The Business of Meetings

We are excited to be speaking to a rockstar in the ticketing industry today! Maureen Andersen, the CEO of INTIX (International Ticketing Association), is joining us! Maureen has done everything imaginable within the ticketing industry and is very well-known and respected for her insight and perspective. In this episode, Maureen shares her story and explains what it takes to ensure that the show goes on, no matter what. She also discusses the impact of COVID on live entertainment and shares her optimism and hopes for what’s to come. We hope you enjoy our conversation with her! Maureen Andersen’s bio: Maureen Andersen, as President & CEO of the International Ticketing Association (INTIX), has clear goals:  Growing multi-national membership; delivering ongoing superior learning and professional development opportunities to members and the industry; developing and nurturing strategic relationships; increasing the INTIX brand recognition; and executing the Board of Director’s strategic plan. She is deeply committed to advancing the work and the professionalism of fan and patron engagement through ticketing, marketing, and customer service innovations and best practices. Maureen brings a wealth of ticketing and live entertainment experience to INTIX, having worked with organizations as diverse and extensive as AudienceView, BroadwaySF, Paciolan, and The Denver Center for the Performing Arts. Maureen is a frequent speaker at industry conferences, seminars, and workshops and has multiple published articles on industry issues.  She is the recipient of several high-profile awards from INTIX, FutureTix, VenuesNow, and Northeastern Junior College.   Show biz From the age of nine, Maureen knew that she wanted to be in the world of live entertainment and show business. Growing up, she played in bands, sang in choirs, and acted in theater productions.  Where it all started In her junior year in college, Maureen was put into the box office of the university’s theatre for a work-study program because she could type. That was where it all started. She realized that she would manage to support herself with a career in ticketing because she had the head for it, learned quickly, and understood what she needed to do. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts Maureen spent 23 years working at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts. She got to sit in all the chairs, from ticket agent to answering the telephones to the subscription department up to becoming Director of Ticketing and Treasurer.  Very little time off Working in the ticketing business has been a bit like running away with the circus for Maureen because she is always busy, gets no weekends, and has very little time off. A horror story Maureen experienced a real-life horror story when a man had a heart attack and dropped dead in the sound lock (the two doors between the lobby and the theater). People approached her in the ticket office afterward, asking if they could move into his seats. Chaos and stress Every day in the theater is a little chaotic and stressful because you have to change in the middle of it, go and meet the public, and then go to what is considered the live moment. Maureen Andersen’s transition to taking the lead at INTIX Maureen went from working at the Denver Center to working at a series of ticketing providers. Then, she got recruited by INTIX when they were searching for a CEO. She feels that after sitting in all the chairs and doing ticketing for pretty much everything, she brings something unique to INTIX.  COVID When the coronavirus pandemic happened, Maureen faced a crisis due to all the uncertainty and not knowing what to do when most of the people she served, from vendors to members to people, were forced to shut down and leave their jobs.  Maureen Andersen’s epiphany Maureen realized that she needed to be authentic and place herself in other people’s shoes to understand what they needed and how she could help them. What came to her was that they needed a place to talk, commiserate, and deal with what was going on. She also realized that she and her team were a lot stronger, smarter, and more nimble, skilled, and resilient than she thought.  Un-gating Maureen saw that people needed a community and a way to process what was happening to them. Along with her board of directors and staff, Maureen decided to un-gate parts of INTIX, which is a membership organization, and let people get involved at a deeper level to make sure that everyone remained connected. Learning Everyone in the industry started learning from each other because there was no playbook. Broadway Broadway is due to start the rolling process of re-opening in mid-September. Maureen thinks that people will have to wear masks to Broadway shows and continue wearing them well into the runs of the shows.  Travel Most Americans do not like being told what to do. So, Maureen feels that we will most likely see a similar mish-mash dynamic to that with masking and vaccinations when it gets to whether or not the borders will open and whether or not people will be allowed to travel.  The live-streaming component Maureen believes that the live-streaming component, as well as the repackaging, value-adding, and upselling that occur due to live-streaming, are all here to stay.  Live-stream theaters Many theaters are going through renovations right now. They are building live-streaming infrastructures inside the theaters to make sure that they can live-stream. A recent UK survey A recent UK survey revealed that 92% of all musicians believe that live-streaming concerts and repackaging them to sell afterward will become part of their revenue streams in the future. Adapting Even though people will have to adapt to the new technologies for theater productions, Maureen feels that they will be happy to do so. Early 2022 Maureen predicts that in early 2022, we will have a glut of entertainment and event options available. The various options will all happen simultaneously, which could cause some issues with filling the audiences over time.  Maureen Andersen: Exciting times are coming! All the vendors and providers who use this time of isolation to fix their existing products and create new ones are set for success when the theaters reopen. Maureen thinks all of that will lead to an exciting renaissance of the new songs, musicals, dances, and operas that are coming out.   Customer experience When the theaters reopen, the big productions will most likely capitalize on the initial demand. However, Maureen is hopeful that things will settle down into a more reasonable pricing structure for live performances, and theaters will start to partner with their customers once the initial bubble has gone up and out.  January 2022 From January 18th to the 21st of next year, Maureen and INTIX will be appearing, live and in-person, at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Maureen Andersen On LinkedIn

We have the great honor of speaking to an icon in our industry today! Corbin Ball, aka Mr. Technology, is an influential leader who has been sharing his knowledge, insights, and technological discoveries for many years! He was inducted into the Events Industry Council’s Hall of Leaders in 2018 and was named the most influential person in the Top 25, five times! In this episode, Corbin talks to us about AI (Artificial Intelligence), AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality), and data insights and analytics. We hope you will enjoy listening to our conversation! Corbin Ball’s bio: Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, DES, MS is an international speaker, consultant, and writer helping clients worldwide use technology to save time and improve productivity. After more than a decade running international citywide technology meetings, Corbin transitioned in 1997 to become a highly acclaimed speaker with the ability to make complex subjects understandable and fun. Corbin is a 2018 inductee into the Events Industry Council's Hall of Leaders, the most prestigious honor in the meetings, conventions, and exhibitions industry. He is the only person to have received both the MPI International Supplier of the Year and the MPI International Chapter Leader of the Year awards. Corbin has been named as one of "The 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry" five times by Successful Meetings/Meeting News magazines. Corbin was named last month by Cvent as one of “20 Event Professionals You Should Be Following.” Corbin Ball’s journey When he left college, Corbin became the Director of Educational Media for Western Washington University. That was where his immersion in technology began. Several years later, he was asked to help a small engineering association with the technological side of their events. He continued working for that association for about 15 years, during which time they grew to run the largest meetings in the world in the area of optics.  Technology was going to change everything In 1997, Corbin saw that technology was going to change everything. It became apparent that technology would change the world of events profoundly. So, he decided to travel more and form his own business as a speaker, consultant, and writer, focusing specifically on event technology. He was the first person to do that, and it has been a fun ride for him ever since then! Corbin Ball can lay claim to the longest-running website Corbin has the longest-running event technology website (www.corbinball.com). He started it shortly after forming his business, Corbin Ball and Company. He has loved helping event professionals understand technology so that they can improve their business processes. The silver lining The pandemic taught Corbin to slow down, smell the roses, and enjoy life wherever he is. Technological changes During the last 14 months, there has been an explosion of innovation, particularly in virtual meetings. Virtual meetings have changed more during this time than they have in the past decade.  