This week on NMBE, Pacific Life Vice President Sherri Wiseman shares the secrets of event success, from her ‘duck out of water’ principle to her theory of being more interested rather than more interesting and much, much more. It all adds up to a framework for delivering the best possible programs, every time.
More Interested, Not More Interesting (ft. Sherri Wiseman, Pacific Life)
The unconventional wisdom of Sherri Wiseman
OPENING QUOTE:
“One of the very first things I learned is, you can't be rigid in this industry. Things are going to change. You need to roll with the punches. It's not going to stay exactly like you planned it. It's going to change. And it does constantly.”
-Sherri Wiseman
GUEST BIO:
Sherri Wiseman is the Assistant Vice President responsible for meeting and event marketing at Pacific Life. With over 22 years of event planning experience, Sherri lives the motto of her company: “When you’re prepared for anything, you can be more confident that more is possible.”
Links:
CORE TOPICS + DETAILS:
[8:15] - Water Off a Duck’s Back
Rolling with the punches at every step
Event planning, it turns out, can sometimes be a bit of a misnomer. Why? Because event planning often turns into event improvising— at least if you know how to do it right. Sherri’s experiences shine a light on how successful events are managed by people who know how to let changes, setbacks, and unexpected problems roll right off their backs. Then, they turn those twists and turns into memorable events all the same.
[12:09] - More with Less
A key insight into event planning
One of Sherri’s key insights seems to fly in the face of the conventional approach to event planning— give the people more, more, more. Instead, she says, she’s found great success by understanding event goers need to rest, recharge, and process their experience. And that means built-in opportunities to step back from the ‘go, go, go’ mindset of many events.
[22:49] - Be More Interested, Not More Interesting
Reversing the conventional wisdom of charisma
In the cult of personality, we’re told that the best thing a person can be is interesting. But in event planning, the best thing you can be is interested— interested in the needs of clients, interested in the industries you’re serving, and interested in the lives of the hundreds or thousands of people attending your events.
[25:04] - The Experience is in the Execution
How Sherri perfects every element of events
Sherri speaks passionately about the overall ‘experience’ at events, and how that experience isn’t some ethereal, unknowable magic but in fact the result of executing on all of the little things. Those little things ultimately add up to events that leave a positive impression from the first sign-up to the last car in the parking garage.
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As the son of a successful salesman, he was exposed to the principles of building a business at an early age. As a comedian, Scott cut his teeth at renowned improv and comedy clubs. And as a self-taught student of psychology, he’s explored what makes people tick and has written a book (albeit a farce) on how to get through life. He’s uniquely positioned to deliver significant notes on connecting people and making business seriously funny. And who doesn’t like to laugh?
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SHOW CREDITS:
Sherri Wiseman:
One of the very first things I learned is, you can't be rigid in this industry. Things are going to change. You need to roll with the punches. It's not going to stay exactly like you planned it. It's going to change. And it does constantly.
Scott Bloom:
Welcome to No More Bad Events, the podcast for professional event organizers and anyone who wants to take their events to the next level. Each week, we'll hear from the best in the business and get an inside look at what goes on behind the scenes, at the world's most perfectly executed conferences, meetings and more. Together, we'll learn the secrets and strategies to help us reach one big goal, no more bad events. Our show is brought to you by eSpeakers and I'm your host, Scott Bloom. Let's get started.
Scott Bloom:
Today's show is sponsored by Impact Eleven, formerly known as 3 Ring Circus, the best and most diverse and inclusive community built for training and developing professional speakers. They're not just elevating an industry we know and love. They work with hundreds of speakers to launch or scale their speaking businesses, earning tens of millions in speaking fees, landing bureau representation, securing book deals and rising to the top of the field.
Scott Bloom:
If you're looking to take your speaking career to the next level, they'll help you make a bigger impact, faster. To learn more and schedule a free intro call, visit impacteleven.com. That's Impact E-L-E-V-E-N.com.
Scott Bloom:
No More Bad Events is produced and presented by eSpeakers, who believes in the magic that happens when the perfect presenter gets in front of your audience and moves them. The eSpeakers marketplace helps you find, connect with and hire from the deepest catalog of experts who speak on the planet. The platform makes it easy to find, contract and pay the expert who will ignite your audience to accomplish your meeting goals and exit to a standing ovation. For more information, visit espeakers.com/nomorebadevents. That's espeakers.com/nomorebadevents.
