He Wrote the Book on Unforgettable Events

Phil Mershon: So it's super easy for an event planner to get into the logistics before they understand what they're building. I equate it to, if you're building a building, you need an architect and someone who's going to design it and show you what you're building before you get a blueprint. Don't go straight to the blueprint. Don't go straight to the checklist. Know the why. What are you trying to accomplish? How are you going to know if you succeeded? What's the vision of the organizer? Then build to that spec. Dane Golden: It's time for the Books That Rule podcast. My name is Dane Golden from VidAction.tv. And our guest today is Phil Mershon. He's the author of "Unforgettable, the Art and Science of Creating Memorable Experiences." And if you're about to ChatGPT his name. M-E-R-S-H-O-N. Did I have that right? Phil Mershon? Phil Mershon: That is correct. Thanks for having me on. Dane Golden: I really appreciate you being on. I know you've got a lot on your plate, so I'm going to be conscious of your time. So, I noticed that you said in the book that that you are a saxophone player, right? Even though we're talking about events. I want to talk about music for just a second. Phil Mershon: I am. Yep. Dane Golden: Okay? Now. This is going to sound unrelated, but I'll come back to it. So, someone once said that video editing is a lot related to being a drummer because they have the rhythm and pacing of how to edit. Now, as a saxophone player, what kind of musician probably maps well to running conferences and events. Phil Mershon: So I like to say a symphony conductor. Is the best analogy that you can make. Because a conductor isn't necessarily playing, but they know the sections of the orchestra and they know when to bring them in, when to raise the volume, when to lower the volume, when to give the, you know, the part over to the cellos, the violins, to the woodwinds, to the brass, to the percussion. So you're orchestrating a lot of different parts. You need to know the score. Not like the score in baseball, but the score that you're reading from where all the parts are and then you're creating music from that. It's not just notes, it's not just your to-do list. You know, a lot of event planners have their to-do list, but when an event becomes great is when you get beyond the to-do list. Dane Golden: Now here's a little anecdote from the book and that I had heard before when I was attending Social Media Marketing World, which you have played a major part in for so many years. Why did social media marketing World put toothbrushes in all of the bathrooms at the convention center? I've never heard of anyone else doing this, and what happened when they did? Phil Mershon: Yeah, well, that's a great story. So in 2016, we were moving from being in a hotel, the Hyatt being a single hotel event to being a, what they call citywide, where we were having people stay in three or four different hotels and the event was at a convention center. So the team and I were sitting around saying, well, what are the biggest problems that we might face moving into the convention center? And we thought of three reasons why someone might leave the convention center and maybe never come back. Because we thought that's a problem. If they leave and don't come back, it's a problem for them and it's a problem for us. Because the sponsors want them coming. It's a better experience if the room feels full. And they're, you know, the customer's missing out. So the three things that we came up with was, one, they needed to get some work done. Two, they might want to take a nap, and three, they might want to brush their teeth. So we said, well workspace, we'll just have some good  Wi-Fi. We'll create some space where it's quieter, where they can get some work done. No problem. If they need to take a nap, we created a quiet zone where they could kick their feet up and maybe shut their eyes, or maybe just get some still time so they can recharge their batteries. But the brushing your teeth is the one that we said, well, let's you know, hotels always provide toothbrushes at the front desk if you forgot it right. We don't want them going back to the hotel. We want them to be able to stay here. So we put toothbrushes and mouthwash and all the things that you might need in the bathrooms. And the story behind it is one of the, one of the first days, a lady named Marlene came up to the desk and she's from Denmark and she very sweetly said. Would you mind telling me where there's a discount store where I might go buy a toothbrush, I forgot mine at the hotel and my hotel's 20 minutes away. I don't want to miss the next section session just because I need to brush my teeth. So our staff trained not to tell someone where to go, but to show them so. Walked out from behind the desk and said, let me take you somewhere, and walks them over to the women's restroom. And this happened to be a woman. So she leads her inside and says, here's a basket. In that basket is everything that you might need, a toothbrush and toothpaste and mouthwash, and you know, dental floss and all these things. And she was blown away. Now, here's where the story gets great. That package of toothbrush and tooth breasts costs us less than $3. Molene comes back and she finds me at the end of the event and says, Phil. That was so incredible. I realized as soon as that I saw that you took care of a need like that. They must have thought of everything. So I immediately bought my ticket to come back next year. And then later I heard from her and she says, and I went back home and I told several of my friends that they need to come to the. Now Moline has been to the event five or six times. She's brought many friends. The return on that $3 investment is probably well over $20,000. I don't even know how much it's been. Paying attention to