The Business of Meetings Eric Rozenberg

The Business of Meetings – Episode 195 - Differentiation: The Golden Key to Your Success with Mark Levy
We are delighted to have Mark Levy joining us today to discuss differentiation.
Mark is the differentiation expert! He has worked with big names like Simon Sinek and Marshall Goldsmith, and he is the author of Accidental Genius, a book about using writing to stimulate great ideas, available in 11 languages. Mark also created a magic show that got rated even higher than Hamilton in New York!
Join us to learn how to differentiate yourself through Mark's valuable insights and colorful stories.
Bio: Mark Levy
Mark Levy is a differentiation expert. The ideas Mark and his clients have created have been discussed and used by hundreds of millions worldwide. His clients include Simon Sinek (of "Start With Why" fame), the former head of the strategy unit of the Harvard Business School, and the founder of the famed cult TV show, "Mystery Science Theater 3000.” Mark is also a magician. A show he co-created, Chamber Magic, has run in New York City for 21 years and is ranked by TripAdvisor as the city's #1 live show, rated higher than even the musical “Hamilton." Mark has written for The New York Times, and one of his books, Accidental Genius: Using Writing to Generate Your Best Ideas, Insight, and Content has been translated into eleven languages. He can be reached at LevyInnovation.com.
Mark's Journey
Mark has had diverse experiences throughout his journey to becoming an expert in differentiation. He honed his skills as the former director of the third-largest book wholesaler globally, making over 25,000 pitches and selling over a billion dollars worth of books. Mark also gained a unique perspective on business strategies as a magician. He has worked with influential figures, like the former CEO of Popeyes and the President of UPS, where he combined his expertise in sales, magic, and business strategy.
Logic and Illogic in Differentiation
There are often pitfalls in excessive logical thinking because logic can sometimes lack the innovative edge that sets visionaries apart. Mark uses examples like Wikipedia and Red Bull to demonstrate how illogical approaches can defy all expectations and lead to groundbreaking success. He encourages business owners to balance logic and illogic when looking to differentiate themselves to stand out in the marketplace.
Differentiation Process
Mark outlines a four-step approach:
Phase 1: This is the Schlitz beer phase. It involves discovery and the collection of ideas and insights
Phase 2: The Barbie phase focuses on finding associations and meanings within all the collected material 
Phase 3: The Captain Inferno phase entails crafting a compelling story around your chosen point of differentiation 
Phase 4: The Philip Crosby stage is where you consistently practice and implement your differentiation 
Mark underscores the importance of a thorough discovery phase because it allows exploration and creativity before you narrow things down to a compelling point of differentiation.
Crafting a Differentiated Elevator Pitch
To craft an elevator speech that effectively communicates your differentiation, Mark emphasizes the importance of starting the conversation in the universe of the listener by addressing a common problem or need. He advises against being too fancy initially and instead suggests revealing the category of your work or business. Then, you highlight your unique approach to clarify that you operate differently. The key is to engage the listener by addressing their concerns before introducing your distinctive elements. That will make them more receptive to your differentiation.
The Schlitz Beer Story
Claude Hopkins, a renowned advertising man, transformed the fortunes of the Schlitz Brewery by highlighting seemingly ordinary processes, like a 3,000-foot artesian well and triple steam cleaning, turning them into a com

The Business of Meetings – Episode 194 – Two Easy Ways to Increase Your Sales with Eric Rozenberg
Today, Eric is excited to share two simple yet effective strategies to boost your sales substantially. He will also explain how to fortify your pipeline and refine your pitch. 
These strategies are not only straightforward but also incredibly efficient. Get ready to reap the rewards after using these simple yet powerful methods for transforming your sales approach!
Becoming a Strategic Adviser
Positioning yourself as a strategic adviser rather than a logistical expert can be a game-changer. Becoming a strategic partner will allow you to demonstrate your power of understanding and address your clients’ core business concerns.
Personal Accountability for Sales Success
Personal accountability plays a pivotal role in increasing sales. During a conference, Eric noticed a surprising need for more commitment among sales professionals toward dedicating just one hour daily for prospecting and client outreach. One hour per day equates to reaching out to approximately 800 people annually. Your calendar reflects your priorities, and by making this small and impactful commitment, you position yourself to expand your network and increase business significantly. It is a straightforward strategy, yet it often gets neglected. Implementing just one hour each day of focused effort will allow you a proactive stance in shaping your success and positively impacting your sales.
