Mic Drop Events

It's no secret that MANY (if not most) companies have experienced extended time apart since 2020. Our client, Georgia's Own Credit Union, hadn't gathered in person in over 2 years! When they decided to plan a retreat for their leadership team, they called Elevate to help bring a high level of engagement and LOTS of meaningful moments to their event.   

In this episode of the Mic Drop Events Podcast, Billy breaks down the Georgia's Own Leadership Retreat experience and shares some of his insights into executing this event - including having to pivot in order to create the best possible experience for everyone in attendance.

The main focus of this event? Teamwork and brand growth.

PLUS - Elevate Experiences Founder & President, Billy Boughey, led many sessions throughout this retreat, incorporating some of his keynote talks.

Heart For Africa is an incredible organization that focuses on fighting hunger, helping orphans, decreasing poverty, and providing education in the country of Eswatini (formerly known as Swaziland). Throughout the year, the organization hosts several fundraising events.

We recently partnered with Heart For Africa to help them bring one of their annual fundraising events, a comedy night, to life! 

The annual comedy night event is focused on bringing people together in a fun way to raise money for Heart For Africa's mission. 

In this episode, Alison discusses how this event came together alongside Heart For Africa's Director of Program Partners, Hannah Gaddis. From weather, to scheduling conflicts, and everything in between, they share insightful tips on the best things to consider when planning your own outdoor event. 

This event raised $30,000 for Heart For Africa!

Want to contact Hannah? Email her at hannah@heartforafrica.org

Ever wonder what it takes to plan and produce the SAME event in multiple different cities? If so, you'll love this episode where we share specifics of producing several events for one of our favorite clients of all time -  All Pro Dad. 

One of the reasons we love working with this organization so much is because of the ability we have to partner with them from the initial content creation phase to the actual experience execution. And most importantly? Their mission of helping Dads (and father figures) connect with their kids in meaningful ways is one we REALLY believe in. 

Each event is based on a specific yearly theme, is held in a college or professional football stadium, and features a variety of activities for families to participate in together. Everything is designed to help them connect in different ways both "on and off the field". Each event concludes with a powerful message from coaches or former players who discuss their experience and advice for fathers and families to prioritize connection with one another. 

We recently partnered with Home Depot to create a remarkable event with the purpose to welcome their 200+ summer interns. This event took place at Home Depot's home office in Atlanta, GA, and provided a fun space for the interns to connect and enjoy time with one another. 

In this episode, we share all the details on how this event came about, the logistical considerations that went into the planning process, and WHY it's so important to welcome interns in a celebratory and unique way. 

Preferred Apartment Communities knows how to throw a party, and we loved producing a fun, energetic event for their 11th birthday celebration! This episode breaks down how this event offered the best of both worlds - a 45-minute virtual hangout and an in-person carnival-themed celebration for local team members.

Oh, and the one thing you might not imagine would play such an integral part in the success of the event? 

A DUNK TANK! Give this episode a listen to hear more about how this fun addition made such a difference. 

If you're in search of great ideas for virtual, live, or hybrid events, you won't want to miss this episode. And if you're looking for a reason to celebrate your team this year, look no further than your company's birthday! Trust us, it never disappoints.

“If I had known more about the event, I would have brought more of my team.”
- William Crum, Chick-fil-A Operator from Redlands California

In this episode, Billy recaps a one-day team member appreciation event we produced for 800 Chick-fil-A Team members who came from stores all across Southern California! The Operators of the restaurants wanted to celebrate their teams and inspire their best leaders. Our team planned and produced the entire event from scratch, bringing Chick-fil-A’s ideas to life and creating a truly unforgettable day.

Engaging your audience is crucial to not only keeping a group of people's attention but also for creating lasting impact. 

On this episode, we break down the three parts of events that must coexist for optimal engagement: Energy, Community, and Connection. 

This episode comes from a Clubhouse conversation facilitated by Billy and Sean and gives personal anecdotes and valuable ideas that you can implement right away for your own events. 

It's never too early to start planning a holiday party! This week's episode comes from a recent livestream event we hosted on our YouTube channel about holiday party ideas for 2021. 