The year of hybrid event technology and innovation All the best practices that we have learned from virtual meetings will forever change the face of in-person events. Corbin thinks that 2021 will be the year of hybrid event technology and innovation. Profound changes in society The best practices that we learned and the forced increased digitization of how we do business have created profound changes in our society.  Corbin Ball’s thoughts on the future marketing of events  The way that events get marketed will be different in the future. As Corbin explains, there has been a lot of talk about establishing a year-round community and creating marketing campaigns to market events to that community. That community will use AI and do things differently and more efficiently.  Face-to-face  There is nothing that can replace face-to-face communication, interaction, and relationship-building, which are all key parts of the sales process. Exhibitors at exhibitions have complained of having low net promoter scores because they were unable to make the same connections as they do at face-to-face events. Yet, Corbin still feels that the virtual meetings piece will be substantially larger than it was in the past. The impact AI will have on meetings and events Corbin feels that AI will become one of the biggest and most profound trends of this decade. It will change everything. AI has many applications for events. In 2019, Wordly.ai created a technology for events that accurately translates voice into audio and text in 16 different languages. That technology can be used for virtual events to open the translations up to a much broader audience. Chatbots will also be helpful for events, as will AI technologies designed for biometrics. Zenus.ai does facial recognition for meeting registration and access control accurately, quickly, and securely. Anonymous facial analytics In the area of anonymous facial analytics, gender, estimated age, levels of interest, and emotions can all be measured. Facial analytics applications can also count the number of people in large groups, measure their age and gender, and even measure whether or not they are paying attention during an event. We will see facial recognition technology used more frequently for travel and hotel check-ins. Non-contact palm scans Non-contact palm scans can automatically scan the contents of a grocery basket instantly.  AI customization for events Some companies have been using the data points from people’s event registrations to create algorithms to help them find matches for their interests with the exhibitors they should see or the sessions they should attend. There is a lot of growth potential in that area. Video recap  Another company has designed video recap software specifically for events. It creates searchable transcripts that highlight the key points throughout the presentations.  Vertical markets Every vertical market, from farming to pharmacology, will also be affected by artificial intelligence. Virtual Reality  For a virtual reality experience, you put on goggles and get taken to another place. Although that is not ideal for events, it can be helpful for hotel sales, site inspections, or elaborate equipment demos. Augmented and Mixed Reality Mixed reality is similar to augmented reality. It involves layering additional objects, information, or a character within the view that you are seeing. It can provide an effective display, but the headsets are, unfortunately, quite expensive. AI on a phone or tablet The technology for using AI on a phone or a tablet is well-established. It has been around for more than a decade. Recent upgrades to android devices and iPhones have improved the technology and made it much easier to use.  Augmented reality glasses In the future, we will be using normal-looking glasses that have augmented reality components for many different applications. Projection mapping With projection mapping, you can layer a digital experience on top of something concrete. You can convert the side of a building to be animated or create a stage set where people can interact with things that are not there. The technology for projection mapping has improved recently, making it easier to use and less expensive. Data integration and analytics One of the benefits of virtual meetings is that every click is trackable, and you can get rich data from every attendee. The same thing can apply to face-to-face events, although that is a little more difficult. Many systems will automatically give you data and analytics. Data analytics typically requires three things: You have to integrate all your different data sources with the analytics technology. You need to use artificial intelligence to analyze the data and see the insights. You need to make the data accessible to humans. (For example, by making a graph or a chart.) Once all the data has been brought together, you can use it to better serve your customers by providing them with what they are interested in and what they want. 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We have the great pleasure of speaking to the one and only Nicholas Kusmich today! Nicholas is an entrepreneur who has had tons of experience with Facebook ads and online advertising campaigns. He is joining us to talk about what you, as a business owner, should be doing about your advertising and marketing. He will also explain what is happening currently in the worlds of Facebook and Apple.  We hope that you will enjoy our conversation with Nicholas as much as we did! Nicholas Kusmich’s bio: Nicholas Kusmich, Founder of the H2H Media Group and the Marketers Council and creator of The Limitless Leads Workshop & Advisory Program + Accelerator Group is best known as a Leading Facebook Advertising Strategist and for having the highest ROIs in the industry (up to 30,973.32%). Working with A-List clients, including top thought-leaders, NYT Best Selling Authors, Top Inc 500, and fast-growth companies, he creates advertising campaigns that don’t suck and allow you to scale your business at will. All his information can be found here. In the beginning Nicolas grew up knowing that he wanted to do something with his life. When he was seventeen, he got hired as a youth pastor, and at nineteen, he got ordained and started a church. Nicholas remained a pastor for the next fourteen years, feeling like he was living his life’s purpose and thinking he would change the world. He did not want to take a salary from the church, and he needed to support his family, so he decided to start a side-hustle to pay the bills.  Internet marketing He knew nothing when he started. He joined many different companies and made a lot of mistakes along the way. That was how he got to know about the world of internet marketing. Books The first book he read advised him to find a product to sell online, so he did that. The next book he read said that he should write a book and sell it as an e-book, so he did. The following book told him to turn his e-book into a course to make even more money, and he did that, too. It was all done under a pen name.  Facebook ads Nicolas got introduced to Facebook ads in the early days. Playing around with it, he started to make some money. When he discovered that very few people were profiting from Facebook ads, something clicked.  Facebook Consultant He decided to go all-in with the Facebook thing. He became a Facebook consultant and started teaching people how to do it.  An agency Then, people started asking him to do it for them. So, he opened an agency. Taking a break He took a break from the church in 2014 but ended up never going back and focusing instead on his newly-formed career. He came to realize that he could meet and help even more people that way. Committed to Facebook Nicholas is still committed to Facebook, the Facebook properties, and figuring out how to get good messages out to the world using the platform. News platforms Forbes Magazine wrote an article about Nicholas on how he transitioned from a pastor to a marketing guru. Then, CNBC News and Yahoo News picked up the article and syndicated it on their platforms. Nicholas Kusmich took a big risk It is a risk to step out on your own, especially if you have a family. Nicholas points out that being an entrepreneur is not easy. It takes a lot of work, and 99% of businesses fail within the first five years. A slow transition Nicolas advises you to make a slow transition. Keep on doing your job while you figure your new business out. Go all-in on your new thing, but don’t let go of what will cover you, and pay the bills until your new venture starts to take off. A sense of comfort Feeling a sense of comfort will indicate that the time has come for you to break ties with what you were doing before. Support It helps to have the support of your spouse and family and have them believe in you when you step out on your own. Nicholas Kusmich’s advice regarding Facebook ads Nicholas advises people not to use Facebook ads unless they have to. Advertising is expensive. It is a risky endeavor because you are spending money without knowing if that money will return for you. Direct response advertising Direct response advertising is when you put something out with a direct call to action for someone to do something, and you can track it.  