Scott Bloom:
Our guest today has seen it all, but nothing deters Sherri Wiseman. Sherri's the assistant vice president responsible for meeting and event marketing for Pacific Life. With 22 years plus of event planning experience under her belt, Sherri knows how to right the event ship. And she does so while living the motto of her company, "When you're prepared for anything, you can be more confident that more is possible."
Scott Bloom:
So that said, Sherri's about to share her secrets of event success from the duck out of water principle, to the value of measuring the experience, to the execution, to her theory of be more interested, not more interesting, all which add up to delivering the best possible programs. Sherri's good humor, stories and beliefs in advocating for the serious role event planners have in business, make for a very special No More Bad Events episode. Let's get right into it.
Scott Bloom:
Just so we can catch up, what has been your last two years been like?
Sherri Wiseman:
It's been canceling, rebooking, canceling, rebooking, canceling, rebooking.
Scott Bloom:
I think that's a very familiar song we've all been hearing over the last couple of years.
Sherri Wiseman:
We're finally getting ready to run our first event that was supposed to be held in April of 2020. It's coming up here in a couple weeks.
Scott Bloom:
So you deal with external events and internal events, the ones have been for you the educational symposium, external. You've been with Pac Life, what, 22 years now?
Sherri Wiseman:
22 years.
Scott Bloom:
I don't know if you know that. Am I the first person to tell you that? Or do you go, "I've been here for a while?" Do I know that better than you? It was on LinkedIn. I saw exactly 22 years and three months you've been with Pac Life.
Sherri Wiseman:
Impressive.
Scott Bloom:
Very... How has the industry changed? How has your responsibilities changed over that time?
Sherri Wiseman:
Wow, well, tremendously. When I started, there were fewer regulations with FINRA and the SEC, and what you could or couldn't do has tightened up significantly. And it's funny because we talk about this all the time. We had basically two channels when I started, our internal marketing channels and now we have nine.
Scott Bloom:
Wow.
Sherri Wiseman:
We've expanded into different markets that we weren't in before. Certainly our management has changed. The head of our division became the CEO of the company, and now he's retiring in April. So there's been a lot of changes with management as well.
Sherri Wiseman:
I think the one thing that's nice is that we've remained a mutual company, which especially when you have some off years, it's nice, because you don't have to answer to shareholders. It does make us, I think, a little bit a smaller, more family oriented company. But I definitely have seen the last two years, some of that culture with new people coming in and not being in the office, it has changed the dimension of what our family culture is. That's really just been in the last two years.
Scott Bloom:
We'll get to that in a moment about how everything has changed over the last two years, but let's go back, let's go back to Sherri Wiseman's origin story. What drew you to the events industry? How did you get involved with meetings?
Sherri Wiseman:
Well, yes, this is going back to college, so much longer than 22 years. I was going to go into public relations in the entertainment industry. I soon learned that that industry was not for me. I went back to school and I was like, well, this is a bust. I've got one year left, I'm graduating and everything that I had been working towards is no longer going to work out.
Sherri Wiseman:
At the time, there wasn't really hospitality school and whatnot for true hotel management going into that. My, I don't know what they called it at the time, guidance counselor, I don't know what they were.
Scott Bloom:
Career counselor?
Sherri Wiseman:
Something like that. She suggested conference services. I started doing some research and found out that DC is the meeting mecca. Every association has a meeting planner. And so I decided, well, I don't want to be on the conference services side. I want to be on the meeting planner side. I want to take the orders. I want to give the orders.
Sherri Wiseman:
I moved to Washington DC and started looking for a job. And at the time, that wasn't really how you did it. You started on the hotel side, you worked your way up through all of the different departments then you switched over to the meeting planning side. But I found somebody who took a chance on me and the rest is history.
Scott Bloom:
Is there anything that you learned from I guess it would've been your mentor or your superior, your supervisor? What did you learn immediately that you still implement today? What did you take away? I'm sure you evolved over the years, but was there something there that either you said, "Hey, this is a principle that needs to be principally centered for me? And that's why she always does good work." Was there anything that you remember?
Sherri Wiseman:
So, coming fresh out of college, I was very black and white, things are this way or they're this way. I think one of the very first things I learned is you can't be rigid in this industry. Things are going to change. You need to roll with the punches. She always would say water off a duck's back.