One of the main questions you should ask yourself when thinking through this type of event is: How do you want your team/customers/audience to feel as they are attending. In this episode, we break down the five emotions you can think through when planning a holiday party: 

• Inspired: Give a longterm vision of the company and restate your goals and values. 
• Connected: Give your team or your clients the chance to connect with one another through activities and intentional moments. 
• Appreciated: Give them a gift or some sort of recognition. 
• Celebrated: Give away awards centered around your company's values.
• Motivated: Give back to your community or rally your team together in order to motivate them at the end of the year. 

We break down these ideas and even share some personal examples of games and types of gatherings that would be perfect for your team to implement this year. 

Now is the time to start planning for this year's holiday parties. Whether you're planning a live, online, or hybrid event, this podcast episode is for you!

This week, Nina Butler joins the podcast to talk all things event creation. Nina is an experienced director with a demonstrated history of working in the event and hospitality industry and start ups and serves as Director of Events and Experiences at Alyce. 

Nina's team specializes in creating "unexpected" events or as she calls them "Pattern Disruptors" that surprises an audience and captures their attention. 

She breaks down some of the ways their team thinks through events for Alyce and the three types of events that make up their marketing strategy:

1. Meet Alyce - Introducing customers to the brand
2. Experience Alyce - Show customers more about the brand
3. Get to know Alyce - Go deeper with an audience 

This episode is great for anyone looking to market their business to new clients through events. 

Kim Walsh Phillips joins us this week to talk about her experience with planning and executing events. After working for a short time in the event industry, Kim transitioned to more of a marketing and consulting role but used her event experience to stand out in marketing her business and converting more sales... so much so that she recently generated over a million dollars in revenue from virtual events in less than a year!

By using virtual events as a step in the conversion process for sales, Kim has found a valuable way to connect with her clientele and to make more money at the same time. 

Whether you find yourself in the event industry or are simply looking for a creative way to market to your audience, our conversation with Kim is sure to give you some valuable ideas to pull from. If you have ever planned an event, you know that understanding your audience is key as is knowing what will and will not resonate with them. 

Kim’s analytical insights provide a detailed look into her own strategies for using events as a marketing tool, and we're so excited to share this conversation with you!

This week, Cord Sachs and Josh Swing of Wildsparq join Billy to talk about leadership, connection, and the power of events. This episode covers a variety of topics from Wildsparq's mission to some valuable event insights from their team and ours. 

One of our favorite takeaways from this episode was the idea of aligning purpose, passion, and production for optimal impact. When your purpose and passion line up, production is exponential. 

In the first part of our conversation with Crystal Garcia, we discuss the difference between livestream and hybrid events, along with some examples and ideas for each. This discussion touches on the importance of including both audiences and the way that breaking up into smaller groups allows moments of engagement for everyone involved. 

Crystal is a Digital Strategist, Virtual Events Producer, Online Business Manager, AND the founder of Propelcon.

With Covid numbers once again on the rise, many businesses are questioning their Fall plans and unsure of how these circumstances might affect scheduled events. On this week's episode of Mic Drop Events, we discuss the ways a company can transition their event from in person to virtual. We break it down into four steps:

1. Cut the Fluff - Save time and keep the presentation engaging
2. Shorten the Total Time - You don't have people's attention for as long as you normally would
3. Add Virtual Interaction Elements - Make the event as engaging as possible
4. Know the Technology - Find someone who knows the applications and hardware involved in pulling off a remarkable online event

While there are many things to consider when making such a big change to your event, these steps are the best way to ensure you keep everything your audience needs and get rid of anything that might be unnecessary.

In this episode of Mic Drop Events, we're joined by our friend Natalie Born who gives her valuable insight on facilitating both audiences during a hybrid event. Natalie put these skills to the test during a recent hybrid event and did an amazing job recognizing not only the group in the room but those tuning in online too. This is a skill that many people don't talk about but one that is absolutely vital to the success of a hybrid event. 

Natalie Born is the Founder and Podcast Host of Innovation Meets Leadership and the Vice President of Innovation for Territory Global. Prior to Innovation Consulting, Natalie was the Senior Vice President of Business Development at a mar-tech firm. As an accomplished executive with two approved US patents under her belt and over 15 years of experience leading product development teams, she is consistently willing to share her expertise to ensure companies are designing their products and strategy with the customer at the center of the design. Natalie is a keynote speaker, podcaster, and innovation facilitator. Natalie has worked with organizations such as CareerBuilder, First Data, IHG, and ADP, leading major initiatives in over 18 countries and building a background in acquisition, integration, and international product development.

