The Business of Meetings

We are delighted to have an amazing individual as our guest for today! Brian Palmer, the former President of the International Association of Speakers Bureau is joining us!  Brian has had a vast amount of experience with booking speakers over the last forty years. He is with us today to talk about what he and his clients look for when recruiting speakers, to give some great advice about what you could do to convince him that you should be the next speaker he books, and share his experience after selling his company. We hope that you enjoy today’s conversation!  Brian Palmer’s bio Brian Palmer is the Senior Vice President of the National Speakers Bureau, a division of the Premiere Speakers Bureau of Nashville. Brian started to work with his father at NSB after finishing college in 1980. After spending 38 years there and having bought the company from his family, he decided on a new path and sold the firm. He continues to work for the firm, helping professionals to plan effective gatherings. Along the way, Brian has been involved in the meeting industry as President of the International Association of Speakers Bureaus, on MPI's International Board, and as President of Chicago's MPI chapter. In that time, Brian has also been given some industry awards. MPI presented him with their International Supplier of the Year Award, the National Speakers Association gave him their Meeting Partner of the Year Award, and the International Association of Speakers Bureaus presented him with the John Palmer award, named for his father. Brian and his wife of 30 years live in the suburbs of Chicago. Brian’s father Brian’s father was in the entertainment business as a bandleader. When he got tired of traveling, he started the National Speakers Bureau.  Getting into the business of speakers Brian was a freshman in high school when his father started NSB, and he used to work there, stuffing envelopes and licking stamps, in his spare time. He continued working there part-time throughout high school and college, and in 1980, he began working there full-time. Selecting speakers  Brian explains that there is no strict formula for how he goes about selecting the speakers he represents. He relies on his gut to a certain degree when he hears a speech that could be of interest to his customers and falls within the realm of the market he serves, which is mainly corporations and business-related associations.   What Brian Palmer looks for in the speakers he selects The way that speakers interact with Brian Palmer gives him an idea of how they might interact with their customers. He looks for people who deliver interesting talks and interact well with his customers and the audience. What happens before the speech is critical in the run-up to the presentation. If Brian does not think those things will be right, he will not be interested in booking that speaker. Politically-oriented speakers Currently, people are less apt to hire speakers to appear at events for fear of them offending their audience in some way. Some people are okay with hearing views divergent from their own. But there are often people at the extremes who do not want to consider any ideas they disagree with. So there are a lot fewer politically-oriented speeches booked in the business realm currently. You cannot please everyone Brian has found that no matter how good a speech is, there is always someone unhappy about it. Brian’s secret to selecting the right kind of speakers The way that people react to Brian's suggestion of some small adjustment to their presentation is one of his secrets to selecting the right kind of speakers. If they are unwilling to consider feedback, he is a lot less interested in booking them.  Something Brian Palmer looks for in a speaker One of the things Brian Palmer looks for is the recognition that the most important person in the room is not the speaker but the audience. Well-refined presentations Although Brian does a bit of coaching, he prefers it when people’s presentations and shows have been well-refined by the time they get to him. He is not interested in booking rookies because NSB is a large entity with a brand to uphold. He prefers to book people with experience and who are prepared for things that might not go right. Having your things in order When you contact a large speakers bureau in the US, you need to have things in order. Speakers should consider using resources to prepare themselves. The National Speakers Association has many educational seminars and products to help speakers understand how to put an offering together. People get anxious about spending a lot of money on speakers People get anxious about spending a lot of money on speakers because they want to be sure that the speaker will reflect well on them and their meeting. So, Brian advocates for people having a discipline for their selection process and their speaker preparation process, to make sure that the people they hire do what they want to get done. Staying in the industry Brian was interested in remaining in the events business and industry after he sold his business. He wanted to go about it differently, however. So his business coach suggested that he should find someone to work with, with a similar philosophy and business approach.  People in the lecture business Brian focused on people in the lecture business with whom he thought he would want to do business. He approached someone at Premiere Speakers Bureau who liked his idea, and things moved very fast from there. A lot of their negotiations had to do with the finer points and with what Brian’s role was going to be. Brian found that the way the transaction worked was decidedly fair. A lawyer He hired a lawyer to help him with the business transaction, and he feels happy with the way things have worked out. Business advice from Brian Palmer Brian Palmer’s advice is for you to do business with somebody you would want to spend some time with, not someone you would want to run away from. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Resources: Book mentioned: The Wealthy Speaker 2.0: The Proven Formula for Building Your Successful Speaking Business by Jane E. Atkinson The National Speakers Association has many educational seminars and products to help speakers to understand how to put an offering together.