Sherri Wiseman:
I've taken that, I've shared that with my team today. "Hey, you got to just have water off a duck's back, roll with it." I think that that was the biggest learning curve, it's not black and white and it's not going to stay exactly like you planned it. It's going to change. And it does constantly.
Scott Bloom:
No, I'm sure. I watch you folks work and there are always things that are coming up that are surprises. You'd drive yourself crazy if you were like, "It's got to be this way." I see that, even when we've worked together, I see that you're very calm. You trust your team, you know they're going to be able to handle things.
Scott Bloom:
So now you've moved on, you've gotten experience, what else have you learned over the years? That's a great motto, water off a duck's back. What other things keep you sane and keep your meetings great?
Sherri Wiseman:
I think the key is knowing that you're never going to make everyone happy. That just is not possible. There's going to be some issue that someone has with something that you do. I think going into it wide open is the best approach, because you could have a fabulous event and someone's still upset about something. And they used to take that to heart. You read the evaluations after an event and you're just like, "Oh, stick a knife in me." I'm like, "Oh, that's killing me." Because you come away and you're like, "Oh, it was such a great event." Then you read the evaluations and you're like, "Oh."
Sherri Wiseman:
I think that is one of the things that I still struggle with, I think. We put our heart and soul into this and you're complaining about the nachos?
Scott Bloom:
There was not enough cheese on my nachos. I am very upset. Everything was great. Magic Johnson was great. Thank you for bringing him in, but those nachos is what I'm focused on. So with these surveys, how much do you use the information that you get from those past year to move on to another year or another conference? How much do you rely on that?
Sherri Wiseman:
Content wise, a lot. So, food, I don't pay attention to, but the content definitely. Was the format of the conference good for what you were trying to achieve? What was beneficial? What was not beneficial? Were there too many breakouts? Was there not enough breakouts? Did we focus on one area too much or another? Did the main platform speakers bring any value? There's oftentimes when there's like, what was the point of having him?
Sherri Wiseman:
Definitely for content, we absolutely use evaluations to help drive that for the next next conference.
Scott Bloom:
What about that? I know that just events in general, especially conferences have evolved over the last 10, 15 years. Remember the old days? I'm sure you had day long symposiums, morning, afternoon. I think, well, I was in some of those too, and now we realize, hey, we need to get people more interactive, maybe shorter general sessions, more opportunities to workshop and work with others. Have you seen any changes let's say just even in how the breakouts and the workshops are being created?
Sherri Wiseman:
Definitely. We used to try to I feel pack too much into it. There's only so much that you can retain in a day or that your brain can actually manage to absorb. I think that we used to have three different sets of concurrent breakouts. It makes the day way too long. You lose interest. Even though they've signed up for it, they don't attend it. So then the speakers are feeling like, "Why am I here?" When all they want to do is sit down and ha have a talk with somebody, build those relationships and network.
Sherri Wiseman:
And so we've changed that format. We don't run them that late into the day. We typically stop around 4:30 and have a nice little happy hour with our trade show. Everybody gets a cocktail, they're out in the sunshine, because it's in California. I think it's changing from that one side of the brain to the next, helps just get you reset for the next day.
Scott Bloom:
Well, that's astute. I think just everyone, I saw it when I was hosting meetings, how these people were exhausted. They were running them from the morning till the afternoon. And just the idea that you have to rush somewhere. So that makes an experience much better, just giving people some free time. And so every two years you have events. You have a lot of times. Let's talk about your educational symposium. I know it's a big event. How about the actual general session? Has that changed since... I was with you I think six, seven, eight years ago.
Scott Bloom:
But even from last year, did you make some decisions on the speakers this year, based on what we've gone through over the last two years? Where's your focus on that?
Sherri Wiseman:
So it's an imitation process. We target about 500. And so the speakers, what we did in 2020 did not dictate what we're doing this year, because 2020 was virtual and it was really not well received. We spent a ton of money on it and got very little return on that investment.
Sherri Wiseman:
And so we went with a whole new, fresh approach this year. We're bringing in more PL, really showcasing what Pacific Life has to offer, that will help you grow your business, and introduce life insurance into your practice if it's not already there. So what we're really doing is we're focusing, we're bringing in what we feel are some entrepreneur type speakers. Because all of our folks we see as entrepreneurs, running their own businesses. So how did these entrepreneurs manage through their startups and their growth?
