Kling-tastic!

Just got back from a big show in Orlando and I think I’ve coined a new word – Kling-tastic!

That’s because we had a chance to work with storyteller Kevin Kling, and no other word in my lexicon comes close to describing the feeling he creates in a room.

We’ve done a lot of high-tech, high-energy, high-power opening events at meetings before. However, you’d be surprised at the impact it has when the lights come up and there’s a lone guy on-stage and he starts telling the audience a story.

I’m not saying you could hear a pin drop, but I will say that he had them at “Hello, my name is Kevin Kling and I’m from Minneapolis, Minnesota.” And he never let them go after that.

His stories were simple, funny, involving … and what was really cool was how all subsequent speakers at the event referenced key points from Kevin’s stories.

And what was ALSO really cool was seeing the attendees chase Kevin down in the airport to offer congratulations and get autographs after the meeting was over! Who knew the line between storyteller and rock star was so thin?

I know we’ll be seeing more of Kevin on our stages in the future and I’m sure that our clients will all come to the same conclusion: He’s Kling-tastic!

Put Down the Program

We just finished producing a big awards show for a national client. A new client. Since this was our first time to the races with them, we were extra-eager to exceed their expectations. And did we!

But the funny thing was, the thing they were most impressed with was “table stakes” for us. Their big takeaway? How engaged the audience was. And, how engaged THEY were. One client told us, “I love printed programs. I always read the program, sometimes to the point where I miss out on the show. But this time, I put the program on the floor and never picked it up again. That’s how engrossed I was in the show.” Man, do we love to hear that!

Now keep in mind that this was a show full of world-class, nationally-known personalities. It shouldn’t have been hard to get the audience engaged. But in past years, it hasn’t happened. Our goal for the 2010 show was to really give those honorees personality; to let the audience get to know each one of them (in a limited timeframe, of course) so that by the end of the show, everyone felt like they had an “in” with the honoree … like they knew something about them that wasn’t available online or in the stat books. And of course, it had to happen in a perfectly-executed show, so the audience could be carried along on the waves of emotion.

5 standing ovations later, it’s all history. But we’ll remember this one as “no programs necessary.” Sorry, printers!

Thanks, Pardner!

I’m not sure this analogy is going to hold together, but stick with me for a minute. Compare and contrast the following two experiences:

You go through the drive-through at your favorite local fast food provider to pick up lunch for your best customers or co-workers or vendors. You place your order (“Do you want fries with that?”), pull around to the window, hand over your money and receive several saggy, bloated bags of food in return. You head back to the office with the food and a persistent odor that permeates your car for weeks to come.

Or … you plan a dinner for your co-workers (clients, vendors, dealers, take your pick) with the chef at a local restaurant. You work together to create the menu, you offer suggestions and ideas throughout the process, taste test all the items, and then sit back proudly on the night of the reception as your guests enjoy a meal that you helped to create.

Which experience is more satisfying for you and for the people eating the food? Which experience is more likely to be successful and produce a return on your investment?

I’d argue that the second scenario will be more successful, and I would further suggest that the degree of success is in direct proportion to the level of partnership between you and the people creating the meal.

Such is the nature of partnerships. They create better results.

But don’t take just my word for it. Here’s what Bob Moore, Chief Creative Officer of Publicis, USA, has to say on the topic of partnering with clients:

“All the best work I’ve done has happened when there was a very close relationship between agency and client. For example, with Nike, we’d spend weekends together, party with each other, run races together. And that was a great model for me in terms of seeing how good work happens. You’d walk into a room at Nike and it wasn’t like the agency arriving; it was a friend who understood the brand and cared about it. If you trust your clients and your clients trust you, amazing things can happen.” *

And here’s what one of OUR clients said about partnering with MB:
“You truly have been the best partner I’ve worked with in my business career. You asked about the expected outcome, learned about what we wanted, and provided a project plan with dates and costs. When we moved into production you took charge and had suggestions when we asked for your opinion.

I knew we’d be in good hands with Martin Bastian, but I was overwhelmed by how great you guys really are.”

Aw, shucks.

But really, in our experience, the best shows and videos that we’ve produced are the ones where we had a tight partnership with our client … where we’ve worked hand-in-hand from original idea through execution … and where we completely shared the objectives and the outcome.

Working that way is not only more effective, it’s infinitely more fun.

Or, to tie things nicely back to the opening analogy, the meal you make together is always going to taste better than the fast-food you bought from a pimply teenager. ‘Cause who wants anything that’s saggy and bloated, anyway?

* Creativity, October 2007.

Telling Stories

Is it just me, or is there a storytelling renaissance going on today?

We see it more and more in the corporate world – a concerted attempt to fortify/strengthen/communicate a company’s culture by telling stories that reinforce what the company is all about.

Now, obviously, storytelling is nothing new. Since the days when we made hand shadows in front of the fire in our caves, mankind has always depended on the power of a story to move people to tears, action, or self-reflection.