Today, we have the great pleasure of speaking to Angeles Moreno, the founder of the specialist consulting firm, The Creative Dots. Angeles is a spirited entrepreneur, and she has had some tremendous experiences that include losing her company to her partner and writing a book about it.  She is joining us today to talk about her journey, the importance of women’s empowerment, how women should get empowered, how to interact with people, and what it means to be an event manager, either face-to-face or in the online space. We hope you will enjoy today’s conversation as much as we did! Angeles Moreno’s bio Angeles Moreno is an internationally recognized expert in her field. She has 20 plus years of professional experience, with 18 years as an entrepreneur and 16 years dedicated to her own event management company.  She is a regular Keynote speaker in main events with topics like Women’s Empowerment, Organizational Change, and Experience Design. In recent years, she has devoted most of her time to her passion, which is strategic consulting.  Her constant search to continue evolving and learning has led her to specialize in Customer Experience, Human-Centered and Behavior Design, and to launch the specialist consulting firm, The Creative Dots. With offices in Madrid and Berlin, TCD has developed its own innovative method, the CX Design Playbook, and specializes in the design of people-centered solutions, Learning, and Transformational Experiences.  Angeles is a trusted advisor, and she collaborates with organizations around the world to define strategic lines of growth and development. During the year 2019, she was appointed for MPI | Meeting Professionals International (USA) as the Senior Advisor for Europe. More recently, she was appointed as the strategic advisor for the Women in Digital Switzerland organization.  She is the author of the book The Time Is Now. She also holds the title of Spanish Director of the Event Design Collective for implementing the innovative Event Canvas™ Methodology through training and consulting services. How Angeles got into the world of event planning Angeles grew up on the Canary Islands. Although her family wanted her to study law, she decided to study tourism instead. She started working at a hotel, and because she spoke fluent German, Spanish, and English, she received an offer to work in the events or special operations department of a company that is now known as Pacific World. Right from the start, she knew that she had landed in the right place! The biggest event After working for the company for just two-and-a-half years, Angeles ran what was probably the biggest event that the company had ever done. More responsibility Angeles kept looking for more and more responsibility and bigger events to organize. So she moved to a smaller company that was very well-known in her country, where she spent a short time before moving to England, and then to Germany. Her first company When Angeles returned home in 1999, she set up her first company, which was an online marketplace for organizing events. The company was successful until the dot-com crisis hit, causing her to shut the operation down within 48 hours. An event management agency In 2001, Angeles set up an event management agency in Madrid. Within five years, the company was turning millions. It kept on growing, and after fourteen years, Angeles decided to bring in some new partners. That was a bad decision, and she wrote a book about it, called The Time is Now. The Time is Now Angeles wrote her book because she thought that the story she went through when she made a huge mistake and lost her company in 2014 could help a lot of people. And she also wanted to tell people that her life is not always perfect and she’s not always happy. Advisors Now, Angeles is far happier than ever before in her business. She has a group of advisors and a business coach to help her to make the right decisions. Angeles Moreno and The Creative Dots At The Creative Dots, they do human-centered strategies, and they embrace change in company cultures, organizations, and operations.  Learning from the events industry Angeles feels that people in the events industry tend to underestimate their capabilities and how much they know. She has learned many things from working in the industry, like how to be more efficient and how to push people to become more creative. Experts getting to the next level People who think that they cannot work at all right now because they can’t do physical events need to realize that they are experts in human interactions and in designing transformational experiences. By believing in that, knowing their strengths, and investing in a bit more education, they can get to the next level. Online events If you are used to running face-to-face events, and you want to do an online event, you don’t have to run the online part yourself. What you need to do is to partner with people who specialize in online productions. Event managers If you are an event manager, the format of the event does not matter. Whether you are running a virtual event, a physical event, or a mix of the two, you need to be an expert event manager. And that is all about live communication strategy. Common mistakes in the industry right now People in the events industry are making a huge mistake right now in pivoting to a virtual platform and using the same format and content as they would for a physical event.  Another mistake people are making is trying to convert event managers from the physical world into virtual event managers. Empowering women in the industry Something is missing in the world when it comes to empowering women. Many different elements, like culture, education, and leadership strategies, need to change.  Inclusivity project MPI has set up a group for promoting female leadership in events strategy. They have sessions every two months, with female leaders talking about events strategies and why we need to be more inclusive in the designing of events. It is hard to be a professional and a mother  It is hard for women to continue with their professional careers when they become mothers because neither society nor governments help them much in the process. Some conversations are necessary around that issue in all industries and governments across the world.  Empowering women and leading by example If events become inclusive in all their aspects, like their message, their participants, and their speakers, they will serve as a good example, and that will help in getting people used to the idea of inclusivity. Children also need to see women in many more traditionally-male roles. Women in Digital Switzerland Angeles loves the Women in Digital Switzerland project because she thinks the world is suffering from a lack of female talent in digital. If we have no females in the digital economy the women will disappear entirely from all decision-making positions and processes and end up having to stay at home in the future.  Thoughts on the digital world Angeles thinks we need to focus on digital societies, associations, communities, and projects to promote the need for more digital careers for young ladies. We also need to become more open to the digital world. Angeles Moreno’s book launch Angeles Moreno’s book is available on her new web page. You can download it there, in Spanish or English. All the money will go to the MPI Foundation.  Connect with Angeles The Creative Dots website     On LinkedIn     Angeles’s book, The Time is Now