details is the important thing. It's knowing what the friction points are for your customers and solving for those things. That's the important lesson. Dane Golden: And social media marketing world is for people who are highly technical, wanting to be more so, very social. So. It's important. This was a non-technical solution to a technical problem, which is get people to be here more and learn more about the social media and all from all the experts and come home with these learnings. But as you guys pointed out, some of these people might have been on. You know, red eye flights sometimes from halfway across the world, they might not be their freshest and also they're coming from a distance. So what is the barrier to keep them from socializing? And some people also, they don't want to meet strangers if something's not quite right with their breath. It's a very simple. Thing and you solved it very simply and elegantly where other people would not have thought of that. So I wanted to ask about when you attend an event that you are not organizing. So when you attend a conference you're not managing or working with, what do you look for to determine right off the bat whether it's going well or not for those organizers? What can you see as an expert? Phil Mershon: I think it's a really good question. Event planners probably notice different things than the average person, but the average person is feeling. The same things. It starts before the conference starts. I do remember the very first time I went to Nam. This is, I'll tell you a story to get you to where I'm going. Dane Golden: Great. Phil Mershon: First time I went to Nam, I thought I know events. They had invited me to come. I didn't know anybody, but I got there and I had no idea the scale of this event. If you don't know what NAM is, it's National Association of Music Merchandisers and it's a hundred thousand person event in the Anaheim Convention Center. I had no idea how big it was. I had no idea what I was in for. I'd done very little research ahead of time. I downloaded the app, but I didn't really look at it. So I got there to registration. They didn't have my name badge, you know, but lo and behold, a hundred thousand person event. No problem. They found it very quickly. And then they had handed me the program at this point in time, they had a physical printed program that was 70 plus pages long, and I was overwhelmed. So I opened that thing, like, I have no idea what's going on. I'm just going to go in I'm an event guy, I can figure this out. And you know, so I'm going to stop there. Because I think the story is, I was overwhelmed by the amount of information. I was not properly informed about what to expect when I got there because that is an event that people normally have been coming to for years. They know about it, and if they're in that retail music space, they've probably heard people talking about it. So I was in a sense, an outsider, even though I'm a musician. So I didn't know some of those stories. So maybe I'm not the typical customer, but I think one of the things that tells me right away is how well does the event do in communicating before I ever even show up. There's the communication factor, what to expect, and then. How well do they do in helping me know other people who are coming? Is there some kind of orientation? Is there some kind of community now, a huge event like nam, that's not important because they've got their whole. Membership that you have to be a member to come. I was a guest, so they already have some networking opportunities there, but other events how well do they do bringing newcomers in? When I went to IMEX the first time, it was difficult as a newcomer. I actually went in the wrong door of the venue. Was lost for about 10 minutes. It's an enormous building in Vegas. It took me 10 minutes to find where the event actually was and then even longer to find my name badge. And, you know, it was, I had to kind of ask a whole bunch of questions. They were not set up to help me. So what's it like to even get there? So from the point of communication, after I buy my ticket to helping me connect to then the doorstep experience, so I've walked up to the building. What's it like to get my name badge and to get through that? If I walk through that experience and feel like I've been left to fend for myself, that doesn't feel great, and that tells me what does it feel like for other people coming for the first time. So I'm noticing that first impression moment. That's one of the, one of the things I pay a lot of attention to. And then I'm noticing. The environment? Like, does the environment communicate what I would expect? And that's a feel thing, you know, but it's things like lights, it's things like sound and smells. It's the way they've laid out the building. Does it? Is it conducive for the goals that they have? You know, if the goal is networking, they really want to help people connect with each other. Is it easy or is everything in rows? And it's really, you kind of have to be just part of this huge mass of people and it's hard to stop. My, someone I know went to an event where it was supposed to be about networking, but they had not anticipated how many people were coming. There was no place to sit in the networking space. It was shoulder to shoulder. Like you're, like, you're in Asia. Like I, when I was in India, I rode on buses where literally you're like stuck next to each other in each other's armpits. Like he, he said it felt like that. It was just like there's nowhere to turn. Impossible to have a conversation with people. So those are just some of the things as an event planner, I'm noticing not all of them are equally important. Some of those are personal preference, some of those are, you know, it depends on your goal, like what is the event about? Dane Golden: And I'm going to reintroduce you