Sherri Wiseman:
And then what we'll do is, we'll have one of those each day, with the exception of the last day, which we have a very exciting speaker on our last day.
Scott Bloom:
I'd like to find out who that is. I guess you're not going to reveal that. That's a surprise? I will be introducing that person, won't I? Mostly.
Sherri Wiseman:
You will.
Scott Bloom:
Maybe not, but hopefully I will. I know you have someone probably with some fame and importance. These entrepreneurial speakers, any of those names that you want to share? I'm sure those are public.
Sherri Wiseman:
Not yet, but I feel like I probably can share with you. So Jesse Itzler is our first speaker. He's married to Sara Blakely and he co-owns a couple of different companies, and he had this book that came out about living with a Navy SEAL. And so what it is-
Scott Bloom:
Is that the book, is that where he for 30 days lived with a Navy SEAL and he had to do whatever he told him to do?
Sherri Wiseman:
Yeah.
Scott Bloom:
Is that the one? That's a great concept. I think I saw his book cover recently. He's all freaked out.
Sherri Wiseman:
It's about discipline, and about what it takes to actually be a Navy SEAL, but also some of those, what you have to be a Navy SEAL, also you need to be an entrepreneur. So, that's our first day.
Sherri Wiseman:
And then our second day is Ben Nemtin and he's changed what he speaks about, but we're going to go back to the old school about his bucket list, and what it took to really drive that and have that bucket list and give back component and how he made that into a business.
Scott Bloom:
And do you get feedback a lot of times? Because I know the speakers are, as you said, you're looking for entrepreneurial, maybe personal development, it's stuff that these people can take to help grow their business. I assume that a lot of the speakers that you choose are based on a directive like that, in this case, trying to grow your business. Is there other areas that you think are important for these people to take in?
Sherri Wiseman:
Well, we typically always have an economist or someone who is a futurist, going to showcase what's coming up. But I feel like we didn't really have that focus this year, because we're really in a flux. We don't know exactly what's happening with the world interest rates, Covid. I think we decided steer clear of setting up that plan like we typically do.
Sherri Wiseman:
We're going to talk about our outlook and what Pacific Life's outlook is, but not maybe the global or the nation's outlook, which is what we normally focus on. I think we're playing it safe, if you will.
Scott Bloom:
Well, a little more micro, a little bit more contained. That makes sense. So you have people coming to this conference every two years. I think there's people who are coming back time and time again. Where is your thought process and trying to go, okay, well, we got to outdo ourselves last year or two years ago? How do you come up with new ideas and new ways to make it exciting for these folks who are attending?
Sherri Wiseman:
We're gearing this to a different audience this year. So in theory, all of these folks will be first time attendees. And so that is why we're shifting our focus to be more PL focused, where we usually try not to have it be a Pacific life commercial. It's more about concepts to help you grow your business. We really do want to showcase what it is that Pacific Life can do to help you grow your business.
Sherri Wiseman:
I think that's the biggest shift this year. But we always have that struggle to hold people over for that last day. We feel the networking events are very important. So two nights networking event is really we think a good number of nights, but we oftentimes have people that leave early. That's why that last day speaker is so important to us, and really finding someone to hold them over.
Sherri Wiseman:
So we are having Kurt Warner this year.
Scott Bloom:
Oh, wow. That's great. And coming right off that movie that they did about his life story, he's got a great story. That's great. That's going to bring a lot of people in. So besides the people that are coming into the event, and you said there's a lot of networking focused a little bit more on Pac Life. How many people from Pac Life will be there? And is there a responsibility to make sure that they're meeting up with everyone, being available?
Sherri Wiseman:
Yes. We call them hosts. So their Pacific Life hosts, and we have a ratio that we try to stick to. So a one per five, so one host per every five attendees. So, it'll depend on how many people accept the invitation to attend, but there's key players in there. Like our recruiters, which are our wholesalers are definitely probably the biggest proponent of those networking events, because they are the ones that are getting these folks to drive sales.
Sherri Wiseman:
But yes, there is definitely that hosting aspect. I have to say, I'm glad I'm not a wholesaler, because that is exhausting. I think our job is exhausting, but being a wholesaler, yes, I think very hard job.
Scott Bloom:
They got their job cut out for them. And so you're obviously creating time for them to meet with them. At night, when you're creating a networking event, these people need to be able to talk to them. They need to be able to answer questions, but more importantly build relationship. Does that go into deciding what you're going to do that evening?