Gorilla marketing For people getting started, Nicolas suggests doing gorilla marketing rather than paid advertising. Gorilla marketing is about actively tapping into your network, calling people on the phone, building relationships, and drumming up business in an old-school way. Although it is hard work, it is a way to see if you can generate business without spending any money first. It will also give you a chance to figure out your processes. The right time You can continue building referral networks until you feel ready to scale. That would be the right time to start doing advertising. Start advertising only when your processes are in place, and you are ready to grow your business.  Avoid burnout To avoid overworking and burning out, business owners should be asking who can do things in a profitable way for them, rather than asking how to do those things. Get involved   Business owners should get involved with their advertising to some degree because they know their business and their clients better than anyone else.  Providing valuable data for your marketing As the business owner, you can provide all the necessary data to either a salaried and dedicated employee from within your company or a skilled external expert with tons of experience, who will then do all your marketing for you.  Some advice Nicholas generally advises people who are getting started to hire a company to run their ads and do their marketing for them, initially, with the intention to transition, at some point, to doing all of their marketing and advertising internally.  Things you need to look for in a marketer Do they have experience in your specific space? Do they have any kind of guarantee that they will give you a good experience? Are they endorsed and referred by people you trust? Privacy Facebook has always been under the microscope regarding issues of privacy. Remember, if you are using any free social media platform, you will not have any privacy.  Why Facebook is such a good advertising platform Facebook is a good advertising platform because it is continuously tracking people’s behavior and collecting their data. That helps you to target the specific people that you want to reach. Apple Facebook and Apple are having an issue. Apple realized how much power Facebook has. So, they decided to stop allowing Facebook to track the people using Apple devices.  Some things you need to know about using Facebook as a platform There is no other platform like Facebook when it comes to targeting specific people in specific areas. The entire revenue source of Facebook comes from advertising. So if their advertising revenue ever gets threatened, they will either fight back or make the necessary adjustments. The best platforms Nicholas firmly believes that there are no better platforms on the planet than Facebook and Instagram.  A rollercoaster If you choose to advertise on Facebook (or Google or YouTube), be ready for a rollercoaster ride because things keep changing.  No more privacy People need to realize that privacy is a thing of the past. Although that can be hurtful or harmful, those platforms can be helpful tools if you try not to be upset by the lack of privacy and accept them for what they are.   Nicholas Kusmich’s thoughts on self-care It is honorable to put others before yourself. However, that is not the healthiest thing to do, according to Nicholas. You need to take care of yourself first, or else you might not be in a position to help anyone else.  Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Nicholas Kusmich On his Website or Work With Nic Book mentioned: Who Not How by Dan Sullivan

Today, we have the pleasure of speaking to another amazing person! We are delighted to have Kevin Kirby, the Executive Director of the MPI Foundation, joining us as our guest!  Kevin started his career with companies like Universal and Disney and went on to work for Hard Rock International. He has a lot of knowledge and some great points to share today that will benefit everyone in our industry!  In this episode, Kevin talks about his challenging transition from Universal to Disney, volunteering, building relationships, rebranding, and believing in yourself. Enjoy our conversation! Kevin Kirby’s bio: Kevin Kirby is a senior global sales and marketing executive with more than 30 years of experience advancing entertainment-centered hospitality brands. He has served in leadership roles for Universal Orlando, Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, and Hard Rock International. He led the marketing efforts of regional theme parks in Ohio and Western New York earlier in his career. While at Hard Rock International, he championed locally designed, multi-platform sales, promotions, and advertising campaigns in over 55 countries, including China, Russia, and India. He directed both B2C and B2B segments initiatives while collaborating with operations leaders and franchise owners. He has led teams with multiple discipline representation (creative, IT, finance, operations, and C-level roles). Kevin has been a member of Meeting Professionals International since 1998. MPI is the world’s largest meeting and event professional association spanning 70+ countries and over 15,000 members. Throughout his 23+ years as an MPI member, he has served on numerous international committees (awards, marketing, and brand development), as an international board member in 2008-2010, and as an executive committee member from 2011-2013. Throughout 2014 and 2015, he traveled extensively as the appointed chairman of the International Board of Directors due to an extended-term. His journey with MPI has come full circle with his appointment as Executive Director of The MPI Foundation (MPIF). In his new role, he collaborates with countless industry partners to develop scholarships, grants, and fund research to complement the growing demand for experiential marketers and event organizers. The foundation has been critical to assisting financially distressed individuals and ensuring that chapters continue to offer value to their community. Kevin Kirby’s story Kevin describes himself as an accidental meeting professional. Early in his career, he was involved in theme parks in Ohio and Western New York. His love of hospitality eventually got him to Universal in Orlando, where he got introduced to the meeting and events business.  Transitioning  Making the transition from Universal to Disney was not a voluntary choice on Kevin’s part. He lost his job with Universal because they went through a corporate reorganization. It was a humbling experience for him after all the good work he had done and the success he had achieved. Disney Kevin received a call from someone at Disney, inviting him to join their events team.  A challenge It was a challenge for Kevin to move from Universal to Disney, which has one of the strongest cultures and brands in the world.  Volunteering Volunteering has always been important for Kevin. He was a member of the non-profit MPI for more than twenty-four years, and now, he works there and feels passionate about it. A once-in-a-lifetime experience Kevin was fortunate to deal with some great people at Hard Rock. He loved giving people a once-in-a-lifetime experience during his time there because he feels that is what the meeting and events business is all about.  Kevin Kirby’s philosophy on building relationships Creating an emotional experience for people involves building relationships, being a good thought-partner, and helping people out. That has been a common theme throughout Kevin’s career, and it is what he enjoys about the meetings and events industry. Repositioning after 2020 Business owners have to find new ways to keep their businesses open. Rebranding   Recovery appears to be on the horizon. Have faith and take some time to self-reflect. Then take the opportunity to reintroduce your brand as something compelling. Be aware of your environment. Let people know that you care about them, and you will do your best to adapt to their changing needs. Building trust Always remember to take care of your team. That is a critical aspect of marketing. Building trust is as much about your team as it is about building external relationships.  Conferences Attending conferences is about cultivating relationships and finding business opportunities. Conferences are also there to provide professional education.  The best business relationships  The best business relationships come out of mutual respect, understanding, and genuinely caring. Face-to-face Nothing equals the impact of a face-to-face meeting. The body language, handshakes, and hugs let people know that they appreciate one another and what they do.  MPI MPI betters people’s lives by upskilling their abilities and providing career opportunities. Last year, they distributed just less than $700,000 to more than 2,230 distressed members and non-members globally. They are rolling out some initiatives towards planned giving for people in the late stages of their careers, and they will soon introduce some new partners. They are currently motivated to bring in money to help people. Support Last year, the leaders of the IMEX group decided to support the efforts of MPI by donating $250,000 to the organization.  The key Relationships have been the key to what MPI has managed to achieve. They have a board of trustees that believes in what they are doing and continues to support them. Humor Kevin has always enjoyed being able to laugh at himself and at any situation he finds himself in.  Kevin Kirby’s thoughts on faith There will always be moments of self-doubt. Have faith, trust in a greater calling, believe that there is a path for you, and don’t take anything personally, according to Kevin. Know that there is a better opportunity waiting in every circumstance,  Believe in yourself Trust yourself. Trust your gut, and surround yourself with people who support you. If you believe in something, push it. You will be surprised at the outcome. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Kevin Kirby Email kevinkirby@mpi.org On LinkedIn On his Website