We have the great pleasure of speaking to Paul Jarvis today! Paul has been an entrepreneur for the last twenty years. He is the Cofounder of Fathom Analytics, a company that supports the privacy of digital data, he hosts three podcasts, and he has also written a book called Company of One.  Paul is an advocate for thinking first about whether growth makes sense before you decide to grow your business. He is joining us today to talk about his book and his business. He will also discuss how and why to question growth, what “enough” is and how to define it, and why every business is a lifestyle business. We have an amazing conversation today, and we know you’re going to love it! Paul Jarvis’s Bio Paul Jarvis is a writer and designer who has had his own company of one for the last two decades. His latest book, Company of One, explores why bigger is not always better in business.  He has worked with professional athletes like Steve Nash and Shaquille O’Neal, corporate giants like Microsoft and Mercedes Benz, and entrepreneurs with online empires like Danielle LaPorte and Marie Forleo. Currently, he teaches online courses, hosts several podcasts, and develops small but mighty software solutions. Paul’s ideas about growth have been featured in Wired, Fast Company, USA Today, Mailchimp, and more.   How and why to question growth Sometimes, growth makes sense. It is not always beneficial, however. It is only worth considering if it makes sense for you, as the owner or founder of the company, the employees, the customers, and the long-term success of everybody involved.  Edward Abbey: “Growth for growth’s sake is the ideology of a cancer cell.” Growth is necessary at the beginning Paul explains that you need growth at the beginning of a new business. Otherwise, it’s not a business. It is just an idea that you have.  Growth might not make sense There is a point in a business where growing it might not make sense. For example, Paul does not want to promote himself out of a job that he enjoys and into managing people, which he is not good at doing. Small-scale efficiency Paul is always looking for a way to be the most efficient on the smallest scale possible. So, he looks for ways to increase revenue without increasing expenses or personnel. Paul Jarvis’s philosophy on what is enough There is no one answer to how much is enough because everyone is different. Enough comes down to figuring out if growth makes sense for everyone involved in the business and if more will be better because more is not always the best long-term solution to a problem. Every business is a lifestyle business Paul thinks that every business is a lifestyle business because, with every single type of business, you get the kind life that comes with it. Paul prefers to have the kind of business that affords him the ability to have a life outside of his work. Paul Jarvis’s typical work week Every day is different for Paul Jarvis. He typically works for about four hours a day, six days a week, because that is how he feels he is most productive. He prefers to think about the things he wants to accomplish each day rather than having a structured plan. Delegating Paul delegates all his taxes and legal work because although he is good at making money, he is not good at telling the government how much he needs to give them. Outsourcing He has a privacy officer based in Norway and some lawyers based in Europe that he outsources to, specifically for compliance with current and upcoming privacy laws. How Fathom Analytics was born About three years ago, Paul got frustrated with Google Analytics, so he sat down and designed what he thought analytics should look like. He put his design up on Twitter, and it caught on like wildfire. People started asking him to build what he had designed, so he built it and made it open-source (free) in the beginning, and a million people downloaded it quickly. Not everyone was able to use it, however, so he decided to make it user friendly, charge for it, and manage and host it himself. Then people, from governments to premier league football teams, started using his software! The focus Fathom Analytics focuses on privacy and simplicity. The Social Dilemma Big tech companies have a lot of personal information about everyone without having permission to take that information, and they don’t give anyone anything in return.  Influence That data can get used to influence voting and people’s beliefs, so if it gets targeted to people on social media, it could be dangerous to democracy. Protection Anything that happens on the internet could be made public. Paul suggests that anyone who uses the internet should be thinking about how they can protect themselves, their data, and the personal information that they put out on the internet. Paul Jarvis and his thoughts on privacy laws  Paul Jarvis is an advocate for smart privacy laws. Now, corporations have more power than governments, so he feels that the government needs to take back their power and make stronger privacy laws. There also needs to be a lot more consumer awareness, fact-checking, and dire consequences for the misuse of people’s data.  Fathom Analytics’s business model Fathom Analytics’s business model is selling people software. It is not about selling data about the people using their software.   Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website Connect with Paul Paul’s website

We have the privilege of speaking to another amazing entrepreneur today! Nathalie Cadet-James is joining us. She has lived a full life, and she has a fascinating story to tell! Nathalie has been recognized by Harper’s Bazaar as one of the top wedding planners in the world, and she has traveled all over the planet doing event planning for corporations.  Nathalie gives us insight into her decision to change her career and start her own company. She provides some great tips for developing and maintaining networks, winning on social media, leaning into situations with grace, and doing what is right over what is easy.  Nathalie has many experiences and nuggets to share with us today. We’re sure you’re going to love this episode! Nathalie Cadet-James’s bio Nathalie Cadet-James is the founder of Luxe Fête, a full-service international event planning and design studio based in Miami, Florida. Premiere clients seek her services to plan and produce their special events, not only in South Florida but all over the world. A former attorney, she spent eight years working at top law firms and clerking for a Federal Judge before she found her true calling. Nathalie is deeply passionate about telling stories, creating spaces that connect people, and celebrating life. Featured in numerous national and international publications, she is recognized as an “industry innovator” and “event guru.” She is also the founder of Luxe Fête Social, a turnkey dinner party rental service that leverages the power of the internet to make the joys of connecting over a beautiful setting, great food, and stimulating conversation easily accessible at one’s home. Luxe Fête Social is named one of the Top 10 startups to watch in Miami by the Miami Herald, and also the 1st Place and People’s Choice winner of the 2018 Miami Herald Business Plan Challenge. Her innovative yet timeless approach to planning and designing events has drawn the likes of high-profile brides, executives, and clientele, which include Hillary Clinton, Christian Dior, Gucci, and Prada.  Nathalie’s motto is: “Grace will take you places hustlin’ can’t.” A recovering attorney Nathalie left the practice of law about ten or twelve years ago, and since then, she has never looked back.  No passion Late one night, while working on a super-important legal brief, Nathalie felt that she no longer had the energy or the passion for doing legal work.  Planning a wedding for a friend A few months later, she planned her best friend’s wedding. She worked until 4 am and felt happy to be doing the work, even though she does not usually like working late. She then realized that there was a passion inside of her that gave her a different kind of energy. A leap of faith Nathalie wanted to be in the planning lane rather than in the legal field, and she realized that she needed a leap of faith to nurture that passion.  