Scott Bloom:
Obviously, if it's a big loud band, people can't really talk to each other. So is that a consideration?
Sherri Wiseman:
Definitely. So the first night, we typically have a little more mellow, more of a background music. Definitely always live because I feel like it is a nicer aspect, but that first night is more about everyone's just fresh in, it's a little more low key. It's not as flash and dash.
Sherri Wiseman:
And then the second night, which again is part of our holdover for the last day, is something that's a little more fun. So this year, we're going to do a street party.
Scott Bloom:
We're going to wrap things up in just a moment, but what do most event planners just get wrong? And whether it's novice people, we've talked about water off a duck's back, going with the flow. Here was an example of maybe the execution, I should have maybe shifted a little bit. What in general, what advice would it you give to someone who's just coming into the industry? What would be some great advice to that event professional?
Sherri Wiseman:
Well, a tip for someone coming into the industry, I think is be more interested, not more interesting. I think you have a chance to learn by asking questions and being interested in how people did things or how things were run.
Sherri Wiseman:
And then you said, what do most event planners get wrong? And I don't think I would say most, but I do feel like event planners need to be a proponent for our industry, because I feel like we aren't party planners. We have a serious job and there's a lot that goes into it. I feel our jobs are often undervalued.
Sherri Wiseman:
I think the one thing that we could do is really make sure that we're having that seat at the table and we're having that conversation. And we don't just plan your meal. Especially in the past two years, we've had to learn medical advice, what Covid protocols we need to follow. But I feel like that is something that as an industry we could certainly all do better.
Scott Bloom:
I think that's some great advice. And often people will ask how to make an event a 10 out of 10. We're all shooting for a 10. In your mind, what does an 11 out of 10 look like in the event world? Because I know this one coming this fall, you got a great host that's going to work at least the general sessions. I don't know, who do you have this year?
Sherri Wiseman:
It's Scott Bloom.
Scott Bloom:
Oh right, it's me.
Sherri Wiseman:
I feel like perhaps I should say an 11 out of 10 would be a great MC.
Scott Bloom:
Oh really? Oh, let me hear more about that. What would that be? I think you're just saying that for me. What else would make 11 out of 10, besides having a great MC? And by the way, that does help.
Sherri Wiseman:
Oh tremendously.
Scott Bloom:
And you've been a big proponent of that for years. A lot of people haven't picked up on that ability for an MC to really be that professional that just makes everyone look better, if you get a good one. I know you've had a good one over the last couple of years as well, but what else do you want to do to make that event 11? You want people talking about it. You want it to be memorable. How do you assure that?
Sherri Wiseman:
An 11 out of 10 looks like to me when everyone is happy. All I want is you to have had a fabulous experience, walk away with something that you can do differently in your business or in your life. And you're just happy when you leave, not grumpy and complaining.
Scott Bloom:
It sounds simple. Yes. I absolutely agree. People want to be coming out, they want to feel good. And especially now, we want to be happy. We want things to feel good. We want to have feel good moments. And it's clear Sherri, after talking to you and knowing you for as many years that you're really passionate about what you're doing. I could have been talking about so on and going, "I've been in 22 years, I've seen it all, I'm done." It seems you still keep on learning. You want to try to do new things, try to make the event really about them, bring excitement to it, bring joy to it.
Scott Bloom:
Thank you so much. It was great to catch up with you and good luck with this new this event in April. I look forward to seeing you. When is our event?
Sherri Wiseman:
September.
Scott Bloom:
In September. I will definitely be there and I can't wait to listen to Kurt Warner.
Sherri Wiseman:
All right. Well, thank you so much. Appreciate it.
Scott Bloom:
That's it for now. I've been your host Scott Bloom, corporate event MC and comedic keynote speaker and of course, your connoisseur of connections. If you'd like more information, you can find me at scottbloomconnects.com. Or you can book me directly for your next event on eSpeakers Marketplace @espeakers.com/marketplace.
Scott Bloom:
And if you like what you heard, subscribe on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows. If you love what you heard, drop us a review and don't forget to share with your friends. For show transcripts and show notes with resources to help you get even more out of the show, visit nomoremadevents.com. No More Bad Events is produced and presented by eSpeakers. We're grateful to our sponsor Impact Eleven for helping us make our show possible.
Scott Bloom:
Thanks for listening. Now, go out and make your event a good one.