ROLE (Return On Live Experience)

I'm going to make a bold statement, but stay with me: In the age of finite attention-spans, the impact of a live performance drastically outweighs the same shown on-screen. And that is even more true today than it ever has been, as more and more of our time is spent consuming information digitally. Capturing attention is (relatively) easy, but keeping it and making concrete and vivid mental avenues that can be drawn on for future reference creates true value and long-lasting impressions.

For certain executives, like Elon Musk, it’s been said you have the first 15 seconds of meeting him to sell your concept, vision, or counter-point to his own view. With famed startup incubator, Y Combinator, you have 10 minutes to answer rapid fire questions. Using that logic of highly successful people’s commitment to brevity, are you really ok with forcing your audience to watch 100+ slides from 10 different presenters? Or worse, your own employees.

Instead, consider dialing up something unique and custom in the set, or a bit wacky and funny within your presentation. Adding a dynamic video element or a one-of-a-kind staging concept can make a lot of difference., but I want to focus on your Opening Show. This shouldn’t just be a standard welcome from the CEO; it should BE your event. Something theatrically minded or experiential will set the tone for the balance of your event and create lasting engagement the way that mid-morning coffee break is supposed to. In fact, you’ll create a great ice-breaker for your attendees to engage with others. Do this well and you’ll create a much deeper conversation, one on your terms, one designed for your attendees, and one that will be referenced by those individuals many times in the future.

Maximize your ROLE.