Webinar Insights: What's Next for Community? A Fireside Chat with Evan Hamilton

Our latest webinar featured Evan Hamilton, Director of Community at HubSpot, in a deep-dive fireside chat about the future of community roles, evolving industry trends, and the essential skills community professionals need to thrive.

Key Takeaways

1. The Community Industry Has Stabilized—And That’s a Good Thing

Evan compared the past few years of community building to a Gold Rush—an era where companies invested heavily in community without fully understanding its value. Now, we’re in the post-Gold Rush cleanup phase, where companies investing in community are doing so with clear intent and strategy.

🗣 "Community was undervalued before the pandemic. Then it got overvalued. Now, I actually think we're kind of correctly valued, and we're having to clean up the mess."

Companies that are prioritizing community today are aligning it with business goals, ensuring it’s not just a trendy initiative but a core strategy for growth and customer engagement.

2. The Role of Community Managers Has Shifted

The novelty of just bringing people together is no longer enough. Community professionals must now focus on facilitating meaningful connections and delivering clear business impact.

🗣 "We have to move past the idea that community is just about putting people in a room. It’s about making those connections high quality—curating the right people, structuring conversations, and ensuring real value."

Community managers who understand business goals and can prove ROI will have the most success in securing resources and growing their programs.

3. AI Will Reshape, But Not Replace, Community Roles

Evan emphasized that AI is not a threat to community professionals, but rather a tool to improve efficiency. From automated moderation to matchmaking and content summarization, AI can take on repetitive tasks so community managers can focus on strategy and relationship-building.

🗣 "AI is going to handle the low-level, repetitive tasks, which means community teams can focus more on the high-value work—like fostering deep relationships and driving strategic impact."

The key? Embrace AI as a tool for efficiency, not a replacement for human interaction.

4. Micro-Communities and External Spaces Matter—But Don’t Abandon Hosted Communities

While there's a growing trend toward community everywhere (Reddit, Slack groups, private LinkedIn forums), Evan cautioned against relying solely on external platforms.

🗣 "It’s dangerous to completely hitch your community wagon to an external platform. It should be additive, not a replacement."

Instead of abandoning hosted communities, companies should think about how to integrate external spaces into their overall strategy, ensuring they still own their community data and experiences.

Final Thoughts

The community industry is evolving, but the core principles remain: delivering value, aligning with business goals, and fostering meaningful connections. As AI, micro-communities, and decentralized platforms become more prominent, community managers must adapt and innovate—but always with strategy at the forefront.

For those who missed the live session, you can watch the full recording here.

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