than a headline it’s a cautionary tale that keeps happening.

You can't treat your people like a product and expect loyalty. It doesn't work. We’re living in a time where everything’s inflated rent, eggs, experiences—and some brands are responding by going full hyper-capitalist with no real care for the customer journey.

The “I see you” energy? It’s disappearing from a lot beloved brands.

One of my favorite marketing books, The 1-Page Marketing Plan, talks about this. When you build something, you're supposed to invite people inn ot lock them out unless they upgrade to VVIP.

Here’s what happened: For 25 years, the Essence Festival’s Superlounges were a core part of the experience. Intimate shows. Big names. All included with your ticket. But now, with renovations and a Super Bowl on the way, there’s just one lounge. And it’s for VVIPs only. No clear communication. No heads-up. Just fans feeling scammed and left out.

To make it messier, they rebranded opening acts on the main stage as “Superlounge moments.” Yeah. That ain’t the same.

Listen, when you’re building offers whether it’s a service, a program, or a festival you’re creating an experience. People should feel like they're stepping into something made for them, not like they’re being nickel-and-dimed to breathe. You can’t lose the soul of the business in the name of scaling. No pun, but the essence of Essence is community. Not exclusivity.

If the vibe starts feeling more like a luxury mall than a legacy event, it’s time to reassess.

Essence was never just about concerts. It was about culture, community and connection.From the jump, it was a live extension of Essence Magazine’s mission which was to elevate the Black voice, especially Black women. It was where music met movement, and where being seen wasn’t just visual but spiritual.

But here's the thing though, when you underestimate the vibe, you underestimate the emotional architecture of an event. A true cultural event is a micro-economy. It should feel like a ritual or a mirror. It needs more than stages and ticket tiers, it needs space. Safe space. Brave space. Real space.

And when you're building brand activations or hosting events in your own business, the same rule applies: It’s not just about programming. It’s about presence.

If your brand serves Black and brown folks, working class people, mamas, artists, or anyone with layered identities you can’t just serve the surface. You have to curate containers that speak to life to politics ,joy, rest ,family,art,and healing.

The best communities aren’t built behind closed doors. They’re co-created.Essence went left because decisions were made about the community not with them. And that’s where things start to break.

I don’t believe in top-down planning. I believe in community-informed strategy not just data for data’s sake. That’s why at Irene-Marie, especially when we’re working with nonprofits, we build in constant feedback loops. I’ve learned that from the inside out as Executive Director of the Hispanic Chamber. You have to stay open and agile.

I’m out here embedding surveys in everything—after networking events, after workshops, after panels—because I’m not interested in guessing. If something didn’t land, I don’t need two more chances to get it wrong. I want to know right now so I can pivot in real time and give people what they actually want to see.

Because that’s how you build a brand that listens. And that’s the kind of leadership our communities deserve.

What happened with Essence? That wasn’t a glitch—it’s a mirror. A reminder.

So if you’re out here saying you build for the culture, ask yourself:
Would your people still show up if the lights cut off, the titles disappeared, and the big names backed out?

Because that’s community. That’s the soul of it. And that’s what we’re here to protect every damn day.

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