What Your Marketing and Events Team Needs to Know About Entertaining Executives and Engineers

I finally figured it out. I feel like I have to share this with you.

For over 20 years, I’ve wondered why my magic and mentalism always seemed to land so well with engineers, heavy industry executives, doctors, lawyers, and business people.

These people bring me to events like The Masters, and they want me entertaining their clients and customers at hospitality events, executive summits, and sales meetings.

Their marketing departments and event planners seemed to think they were crazy, too. “Why would magic be a good fit for this event?”

Now I know.

It’s all about DISC.

If you’re unfamiliar with DISC, it’s a four-way classification system psychologists use to categorize communication styles.

Your communication style has a tremendous impact on how you perceive others and how they perceive you. I don’t have time to go into it here, but you can learn more here.

The DISC profiles split two ways:

“task oriented people” (Type C and D) vs. “people oriented people” (Type S and I)

Typically, event planners are very detail-oriented people who really like to talk with other people and have fun conversations.

Most of them are in the Type S and I groups: they like everyone to agree, they love to talk, and they want everyone to like them. They get energy from talking to others.

Focusing on “things” and “problems” takes energy for an I or S (not that they can’t do it, but it takes energy).

Engineers and executives, however, are typically Type C and D. They are task-oriented people, they get energy from solving problems and doing things, they like to move fast, they like to compete and face challenges. Doing stuff gives them energy.

“Chit chat” and “small talk” drains energy for a C or D (not that they can’t do it or don’t like it, but it takes energy).

The problem is that everyone thinks everyone else is just like them.

So when an event planner says,

“Our people don’t need anything to get them laughing and having fun together, they all know each other. They just go to bed at 9pm”

She is 100% correct. Her people do know each other, and they can talk and have fun together. She doesn’t think they need anything to make the cocktail party work, because networking talk and mingling gives her energy.

At the same time, the Type C and D engineers and executives at the event will spend a lot of energy doing the small talk, and they’ll get tired, disconnect, start answering emails on their phone, or even leave the event early.

When I discovered DISC, I realized why my engineering and executive clients kept requesting me back for their events year after year:

Having a problem or a challenge to deal with gives Types C and D a tremendous amount of energy. Working on a problem together actually helps them bond and build rapport with other Cs and Ds.

So having their mind-blown by a magic trick, watching other people get their minds blown, trying to figure out the secrets, and then talking about the magic afterward played right into their communication styles.

The magic and mind-reading gave them tremendous energy in a situation they would normally find draining.

That’s why they stayed later at the events, why they built stronger relationships around the magic, and why they were talking about the events months later.

What does this mean for your events?

I don’t know.

Magic and mind-reading seem to play well for executives, engineers, spreadsheet-enthusiasts, and people who work on “things” and details, but they’re probably not the only things that appeal to the Type C and D.

But you’re open to a conversation about an upcoming event, give me call.

I never noticed this until I wrote this post, but in this image there’s at least one CEO, an electrical engineer, two business consultants, and a guy who manages casinos. All Type C and D personalities, and given that like-attracts-like, you can expect that their spouses are the same…

Robert Sereci Shares Three Unexpected Secrets to Medinah's Member/Guest Success

Medinah Country Club’s legendary clubhouse has been the background for a lot of golf history and some spectacular member events

Background: Since its inception in 1924, Medinah Country Club has hosted many major tournaments. Notably, three U.S. Opens, a U.S. Senior Open, the Ryder Cup, and the BMW Championship, all against a historic backdrop, including their iconic clubhouse, the legendary Course #3, and two additional 18-hole golf courses. Hosting approximately 300 players every year, the club’s premier event - the annual Medinah Classic - is among the three largest member/guest events in the U.S. 

For the 2021 Medinah Classic, the club brought in Mike Duseberg to entertain the players after their practice rounds. Over cocktails and barbecue, players crowded around Mike to participate in the magic and have fun together.  

Mark Gallaudet, the Medinah’s assistant general manager, reflected, “The staff kept saying ‘Wow! That guy can work a room.’ The members just gravitated toward him.”

General Manager and Chief Operating Officer Robert Sereci took a few minutes to dig deeper into why the entertainment was an essential part of Medinah’s member/guest event:

Insight #1: Magic creates a personalized experience for each member and his guest.

Mike’s unique performing style and his “Always Something More” system ensure members and their guests see magic several times throughout the night, and everyone gets to participate in the magic themselves.  

Robert Sereci: “There are not many activities during a member/guest event where participants can sit and enjoy for even a brief time, someone entertaining them in a very intimate setting. Mike is up close, in a very intimate environment, and to me, that is a big deal; it enhances the experience.  It gives participants one more thing to talk about.”

Insight #2: Variety keeps players engaged.

After a long day of golf playing 18 to 27 holes, the players attention can wander. It’s important they stay on-site and enjoy the club’s excellent amenities and food and beverage opportunities. Magic during the evening gave the participants another reason to stick around and have fun together.  

Robert Sereci: “Trying to keep our members and guests engaged is not as easy as it sounds. When an event lasts multiple days for a long period, we’re trying to hold their attention on the event - that's why we have TVs and other entertainment. Getting them to relax and laugh after the day’s round of golf loosens them up. That is not always easy to do.”

