It is a unique feeling to be "together" and among friends in a special place where you feel like you "belong".

That's what makes private club membership so special. That's the feeling we want at "team building" meetings and conferences. It's what makes clients hope and pray they'll be invited to our hospitality events.

What is the secret behind “the tradition unlike any other”?

What do you think about "rules" at your events?

I'm learning to love them.

To some, Roberts and Jones had a reputation for being persnickety micro-managers with a "my way or the highway" attitude, but I think they're relentlessly pursuing their vision of what the club and the tournament can be.

The Masters has definitely "mastered" scarcity. Everyone wants to get in, but almost nobody can actually see the place for themselves. Anyone who has been inside has the attention of everyone who wants to get inside.

I learned a huge business lesson from my son last week. Maybe you can use it, too..

What makes these three events experiences “an invitation you simply don’t turn down?”

These easy-to-steal secrets WILL surprise you.

Recently one of my clients asked me to explain exactly how his salespeople and executives can get the most out of their upcoming hospitality event.

I assembled all the tips and ideas I’ve picked up from clients, salespeople, and executives, added some psychology from Robert Cialdini, and went to work.

Any sales and negotiation trainer will tell you it's essential to know your counterpart. Engaging and influencing another person is much easier when you understand their perspective.

That's a key component to successful events, too.

Great images tell a story about the event - who was there, what happened, and what did people think about it.

10 Lessons Learned in 2022 and Carried Forward in 2023

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. They called me to their events year after year.

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.

Hosting over 300 players every year, The Medinah Classic is one of the largest club invitational tournaments in the US. Medinah’s General Manager Robert Sereci takes a few minutes to dig deeper into why entertainment is an essential part of the club’s member/guest success.

Exhibitors: What’s your strategy for “the networking reception in the exhibit hall?”

The organizer has given you a huge opportunity! The show attendees - including the ones you want to meet - will be on the show floor!

But how do you get them to your booth and “networking” with your sales people during the show?

Pepsi’s biggest problem was that everyone already knew what Coca Cola tasted like. Believe it or not, your best conference and trade show prospects are ignoring you for the same reason…

Probably the most irritating thing about virtual events is their limited viewing capability. Most people watch them alone because it’s hard to get two or more people gathered around a device.

We figured out a better way…

Probably the most common complaint we hear around virtual event is “everyone has Zoom fatigue,” which is quickly followed up by “people have short attention spans.”

Neither of these ideas are true.

Here’s a “quick and dirty” example of how to smoothly integrate sponsors into your event. We took the idea from the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethon, where Jerry used celebrities and corporate donors to support MDA. Jerry would do a quick segment with the the sponsor, tell a few jokes, and accept their donation.

In the re-opening, how will you entertain, amaze, and engage your clients without spreading the COVID19 virus?

I don't know about you, but every day I'm presented with a huge stack of decisions that I have to make, many of which are based on incomplete information.  The quarantine has added more decisions and less information.  There's more "decision fatigue" than ever before.