In this episode, Scott Bloom interviews keynote speaker Gregory Offner about his unique approach to creating memorable and engaging experiences, both on stage and in the workplace, using the metaphor of a piano bar. Gregory explains how his background in sales and music led him to realize the power of transforming routine transactions into impactful, transformative experiences. He shares how his "Encore Experience" keynote draws parallels between energizing an audience in a piano bar and boosting employee engagement at work. Gregory discusses his framework of "keepers, leapers, and sleepers" to classify audience. Keepers are the loyal attendees. Leapers are high-energy participants but perhaps temporary, and sleepers are a bit disengaged. And with those archetypes as the foundation, Gregory highlights the importance of making attending an event feel like "time well spent"—a principle rooted deeply in experience design. He explains how giving people a voice and the chance to co-create the experience, drives deeper engagement and satisfaction. Gregory also shares some fun rapid-fire insights about his musical preferences and rituals, and explains how he integrates live music into his keynote talks as both a performance anchor and a way to boost emotional and cognitive engagement. Overall, the conversation offers actionable ideas for event organizers and business leaders to foster environments where people feel involved, valued, and excited to return—transforming events into true "encore experiences." Whether you’re an event pro, aspiring speaker, or just love a story about turning magic into a movement, you’ll take away fresh ideas on how to engage audiences and create truly memorable experiences.
GUEST BIO:
Author, workforce strategist, and keynote speaker, Greg is the founding partner of the Global Performance Institute, a boutique consulting firm supporting organizations seeking to get the most out of their workforce. Greg previously held leadership roles in the outsourced services and risk management industries, advising some of the most recognizable names in business.
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ABOUT NO MORE BAD EVENTS:
Brought to you by eSpeakers and hosted by professional emcee, host, and keynote speaker Scott Bloom, No More Bad Events is where you’ll hear from some of the top names in the event and speaking industry about what goes on behind the scenes at the world’s most perfectly executed conferences, meetings, and more. Get ready to learn the secrets and strategies to help anyone in the event industry reach their goal of putting on nothing less than world-class events.
Learn more at nomorebadevents.com.
ABOUT THE HOST:
A veteran comedian and television personality who has built a reputation as the go-to choice for business humor, Scott has hosted hundreds of events over two decades for big and small organizations alike. Scott has also hosted his own weekly VH1 series and recently co-hosted a national simulcast of the Grammy Awards from the Palace Theater.
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. 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?
Learn more about Scott: scottbloomconnects.com
PRODUCED BY eSpeakers:
When the perfect speaker is in front of the right audience, a kind of magic happens where organizations and individuals improve in substantial, long-term ways. eSpeakers exists to make this happen more often.
eSpeakers is where the speaking industry does business on the web. Speakers, speaker managers, associations, and bureaus use our tools to organize, promote, and grow successful businesses. Event organizers think of eSpeakers first when they want to hire speakers for their meetings or events.
The eSpeakers Marketplace technology lets us and our partner directories help meeting professionals worldwide connect directly with speakers for great engagements.
Thousands of successful speakers, trainers, and coaches use eSpeakers to build their businesses and manage their calendars. Thousands of event organizers use our directories every day to find and hire speakers. Our tools are built for speakers, by speakers, to do things that only purpose-built systems can.
Learn more at eSpeakers.com.
SHOW CREDITS:
Scott Bloom: Host | scottbloomconnects.com
Joe Heaps: eSpeakers | jheaps@eSpeakers.com