Phil Mershon, author of Unforgettable, the Art and Science of Creating Memorable Experiences. And it was interesting when you were talking about just people kind of being lost when they come to a conference or an event and and I also think about how in sales or marketing, when someone is. Displeased or has a problem and you can solve that problem, you've kind of got that customer or attendee for life. And you mentioned that at one event there was a woman who was walking around who was frustrated. You mentioned in the book that she was frustrated and she couldn't find the expert panels or didn't feel that they were there. And you spoke to her and my first question is. How did you know she was frustrated? Because you may have a lot of things you're doing when you're organizing event. How did you spot her or did she come to a information booth? Phil Mershon: That's a really good question. That was a long time Dane Golden: Okay. If you don't remember, that's fine. Phil Mershon: sometimes it happens where someone will bring a person to me because they don't know how to answer their questions, but I'm pretty sure in this case, I noticed her wandering around when sessions were taking place and she didn't seem like she was on a mission to go somewhere. So I approached her and asked her how the conference was going, and at that point she was about ready to leave. I do remember that she was about ready to leave the event because she was frustrated that we didn't have the content that she paid for and came for. And so that's when I began asking questions, well, what are you actually looking for? And this was actually a moment where I realized something that it's great to train your staff to understand what are the questions your customers are going to ask. We had enough content at that time that there were multiple sessions all about Instagram. I do remember she wanted Instagram content and the staff was not able to differentiate between the different sessions on what might be good for her. So what I was able to do is say, well, you're looking for answers to X, Y, and z. I happen to know these two speakers are expert at that. Here's what I suggest. Go hang out in their session and then go up afterwards. Stand in line to ask them questions. These are the people that you need to get to know and they're going to be talking about what you are care about in their session. And that was a game changer for her. Because she didn't, she couldn't read the subtext, right? She didn't know that these were the people that would have that level of expertise. And it's not always easy to put that in print. You can't say everything about everyone otherwise you say nothing, right? So I think you've have to have staff who understand, but it's in the age of ai. There's some cool things we can do, is we can train AI agents to have that information and whether she goes and looks at it, or let's say, Dane, you're the person there. You can say, who are the AI experts on our, you know, on our faculty at this event? And do they know about X, Y, or z? And you can get that to spit up. And I think events can use that to their advantage today in a way that we couldn't back then. Dane Golden: And, but the, but. I think events also certainly ai, but. In this age where everything is answerable, that just that personal touch, that concierge service or maybe even instead of waiting to be asked as a event staff going out and asking people, you know, how is it, you know, how are things. Which I have never heard happen before, but so valuable to that person and their experience. You drove the value that they, they came for, and I think that's I wish more conferences would do that. Sort of provocative, you know, investigation. Any questions? Phil Mershon: What's interesting is, I'll tell you another story. Several years ago there was a customer who online was expressing his dissatisfaction with the food. At the conference. So then when he shows up, he's also complaining about it in our online Facebook group. And someone identified who he was, so I went up to him and had a conversation and said, Hey, what could we do to turn this event around? How could we make the food better? I understand you think it's too pricey for the quality of what you're getting. What if I could introduce you to the chef? See if we could get you a special meal, could I offer you a free voucher for some food or for a drink? And so I offered the free things to him and he was very thankful. And he said, yeah, that'd be great to meet the chef. But when it came time, he kind of backed off. Because he didn't have a complaint that loud, he was just concerned that it was pricey compared to what he thought the value of it was. Now here's what's cool. The fact that I took time to address his concern by the next year he was a fan. By the following year. He's promoting the event and bringing people to the event and telling us that we've reversed everything and it's the best event ever. All because of one little interaction. And so I think to your point, there's a leadership coach who says, do for one what you wish you could do for everyone. Those little micro moments of service they go viral. They infect the entire culture that are like yeast. That affects the way that everything works. If you have that attitude, I can't serve 2000 people, but I can serve one at a time. And if you've got a hundred staff and they're serving one at a time, it's going to slowly influence the way everyone thinks about the event. Because people are going to start treating people like that. Dane Golden: And it's hard to know what each person's individual story is. They may be they have, may have, you know, have a startup and they've used every dime to get there. And just, you know, another a hundred dollars on food kind of breaks the bank for them. You, it just hard to know what their situation is. And