Bryan Kramer, author of Shareology, joins us in the studio this week to offer some memorable Mic Drop moments. Bryan's unique perspective centers around the idea of connecting with an audience by understanding them as unique individuals. 

He breaks down the six categories that most customers relate to, including:

• Altruist - Share and give to others
• Early adopter - Buy new things
• Connector - Love to connect other people 
• Careerist - Learn and educate others
• Boomerang - Moderators who help and manage others
• Selective - Watch more than they engage, but when they show up, they are listened to

This week, Sean breaks down the different types of networking that can be done live, virtually, or through a hybrid format. While some people prefer live networking events for the energy they can bring, Sean argues that virtual platforms can offer the same level of excitement and engagement. 

This week we are joined by the President of Urban Enterprises, Shayne Walsey. Urban Enterprises has been operating for over forty years and specializes in staffing, distribution, and event planning. As a people-oriented company, a lot of changes had to be made in their operations at the start of the pandemic. 

In our interview, Shayne talks about her experience working with different clients and the power of saying "yes" when faced with unknown circumstances. Her insights are sure to inspire you in your own journey creating events that people love!

This week, we were joined by Mia Masson, Content Director at Swapcard and expert in the world of hybrid events. She has firsthand knowledge and experience in this particular industry that so many people are discovering and thinking about for the first time. 

Our conversation starts with an overview of her thoughts on virtual, hybrid, and in-person events, as well as some predictions of where she thinks the majority of events will take place in the near future. In a world that is opening back up to live events but that is also incredibly connected virtually, hybrid events are the logical solution to accommodate both forms of connection. 

She concludes her time with us by breaking down a comprehensive list of all the things you should consider when going hybrid. And trust us, you don't want to miss it!

This week, David T. Stevens joined us in the studio to talk about his experience with events. David is a Silicon Valley native who has worked in events for the past 20 years, from Sports and Entertainment to Experiential and Association planning. For the past four years he has been on the Alation marketing team where they have taken a fresh approach to meetings and events. He breaks down some of the "out of the box" ideas he and his team have put together as well as the ways they were able to weather the pandemic (and even add a team member in 2020).

David's ideas and energy are sure to inspire you if you've been wanting to come up with something creative for your next event but don't know where to start.

In the second half of our conversation with Tim Woodring, Sean flips the script and leads the interview as Tim breaks down the different phases or "waves" of his business in navigating the world of virtual events. 

He also delves into the different types of events that companies can choose to implement in the future, from in-person to virtual to hybrid. And in one of his most memorable "mic drop" moments he reminds us that even though hybrid events are a great option, if they aren't done right they can become "the worst of both experiences."

This week we had the opportunity to interview (and be interviewed) by Tim Woodring, host of the Meetings & Events Podcast and Chief Solutions Officer at Unbridled. Sean joined Tim in the studio to talk about all things events, acting as both the interviewer and the interviewee in this two-part conversation. 

This week's episode features the first part of this conversation, as Tim asks Sean some questions about his experience in the events industry. Sean breaks down some of the important aspects of virtual events and even talks about the reasons behind our name change from Elevate Live Events to Elevate Experiences.

He then breaks down the top three things to consider when planning a virtual event:

• Plan short segments during your virtual events
• Interact with the audience as much as possible
• Entertain your audience through a screen

We hope you enjoy today's episode and be sure to tune in next week for the rest of the conversation, where Sean flips the script and interviews Tim. 

Before the pandemic sent the event world into the virtual space, Jason Greenman spent his time locating the perfect venues for his clients across Europe. Based in Barcelona, Jason has been helping clients find the ideal destination for their events for the past 15 years. Jason is an expert in the logistics of events, working to coordinate transportation, catering, and a myriad of other event elements that have to work together seamlessly to pull off a remarkable experience. 

This week's discussion goes into some of the key elements to consider when looking for an in-person destination, as well as some insights into the future of events and what that could hold. As the world slowly opens back up to in-person events, Jason remains optimistic that in-person events aren't a thing of the past, and his thoughts on the importance of these events are incredibly valuable to anyone planning an upcoming gathering. 

We recently partnered with The Energy Authority (TEA) for one of their recent virtual events, and it was SO. MUCH. FUN. Christie Helton and Christie Smith-Hall handle all the planning and coordinating of their team's events, and they have so much experience, we knew we needed to bring them on the podcast. 