Self-reliance Nathalie believes in who she is and what she is doing. When she started her company, she thrived on the support of her family and friends but knows that she is ultimately the only one who can lift herself out of any difficult moments. Nathalie Cadet-James learns to develop and maintain a network As an attorney, Nathalie Cadet-James did not network at all. A year after opening her own business, however, she realized that she needed to form business relationships and cultivate a network to build her business. The New York Symphony The New York Symphony recruited Nathalie to be the director of their Friends and Events Network. In that position, she noticed that people were connecting because they liked each other, they were like-minded, and they wanted to help. Real connections Nathalie then understood that networking was all about building authentic relationships. Networking became important, and powerful for her when she realized that she wanted to form real connections with the people she was meeting, rather than connections based solely on business. Maintaining networks To see the results of your networking relationships, you need to maintain them. Nathalie maintains her business relationships with social media, calling people on the phone and sending interesting things that she finds to her clients.  Winning on social media Nathalie knows that she can only win on social media when she focuses on what is good for her and on what she can do to be a better person and a better entrepreneur. Protecting her clients’ investments Having a legal background has given Nathalie the edge when it comes to contracts and protecting her clients’ investments. It also adds value to her business. Leaning into situations with grace Nathalie found that nothing came out of her being forceful and trying to make things happen. When she started accepting things as they were, opening her eyes to opportunities, leaning into things, and trusting herself to go into situations with grace, things began to flow.   Nathalie Cadet-James’s dream to be an international event planner Nathalie Cadet-James loves to travel, and her dream was always to be an international event planner.  A wedding in Rwanda Nathalie planned a wedding for a couple on Fisher Island in Miami, Florida. A guest couple had so much fun at the wedding that the boyfriend proposed to his girlfriend there, knowing that Nathalie would plan their wedding. Their wedding eventually took place in Rwanda, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Nathalie! Doing what is right As a lawyer, Nathalie learned about doing things right rather than doing what is easy. She discovered the value of preparing well, taking care of all the details, and laying down solid foundations. Nathalie Cadet-James’s pivot to Dinner in a Box During Covid, Nathalie pivoted her business by creating a ‘Dinner in a Box’ concept. It includes conversation starters and beautifully designed table settings, and it makes it very easy for people to host dinner parties.  Connect with Nathalie Nathalie’s Website Nathalie’s LinkedIn Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website

You’re in for a treat today! We’re speaking to Dave Wakeman, aka the Revenue Architect. Dave is a star in the ticketing and entertainment industry, and he’s the guy that American Express referred to as The King of Tickets. Dave has a fascinating story to share! In today’s show, he talks to us about creating revenue, how to deal with change, and reinventing yourself. He also tells some amazing stories that are sure to inspire you! Dave Wakeman’s bio Dave Wakeman is “The Revenue Architect.” His consulting work has attracted clients such as American Express, Manhattan Construction Company, Volunteers of America, Yahoo!, the United States Department of State, the Seattle Seahawks, and over 100 other leading companies from around the globe.  Dave is widely known for his work in modernizing the secondary ticket market and partnering with American Express and Circles on their Black Card ticketing program that revolutionized the way that people buy tickets and view the secondary market.  With his consulting firm, the Wakeman Consulting Group, Dave has turned his focus to helping organizations around the globe maximize their profitable revenue.  Dave is a powerful advocate for the need for businesses to tell stronger brand stories and that explosive growth isn’t a miracle. It is a product of having a great strategy combined with the right marketing and sales efforts.  You can see Dave regularly writing and being interviewed about marketing and revenue in the pages of SEAT Magazine, The Seattle Times, The New York Post, and US News and World Report. Dave is also a frequent guest on radio and television, including appearances on The Tom Leykis Show and The Exchange with Amanda Lang and many other media appearances. Nightclubs Dave started his career opening nightclubs in the mid-1990s, and he opened nightclubs all over the country. The club that he opened in St. Louis did not do very well, and that led Dave to one of the best opportunities of his career. A great career opportunity Dave moved to Seattle, knowing no one there, and with about $600 in his pocket. He landed a job working for Paul Allen, who helped start Microsoft with Bill Gates.  A talent for marketing Dave helped Paul to open the Experience Music Project, which is on the grounds of the Seattle Center and is now called the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP). That was where Dave discovered that he had a marketing talent. Dave Wakeman’s move to New York    Dave Wakeman’s marketing ability led him to many different places. He moved to New York and worked with a company called Americana Tickets. That was where he worked with American Express and the Centurion Card, helping them to figure out how to buy and distribute tickets for their clients all over the world. Dave worked on many different projects Together with the ad agency for Yellowtail Wines, Dave threw Tailgate parties in 36 cities. That was one of the key ingredients that helped Yellowtail to grow and get into Costco. He worked with Coca-Cola on the launch of their Odwalla product, the efforts to support the Affordable Care Act in America and to get President Obama re-elected in 2012. He also did a lot of work in Australia.  Generating money Dave Wakeman grew up in very modest circumstances. He realized very early on that the way to make something of himself would be through his ability to generate money and to market and sell effectively. Over the years, he developed an eye for the things in which people look for and find value. Dave Wakeman’s thoughts on creating value Dave understands that if you can create enough value for the people you’re aiming to serve, then you should also be able to collect some of that for yourself. Unique experiences in LA Dave helps people get registered to vote through #iVoted, which also invites people to attend virtual concerts with some great artists.  Helping non-profits Dave loves to give back, so he often uses his expertise to help non-profits. Creating revenue  If you want to create revenue or have the most impact, you consistently need to ask three questions: What is the value you’re trying to create?     Who is the customer that will pay you?     How do you reach those people? You need to focus on the value that you’re trying to create for people, you need to find the specific person who you can help, and you need to communicate effectively. Strategy and tactics Strategy is where you’re trying to get to, and tactics are how you get there. Lack of precision Dave believes that when people lack precision when they speak, it leads to poor outcomes. The King of Tickets Dave Wakeman attributes becoming known as The King of Tickets to luck, his excellent relationship-building skills, and technology. You are not replaceable Dave points out that your ability to be you is not replaceable. So, you need to invest in having a point of view, relationships, and finding ways to create value for the people you serve because none of those are replaceable. Coping with change We need to embrace change. So, although we are going through a terrible time right now, you should not give up because people will come back.   