what you're saying reminds me when I was a, I was a host at a restaurant just after college at a steakhouse in Aspen, Colorado, and didn't know anything about service, food service, and I wasn't really that good. But the manager said, anyone who, when we say, how was your night? And they have any complaint whatsoever, anything you know below, great. You call me out. So I said they, if they say me, you know, on the way out I got the manager, he would come all commonly he would give them a gift certificate for a free dessert the next time they came. And they may not have come back, or they may not have been happy, but at least they they their concerns were heard. And commonly people want to be heard, even though they know sometimes a problem. Isn't solvable or can't be resolved. Now I want to ask from the speaker's perspective, you have a lot of speakers at these events. How can speakers deliver the most value, not just for the attendees, but for the event organizers either to, you know, get what that organizer need or to be invited back? Phil Mershon: Yeah, that's a great question. There's a few things that I would tell you. First of all, be responsive to emails that come your way. Like if the organizer's asking you for something. Try to give it to them on time or at least let them know what's going on. Be communicative, and if you don't have time as a speaker, then have an assistant who will do it for you. So that would be number one is try to be responsive on time. Number two, know who you're serving. You're going to do me a big favor. If you've come to serve the same audience that I am. Don't just bring a speech that you're doing everywhere. Customize it so that the audience will receive it. Now, some people have a great keynote or whatever that can work anywhere, but most of the time it needs to be adapted, given the audience. A third thing is come and stay. Don't just come and drop your bomb, your wisdom bomb and leave. Come and be part of the community, at least for a day. You know, I know speakers often are having to speak at different events across the country, and they can't afford to spend more than a day, but try to come and be part of the event as much as you can. That helps the organizer because you've elevated the whole event and not just your session. Because many times people are coming because of you. Now a massive event like a NAM or something like that, they're probably coming because they get to hear a Stevie Wonder or someone crazy instead of someone like me that they've never heard of. But you want to become part of the community that is there. Those are three things that I would tell you right off the bat. I'm sure there's more, but I'll let you ask questions. Dane Golden: And on the way out, attendees commonly rate speakers just on the speaker perspective. What do they commonly say when some, when they like that speaker when that person they feel has delivered value or, you know, a good emotional experience. What do they say? What are the words they use? Phil Mershon: More often than not, they're filling in bubbles. So let's just be honest. So, but the things that they'll say, and this is going to be different from event to event, but at Social Media Marketing World, the things they'll say is very actionable. I can take that away. Very clear and understandable, very relatable, good stories that I connect with. But the tactics are really what I can take away. Now I understand how that actually works. Like I had an aha moment in that session. So, you know, the things that they score are is this relevant to my business? Was the quality of what they taught, you know, what I expected it to be? Was it over the top? Could I do something with this when I go back to the office? Did the speakers seem to know what they were talking about? How well did they communicate? So all those things factor in, and those are things that you can rate, you know, on a scale of one to five, one to 10. But the words that they use subjectively is are those things that I was just saying. Dane Golden: And for the event overall, when people are on the way out and, you know, it's good. You said that if there's a five, five is best, right? And if there's a three. That's the meh zone, and that's what you want to stay out of. But when people are on their way out and it's the type of thing that they're going to return and they're going to come back and recommend it. What is the kind of words they say about the event? I mean, I know it's you know, they're filling in bubbles, but what do they say verbally? Phil Mershon: My favorite is Best Event ever. Dane Golden: Oh yeah, Phil Mershon: That's my, the favorite thing I've heard. And you know, we strive for them to say that, but they say it organically. That's music to our ears. Can't wait to be back, would be another one. I'm telling my friends about it. You know, those are the kinds of things that you hope, but, you know, raving about the experience they had is better than I expected. I, you know, made new friends, learned new things, you know, so. You see smiles on their face even though they might be tired, so they're walking out feeling satisfied, you know, looking forward to how they're going to implement what they've learned. Looking forward to the new friends that they've made, who they can now stay connected and do business with or whatever through the year. Dane Golden: That's I tell you, that's how I feel about a good conference. I have made some of my best lifelong. Friends, personal friends and professional friends at conferences, not just one some more than another, depending on what I'm attending. But sometimes they overlaps from conference to conference. And these are international friends from around the world, and we support each other and we send each other business and we feel free to ask each other's questions. And that is above and beyond. And