Storytelling is still a big part of our lives; the methods may have changed a bit, but the basic concept is still intact. What is YouTube but a story around a fire … however, in this case, the fire is the Internet and the audience is in the millions.

Yes, it feels like we’re returning to stories en masse … and that return is reflected most powerfully in our popular culture. We’re seeking out stories that are longer and more complex. Why are millions tuning into Lost or Heroes or Desperate Housewives? Why do they turn out in droves for multi-part movies, like The Lord of the Rings? What is it about Harry Potter that has turned millions of kids into reading junkies?

The answer is: Compelling stories.

The better the story (more involving, more interesting, more memorable), the more likely your audience is to take action. To learn. To remember.

It’s an idea we all understand but often forget when it comes time to make our next training video or product intro video or CEO message video: What story are we telling and what can we do to make it more compelling? How can we emulate the best stories, by involving our audience, surprising them, and providing them with a satisfying conclusion to the story we’re telling?

The best corporate videos do that and that’s what makes them the best corporate videos.

So when you think about your next video, check to make sure that you’ve included a healthy heaping of the elements of a great story (humor, empathy, surprise, suspense, resolution) and remember that as sophisticated as we may think we are, we’re still basically sitting around a fire, waiting to be enthralled. Be sure your video has a story that will grab your audience and hold them tight until the words “The End” appear on the screen.

A-ha!

The other day, we were in a pitch meeting with a prospective client (LOVE those). There we were, rambling away, discussing our perspectives on meetings and talking about some relevant case histories, when the client suddenly stopped us and said something like, “Yes! That’s it! For too many years we’ve focused on entertaining our clients. Hearing you today makes me realized that we need to think less about entertaining people, and more about engaging them!”

Well, we felt great. At MB, we talk all the time about engaging audiences – it’s what we do. But it’s nice to help someone else think about their event that way, and be given the chance to help them see the difference between an entertained audience (temporary fun) and an engaged one (fun, with long-lasting, calculable effects).

A couple days after the meeting, an e-mail from the client popped into the inbox: “Pleasure meeting you. Thanks for the a-ha moment!” No really – the pleasure’s all ours! If we could deliver just one a-ha moment a day to our clients … wow. There’s our new mission!

Share your stories of a-ha moments here … or let us know if we can deliver one to you!

But Don’t Take Our Word for It …

Apropos of the posting below … take a listen for yourself and hear the magic of the Keb Mo/Jearlyn Steele impromptu duet of “Summertime:” www.martinbastian.com/Keb_Js.html

It might take a minute to load but yeah, it is SO worth it. That’s the kind of magic you get when you have engaged entertainers in front of an engaged audience … * sigh. *

Let’s watch it again, OK?

If you’re not on the mailing list for our Speaker Series and want to be sure to catch the next unscripted magic moment, drop us a line at info@martinbastian.com, and we’ll make sure you’re in the mix.

Thanks!

Set Phasers to … Engage

There’s a lot of talk in the industry these days about corporate “junkets” (*shudder*). Lots of complaining about expensive trips, with big-name, high-maintenance, high-buck entertainers. And yeah, I suppose those trips happen.

But I am here to tell you, it’s not always that way. Yesterday, at Minneapolis’ uber-cool Dakota Jazz Club, we saw first-hand what can happen when you put the RIGHT kind of entertainers in front of an audience. Entertainers who ENGAGE the audience … deliver a message … unite the crowd … and lift them up with a feeling that they’ve just been given a spectacular gift. And it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

Yesterday’s event was MB’s 7th intermittently-held Speaker Series event, where we offer our clients and friends … FREE … the chance to hear spectacular presenters and performers in unique venues around the Twin Cities. This most recent event celebrated affordable, engaging entertainment….and it was all that.

First off we had local legends Jearlyn Steele and Patty Peterson, who brought down the house with the story of their “unlikely friendship” (their words) and some high-energy, high-powered songs. Moral of the story? Be open. Expect to connect. Talk to the person next to you on the plane. It can lead to a lifelong friendship!

Next, Jazz Impact played some hip tunes and brought us all to the realization that … really, organizations are like jazz players. We all improvise, all day. We rely on others to play their parts, take the lead when necessary, and step back to let others shine once in a while.

Then it was a solo set by Keb Mo, Grammy-winning blues guitarist/singer … and all-around amazing entertainer. He had us from hello.

And when he brought up Jearlyn for an impromptu duet of “Summertime,” the whole audience was riveted, feeling the joy those two had in that performance and their love of sharing their gifts with as many people as they could. Magic moment. First time they’ve ever performed together … but I’m guessing it’s not their last.

So, see? No bowls of green M&Ms backstage, no enormous technical riders, no “junkets.” Just the right people, at the right time, with the right message. And an engaged audience who will never forget what they saw.

Magic.

(Keb Mo is represented by Monterey International)

Shout out to Texas Roadhouse!