Recognizing and embracing the power of change Change will come, no matter what. Many years ago, Dave learned that change is the only thing in life that is certain. And when change rears her beautiful face, you must embrace her because change is the only thing that you have.  Reinventing yourself, coming out of the pandemic Coming out of the pandemic, you don’t have to be the same person you were going into it. The key to reinventing yourself lies in looking at what you want to do and who you want to become going forward. Links and resources: Dave’s newsletter    Dave’s Sunday strategy newsletter, The Business of Value  The Business of Fun Podcast  Books mentioned: Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant  by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne Entrepreneurial You: Monetize Your Expertise, Create Multiple Income Streams, and Thrive by Dorie Clark Reinventing You, With a New Preface: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future by Dorie Clark Stand Out: How to Find Your Breakthrough Idea and Build a Following Around It  by Dorie Clark Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website

Today, we are delighted to have a gem of a conversation with an icon in the hotel and meetings and events industry! Ivan Artolli is currently the General Manager of the Hotel de Paris in Monaco. He is joining us today to talk about his journey and share some stories about Winston Churchill, learning, traveling, champagne, and the importance of good communication.  Ivan Artolli’s bio Mr. Ivan Artolli was appointed Managing Director at the Hotel de Paris in July 2016 following his 17 years’ tenure at Rocco Forte Hotels. Born in Padua, Italy, Mr. Artolli has spent his entire working life in the hotel industry, gaining valuable experience at all levels in various luxury properties in Germany, UK, France, Monaco, Belgium, and Italy. He studied in Abano Terme, obtaining a degree in hospitality, and also attended courses at the Hospitality School of Lausanne and Cornell University in Ithaka, New York, USA. On graduation from hospitality school, Mr. Artolli worked at the Adriatico Palace in Trieste, where he rapidly climbed the ranks before joining Brenner’s Pak Hotel in Baden-Baden. He joined The Lygon Arms in Broadway for management training and eventually moved to Claridge’s in London at Front Desk. After almost two years at the Ritz in Paris, he moved to the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, Monaco, as Assistant Front Office Manager. Mr. Artolli joined the old Forte Hotels group in 1992 as a Sales Manager at the Beach Plaza in Monaco and later moved back to Paris, where he worked at the Plaza Athénée as S&M Director.   At the beginning of 1997, he returned to Italy to work at the Villa d’Este Grand Hotel in Cernobbio as S&M Director, before moving to the Grand Hotel in Milan as Resident Manager. He joined the Rocco Forte Hotels in January 2000 as General Manager of Hotel Savoy in Florence. From there, he moved to Hotel Amigo in Brussels in June 2002, where he oversaw the completion of Hotel Amigo’s $22.6 million refurbishments. He built up the hotel’s reputation as the best hotel in Belgium before joining The Balmoral in 2007, where he remained until August 2011 before appointing a new General Manager to allow him to take up the position of Company Operations Director for the UK, Russia, and Belgium.  In February 2014, Mr. Artolli got appointed MD of Vedura Resort while retaining his Ops Director responsibilities of the Amigo Hotel in Brussels and being part of the Company Executive Committee. Going to Germany After completing his studies at hotel school, Ivan soon realized that he needed to learn foreign languages if he was to have any chance of becoming a departmental manager. German was the most difficult of all the languages he learned at school, so he decided to start there and spent the next few years working in various positions in the hospitality industry in Germany.  English After mastering German, Ivan wanted to learn English, so he became a management trainee at the Lygon Arms Hotel in Broadway, England. He spent eighteen months there and then moved to London, where he took a job at Claridge’s and mastered the English language.  Monte Carlo Ivan missed being near the sea, so he found himself a job at the Hotel de Paris, in Monte Carlo, where he spent the next six years working in the front office. Ivan Artolli's need to learn  The constant need to learn has always led Ivan’s career. If he is not learning anything new, he becomes bored and anxious. He loves to learn new languages, and he also loves traveling and creating opportunities for his children to learn languages. Intellectual curiosity Ivan thinks that intellectual curiosity is what keeps the world alive, so he always tries to challenge himself and push the barrier of what he knows. A unique company The company that Ivan currently works for is the only company he knows of that turns close to $702,000,000. Everything the company owns is within the area of 1.26 square miles. Paying back Ivan has learned a lot, and he has reached the stage in his life where he needs to pay back for all the good things he has learned. Mentors Throughout his career, Ivan has worked with many accomplished and influential leaders. Many of them were willing to share their secrets of success with him, and that has helped him in motivating his team to provide exceptional service. Ivan Artolli's philosophy on adaptability Adaptability is a must in the hospitality and meetings and events industry. You need to adapt to evolving situations and be comfortable and relaxed when talking to different people from different nationalities.  A unique selling point One of the unique selling points of the Hotel de Paris is that almost everyone who has ever been famous in the US has gone through its doors at some point. Winston Churchill Winston Churchill got invited to stay at the Hotel de Paris. He was the first person to open one of the old port bottles in the hotel that got hidden from the Germans during the German occupation. A movie clip The French film director, Claude Lelouch, shot a short movie clip featuring Charles Leclerc driving a Ferrari in front of the Hotel de Paris on the date that the Monaco Grand Prix was supposed to take place. It was a unique event, and Jon Elkin, Mr. Casiraghi, and Prince Albert were on the steps of the Hotel de Paris, watching the shooting of the clip. Good communication is vital Good communication is vital now for what we are experiencing. Leaders need to communicate their plans and requirements clearly, and they need to be consistent with the message they send out. In challenging times, if you walk your talk and communicate why you do what you do, your team will be behind you, and they will become your ambassadors.  Links and resources: Book mentioned: Wine and War by Donald Kladstrup and Petie Kladstrup Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website