that commonly is due to the situation. Set up by a conference. And that's the kind of value I've found in the past. When an event goes south and it's not good, do people just say the opposite? Is it just the absence of that, or is there one particular thing that they're saying that you're like, oh we went the wrong way. Phil Mershon: So there are the events that go south and everybody knows it, and you just have to kind of face up to it. And some of those stories are legendary. But more often than not, it's the three is the meh. It's what you experienced in the steakhouse. They're not really telling you but they are telling you. And so, and you don't necessarily pick up on it as they're walking out, except when they're walking out early. When you see them leaving early and you wonder why. And they, you try to stop them and they don't stop. Then you're wondering, okay, what happened? More often than not, like we've had years that weren't as good as others. And it comes back in the feedback. That's where we get it. You know, you can't necessarily always tell by body language. Because people can be pretty good about disguising that and you know, they're tired at the end of event. People are tired oftentimes. So it's, they're not going to necessarily say everything, but then when they. Report back through their surveys you're going to pick up on it. It could be exactly what you experienced in the steakhouse though, that you see it and you ask, and then you realize, oh, we've got, you know, could we have done something better? You can actually listen to those stories as they're leaving and get some insights. You know, you're not going to listen to a thousand people on the way out, but if you hear from 10 people that it could have been different and some people are going to tell you exactly what they think. But more often than not that one person represents 20 who aren't willing to tell you what they're thinking. Dane Golden: So I want to ask you some feedback on something I did at a conference once. And no idea if it's, it seemed to work, but it was just on the fly that I did this. So this was at the VidCon conference, and I had pitched them on this idea of my doing a talk called Help Don't Sell on YouTube. And it was really more geared towards business where it's really more of a creator. Conference, but they gave me a slop and it was the last slop. And not only was it the last slop, but it was after a kind of break. So there was like an hour break. I don't remember if it was a lunch or some sort of something, and it was in the forest farthest away room from the central. So it kind, I'm not quite off campus, but in a new area. So. I was like, oh no, this is, no one's going to show and there's too much wait time. So what I did, this is just on the fly, I stood outside the door and waved people in. I, Hey, there's a talk going on here. You know? And people just walking by. Most people didn't stop, but I'm like, Hey, this is help. Don't sell with YouTube. And then once I got a few people in, and it was, yeah, it was, the people started to come in, but then I was like, I still got about 20 minutes. And people are just going to be sit there on their phones or they're going to bail and it's just not going to work. So I just said to the manager of the room, I said, could you just turn on the mics and I'm just going to do q and a right now as people are walking in. So I sat on the edge of the stage and I think I did walk up to give the mic or whatever, and people seemed to get something out. They asked their direct questions and they stayed for the. Talk, but it was just kind of on the fly, but seem people seem to like it. Is that a good or not? Is it sort of bad on the presentation or, Phil Mershon: Well, you got people in the room. And did they give you good reviews? Dane Golden: I think that they did, yes. I mean, I certainly, the people who were managing the room said that, but I don't think I got any feedback overall as a speaker, so I don't know. But they seem to like it. Phil Mershon: So I think that's the first place that you look. Was that a good idea or not? I think the fact that you took advantage of that 20 minutes before was brilliant. You're right. I think that's one of the most overlooked moments in events is when people are sitting there on their phones waiting for things to start. I try to instruct MCs to maybe 10 minutes before, not 20. Start to engage the crowd and get them talking to each other or doing some kind of thing like, you know, q and a is one way to handle that. Especially when it's at the end of an event, something that's going to be engaging and more valuable than what they're getting on their phone. So I think that's brilliant. I think the fact that you were standing in the hall inviting people in is great. There's a guy named Ian Cleary who takes it another level. He he was coming to our event in the early days, and he would print up cards and it would have his name and information on one side, on the opposite side. It had the name of his session and what time it was and in what room. Throughout the event, he's handing these things, Hey, I'd love it if you come to my session. I'm going to be talking about, you know, social media tools or whatever his topic was, and he'd hand those out. And his room was always packed because he was handing out a couple hundred of those cards. Like he worked the event he wanted to be on the last day. That gave him time to work the crowd, you know, and he was Irish, so he had this fun accent and very likable guy. But you know, I thought that was brilliant to actually, you know, speakers need to recruit people to come to their session if there's multiple sessions going on at the same time. So I think you were doing several things right there. Dane Golden: Yeah, I mean, that's a fantastic idea. And there's nothing that says you can't promote your