We’re delighted to speak with an icon of sales today! Jack Daly is a fascinating individual with an amazing track record! He is all about numbers. Jack has spoken all over the world and trained thousands of people. He has built six companies to become national firms, two of which were sold to Wall Street companies. Jack has fifteen “Iron Man” titles. He has played golf at over ninety-five of the top one hundred golf courses in the USA, he has completed ninety-five marathons in all fifty states in the USA, and he has bungee jumped the world's first and largest bungee jumps.  Jack is joining us today to speak about systems and processes, entrepreneurship, and business owners in the meetings and events industry. You will learn a lot from what he has to share!  Jack Daly’s bio: Jack Daly is an experienced and inspirational sales trainer and sales coaching expert who inspires audiences to take action in the areas of sales management, corporate culture, and sales training. He brings over 30 years of field-proven experience from a starting base with CPA firm Arthur Andersen to the CEO level of several national companies. Jack is a proven CEO/Entrepreneur, having built six companies into national firms, two of which he has subsequently sold to the Wall Street firms of Solomon Brothers and First Boston. Jack’s role as a sales trainer extraordinaire has helped craft “street-tested” sales methodologies that help create truly successful sales professionals and profitable companies. His professional sales trainer know-how has turned him into an accomplished sales coaching authority and author of books including Hyper Sales Growth, The Sales Playbook for Hyper Sales Growth, and Paper Napkin Wisdom, all Amazon #1 Bestsellers. Jack is an Ironman on five continents and has completed 95 marathons in over 50 states. He was married to his high school sweetheart Bonnie for 48 years before her passing in 2017, and is the proud grandfather to two grandsons and a new granddaughter. Jack received his B.S. from LaSalle University, an MBA from Wilmington College, and held the rank of Captain in the U.S. Army. His own business Jack knew at a very early age that he wanted to have his own business. When he was thirteen, he spent the summer interviewing two hundred accomplished businesspeople to find out how they became successful. They taught him that understanding numbers was vital when running a business. An accountant Jack became educated as an accountant and then went to work at Arthur Anderson directly after school. After that, he bounced around a bit in the corporate world to get his bearings on how the big companies ran because he wanted to own a big company one day. His own business He started with his own business when he was twenty-six and remained at it for the next twenty years. Since then, he has continued to run a business. He views his current business differently, however, because it is a quality-of-life speaking business. It all started with sales Although he trained as an accountant, Jack has always had a focus on sales. At thirteen, he had five employees delivering the newspapers he sold, and he grew his customer base from 32 to 275 in one year. That was where it all started for him. Southern California In 1985, Jack moved to Southern California to start a company. He started with four people, and in eighteen months, he grew it organically to 750 people. In the first three years, they made $42,000,000 in earnings, not revenue. Inspiration In the early nineties, while Jack was building that company, one of his employees hired Jim Pratte to help them grow. Jack was so impressed with Jim that he decided to take him along to his twenty-two other locations. Over the next three months, Jack learned about Jim’s life and how he was helping people and companies grow. That inspired Jack to want to do the same thing.  Jack Daly’s philosophy on systems and processes Jack is all about systems and processes. He believes that you should build the practices that work best in your business. You should then build your processes based on those best practices, hire people, and get them to practice those best practices. The rest will take care of itself. A formula for better sales results Figure out what your top people are doing. Get those things into your system and sales process. Then have the rest of your salespeople practice that. Everybody’s game will improve as a result. Military courses The courses that Jack took while in the military had a long-lasting impact on his life. They taught him about leadership in an ownership-type way. They also taught him about communication, public speaking, and the value of systems and processes. The three sins of sales management The three sins of sales management are: When a great salesperson becomes the new Sales Director, and things start to fail. When the owner or entrepreneur also wears the hat of the salesperson or Sales Manager. When the best salesperson gets made the Sales Manager, and they are also expected to sell in their territory. There are cases where Jack has identified success after taking a salesperson and making them the Sales Manager. There are very few of those cases, however. What typically happens is that you lose your best salesperson and get a mediocre Sales Manager. Often, the good salesperson misses the act of selling and leaves the company to go and sell for someone else. Jack Daly’s advice for business owners regarding sales If you have sufficient capital when you start your business, grow your sales force in quantity and quality. If you hire the right person to ensure that happens and you pay them correctly, they should pay for themselves with the increased business that their team generates in under a year. CEO coaching Jack has been doing CEO coaching telephonically for the last four years. He allows about twenty-five percent of his clients to commit the first sin of being in charge of the sales team and being the CEO. He only does that because those CEOs do not have enough capital.  Part of the answer Jack’s ideal view of compensation for salespeople is 100% commission only. Also, at least 50% of the overall compensation of the Sales Manager should be predicated on the results of their team’s sales.  Paying salespeople a significant amount of money Jack has no problem with paying salespeople a significant amount of money. He had salespeople working for him who made seven figures when he, as the owner, was not earning that much. He does not believe in capping commissions. A sales playbook Jack is creating and packaging a sales playbook. It will be Thin to Win, and contain the processes and words that have helped the owners of small businesses become successful. After the book is complete, Jack will have regular practice sessions with salespeople, following that playbook. Inc. 500 Jack built six companies from scratch to become national firms. All six were very fast-growing, and one of them got to number ten on the Inc. 500 list. Jack had 120 salespeople in that company, and all of them spent a minimum of one hour every day practicing.  Practice is the key Incessant practice is the key to success. Jack feels that sports teams are better run than most businesses. He points out that a coach would not consider putting a player on the field without a playbook and the practice that adjoins the playbook.  Double your sales More than 50% of a salesperson’s time gets spent on doing things that have nothing to do with bringing new customers in or growing the ones they have. The definition of sales is: Get new wins. Grow the ones you have. That means that if you get everything else out of the way and let the salespeople sell, you can double your sales without hiring an additional salesperson.   For the biggest impact You need to make a list of all the tasks and delegate those you can to the right people. Then figure out the things that will make the biggest impact and move the needle the most. Focus on those.  The secret potion Opening a business is a risk. Keeping everything under control is a bigger risk. Build systems and processes that work, and then delegate and empower your people to do the work. Let go, and let your people do what you hired them to do. Culture A culture, like systems and processes, needs to reflect the changing times. Some aspects of culture will never change, though. Human beings will always want to be recognized and rewarded. So taking the time to build the processes for regular and ongoing recognition is a significant foundation in any company culture. People also want to know how the company is doing, where it is heading, and how they are doing. So having processes in place for consistent communication is vital. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Jack Daly On LinkedIn On Website On YouTube Book mentioned: The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It  by Michael Gerber

