In 2013, the New York Times coined Nashville as the new “it” city. Maybe they’ve made this claim about other cities since, but make no mistake; Nashville is no flavor of the week…or even of the year. We’re still growing, entertaining and booming five years later. This means more companies than ever are looking for fun and unique group activities in Nashville. This, of course, makes us ecstatic! We’ve always known how great this city is. When I began my music team building business over ten years ago it made sense to me that people would want to come to Music City to make music, to be entertained, and to have fun! There are lots of options for group… Read more »
Corporate Events
Corporate Event Ideas
It’s not easy to continually come up with great corporate event ideas. Whether you’re a professional meeting planner or someone within a company who has been tasked with gathering ideas for your next corporate event, it can be a challenge to find programs that seem fresh and that will appeal to your attendees. The search for new programming is somewhat of a creative process. To find new ideas, you need to be creative! So as an expert on creativity and how to use it, I thought I’d share my thoughts in order to help you successfully search for those great corporate event ideas. I’ll also include some specifics about programs that I’m fond of. How To Find What You’re Looking… Read more »
Group Music Activities That Drive Results and ROI
Are group music activities worthwhile for business groups or teams? If I say yes, can I prove it? These are questions I’m sometimes asked by potential clients who want to focus on ROI when considering a music team building activity. I think that bringing music to your work team is a must. Group music activities are worthwhile and they do yield ROI. You may have to re-frame your concept of return just a bit. And I’ll help you do that after we talk about the reasons musical programs are so valuable for corporate groups. Music Activities Hit Home Think of the wonderful cliches we use everyday that revolve around music. Need a ‘tune-up’, working in ‘harmony’, not the same ole ‘song’ and dance…. Read more »
Great Icebreakers for Large Groups
I don’t often like icebreakers for large groups. It’s really hard to find fun and effective activities that work with lots of people. In fact, I’d never thought much about trying to develop an effective large group session until a client asked me what I could do for a group of 1,700 people in about 45 minutes. That’s a really big group and the request was daunting. But I was intrigued. It seems there’s a real demand for compelling conference icebreakers and activities that can be scaled up for lots of participants. My Successful Musical Icebreaker I’m going to speak first from personal experience and offer broad advice along the way that you can use. I think the following story of how I created a cool… Read more »
Create a Conference Breakout that Wins Over the Audience
The image above is from a real conference breakout session. Notice the leader is not stuck in front of the room. She’s asking a question, smiling and looking at the audience. These people are not bored. As an introverted creative type, I’m partial to breakout sessions because I stay focused better in smaller breakouts as compared to the large conference sessions that include everyone. In a conference breakout there’s opportunity to focus on specific topics and to allow for in depth discussion with lots of interaction. With that great potential, you have responsibility as someone planning a session to find interesting topics, great facilitators and entertaining subject matter experts who will engage your attendees. Don’t make the mistake of thinking… Read more »
Why a Musical Keynote Speaker Brings Both Creativity and ROI
There are several great reasons to choose a musical keynote when you’re planning a conference. Musical keynotes are entertaining. They bring energy and positive emotion to a conference. A musical presentation also makes a great statement – that this won’t be the same old boring conference. Additionally, a successful musical speaker will bring value through a relevant message and takeaways. Here is a real-world example of why this is the case: A few years back I appeared as a keynote speaker at an aerospace company’s annual meeting. This was the first time they’d ever hired a speaker who wasn’t in their industry. While I certainly wasn’t able to talk about technical matters related to this company’s work, I was able to provide content that motivated… Read more »
Why a Musical Speaker Can Make Any Corporate Event Better
Can a musical speaker make a corporate event better? Yes, definitely. Is using music just fluff, a non-important add on? No, definitely not. Those are two strong statements. And I’m making them with the hope that you’ll read on to learn the how’s and why’s of music’s role in reaching and holding an audience. What Is A Musical Speaker? A speaker who is focused on music is more than just a performer. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a great musical performer at a corporate event. But a speaker brings something extra. He or she will deliver compelling content; a message with a beginning, middle and end. When music is the medium used to deliver a message, it’s powerful, emotional and engaging because music is powerful, emotional and engaging…. Read more »
Finding a Conference Keynote Speaker Who Won’t Put You To Sleep
I snuck in the back of a ballroom to hear a conference keynote speaker yesterday and noticed that most of the people in the room were restless. Those who weren’t restless seemed to be focused on their smart phones, rather than the speaker. I was at the conference getting ready to lead an interactive song session and even my client, who had hired the speaker, was complaining about the yawns in the room. I asked my client why she’d hired this particular speaker. She told me that the speaker had expertise and that the speakers’s topic was relevant to the content of the conference. My client learned the hard way that you shouldn’t hire a conference keynote speaker based solely on subject matter expertise. When… Read more »
Fun Corporate Events
You may hear the phrase fun corporate events and think it’s an oxymoron. But fun and corporate events doesn’t have to be an oxymoron. While it can be a challenge to find a program that delivers content and fun they are out there. Why should you care? Because there’s real value in sharing fun experience with your colleagues. There’s lots of stuff you can fake in life. But fun is a feeling that’s either there or it’s not. When you take part in a genuinely entertaining and enjoyable activity you’ll be engaged. You’ll be interacting naturally, without forcing it. That’s fun. Believe it or not, you’ll get ROI from the time and resources you put into creating a successful event. The ROI comes from the increased engagement,… Read more »
Top Tips For Coordinating An Internal Event
A wide range of different departments and experts can coordinate meetings and events. For example, coordinating an internal event at one company may mean an entire events department handles it but at another company, a sole administrative person may be assigned the job. The job assignment can vary depending on resources and the scale of the internal event but if it falls to you, you will need to know how to pull it off without a hitch. Whether this is your first time coordinating an internal event or you are an old pro looking for some tips and refreshers, we have compiled the basics to make sure you are covered for your next event. A Great Venue Goes A Long… Read more »
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