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.  

The Blueprint for Client Events That Create Sales, Referrals, and Repeat Business

Probably the smartest copywriting rule I’ve ever heard is “begin with the end in mind.”  As a writer, marketer, magician, father, husband, and golfer, these six words are the secret to getting the important things done.

In the event planning world, it all comes down to “what do you want your guests to do/say/think/feel after the event?”  

And if you’re hosting events for your clients and customers, what you want them to “do” is probably the most important.  Ultimately, you want them to do something that will advance the sale.

That might look like this:

• Answering a phone call from a sales person

• Opening an email from a sales person and replying

• Reading a white paper or info-product, which triggers an automated email or phone call

• Visiting a trade show booth the next day to see a new product

Imagine having a simple, repeatable system for making sure more of your clients actually took those actions after the event.  This is real strategic event planning, and it’s absolutely within the capability of any event planner at any event.

You can encourage a lot more of your clients to continue the conversation through some simple - but critical - components that your business event must have to succeed.  We’ll dive into each step as we continue this series of blog posts, but here is an overview of the process:

First, the event must be memorable.  During a conference or trade show, your clients will attend dozens of events and sessions, and your event must stand out in their mind. The event must be appropriately branded, too, so they not only remember your event but also that your company presented the event for them.

Second, your client must remember meeting their assigned sales representative.  As humans, we are much more likely to respond to people we already know.  If the client recognizes the sales representative’s name, they’re much more likely to accept the follow up call or email.  

Third, your sales representative must build some rapport with the client.  Again, as humans, we’re more likely to respond to people we know, like, and trust.  Your event should help the sales representative move his relationship with the client past “salesman/customer” and closer to a “business friend” or - ideally - “trusted advisor” position.  Rather than simply recognizing their name, the client feels like they “know” the sales representative.  At an event, you can even connect the client to your company’s executives (a very real “we listen to you” message) or product development engineers (imagine your clients knowing “the people who design and build our equipment listen to you”).  

Fourth, there should be an offer and call to action at the event. Generally, this should not be a request for a sale, but rather an offer to give something to the client or do something for the client if they agree to a follow up step.  It should be something very easy to agree to because the client will get a lot of value (information, personalized service, bonuses, etc) for very little action.  Ultimately, people don’t take action without a strong reason, and the offer is the reason that they will answer your phone calls, open your emails, agree to a follow up appointment, or visit your trade show booth.

[Don’t be put off by the idea of making an offer and securing a quick commitment.  We are hosting this event for a purpose, and the call to action is a critical component of the event strategy.  In a later blog post, I’ll explain how this process should happen very quickly and smoothly and take less than a minute or two.]

Fifth, all this should lead to a “next action” after the event.  If you’re starting a new business relationship or opening a new opportunity in an existing relationship, the salesperson should tell the client that he will send something in the mail, email, or make a phone call to follow up after the event.  At a convention, the client should agree to meet with the salesperson at the trade show booth the next day.  

There’s no need for heavy-handed pressure to obtain commitments written in stone - simply ending a conversation by saying “I’ll give you a call on Tuesday at 11am” or “I’ll see you at the booth tomorrow” is enough to commit the client to a plan.  If you want to send a calendar request to confirm the time and date, fine.  Exchanging business cards or contact information helps solidify the agreement.  What’s important is the client can anticipate the phone call or expect to see the salesperson at the show the next day.  

These five components are a series of progressive steps, and the event should take the client through each step in order.  At first we’re just having fun and enjoying the event, then we spend some time having fun and enjoying the event with our sales representative, maybe meet with an executive or product developer, and finally we agree to follow up with these people after the event.  

Ready for more?  We’ll publish a deep dive into the first step - creating a memorable event - next .  See you there!

Just released: Mike Duseberg reveals all the “how to” steps to creating events that create sales referrals, and repeat business in his third booklet The Event ROI Revolution: A Planners Guide to Hospitality Events that Create Connections, Build Rapport, and Schedule Sales Appointments. Download your complimentary copy here.