event at the event that, that just drives value for everyone. The attendees and the conference. Phil Mershon: Organizers love you when you do that, especially if you're promoting it even before the event starts. Hey, here's 10 reasons you want, or five reasons you want to come to my session. We're going to be talking about, you know, how to help not sell on your YouTube channel, and I'm going to show you ways to get more sales by not selling. You know? And then all of a sudden people are like, huh, what did you just say? That sounds great. That's me. Dane Golden: And the book again, is Unforgettable. The Art of and Science of Creating Memorable Experiences by Phil Mershan. Now, you quoted Liz Lathan in the book, shared experiences create memories, cement learning moments, create change. So it's a process, it's steps, it's a process, right? Is that right? Phil Mershon: absolutely. Yeah. You're, the memories are a starting place. I like to say being unforgettable isn't enough. It's have to lead to impact. It's have to lead to change. It's have to lead to transformation, and that happens in the context of community. So memories, isolated memories are fine. You know, I might remember that for a while. I might talk about it. But if I remember it in the context of, oh, this is where I met Dane. This is where Dane and I went bowling, and that's where we did karaoke on a bowling alley and Dane and I later talked about my YouTube channel in five things that I could change. And now. I've got a great YouTube channel because of all that I learned while we were doing karaoke at the bowling alley because I was at this conference, you know, and you see how the memory led to something that was significant and changed. So yes, you've have to plan several steps along the way. Some of it you plan, some of it happens serendipitously. Because like you said earlier, you've have to create the conditions. For that to happen. Like you're creating a container where people can meet, where people can learn. And if you have the right ingredients that you've mixed together some good things are going to happen. Dane Golden: Now, how do you create, did I ask this already? Maybe not exactly. How do you create that accidental. Connection. How do you create the, did I ask that? I guess I Phil Mershon: You have not, no. Dane Golden: How do you create the environment for the accidental, serendipitous connection to make that friend? Phil Mershon: There's several things you need to do. I can't lead you to serendipity. Dane Golden: Sure. Phil Mershon: let's be honest. There are people out there who will tell you how to engineer it. And you know, there's only so far you can go with that. I would say that's not true serendipity if they've engineered it. But I think the conditions are created by making people comfortable. So I've have to feel like I belong here. I've have to feel like I'm safe, psychologically safe. I'm not trying to flee. You know, I'm not frozen, I'm not fighting. I'm like, this is a comfortable place. I feel welcome. I feel like I belong. So that's number one. Then I'm being invited. Into the event into relationship. So the invitation is there for me to be present, for me to be willing to talk to the people around me. And then I think specifically getting people in the right room. Where they are talking to people. So, you know, I've seen it happen where the mc or a speaker invites people to talk to the people around them, and that serendipitous moment might happen right there. They don't realize they're sitting next to the person that they needed to meet. And I've had that happen personally, and I've heard the stories of it happening. So at one level, if they came to the event, they're in the right room. If it's a large event, you might need to get them into smaller rooms where, you know, the video marketers like yourself are in one room. The AI marketers happen to be in another room. The internet, you know, e-commerce people are in another room. Because they might find the people that they are like, or it might be something different, might be like their interest. The surfers are over here, you know, the foodies are over here, the, you know, the taco fans are over here, whatever. They're finding a. An area of commonality, so I'm in the right room, but still the permission to talk to strangers and the openness to invite new people into the conversation. When those things happen, now you've created conditions where people are going to connect, and if connections happen, you're going to find someone that you needed to talk to. And it's not always going to happen that it feels like this serendipitous thing. But the other thing I would tell you. This is what's happened for me is if I'm aware of what I'm looking for, I'm way more likely to find it. So if you can help people become aware of that coming into the event, not just showing up and saying, oh, I hope this is a good event, but actually coming in with intention that I want to meet Dane, or I need to find someone who knows how to do X, Y, Z, or I need to find someone that. I can learn with a learning partner or a mastermind, something that's going to help me continue to grow. Because I feel isolated in my work. You've set that intention, then you're much more likely to find it. I, there was one event where I set three intentions and before the event even started, all three had happened and I was kind of blown away and I told everybody, Hey, I can go home because my goals are already Dane Golden: solved them Phil Mershon: Of course, I was in charge of the conference so I couldn't leave. Dane Golden: And you talk about working alone, being isolated, ai how are events even more important or are they in this world where we live our lives, so digitally and in silos? What are we. What are we getting when we go to events that we don't get anywhere else? Phil Mershon: I