We are happy to be speaking to Panos Tzivanidis, the Director of Corporate Events and Services for the International Olympic Committee (IOC), today.  Panos has a lot to share about the power of networking, time, talent, technology, the Tokyo Olympic Games, and what is going on in the events industry. We hope you will enjoy our conversation!  Panos Tzivanidis’s bio: Panos Tzivanidis is the Director of Corporate Events & Services for IOC, the International Olympic Committee, widely known for the Organisation of the Olympic Games, with headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. Panos and his team are responsible for a large variety of activities, including all events organized by the IOC worldwide, as well as all accommodation needs, travel, accreditation for the Olympic family for all events around the Games period, as well as the Olympic Club; the main and exclusive Hospitality area for the Olympic family, Head of States, their Top VIP & Dignitaries guests. Under his responsibility is also Facilities Management and general services for all IOC premises.  Panos has direct responsibility and decision power for a large variety of activities including all strategic marketing events organized by the International Olympic Committee worldwide. Reporting for specific projects, directly to the President and Director-General of the IOC, is accountable for a budget of over USD 50M and a team of 88 permanent staff and over 100 contractors during major events.  Panos is responsible for the strategic planning, all operational aspects, content coordination as well as all events during and around the Olympic Games period. His role often brings him to the negotiation table with local authorities and government representatives to create a win-win situation for all parties involved.  He joined IOC in June 2013 after having spent two years as the Head of Conferences for UEFA, widely known for the organization of the Champions League, Europa League, and National teams EURO soccer tournaments, and previously having spent 11 years with SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication), and organizer of Sibos, the world’s premier annual financial services event. Panos was the Head of Events at Sibos, dealing with all organizational aspects and strategic planning of the exhibition and the conference in all five continents that the Sibos event was organized.  His profession has allowed him to travel to all corners of the world becoming an expert on international relations, having represented the companies he worked for and negotiated with the highest authorities in many different countries and cultures. Panos is a great believer in the power of networking amongst the people in the events/conference & marketing industry worldwide. He is also a great believer in team spirit and its positive impact on success.  Personal motto: Those who speak, don't know, and those who know, don't speak. Some background From a young age, Panos enjoyed being in the hospitality industry, being among people, and socializing. His parents sent him to a hotel management school in Switzerland. Later, when he started working after his military service, he went into the Banqueting Department of a hotel, where he became involved with events. He realized that that was what he wanted to do, and since then, he has never left that path. The world of sports While living in Belgium, Panos got headhunted back to Switzerland and into UEFA. It was a challenge for him because he knew nothing about sporting events at the time. Panos was fortunate enough to organize Champions League Finals and European Cups and spend time with the big players. Joining the IOC and the Olympic Movement Being Greek, Panos felt that it was a tremendous opportunity for the IOC (International Olympic Committee) and the Olympic Movement.  The mix of time, talent, and technology Panos believes that if you miss one of what he calls “The Three T’s” (time, talent, and technology), nothing is happening. He feels that those three T’s are vital in all industries. Time is valuable Time is valuable. Over the last few years, every individual from the participants to the organizers, started realizing that the time that they invest is valuable and will give them a return.  Time well spent Panos wanted people to leave his events feeling fulfilled and knowing that their time was well-spent. That has not changed since COVID.  Panos Tzivanidis’s thoughts on technology  Panos believes that technology is moving so fast that the events industry will always have followers. For him, technology is not about following. It is about sometimes taking small risks. Talent Talent in the events industry has always been a challenge. Panos feels that is because there is a problem with defining the events industry and marketing it. Young people want to know what the events industry is all about and why they should get into it. Empowering the younger generation Panos feels that the events industry is not empowering the younger generation because they may not take the initiative and do things differently. Things are changing Things are changing, so we need to adapt. The President of the IOC uses the motto of “change, or be changed.” Do things differently People should have the right to think and do things differently. Management, and team leaders, should also be trusted to live up to what they say. A misconception There is a misconception that the younger generations are constantly behind screens and do not care about human interaction. Panos believes that they are capable of communicating in a way that the older generations cannot understand.  Hybrid The world will never be completely virtual in years to come. It will be hybrid. Panos thinks that many good things will come out of hybrid. Ecology and the planet In the future, new ways will have to be found for airlines to fuel themselves. Like biofuels, for example. What Panos Tzivanidis has to say about networking Networking will become easier, according to Panos. New technology will allow for the possibility for people to interact better and in more spontaneous ways. Emotions People need emotions. With events and big groups of people, Panos has not yet found a way to create the same emotions as those created in one-to-one conversations. That is why he thinks that physical networking will always be most important. The museum The museum had to close due to the coronavirus. When the coronavirus measures became more relaxed, however, and the museum reopened, Panos could see that many people were eager and willing to visit, even with the coronavirus restrictions in place. He attributes that to the emotions that the museum evokes. The museum had the same number of visitors as in any normal year recently, even with the restaurants and outlets closed due to COVID-19. Tokyo They have been pumping up everything to do with Tokyo in the museum.  Tokyo Olympics Many people from all over the world are busy gearing up for the Tokyo Olympics, even though it will be different because of COVID-19. The priority is the safety and wellbeing of the athletes because the Olympic Games are essentially about the athletes. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Panos Tzivanidis On Website On LinkedIn On Twitter Book mentioned: Humanocracy by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini Links to some interesting videos:  The Greatest Show on Earth | IBTM Meets: Panos Tzivanidis   Olympians and Meeting Professionals - not so different after all   2019 inspirational graduation speech: Panos Tzivanidis, from Les Roches to the International Olympic Committee   - Video starts at 15:00  International & European Associations Congress   Grimaldi marketing  Greek Marketing Institute (in Greek)  

We feel honored and privileged to be speaking to a fascinating leader today! Captain L. David Marquet is the founder and owner of a company called Intent-Based Leadership International. He is a former nuclear submarine Commander, a Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the books Turn the Ship Around, and Leadership is Language. He is also a global keynote speaker. In this episode, he shares his fascinating and inspiring story and describes his leadership structure, which frees people to think for themselves. We are sure you will enjoy this episode! David Marquet’s bio: David Marquet is the author of the Amazon #1 Best Seller: Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders. He is also the author of The Turn the Ship Around Workbook, a companion workbook for implementing Intent-Based Leadership. David’s newest book, Leadership is Language, is a Wall Street Journal Bestseller and Financial Times book of the month selection for February 2020. David imagines a workplace where everyone engages and contributes their full intellectual capacity, a place where people are healthier and happier because they have more control over their work–a place where everyone is a leader. A 1981 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Captain Marquet served in the U.S. submarine force for 28 years. After being assigned to command the nuclear-powered submarine USS Santa Fe–then ranked last in retention and operational standing–he realized the traditional leadership approach of “take control, give orders,” would not work. He “turned the ship around” by treating the crew as leaders, not followers, and giving control, not taking control. This approach took USS Santa Fe from “worst to first,” achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the Navy. After Captain Marquet’s departure, the USS Santa Fe continued to win awards and promoted a disproportionate number of officers and enlisted men to leadership positions, including ten subsequent submarine captains. Stephen R. Covey said it was the most empowering organization he had ever seen, and he wrote about Captain Marquet’s leadership practices in his book, The 8th Habit. Captain Marquet retired from the Navy in 2009 and now speaks to audiences both virtually and in-person around the globe who want to create empowering work environments that release the passion, initiative, and intellect of each person. This bold and highly effective framework is summarized as “give control, create leaders.” He is a student of leadership and organizational design and was named one of the Top 100 Leadership Speakers by Inc. Magazine.               