We are happy to have Sharon Fisher, the CEO and Founder of the company, Play With A Purpose, joining us on the show today! Sharon has been playing with a purpose for the last thirty years, and she has been doing it with the clear objective of helping organizations integrate fun into their learning processes. In today’s episode, Sharon discusses the difference between engagement and content. You will learn that you do not have to choose either one or the other because you need both, so Sharon explains how to blend engagement and content. She also talks about engaging virtually in our current day and age.  Sharon Fisher’s Bio Enthusiastic. Relevant. Creative. Sharon Fisher is the CEO & Chief IdeaSparker of Play with a Purpose, an experiential strategy firm devoted to sparking more innovative, participatory, connected, and fun learning events. They custom design play-based experiences to help organizations solve challenges innovatively and compellingly.   A passionate advocate for the power of PLAY in business, Sharon and her team create interactions that make a point, generate ideas, facilitate learning, create connections, inspire change, and make people laugh. Whether your event is virtual or live (or one of the many combos in between) you can show courageous leadership by infusing more play.    Sharon’s crazy obsession with play started in college. When all her friends were getting “real degrees”, she chose to major in “whistleblowing” as her father called her BSED degree in Recreation. Since then, she’s created with clients including Disney Imagineering & Disney Publishing, Chevrolet, Camp Jeep, BBDO, Novartis, American Express, Frito Lay, CarMax, IBM, McDonald's, and the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission. The winner of numerous awards, her most prized includes being named one of Orlando’s Best Places to Work and setting two Guinness World Records.   Her highly energetic & interactive workshop-style consistently delights audiences and makes learning fun.   People thought she was crazy When Sharon told her friends she was going to start a business that was all about play, they told her she was crazy, and she would never make it because there was neither enough business out there nor enough people who would be willing to pay her to do that.  Unfazed Sharon was unfazed. She decided to take a chance anyway to see what would happen. An inspiring quote Sharon truly loves what she does! For all her life, a quote from the author, James Michener, has inspired her. “The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor, and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information, and his recreation. He hardly knows which is which. He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him, he is always doing both.” James A. Michener When you love what you do Sharon explains that when you love doing something, you are willing to devote the time, energy, and effort that it takes to learn more and to keep on building it. You also invest the curiosity that is needed to keep inventing and to stay ahead and stay practical in the game. A melding of work and play in your life Sharon explains that when you are doing something that you truly love, you never turn off because everything always flows, and you are always alert to the opportunities in work to laugh, have fun, and bring joy to what you are doing. And in play, you have the chance to get inspired for new things to do at work.  Why you should stop separating engagement and content People go to meetings to learn, to meet other people, and to engage and network with them. At meetings, the content and learning are usually separate from the engagement, and Sharon has never understood why engagement and content get seen as two distinctly different things. She believes that they should get blended, and people should figure out ways to put more engagement into the learning pieces for a better outcome and better results. Skill sets and passion The passion and skill set of an awesome logistics person differs from that of a designer or a strategist. The perfect design It makes no sense to Sharon to focus only on logistics in a meeting without considering the content, the purpose, the strategy, and the results. The perfect design has not yet been found for organizing teams to maximize the skill sets that come from the different halves of the brain. The team The results of an event usually depend on the team leader, and how the team members are integrated and made to feel like part of the bigger picture, rather than the details. The team needs to understand the purpose, the strategy, and the vision of the meeting before thinking about how to engage people. Learn Feel Do Sharon learned to use a simple tool called Learn Feel Do, which she has adapted to suit her needs, to get everyone on the same page for setting the ground and knowing where they are going with a meeting. Re-engaging the brain People’s brains need to be re-engaged every ten minutes in a physical meeting, and every four minutes in an online meeting. If that does not happen, people will tune out and they will not be able to retain much of what they have learned. A framework At Play With A Purpose, they are all about understanding what you want people to know. They use a framework to determine what kind of game, activity, or interaction will work best to help accomplish the learning that is needed. Working online Working online does not mean that you cannot be interacting together. To make things work online, however, the interaction needs to be restructured or reformatted a little. The Better News Network event The Better News Network event used to be a live event. It has now successfully transitioned to being a hybrid and virtual event. Sharon’s tip for online sessions Online sessions do not have to be short. They need to be engaging to be good. Links and resources: Sharon’s website Sharon’s email is sharon@playwithapurpose.com  Play With a Purpose on LinkedIn Play With a Purpose on Facebook Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website

We’re delighted to have Mike Gamble, the Co-founder, President, and CEO of SearchWide™ joining us on the podcast. Mike has had a tremendous amount of experience in our industry. In today’s episode, he shares his knowledge and many nuggets of information about where our industry is heading, diversity, inclusion, the skills you need to focus on to prepare yourself for the future, how to start developing your own business, and ways to find new clients. Mike Gamble’s bio: Since co-founding SearchWide™ in 1999, Mike’s primary focus has been to ensure that SearchWide™ exceeds client and candidate expectations every day. While striving to add value and develop new opportunities for SearchWide™, Mike keeps the team focused on its core mission. Through his cooperative leadership style, he creates a secure and productive environment for the team’s success. Mike handles C-Level searches across all sectors of business and often assists other recruiters with their assignments. Before serving as President & CEO of SearchWide™, Mike served as Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB). During that time, the Philadelphia Business Journal named him one of the city’s most successful business leaders under the age of 40. While at the PCVB, he was integral in recruiting the sales team that worked with him to attract nearly every major convention in the hospitality industry, including Meeting Professionals International (MPI), American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), and the 2000 Republican National Convention. Previously, Mike spent 9 years with Marriott International in various sales leadership positions in Dallas, San Antonio, and Chicago. Mike is active in all of the industry associations and served as chairman of the MPI Foundation Board of Trustees. He has also served on the DMAI Foundation Board of Trustees, and the Professional Convention Management Association Foundation Board. He is currently a board member for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the TwinCities. Mike’s extensive career in the hospitality industry began when he earned a BS degree from the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He is based in our Stillwater, MN headquarters, and resides in the Twin Cities area with his wife and four children. Learning things he thought he knew Although he found it hard to leave Marriott International, Mike felt fortunate to be offered the job of Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing for the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB). He learned a lot there about things he thought he knew but did not know, and about the exhibition space, especially. What prompted Mike to start his company, SearchWide™  Many years ago, PCVP hosted MPI (Meeting Professionals International) in Philadelphia. At the time, Mike was the Chairman of the foundation and he was also the Chairman of the Host Committee. At the leadership dinner before the event, one of the leaders of MPI suggested that Mike start a search firm. Three weeks later, he did just that! Developing relationships The essence of being involved in organizations like MPI is networking and developing relationships. If you do that, opportunities are sure to present themselves. Starting out Mike's first two clients were known and respected leaders in the industry with whom he had a bond of trust.  