think it is that human connection. We long for it. We don't realize the degree to which we've been changed by ai. I was talking to someone today that AI even is changing the way we talk because we're letting AI talk for us. We say, write this post for me. Write this article for me. Write this email for me. Do it in my voice. Well, is that my voice anymore or has AI now generated what my voice is? And it's different than the way I would talk. And a lot of times it is. So we don't even know necessarily how it's affected the way we are working remotely. Definitely affects the way that we engage with people when we're in person, but we still long for it. Even if we're socially shy, which, you know, you said at a social media conference, people are social. Well, the fact is half of them are socially shy. Stats today say it's more like 60% of people who are introverted or shy when they're in a social environment like that. Because it's increased I think with the pandemic and remote working, etc. cetera. But the, we were made to be social. You can't have children if you're not social. Let's get basic here. But we were made to be in social units. We were not made to be, to live alone. And so when people are working alone, it's even more important. That they can have a place to go where they feel like they're with their people. And I think that's one of the things that's great about a conference, if it's around a topic area, and you might be the only person in your company that does X, Y, or Z, but you can go to this event where everybody talks the same language. In social media, people say, I go to home to my husband or my wife and the kids, and they have no idea what I'm talking about. So I just have to change subjects because they don't know, well, I can go to this conference and we can talk all day, all night, and everybody gets it and I don't have to explain terms. It's just like this big relief. And it's like, I'm not crazy, you know? I'm not the only one. Dane Golden: And if it's okay with you now I want to do a speed round and I break these out into little shorts and reels and so, so forth. And just a few sentences each for the answer, maybe three to four sentences. What's something you learned recently about how events and conferences are working these days that changed how you approach things, something new you've learned or a change? Phil Mershon: Something new I've learned. Dane Golden: You can say pass if Phil Mershon: no, I think the. I've known for a long time the importance of connections, but I think the role that technology does and doesn't play in that. So I think technology can make it easier to find people, but I don't think it makes it easier to start conversations. So I think actually going analog is not new, but it is the new way. Dane Golden: What does it take event organizers way too long to learn how to do. Phil Mershon: Delegate. Dane Golden: Delegate. Phil Mershon: Literally we think we should and can do everything and no one can do it as well as we can. So we try to do it all and we don't take time to say, who else could do this? Could they do it as well, if not better, or maybe just. More economically. So event planners have a tendency to try to do too much Dane Golden: What is. One thing event organizers really need at the beginning, first doing their first events. Phil Mershon: understanding the why. So it's super easy for an event planner to get into the logistics before they understand what they're building. I equate it to, if you're building a building, you need an architect and someone who's going to design it and show you what you're building before you get a blueprint. Don't go straight to the blueprint. Don't go straight to the checklist. Know the why. What are you trying to accomplish? How are you going to know if you succeeded? What's the vision of the organizer? Then build to that spec. Dane Golden: If you hope someone learned just one thing today about putting together great events, what would it be? Phil Mershon: Build for impact, not just memory. So make sure you understand. Who you're building for, make it memorable. Make sure the program aligns the atmosphere, sets the conditions you're creating for connection and community, and then you're measuring what actually matters. If you do those things, you'll build for impact. Dane Golden: And how can people get started right now, creating better events or improving the events that they're already running? What's one thing people can do right now to get started? Phil Mershon: Read my book. Dane Golden: Read the book, unforgettable, the Art and Science of Creating Memorable Experiences. He's Phil Mershon and how can people get the book and find out more about your consulting services? Also, Phil Mershon: The books available wherever you buy online, Amazon. Barnes and Noble, any of the places you go, if you support local stores, go to books.org. In terms of reaching out to me, go to PhilMershon.com and you can learn about me. If you want to send me an email, phil@philmershon.com, let me know that you heard me on this show and how I can help you. Dane Golden: And for our viewers and listeners. If you'd like to help support this podcast, you can do it for free anytime. Please just go to the episode description and click the links to find out more about our great guests, their books, our affiliates, our sponsors, really helps us out. And while you're at it. Please give us a review on Apple Podcast as we try to hit a hundred reviews. We'll see if we can do that. My name is Dane Golden from VidAction.tv. Please follow me on LinkedIn. I'm D-A-N-E-G-O-L-D-E-N, and our guest has been Phil Mershon of Unforgettable, the Art and Science of Creating Memorable Experiences. Thank you, Phil, for being on the show. Phil Mershon: It has been my pleasure. Dane Golden: This has been the Books That Rule podcast. I'll see you next week. .