There is nothing better than a submarine for an introvert David grew up during the Cold War. Although he did not have the profile of a typical military guy, he felt passionate about the Cold War situation. He also felt strongly about liberal democracy and wanted to do his part. So, even though it scared him, as an introvert, he could think of nothing better than a submarine because he could go underwater and hide from people, and he felt that was the place to be during the Cold War. A submariner He applied at the Naval Academy to be a submariner and became one. He always felt a bit like an outsider, however.  Getting promoted David kept getting promoted for the ability to make decisions and get the team to do what he wanted them to do.  A standard organizational design structure In the Navy, there is a standard organizational design structure. Senior people make decisions, and junior people do what senior people tell them to do. That gets done without thinking, so nobody even realizes that there are other ways to design hierarchies in organizations.  The USS Santa Fe David was sent to the USS Santa Fe, which had a reputation for being the worst submarine, with the worst morale. She was the laughing stock of the fleet. David had to go there because the Captain quit. A different kind of submarine The USS Santa Fe was a different kind of submarine. David tried using his usual ability to sort things out and make things better, but he made a technical mistake with an order he gave. In carrying out that order, the officer repeated the mistake. When David asked him why, the officer explained that although he knew better, he followed the order because he was told to do so.  People are conditioned and trained to do what they are told David explains that those things do not only happen in the military. They happen in many different organizations because people are conditioned and trained to do what they are told. Eight out of ten times, people do not speak up even when encouraged to do so.  David Marquet’s view of leadership That realization changed David’s view of leadership. He understood that because he was the most senior person in the organization, he had to get out of making decisions. The team had to make the decisions for two reasons: They knew more about the mechanics than he did, and they knew which buttons to push. He also needed them to take ownership and initiative without waiting for him to tell them what to do. A new journey So David and his team set off on a journey where David would not make any decisions. His team would tell him what to do. They would tell him what they saw, thought, liked to do, and what they intended to do. The core The core was the intent to create ownership. The senior person As the senior person at a meeting, don’t say what you think. Let people vote first. Asking the right questions David became adept at asking his team the kind of questions that would help them and ultimately allow them to feel safe in making their own decisions. They had to learn to get out from behind their eyeballs and look back at themselves. The problem The problem with modern hierarchical structures is that they were designed to be stressful. Curiosity We need to learn to react to new ideas with curiosity. Intent Intent is a magic word for David. With intent, you get your team to align, and you get them to think.  David Marquet’s thoughts on thinking out loud Leaders and team members should practice thinking out loud so that they share what is going on in their heads with others, according to David. That includes talking about how they feel about things. A structure The leader is doing things right when they create the structure for how the team will interact. Then the team can decide how they will carry out the project. Burnout Burnout comes from continuously having someone try to control you and continuously trying to control someone else. When the leader does not know All learning starts with the admission that “I don’t know.” If the leaders cannot admit that they don’t know, the team will not be able to admit when they don’t know. When the team does not admit they don’t know, you will not learn anything. The best performing submarine They became the best performing submarine in the fleet, with the highest score ever in the history of the Navy for operating a ship on the strength of the team being able to admit it when they did not know something more often than on any other submarine. Creating more leaders For David, the strength of what they achieved with the USS Santa Fe was that they created more leaders. Ten of the officers in the wardroom became submarine commanders because they were thinking like Captains when they were still junior officers. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with David Marquet On Website We simplify the concepts and mechanisms from the books into 1-minute bite-sized pieces on our YouTube channel because the reminders help people. It's called "Leadership Nudges" and I invite you and your team to subscribe: Leadership Nudges with David Marquet on YouTube

We are delighted to be speaking to an icon in our industry today! David DuBois, the current President and CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE,) is joining us!  David DuBois has tailor-made the industry to fit his experience and style of leadership. In this episode, he will talk to us about what the IAEE does, the Exhibition Day on Capitol Hill, and the Women’s Leadership Forum. You are sure to enjoy listening to our conversation with David today! David DuBois’s bio David DuBois is the President and CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events® (IAEE). As IAEE’s president, DuBois is responsible for the management of 25 full-time professional staff, producing the annual business operating plan and budget, overseeing the support of all meetings of governance units, leading business development, directing fundraising efforts, advocating for the industry and the organization’s members, providing organizational leadership and strategic counsel to the board. Also, he serves as the association’s representative with industry coalitions, partner organizations, and strategic alliances. In 2019, DuBois was inducted into the Exhibition Industry Council’s “Hall of Leaders,” one of the industry’s most prestigious honors. DuBois began his career with Sheraton Corporation in various sales positions including Regional Director of Sales and the Director of Marketing Programs. He has served as both President and CEO and Senior Vice President at the Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) where he was responsible for all operations and a $7 million budget. As Senior Vice President, he managed the development of 15 new chapters and was responsible for magazine advertising sales and membership recruitment and retention.  DuBois has also served as both the Chief Operating Officer at Meeting Professionals International (MPI) from 1996-2000. During this time, he supported programs and services for more than 16,000 members worldwide and served as the Executive Vice President of the MPI Foundation. David has also served as MPI’s Vice President of Sales and Key Account Management and Vice President of Corporate Services. Most recently, DuBois has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of the Fort Worth Convention and Visitors Bureau where he had oversight and full responsibility of 42 staff, with the responsibility of attracting convention and tourism business with an $8.5 million budget. DuBois has served as a board member of the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE); Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Texas Society of Association Executives; board member and Chairman of the Dallas-Fort Worth Tourism Council; board member of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce; and Past Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Convention Industry Council (CIC). He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Destinations International, the Meetings Mean Business Coalition and the U.S. Travel Association. COVID David spent a night in Wuhan, China, in January of 2020. That was when COVID started. Today, China and much of Asia are experiencing about 75% of the exhibition business and events of 2019. As the pandemic slows down As the pandemic slows down, businesses are becoming more willing to send their staff to be exhibitors, attendees, or buyers at trade shows. We are starting to see progress from Asia, across into the United States, Mexico, and Canada. David thinks that Europe will be the last continent to get back to the levels of 2019 and before. Digital events In 2019, the meetings and trade show industry had its best year ever. That was followed by its darkest year ever, in 2020. The industry had to pivot to virtual/digital, which was the only available substitute. The revenues of all the digital meeting platforms went through the roof and the general service contractors for in-person events had to quickly hire people with different skill sets to put on digital events. In-person events are coming back We are starting to see in-person events coming back worldwide, led by Asia and coming back into the United States. Convention centers are open in fifteen states in the US right now.  