Two Fundamental Principles
Success in sales depends on two fundamental principles:
Being a strategic adviser 
Maintaining personal accountability 
Take Action Now
You can begin integrating these simple and effective strategies into your approach immediately. Understanding and addressing your clients' core business needs and committing just one hour daily to outreach are tangible and actionable steps toward enhancing your sales. 
Remember, success is within your control, and there is no better time than now to start implementing these strategies and witnessing the positive impact on your business. 
If you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
Bio Eric Rozenberg
Eric Rozenberg is an acquisition entrepreneur, trusted advisor, speaker, podcaster, and two-time Amazon bestselling author.
Eric has helped thousands of entrepreneurs grow and manage their business better. His purpose is to inspire people with integrity and honesty, help them take action, get results, and develop their businesses and their lives.
For two decades in a previous life, Eric has consulted with Fortune 500 companies and produced award-winning sales meetings, incentive trips, product launches, and conferences in more than 50 countries across diverse industries. He believes organizations must create meetings and events that are not only breathtakingly memorable but which bring corporate strategies to life and amplify team motivation/performance.
His podcast, "The Business of Meetings", is the first podcast in the Meetings & Events Industry dedicated to business owners. Every Tuesday, listeners learn something new they can apply in their business and/or get inspired by amazing guests.
His first book, Meeting at C-Level, is the first book on the Why of a meeting. It has been endorsed by 20 of the most influential leaders from the corporate and association worlds and helps professionals to position themselves as a strategic partner.
His second book, Before It’s Too Late, A Love Letter to my Daughters and America, is a story of grit, perseverance, and courage. It describes why and how he and his wife brought their daughters to America and why it is the greatest country on Earth.
Eric is a current member of the Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) and The Strategic Forum. He also serves on the Board of Trustees of the Demoucelle Parkinson Foundation in Belgium and was the first European to serve as Chairman of the Internati

The Business of Meetings – Episode 193- Five Steps to Define Your Business Vision with Eric Rozenberg
Today, Eric shares a game-changing tool he uses for helping and advising people and coaching business owners. He used the same exercise to help him visualize and map out the future course of his current business.
Prepare to be amazed by the incredible results and clarity of direction this process brings you when you put it into practice! 
From Shock to a Life-Changing Vision
In March 2020, during an annual retreat with his EO group, Eric recalls sitting around a campfire and experiencing the initial shock of sports cancellations due to the onset of COVID-19. Interestingly, the theme of the retreat was envisioning your life in 2030. Eric joined the retreat without any expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the life-changing nature of the process he learned there. Since then, he has often returned to the exercise and reflected on what he wrote during the retreat.
A Comprehensive Approach to Shaping the Future of Your Business
This exercise is a comprehensive yet straightforward approach to envisioning and shaping the future of your life and business. To make the process more practical, we have broken it down into five manageable steps and aimed it toward 2030:
Start by identifying and categorizing the different areas of your life into seven different categories, like health, work, finances, fun, family, and personal development.
Once you have defined those areas, rate your current standing within each area in terms of where you are today compared with where you would like to be in 2030, and then set goals for 2030. Create a visual representation, like a chart or graph, to further clarify your goals.
Dedicate time to outlining three concrete actions you will take for each area within the next 12 months to propel yourself toward your 2030 goals. It could involve anything from lifestyle changes to professional development initiatives. 
Make a list of questions based on how you want your life to be in 2030. Start by thinking about every area of your life, and then list a conclusive series of questions about all of those areas. The questions should cover where you want to live, your relationship aspirations, career achievements, legacy goals, and anything else you hope for. Take all the time you need to answer these questions.
Choose a specific day or date in 2030 and describe it as a day in your life. Take all the time you need to vividly depict that day, incorporating all the details you gathered while answering the previous question. This part of the exercise may only take a few hours, or you may need multiple sessions to complete it.
By approaching these five steps systematically, you can transform this seemingly overwhelming exercise into a practical and transformative tool for long-term planning. Remember, the key is to let the process unfold gradually. You may need to revisit the process from time to time, to refine your vision. 
If you have any questions or need guidance, reach out to Eric. He will provide all the support you need. 