Insight #3: Take the pressure off the members and their guests

There can be a lot of pressure during a member/guest event:  The players all feel pressure to score well on the golf course during the day.  

In the evening, a new pressure develops:  the members feel tremendous pressure to “be interesting” and keep their guests entertained and engaged. Similarly, the guests feel pressure to “be on their best behavior” at their hosts’ club.  

Robert Sereci: “Entertainment at our member/guest significant, because, across several days, members and guests are performing, and they get tired. They can get stressed out. Good entertainment takes their mind away from golf and allows attendees to sit back relax, while someone else entertains them, so that they can be participants and spectators for a while.”

This year, the tournament was a tremendous success for Medinah Country Club, and the members and guests had a great experience they look forward to repeating in 2022.

Robert Sereci: “The members said things like, ‘engaging,’ ‘entertaining,’ and ‘this guy is incredibly talented.’  It went very well, and the chairman was thrilled!”

If you’d like to create an engaging and entertaining experience for your players during your next Member/Guest, Mike Duseberg will be happy to describe what he’s done for other clubs like yours. Click here to schedule a conversation or call (561) 596-3877.  

How To Use The "Pepsi Challenge" to Capture Market Share At Your Next Trade Show Or Conference Event

The new season of “The Food that Built America” is a fantastic show: there’s drama, conflict, emotion, and lots of fascinating stories about the brands we see almost every day. It’s both inspiring and entertaining.

And there’s some mind-blowing lessons on business strategy too - real stuff you can use right now.

We just finished the episode on the “cola wars.” We all know the story of the “Pepsi Challenge,” where Pepsi sent people into shopping malls and street corners, asking people if they could tell which cup had Pepsi and which had Coca Cola by taste alone.

At the time, Pepsi had about 7% market share compared to Coca Cola (which had 92 of the other 93%).

Why?  Because Coke was the original cola drink, and it never occurred to people to change.  They never tried Pepsi. They didn’t even know how it tasted, and they didn’t care because they knew they liked Coke.

And that's why the Pepsi Challenge was so powerful. It grabbed people's attention, and it said, "hey, try this."  And when they did, about 52% decided they liked Pepsi better - which immediately cut into Coke's market share.

So how does this apply to your presence at trade shows and conferences?

From an earlier post, you’ll remember the three most valuable prospects you can meet at a trade show or conference:

• People who currently work with you and are happy.

• People who work with your competitor.

• People who used to work with you.

These are the people who can buy stuff that will move the needle in your business. 

But there’s a problem.

Just like the Coca Cola drinkers, those three groups of people have no reason to talk to you.  Your current clients don't know that you can sell them other things they also need, so they think they're "happy."  Your competitor's clients are "happy," too, so they don't need you.  And your prior clients think they're "happier" without you.  

They aren’t going to come to your trade show booth.  They aren’t going to attend your customer hospitality event, and they definitely aren’t coming to your webinar or virtual conference.  

It’s not that they don’t need what you sell or want the outcomes you offer - the problem is that they’ve already decided that they don’t need to talk to you about it.

And if you can’t have a conversation, you’ll never have a sale.

So you need a "Pepsi Challenge.”  

You need something that grabs your prospects attention, focuses attention on your brand in a memorable way, delivers a simple message that opens your prospects' eyes to a specific problem they probably didn’t know that you solve, and offers a clear call to action that explains how your prospect can get the outcome they want.

Our clients do that with magic and mind-reading, but there are probably dozens of other ways you can capture attention, engage your prospect, and deliver a message that makes them want to start a conversation with you.   

Is this a bold statement?  Does this break the rules of sales or marketing?

Not at all, really. It’s what I’ve been doing with my clients for decades, and it’s what my mentors and coaches taught their clients to do for decades before that.  It’s a simple, proven, repeatable formula.

You know who really hates this?  You know who calls it “unsportsmanlike” and “rude” and other negative labels?

Companies like Coca Cola.  The big, established players who are successfully dominating the market by keeping their valuable clients focused on them, so they never even think of changing.

Go get ‘em.

If you’re open to a conversation about what you’re doing at trade shows and the hospitality events you’re sponsoring, the results you’re getting, and how you know you’re successful, I can share what other companies in your particular position have done and the results they’ve achieved. You can schedule a short phone call here.

Entertainment in the Post-COVID19 World - Engage, Amaze, and Entertain - Safely!

Entertainment in the Post-COVID19 World

Engage, Amaze, and Entertain - Safely!

Our clients are already asking - “how can we keep our guests engaged in our event and create a memorable experience and still prevent the spread of COVID19?”

I’ve spent a large part of the last three months designing and rebuilding our very successful “Magic With Your Mind” show. I am not a doctor or an immunologist, but using publicly available information from the CDC, NIH, and WHO, I have created a show that blocks all the typical ways COVID19 spreads.

We can all have fun, build rapport with our key clients, and create an incredible experience our guests will be talking about for years to come - without anyone getting sick.

Check out the video-blog below:

Mike Duseberg creates “COVID19-Safe” magic and mind-reading experiences for your next conference, meeting, association event, or club event.

When you’re ready to start planning your next event, contact our office at (561) 596 3877 or email contact@magicmeansbusiness.com