The future of online versus in-person In the last half of 2021, we will see the merging of in-person and digital. Then, in 2022, we will see less digital and more in-person as people get more comfortable with traveling again. Online meetings The reality now is that we are going to see a lot more in-person events. However, only a certain amount of people will be willing to travel to those events. Now, with the addition of the digital experience, those audiences can get expanded across the world.  The IAEE Annual Expo The IAEE now has members in 52 countries. At their December 2019 Annual Expo meeting in Las Vegas, they were thrilled to have 200 people. That was the most people they have ever had. In December of 2021, David thinks they can get 1,000 people to attend their Annual Expo meeting digitally in Philadelphia. He believes they could also get a couple of thousand people to attend, in-person. Expanding Now, David is expanding his reach to his customers and members by between fifteen and thirty percent. Many salespeople in other industries are also reaching more people now through digital. The future David gets excited about the future because the future is very bright.  What David DuBois says about the blending of digital, in-person, and hybrid for exhibitions David DuBois feels that online exhibitions are mediocre, at best. People cannot truly connect unless they meet face-to-face. So, digital, in-person, and hybrid need to work together. How that gets done is the key for exhibition professionals and members of the IAEE to keep people engaged and give them an experience that they would never want to miss. A nugget The best nugget that David got from the US Travel Association’s board meeting in Tampa recently was that he learned more in a five-minute meet-up with a friend over a cup of coffee than he learned from the entire presentation of the board meeting. The exhibition industry In 2019, the exhibition industry, excluding meetings and business events, was worth 109 billion dollars and it had over 1.5 million exhibiting companies. David believes that it is vital for the people in the trade business to be on Capitol Hill to let all the elected leaders and people working in the congressional offices know what is happening in the exhibition business, trade show business, and meeting business. Exhibition Day For eight years in a row, in the first week of June, the IAEE has held a Legislative Action Day on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. It is all about advocating and talking about the importance of the industry. Up until last year, they had 125 - 140 people attending, in-person. Last year, they had 600 people attending virtually via Zoom.  The bottom line, according to David DuBois The bottom line is that they have to do a better job than before because they have just hired their first Vice-President of Government Affairs for the exhibitions industry, David DuBois explains. This VP is supported financially by seven organizations that have raised half a million dollars to have a full-time representative and lobbyist, and he is working to ensure that the exhibitions industry gets known much better than it has ever before. The business events economic impact The overall economic impact of business events on the GDP in 2019 was over 350 billion dollars, and the trade show industry produced a little over a third of that.  The Connecticut Avenue Collection Back in the eighties, David and some of his competitors in the hotel industry, who were all Directors of Sales and Marketing, decided that they needed to collaborate more. So, they came up with what they called The Connecticut Avenue Collection. Together, they competed against the local convention center, and four or five times a year, they won some business. The advocacy effort The IAEE did the same thing with their advocacy effort. Seven organizations got together and decided to collaborate. Now, they have an alliance and a full-time registered and licensed lobbyist.  The Women’s Leadership Forum The Regional Virtual Forum of the Women’s Leadership Forum happened on April 20th, 2021. The Women’s Leadership Forum also has a signature event that has always taken place in Washington D.C. That event has always sold out before. For more information on future forums, you can go to the IAEE website. Men are also invited to attend. Expanding women’s leadership skills The Women’s Leadership Forum focuses on expanding women’s leadership skills in meetings, exhibitions, and conference businesses. Their goal is to empower, embrace, and provide enhanced skills for women. Sixty percent or more of those who work in the exhibition and meetings business events industry are women. Less than fifteen percent of those women are vice-president level or higher. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with David DuBois On Website

We are both honored and delighted to be speaking to Randy Pennington today! Randy is very well-known in our industry. Not only is he a great thinker, but he is also someone who can look into implementing strategies that positively impact your organization, your business, or yourself. He is a leading voice in our industry who has been involved with many major industry associations and he has also written several books.  We are sure you will enjoy our conversation with Randy Pennington today! Randy Pennington’s bio Randy Pennington helps leaders deliver positive results in a world of endless uncertainty and change. Randy's original insights are grounded in a unique blend of solid research and continuing hands-on work with leaders and organizations in various industries. Whether you need a keynote presentation, facilitation, a strategic workshop, or in-depth consulting and advisory support, Randy's ability to develop solutions that work in your world provide a catalyst for delivering results. Randy is the author of the award-winning books Results Rule! and Make Change Work. His insights have appeared in Fast Company, Entrepreneur, the New York Times in numerous newspapers and many professional/trade association journals, and contributor to the Huffington Post. His expertise has made him a respected guest commentator with appearances on CNN, PBS, Fox News, the ABC Radio Network, and the BBC. His background is a unique blend of line, staff, and consulting experience ranging from hourly employee to senior management. He holds a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Psychology and has completed Postgraduate work in Organization Administration and Management. Along the way, Randy has been a senior executive in a start-up mental health facility, an HR professional in a 25,000 employee government agency, a CFO of a multi-million dollar professional services firm, Chairman of the Board for a 17-million-dollar non-profit, Chairman of the Board for a multi-million dollar foundation,  Entrepreneur, Adjunct professor in Southern Methodist University's Edwin L. Cox Business Leadership Center's programming for Cox MBA students since 1991, earning 21 Teaching Excellence Awards, and inducted into the National Speakers Association Speaker Hall of Fame and is a recipient of their prestigious Cavett Award. No more new normal Randy feels that there is no more new normal. There is only a new next.  Change models For Randy, all change models go back to the psychologist, Kurt Lewin. He was considered the father of social psychology and developed one of the first models around change. He said that to make change happen, you must first unfreeze the thing you want to change. Then, make the change and refreeze it. To get to normal When following Lewin’s model, one would assume that to get to normal, we have to re-freeze. What happens, however, if you never get to the point of refreezing? When things are changing all the time, there is never the opportunity to become completely normal. Frustration for businesses and organizations Part of the frustration that we have all been feeling in our businesses and organizations is that almost as soon as we get something changed, we need to change it again. Or, something else needs to get changed. A better mindset A better mindset for everyone today is to accept that we may never get back to normal. The closest thing we’re going to get to normal is change happening faster than it’s ever happened before. Threats In the strategic planning groups that Randy has been doing since COVID, he has noticed that everyone takes the threat piece way more seriously than before when they do the SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. That means that people are now thinking more realistically about threats. Things that Randy Pennington has learned from COVID Something that Randy Pennington has learned from COVID is that we have to think about probabilities and possibilities a little differently, and we need to be ready to move quickly. Flourishing and surviving In the meetings industry, we are not pivoting. We are expanding and accelerating. The more we can anticipate, the better our chances for flourishing and surviving in the ever-changing world. Small business owners Small business owners need to ensure that they always have enough cash in reserve to sleep well at night.  Live meetings Randy is sure that in our industry, we will go back to live meetings. They will also have a hybrid or virtual component, however. Challenges for meetings and events The pandemic has changed everything about how we do what we do. Two questions that we need to ask regarding meetings and events are: “What if?” and “What next?”