The vision Mike decided to start in the hotel industry and venture out from there. Today, hotels are their staple and they are also in convention centers and stadiums.  Family When Mike wanted to start his business, he was in his mid-thirties and his fourth child had just been born. All of his children were under the age of six and his wife still encouraged him to go ahead with starting his business. Networking and expanding your reach Finding new clients is all about getting out of your comfort zone, expanding your network, and growing your circle. You always need to stay connected with your previous coworkers and learn about new businesses. Relationships are vital Travel, tourism, hospitality, and events are expansive, global businesses that have many facets to them, and nobody knows every aspect of them. If you don’t have relationships there, perhaps go into business with someone who does because people are going to do business with you if they know you and they trust you. The key The key to getting new clients is that you have to have someone at the front, driving the top line and being a connector for the business. Chief connector Mike likes to be the chief connector and that is what he focuses on. Furlough Mike sees furlough as false hope. He always suggests that people on furlough should act like they’re not going back to work. Finding a job Finding a job is a full-time job, so you need to work at it every single day. Know what you’re good at Other industries value people from our industry, so identify your transferable skills and know what you’re good at, in case you decide to cross over into a different industry. Skills you should develop If you are not a comfortable consensus builder, project leader, or communicator, you should develop some of those skills. In our industry, you need to educate yourself on health, safety, and security.  Innovation At this time, your ability to innovate is what will most likely get you the job. Links and resources: Connect with Mike Mike’s website Mike’s email is gamble@searchwideglobal.com Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website

It is an honor and a pleasure to be speaking to Roger Dow today. Roger is the president and CEO of U.S. Travel. He has had an amazing career, and in today’s conversation, he gives us some insight into what’s happening on Capitol Hill regarding our industry. He also talks about the unique way he got into the industry, the effect the pandemic has had on it, and what he predicts for its future. It’s a very interesting conversation, and we know you’re going to enjoy it! Roger Dow’s Bio Roger Dow is president and CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, the Washington, D.C.-based organization representing all segments of travel in America. Their mission is to increase travel to and within the United States.  As the leading travel industry advocate, Dow and his team regularly meet with the executive branch and congressional leaders to advance policies that benefit the broader travel industry. His efforts have resulted in major legislative victories, including his instrumental role in establishing and renewing Brand USA, the highly effective national travel and tourism promotion program. Dow and U.S. Travel are also leaders of the Meetings Mean Business Coalition, which promotes and defends the value of face-to-face business meetings, trade shows, conferences, and conventions. Starting as a lifeguard Roger stumbled into the meetings and events industry a long time ago, back when he was in college. He had completed his lifeguard training and was looking for work. He could not find a job as a lifeguard until he eventually approached a new hotel that was opening, called the Marriott. They employed him, and he spent the next three summers working at their pool as a lifeguard.  After college After college, Roger struggled to find a job. The general manager of the Marriott suggested that he stay with the hotel group as he had done a good job at the pool, and the company was growing.  Exponential growth When Roger signed up with Marriott, they had about twelve hotels. He hoped that someday they would have 100 hotels, and they now have 7,000! The first loyalty program In 1983, Roger headed up marketing and he started the first loyalty program in the hotel business. Global sales After about ten years, Roger moved on to head up global sales for Marriott. He loved being part of the sales profession and Marriott had about 10,000 salespeople around the world, selling everything from meetings to conventions, to global travel, to corporate travel and global accounts, and they all worked with Roger. Roger learned a lot from the army Roger got drafted to the US Army during the Vietnam war. He spent a year in Vietnam and got decorated with a bronze medal. He learned a lot from the military. One of the greatest lessons as a leader Roger learned one of his greatest lessons as a leader in the military. He has learned that you don’t tell people what to do. You do it with them. Making the transition to U.S. Travel After 34 years with Marriott, Roger was thinking about retiring. The head of what was then the Travel Industry Association, which is now U.S. Travel, was also retiring. A head-hunter told Roger that in doing that job, he could have an impact and change an industry because someone needed to pull the industry, as a whole, together.  Fifteen years on Although he only intended to do the job for five years, Roger is still with U.S. Travel fifteen years later! Crisis The industry has experienced many different crises over the years. What we’re going through now as an industry, however, is probably ten times more than we have ever gone through in any previous crisis, including the Great Depression. Travel is everywhere Travel is everywhere, and it affects millions of people. Most people don’t realize that the travel industry is 83% small businesses. Out of every crisis comes opportunity Out of every crisis comes opportunity. People are filling the void left by those who have gone out of business during the pandemic, so now there is a new set of businesses that did not exist before. Health and safety Roger predicts that every hotel and convention center is going to have a Health and Safety Officer. Some predictions Roger predicts that we are going to see biometrics and contact list systems for checking in and out of hotels coming out faster than they have been doing. There will also be a lot of changes in protocols and how we do business. Capitol Hill Roger has been working on Capitol Hill to get support for our industry and he has had amazing results.  The time to fix things Roger has been working hard to fix things for people in the destination marketing organizations who got left out of the CARES Act. He feels that this is the time for politicians to come together to do whatever will be good for the people and to prevent the travel industry from going under. Face-to-face Virtual meetings have many advantages and can accommodate vast numbers of people around the world. Roger believes that face-to-face meetings are critical, however, and they will be extended going forward.  Going back to normal Roger is optimistic about the future. He predicts that everything will go back to normal a lot sooner than most people think. Links and resources: About Roger