We came across this article at planyourmeetings.com and have been quietly (OK, and not-so-quietly, too) applauding Texas Roadhouse President and CEO G. J. Hart. These days, messages like this are few and far between, and it does our heart good to hear someone speak out in defense of what we’ve been doing for so many years.

You can read the article here: http://bit.ly/11GyYF, but basically Mr. Hart was criticized on CNBC for holding an employee appreciation event. “How dare you have a good time,” was the quote from the news anchor.

Mr. Hart’s response? “We’re going to have a good time, but we’re also going to be serious about what we’re all about … our people and our culture. Our people are the biggest asset we’ve got. … We have a philosophy in our company that if we take care of our people, they will take care of our guests.”

Excuse us, but … YEAH! We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Thanks, Mr. Hart!

Anyone up for lunch at Texas Roadhouse?

What Happens in Vegas Should Not Stay in Vegas

Just got back from an event at the Bellagio, and what a success it was! Big thanks to the amazing Bellagio staff — especially Shakeh Terzyan and Patrick Sterrett. Shakeh and Patrick made themselves available to answer all of our questions, work within our budgetary and time constraints, and were very open to sharing their history and knowledge of the client’s event. Shakeh, Patrick and their staff exemplified the superior customer service one should expect from a fabulous property like the Bellagio.

For the client, Team MB produced a 2-day employee recognition program. And since budget constraints necessitated a compressed schedule, those were two busy days. On Thursday, we kicked things off with a 6:00 a.m. crew call to load-in and set up for a noon rehearsal with executives. At 3:45 p.m., we were standing by for doors and a 4:00 p.m. start for the three-hour awards show.

Host/emcee extraordinaire and good friend of MB Jim Cunningham was charged with the challenge of announcing just under 500 international names. Thanks to an intensive “Pronunciation Boot Camp,” Jim flawlessly announced all 500 award-winners’ names – live — and wowed the clients, who thought it just could not be done!

On Friday, our day began with a breathtaking rehearsal (no, that’s not an oxymoron) by the Peking Acrobats. Bending, contorting, balancing, human pyramids on a bicycle, beautiful costumes, lion dogs … what more is there to say? Even though space on stage was limited, not one teleprompter paddle was shattered! Fantastic!

That evening, the award winners enjoyed a gourmet dinner, the fabulous Peking Acrobats, and their moment in the sun as they were recognized for all their achievements of the past year. Once again the Bellagio staff came through, moving quickly and effortlessly as they delivered the multiple-course meal to the deserving attendees. (We know it was good since MB staffers constantly overheard rave reviews about the tomato soup and the artistically-sculpted desserts!) The show would not have been a success without the expertise and can-do spirit of the Bellagio staff. Together, we made a great team, and put on a great show … sending the audience home refreshed, renewed, reinvigorated …and ready for another great year!

The Sky’s the Limit!

The Sky’s the Limit!
You know, we work in a lot of ballrooms. A LOT of ballrooms. And ballrooms come with standard complaints – the ceiling’s too low, there are no good rig points, the carpet’s moldy and the AC is too cold.

So, we decided to find a space that had none of those problems. Plenty of room, good air circulation, no mold. Yup – we took it outside.

Outdoor venues are really a mixed blessing. On our last show, we couldn’t drum up a lot of sympathy from the other half of our crew who was shivering in a dark ballroom, since we were outside … in the sun.

Sounds perfect, right? But outdoor venues have a whole set of challenges of their own. For example, dark time. Dark time is when lighting designers get to write all their cues, the video crew checks and perfects all the images on-screen, and everything can come together and look like it will during the real show. In a ballroom, dark time happens every time you turn the lights off. Outside, dark time happens ….well, when it gets dark. Which means a lot of lighting cues are designed in the wee hours. On the plus side, though, how many lighting designers get to write a full moon into their cues?

The very public nature of an outdoor venue can be a challenge, too. Put a big staging rig outside and you’re gonna attract some attention. Our crew got a little tired of answering the “What’s going on?” question all day, so they got creative. Rumors were flying that everyone from U2 to an Eagles Reunion was happening onstage.

Lighting is another challenge. Sometimes, in ballrooms, we have lights on “trees.” That’s when the lighting instruments are hung on stands instead of being rigged from the ceiling. Well, outside, our lights on trees were really on TREES.

And don’t get me started on the wind. My indoor friends had the luxury of setting papers down wherever they pleased. But those of us in Nature’s Ballroom had to hang on to everything for dear life, or weigh our valuable paperwork down with flashlights, monitors, Coke cans or whatever we could find. And sometimes it was windy just before it rained …

But in spite of all the challenges, at the end of the day, when the sun is setting behind the stage, the wind is blowing through the twinkle-lit trees, music is floating from the speakers rigged in the branches and you’re sporting a light sunburn, you just can’t beat an outdoor venue. The sky is, indeed, the limit.

Shoot. A bird just scored a direct hit on my computer screen. Hey, which way to the ballroom?