.  The purpose of meetings The purpose of meetings is to create connections, educate, and engage, and that never changes.  Randy Pennington’s thoughts on preparing to survive and thrive Meeting and event planners need to cultivate new skills to survive and thrive. They need enough curiosity about new things to allow them to see the connections before they occur, according to Randy Pennington. The levels of change The first level of change is to adapt. The second level is to anticipate. Level three change is pursuing things that will be different and make a difference. Another level, which Randy looks at as Level 0, is about the changes we should ignore. Talent matters Talent matters, so organizations need to be sure that they provide a space where the best and brightest would want to work. More ideas In a world of uncertainty, we need more ideas, because we have to deal with experiences we have never had before right now. Forced collisions A way for business owners to get new ideas is to create forced collisions in the business. That means they have to put people together who might not normally go well together to work on a problem where more than one perspective is needed. Training the next generation Training for the next generation in the industry should focus on cultivating qualities like curiosity, collaboration, and cooperation. Also, effective communication, tapping into the things that make all of us the same and dealing with cross-cultural issues.  Earning your seat at the table Although the logistics of meetings are crucial, they are not the priority. You first need to earn your seat at the table. Learn to think like CEOs, CFOs, and VPs of Marketing think. Focus on what they focus on.  Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Randy Pennington On Website Results Rule with Randy Pennington group on Facebook Books mentioned Outrageous Empowerment by Ron Lovett  (Catch Ron Lovett’s interview with Eric HERE!) Humanocracy by Gary Hamel and Michele Zanini

We have the great pleasure of speaking to the one, and only, Julius Solaris today! In this episode, Julius tells us his story. He talks about his career, virtual versus in-person, the future of meetings, and how to use the different social media platforms. We are sure you will enjoy listening to our inspiring conversation with Julius Solaris! Julius Solaris bio Julius Solaris is the head of engagement at Swapcard. Before that, he was the founder and editor-in-chief of EventMB, which was acquired in 2019 by Skift, the largest and most influential travel media company worldwide. He has been named one of the most influential individuals in the meetings industry by many magazines and media for the past ten years. Julius has conducted some of the most ground-breaking research for the event industry, with over 3,000 events reviewed and 15,000 event professionals interviewed. Julius' analysis and reports have been downloaded by over 300,000 event professionals, and 300,000 more read EventMB every month. Over 50,000 event professionals have attended Julius's events. Julius has been a keynote speaker for events in 12 countries and for over 200,000 attendees. Moving from Europe to the United States Julius did a Marketing MBA in Australia in 2004-2005. At that time, blogging was the way to do things, so Julius started thinking about it. He returned to Italy for a year or so in 2007. While there, Julius decided to start blogging. The only thing he could write about was events because that was the only experience he had had since coming out of university.   The world of business events Julius truly liked the world of business events, and it excited him. Social media  He also had a passion for how social media and the new world of technology would impact the world of events. So, he started talking about that back in the early days.  Moving around After moving to London, back to Italy, and then back to London again, Julius moved to the United States five years ago. Blogging as a business Julius’s blog has always been the common thread running through all his moves. He has had some proper jobs while doing it. Then, in 2011, blogging finally became his business. Organically driven to move Julius feels organically driven to move constantly. He has a citizen-of-the-world mentality, so he loves experiencing new things. He moved to Australia and London multiple times and then to the US. He loved California and the west coast and wanted to move there.  Moving to the United States Julius felt as if he belonged in the United States. His business also aligned with that feeling because he had clients there. He was also financially motivated to move to the US. Julius Solaris shoots for the stars Various options were available for Julius Solaris when applying for his US visa. He decided to shoot for the stars and apply for the “Alien of Extraordinary Ability” option. He was able to prove that he had achieved a lot within the events industry, and, much to his surprise, he received a Green Card. Now, after five years, he hopes to become a US citizen. Selling his businesses In 2018, Julius sold a software business that he owned.  Then, he sold EventMB, his travel media company. It was an extremely stressful business to run even though it kept growing. Julius decided to become a part of a larger organization, instead, to feel more secure and relaxed enough in his life to focus on doing the kind of work he wanted to do. Then, he started proactively looking to sell his company.  Julius Solaris’s biggest lessons Julius Solaris initially had two unsuccessful closes when trying to sell his business. Those were major psychological setbacks for him, and the biggest lessons in his career as an entrepreneur.  Selling to Skift Later, at a dinner, Julius got introduced to the Editor of Meetings for Skift. They became friends, and the editor later introduced Julius to the CEO of Skift, to whom Julius eventually sold his business.  Peace of mind Julius left EventMB with the peace of mind of knowing that selling the business was the most logical thing for him to do.  What lies ahead Julius is passionate about event tech. Now is an exciting time for him because this is the right time for using event tech in business and he has been privy to many conversations about what lies ahead in that area. For now, the interest lies very much in virtual. Hybrid is also there and will feature even more in Q3 and Q4.  People are postponing People are postponing things as much as possible right now, with a fall-back plan to go one hundred percent virtual, if necessary.  Virtual is still the leader For North America and Europe, virtual is still the leading option, by far.  Event technology There is currently an unprecedented six-billion dollar valuation for event technology.  A monumental shift There has been a monumental shift in the area of virtual events. Now, people know that it is possible to connect with others on virtual platforms. They know that there is the potential for virtual events to become part of the B2B marketing structure of any company and operations. Unnecessary meetings Many of the previously unnecessary meetings will get replaced by virtual events in the future. Sustainability Sustainability will be top of mind in terms of all future meetings, now that we know that virtual and hybrid events work. An inclusion piece for hybrid A secondary role for hybrid events is as an inclusion piece to be built at the back of in-person events, as the digital aspect of those events. A third dimension There is also a third dimension, which is the one hundred percent in-person event. That kind of in-person event will never go away. Social media Julius feels that social media will make people want to go to in-person events, in case they miss out on all the marvelous things that are happening there.  A consideration People need to bear in mind that the requirements for in-person events are not the same as those for virtual events. Virtual events should be curated carefully to ensure that people do not feel as if they are missing out on anything. Preparing for when things re-open Independent business owners in our industry should plan on doing virtual events in the next few years if they want to make money. They will need to allocate the right amount of money for the necessary technology to do that effectively, and they should employ virtual event professionals to assist them with the production of those events.  Julius Solaris’s strategy for business owners  There is both an engagement component and a marketing component for business owners to consider if they want to be productive and successful on social media, according to Julius Solaris. A rule of thumb is to know where your audience is and where your customers are. You need to understand where things are coming from and invest in the things that are driving the most revenue or opportunities. You also need to create a list of priorities for all the different elements. Owning your community The next step is to understand that your events can be part of your marketing strategy. So, whether your event is virtual, in-person, or hybrid, the need right now is to put everything together in a community, within an overarching architecture that you own, as a new event owner. There, you can combine all the activations that you do, whether they are social media, an event, or a piece of content, under one roof. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Julius Solaris On LinkedIn