Today, we are delighted to have the honor of speaking to Liz King Caruso! Liz is an icon, a thought-leader, and an innovator in our industry! She is an entrepreneur. She has been running her company for the last ten years, and she has gained recognition for her success from many different publications and organizations. Liz is joining us today to discuss the difference between virtual and face to face events and how to design them. She will explain what you need to learn now to be ready afterward. She will also talk about what you need to know to be able to plan a virtual experience and to partner with the people helping you to deliver that experience to your customer.  Liz King Caruso’s bio Liz King Caruso is an Event Specialist, Consultant & Speaker who is passionate about impactful, successful & fun events. Liz launched Liz King Events while still running events FT for Columbia University and quickly became a thought leader/influencer amongst her peers after voraciously sharing content on event best practices. Liz works with thought leaders like Ramit Sethi, Microsoft, SeatGeek, Teamworthy Ventures, Ramon Ray, and many others to host strategic conferences and events that engage their audience, build their brand and sell their products and services. She also works with other independent event hustlers to help them run more successful businesses through her consulting program called IGNITE. IGNITE helps amazing planners tap into their brilliance and build their thought leadership so they can get more of the right clients and become more financially stable. In addition, Liz ran one of the most iconic event-tech conferences in the industry called Techsytalk LIVE. Liz has been featured in the Successful Meetings list of 25 Most Influential People in the Meetings Industry, Connect Magazine's list of 40 Under 40 Up-and-Coming Event Planners, and Meetings and Conventions list of Top Influential Female Leaders in the Events Industry, amongst other awards.  How Liz got into the industry Liz initially worked in a counseling center and wanted to be a family psychologist. She later changed her mind, so she moved on and took an administrative position on the event team at Columbia University in New York City.  Before that, she had no idea that event planning could be a career. She had always planned events while growing up, so she pursued it and ended up getting promoted into a role that just did the events. She got lots of experience and eventually broke out on her own and started running Liz King Events. A mentor Having a mentor is very important. Liz was mentored by France La Flamme, who runs La Flamme Consulting Group, in Connecticut. They got connected through an organization called Score.  Becoming a thought leader If you want to become a thought leader, Liz advises you not to try to become one. You need to be curious, willing to collaborate, and willing to share your experiences. You also need to pay attention to understanding your specific niche and what you are very good at doing, and you have to be specific.  A key to developing thought leadership A key to developing thought leadership is keeping people in the know regarding what your thoughts are. It is not about the size of your audience It is not about the size of your audience. It is about you having some meaningful thoughts around a particular topic that people can identify. Techsytalk Techsytalk started in about 2010 because Liz wanted to know more about the cool platforms that she was learning about. It was Internet Week in New York City, so Liz partnered with a friend in the industry, and they decided to do a showcase. They gave ten companies four minutes each to share what they were doing, followed by networking. The goal was for Liz to learn, and from there, the conference kept on evolving. Techsytalk is coming back Liz will be bringing Techsytalk back in November of this year. She is ready to push the boundaries now because the demand is a lot higher, currently. The balance between hybrid and online events going forward Many people have been doing many online events during the COVID crisis, so there is a lot of scope for opportunity. Since many have seen that some platforms are not meeting their needs to do things virtually, the technology is currently evolving very quickly because the tech companies finally have enough clients to push everything to where it needs to be.  Getting back to in-person events with hybrid Liz thinks that hybrid is not going to be just a transition. She thinks it will help us get to in-person events faster and more safely. And now that people know what can be done with virtual, it will stay as a long-term component of most large conferences and events, and larger conventions and city-wide events. Retreat businesses will be booming Liz foresees that the retreat business will be booming in the future. There will be a lot more small face-to-face groups of people, high-end tickets, and meaningful experiences, and also a lot more similar virtual experiences. Some tools for engagement Liz suggests mixing up your formats and offering short sessions combined with longer sessions when necessary. And also rethinking what you would typically do in an in-person environment.  Fun is important with virtual Fun is important with virtual because it is harder to keep people engaged in a virtual setting. Virtual is flexible Virtual offers more flexibility than in-person, so you need to consider new kinds of opportunities for using virtual. Designing a virtual event versus a face-to-face event Many planners become overwhelmed with the idea of a virtual event. Yet, the skill set required for planning a virtual event is much the same as the skill set for planning a face-to-face event. A great event planner will look at the goals and then design a program to fit those goals. Virtual networking Great event planners need to work out new and innovative ways to do virtual networking. People prefer person-to-person Since people prefer having a person-to-person experience and talking to others face-to-face, Liz does not see virtual reality and holograms taking over in the events world. An optimistic view of the future of the meetings and events industry Liz sees good things for the future of the industry because it is very resilient, and it brings out people’s creativity. Technology, particularly in the virtual space, is being pushed to new levels, which gets companies to innovate, and people are craving in-person experiences right now, so there will be more opportunities for in-person experiences in the future than we have had in the past. Disruptions are necessary  Liz believes that we need disruptions in our industry. If we look back at this time thirty years from now, we will see how far we have come as a result of having gone through this difficult time. Getting ready for the future Right now, you will need to learn more about technology and the virtual experience because that will carry you long into the future. You also need to think about the value that you bring to the table and what you do for your clients because there could be some new, non-virtual services that you could be offering them that are just outside of the box. Links and resources: Connect with Liz Liz's website You can find Liz under Liz King Events on all social media platforms. Connect with Eric On LinkedIn On Facebook On Instagram On Website