If you embark on this journey enthusiastically, you will be astounded by all the remarkable results and newfound clarity it brings into your life and business.
Bio Eric Rozenberg
Eric Rozenberg is an acquisition entrepreneur, trusted advisor, speaker, podcaster, and two-time Amazon bestselling author.
Eric has helped thousands of entrepreneurs grow and manage their business better. His purpose is to inspire people with integrity and honesty, help them take action, get results, and develop their businesses and their lives.
For two decades in a previous life, Eric has consulted with Fortune 500 companies and produced award- winning sales meetings, incentive trips, product launches and conferences in more than 50 countries across diverse industries. He believes organizations must create meetings and events that are not only

We are delighted to introduce the multi-talented Nir Zavaro as our guest on today’s episode! 
After running his own agency, Nir decided to shift his business and go into teaching. With a multifaceted background working for various companies in sales, business development, novel writing, and teaching thousands of students, he has become an expert in communication and marketing. He is now launching his latest book, F*ck the Slides, which is about the art of storytelling and its persuasive power.
Nir is a master of storytelling, marketing, and communication. He joins us today to discuss his new book and share his business insights. 
Bio:
Nir Zavaro is an entrepreneur, author, and speaker. He regularly tours the world and has a mission to help as many people as possible become better storytellers. Using his experience, storytelling fundamentals, and methods, he brings a fresh perspective on how to implement these into businesses, working with founders and CEOs in over 30 countries. 
After a career in the retail industry serving in various roles, Nir founded Streetwise Creative Sales Agency specializing in outsourced marketing services. Founded in 2011, the company has worked with hundreds of brands. 
Teaching is a major part of his passion. Since 2014, he has been a resident lecturer in leading universities and colleges, teaching regular courses about branding and marketing and new venture creation and sharing the concept of F*ck the Slides. He gives his time mentoring in several hubs and accelerators, helping companies improve their story, brand messaging, pitch decks, and marketing tactics. With two novels under his belt, F*ck the Slides is his third book, and the plan is to keep publishing many more, both novels and self-help books. 
Nir has been involved in several businesses, from online to partner in several successful food and beverage businesses. Today, he sits on the advisory board for startups, supporting their brand and marketing efforts. He is meeting with entrepreneurs all over the world with his workshops about storytelling, branding, marketing, and sales. He has worked with Microsoft, Unilever, EO, Tech stars, and many others, helping them craft a better story.
Nir’s Journey
Nir's journey has been a blend of learning and teaching. As an avid reader, he thrives on acquiring new knowledge, believing in its transformative power. Over the past decade, he has shared his wisdom as an educator in universities and colleges. His book, F the Slides, conveys his two-year journey of refining his thinking. Nir published his book to empower people to learn independently, and it became a number one best-seller on Amazon for meetings and presentations. Even though he is not allowed to promote the book, he remains steadfast in his mission, driven by his belief in the value of his methodology, choosing to focus on being a product and marketing expert rather than a self-promoter. 
The Power of Words and Emotions
In the dynamics of language, the perceptions of some words can vary across cultures. Strong or profane words, in particular, carry different connotations in various parts of the world, eliciting diverse reactions when public figures use them. Nir emphasizes the importance of choosing words carefully to evoke emotions and capture the attention of an audience.
Storytelling as a Skill
Nir leveraged his journey of teaching startups to tell compelling stories and develop his concept of a trailer pitch. A trailer pitch is a concise three-minute presentation designed to ignite the curiosity and interest of an audience. Nir highlights the importance of preparing a powerful narrative to make an emotional impact while using visuals and keywords as effectively as possible. He compares the limitations of the traditional approach of bombarding presentations with information with the power of telling a well-crafted and enthralling story.
From Startup Pitches to Keynote Presentatio

We are delighted to have Darcy Luoma joining us today!
Darcy is the author of the book Thoughtfully Fit. She has spent many years as a coach, training teams and organizations to work better and achieve thoughtful fitness in all their professional endeavors.
Today's discussion is based on Darcy’s extensive research, coupled with her practical experience. She joins us to shed light on the principles and strategies that form the foundation of becoming thoughtfully fit within a business setting.
