Abe Adeilé on Why In-Person Community is Still Important in Today’s Digital World

A ThankfulFor Gathering in 2023

We live in a digital world. People connect through social media platforms, hold meetings virtually, and gather communities and events in WhatsApp groups. We join video calls and communicate almost every day. Sometimes, we go months or even years without seeing each other because there seems to be little reason to meet in person. It almost feels like there is no nostalgia for the world we used to live in, where we would touch each other, dress up for meetings, and watch our friends nearly fall off their chairs from laughing so hard.

However, there is nothing comparable to a physical, in-person community, despite how much we’ve grown into the digital world. Screens may keep us connected, but they can’t fully replicate the texture of real-life interactions. It’s a kind of poetry to imagine people sharing the same air in a space, the unplanned conversations, the nuance in someone’s tone, the energy that can’t be muted or frozen by a bad connection. It’s in the way laughter fills a room differently, how hugs say what texts cannot. No matter how convenient our screens have become, they can never truly replace the feeling of showing up for one another.

As people spend more time online, moments of genuine physical connection have become even more valuable. It is what informed Abe Adeilé to start a physical community to bring people together around a themed experience in 2019. He talks to us about the essence of in-person community gathering in today’s digital world.

Enjoy the conversation!

Hello Adeilé, how are you feeling today?

The festive period makes you feel somewhat appreciative, grateful, optimistic and hopeful, especially seeing that the new year is around the corner, so that’s how I’m feeling in a nutshell.

What moment or experience inspired you to create ThankfulFor — The Series, and what personal need or observation sparked the idea?

What was originally started was ThankfulFor– Life®. It was December of the Covid-19 year, and we figured we had collectively survived something scary. I had dinner at my home with close friends at the time, and we just ate, shared gratitude stories, and continued it in the years that followed. ThankfulFor– The Series™ was created to house all our other “ThankfulFor–” experiences.

When you started this community back in 2019, what vision did you have for it, and how has that vision evolved over the years?

Back in 2019, clubbing activities were the apex of December activities; there were very few close-knit outings we could go to that felt like we could connect with. We wanted something of our own, something we and our extended friend network were looking for. It had to be a space where we could talk and at the same time dance, network while feasting and express gratitude while partying into the night. That was really what we wanted, so we built that, and it’s evolved exactly as that.

How has the community grown?

To be honest, the single word to describe the journey is growth. Imagine, from 13 people, to 113, to 240, to 450 and an active community of about 800+ and growing people. Growth is simply the best way to describe our journey.

A ThankfulFor Gathering

Why do you believe a physical, in-person community is still necessary in a time when so much of life has shifted to digital spaces?

Digital space will never be like in-person space. Everyone should touch grass and come to a conclusion on the difference themselves.

What do you think people are mostly anticipating when they walk into a ThankfulFor event? Connection? Gratitude? Belonging? Something else?

People look forward to every experience at every ThankfulFor event; the networking and finding similar identity is a given. We put a lot of thought into that experience.

Can you share a moment from a past event that confirmed to you that this community was truly making an impact?

It’s the Beige Party in 2023. We figured that we had eclipsed and we could see the impact of our event take shape, the dress code adherence to the demand for access for +1 or +2, we figured that we were ready to bring in brand investment, and that’s what we did in 2024 and 2025, although the 2025 edition got suspended due to the event production timeline.

A ThankfulFor Gathering

How do you design experiences that feel intimate and meaningful, even as the community grows in size and visibility?

I think it’s the thought and work we put into the production or experience design, the consultations we carry out and most importantly, the story and feel we want to go for. It all has to come together as a whole. The experience direction is usually decided in Q1 of every new year after about 3 to 4 meetings. It’s a long process, but we figure it out.

In what ways would you like the community to expand, geographically, culturally, or in terms of the kinds of gatherings you host?

We are expanding via geopolitical zones because we have people from various countries and cities within our community, and due to this, the brand itself is positioning for experiences in more cities to meet some of our members at their own zones– it’s a work in progress, but we are going to get it done.

Abe Adeilé

Looking ahead, what is your hope or aspiration for ThankfulFor — The Series and the role it can play in people’s emotional or social well-being?

The answer to this is in our vision statement: “We envision ThankfulFor— The Series® as more than just a collection of events. We aim to build a community of people who believe in living fully, appreciating the present, and connecting with others meaningfully. Through our gatherings, we hope to inspire people to carry gratitude into their everyday lives, fostering positive change both individually and collectively”