This episode is full of valuable insight, as they break down their experience transitioning from live to virtual events and the ways they prioritize connection as part of their event planning process. The Christies talk about everything from strategies and goals they have set to the way they have used external resources and organizations (like us!) to make their events even more effective. 

This week, Sean and Ricky from the Elevate team offer some great insights into the world of virtual icebreakers. Their tips include using the chat function, engaging with emojis, and utilizing polls. Besides the actual methods of interacting with icebreakers, they also discuss some of their favorite icebreaker examples and even break down a few that have worked best for our team in the past. 

If you haven't hosted a virtual icebreaker before, you're missing a great opportunity to engage your audience. Hopefully you walk away from this episode feeling inspired to create memorable events and meetings of your own, using our favorite method of engagement: icebreakers. 

This week, Sean joined Cara Posey's podcast, Growing My B2B Brand, to talk about B2B events. Their conversation touches on A LOT of elements that will make your event experience better, whether you're planning a virtual or in person gathering. Some of the highlights of the episode include, showing generosity to your audience, getting creative with your engagement activities, and even some predictions for what the future of events could hold. 

One of our favorite takeaways (and a good reminder for anyone in the event planning process) is that events should be more for your audience than your brand. How can you think for your audience to create something truly memorable for them?

This week, Kira Tchernikovsky joined us to talk about her experience with events, an experience that has included a lot of planning and marketing, two vital components in the event space. She talks about the importance of thinking for your audience, whether they're virtual or in person as well as the necessity of the follow up when executing an event well. This is one you don't want to miss!

This week, Elevate marketing team members Sean and Michael hop in the studio to talk about one of the most important parts of any event: capturing content. Pictures, videos, and any other resources that might come from capturing content are vital components of reaching a larger audience and signing more clients once your event is over. The tricky parts is that there is only a limited amount of time available to get certain pieces of content (like a speaker on stage or a group participating in an activity), and once it's over, so is your opportunity for capturing it. We hope this episode gives some valuable insight into a part of events that often gets overlooked and that you feel more confident in your ability to capture content. 

Jessica Lalley joins us in the studio this week to talk about her newly rebranded company, Voices to Connect, and the ways she coordinates between event planners and speakers. She is an expert in the logistical side of events and talks about some of the ways she has been able to pivot her role and her team virtually in the past year. 

This week, Billy (our founder and president) and Alison (our production assistant) talk about the value of an afterparty or "the Afterglow Effect" to end an event with a bang. This idea first came to us during a recent leadership kickoff that our team hosted. Even though this virtual event was mainly professional, there was an afterparty moment at the end when a few dozen of the nearly two hundred participants stayed on and had a dance party.

Unscripted moments like this are some of our favorite parts of events, but it’s so easy to get caught up in the planning of the event that you don’t allow for these moments to happen. People love the opportunity to let their guard down and participate in authentic experiences with their team members. We hope you enjoy this conversation and see the power of incorporating even a ten minute afterparty to your next live or virtual event.

This week's episode features a clip of Sean's LinkedIn Live with Amber Khan. This snippet of their conversation includes three mistakes that a lot of people and organizations make in planning virtual events. 

Jasmine Smith, founder of the event production company SmithCo, joins us this week to talk about her extensive experience in the events industry. Starting out as a wedding planner, Jasmine eventually expanded into other areas of the event world, helping individuals and organizations pull off memorable experiences. 

We talk to her about all things virtual and hybrid events and get the inside scoop on how she goes about planning events with her clients. One of her biggest suggestions? Test the technology! And more than that, know your audience's comfort level with using technology. We hope you enjoy this impactful conversation as much as we did!

Shayla Perry, Owner of Sperrywinkle, joins Sean and Byron in the studio to talk about her extensive experience in marketing and events. From elaborate galas to automotive trade shows, Shayla has experienced it all. She joins us to break down the things she's learned over the years and the ways the past year has influenced her as an event professional. 

Our favorite takeaway was hearing Shayla talk about bravery and the ways it has served her throughout her career, especially recently. Regardless of your profession or past experience with events, 2020 brought us all out of our comfort zones to some extent. Her stories are inspiring and a reminder to us all that pushing through fear is the best way to become brave in your profession and in your life in general. 

2020 was a major learning experience, especially for us event planners. We made a lot of mistakes navigating the new world of events but learned more than we ever thought possible. As we head into a new year, we hope these lessons serve you well in planning your next event.