Bio:
Darcy Luoma, CPCC, CSP, MCC, BCC, ORSCC, MSOD is the CEO of Darcy Luoma Coaching & Consulting, a company that specializes in creating high-performing people and teams. She’s a sought-after coach and consultant who has worked in forty-eight industries, with more than five hundred organizations, impacting tens of thousands of leaders and employees. Darcy is the author of Thoughtfully Fit: Your Training Plan for Life & Business Success, published by Harper Horizon.
Darcy has been coaching since 2004. She is one of America’s most highly credentialed coaches, having earned the prestigious Master Certified Coach certification from the International Coach Federation, a distinction held by less than 4% of coaches in the world. In 2012, the University of Wisconsin–Madison sought out Darcy to design its rigorous nine-month Certified Professional Coach training program. She has served variously as the program’s director, lead instructor, and director of training and quality assurance since its inception.
Before Darcy founded her business in 2013, she served as the director of U.S. Senator Herb Kohl’s office for twelve years, did national advance work for the White House, worked for two presidential campaigns, and served as a trusted senior advisor to a governor.
Darcy has a Master of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University. She received the distinguished Certified Speaking Professional™ award from the National Speakers Association, the largest speaker association in the world. She has spoken at more than five hundred events, in front of audiences ranging from five to five thousand.
For the last twenty-five years, she has been an avid triathlete and Ironman. She uses her grit and determination in both her athletic and professional endeavors.
Along with her favorite job being a mom of two energetic teenage daughters, Darcy enjoys adventure travel, yin yoga, kickboxing, spicy chai lattes, and afternoon naps.
Darcy’s Story
Darcy's professional path initially led her into government and politics, working for a U.S. Senator for over a decade. However, in 2012, the senator she worked for retired without seeking to be re-elected. Then, a pivotal question from her coach changed her life and encouraged her to envision a future without regrets, and Darcy made a bold leap into entrepreneurship. With the support of her then-husband, who took on the role of a full-time stay-at-home dad, she launched her own business in early 2013, defying the odds of small business failure. Then, in March 2016, her life took an unexpected turn when her husband was arrested for a serious crime. Darcy found herself navigating a tumultuous legal system, undergoing a divorce, and suddenly becoming a single mother with sole custody. Amidst all the chaos, she embarked on a journey of healing and recovery, later writing a book about her experiences. She subsequently learned that everyone has traumatic experiences and has challenges and hurdles to overcome in life.
Overcoming Challenges with the Thoughtfully Fit Model
After Darcy’s husband was arrested, she had to test her concept of being thoughtfully fit. She emphasizes the importance of pausing, thinking, and then acting when faced with challenges and encourages people to have faith that things will be okay, even when it seems impossible. She highlights the significance of training and practices to develop thoughtfully fit responses and actions

The Business of Meetings – Episode 190 - A Life Leading the Exhibitions Industry with David Dubois
We are delighted to be speaking with an industry legend today! 
David DuBois has a career spanning several decades in the industry. He now holds the positions of CEO, President, and Publisher of the Exhibitor Group.
In today’s enlightening conversation, David shares his insights on workforce development, the integration of AI, and the role of experiences for the future of our industry. 
Bio:
David DuBois is the president and CEO of Exhibitor Group and publisher of EXHIBITOR magazine. Before coming to Exhibitor, he was president and CEO of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events®(IAEE). As IAEE’s president, DuBois was responsible for managing 25 full-time professional staff, producing the annual business operating plan and budget, overseeing the support of all meetings of governance units, leading business development, directing fundraising efforts, advocating for the industry and the organization’s members, and providing organizational leadership and strategic counsel to the board. He also served as the association’s representative within industry coalitions, partner organizations and strategic alliances. In 2019, DuBois was inducted into the Events Industry Council’s “Hall of Leaders,” one of the industry’s most prestigious honors.
David’s journey
David’s journey began when he graduated from college and declined his father's offer to buy out their family's dry cleaning business. Instead, he opted to join his friend in enrolling at the School of Hospitality Business at Michigan State University. That allowed him to spend thirteen years working for Sheraton and Ritz Carlton. Following that, he dedicated three decades to working with various organizations, including, PCMA (Professional Convention Management Association), MPI (Meeting Professionals International), Fort Worth Convention Visitors Bureau, and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events. He has enjoyed a blessed career, and has made many friends along the way.
David’s Advice on Personal Branding
David offers invaluable advice on the concept of personal branding. He explains that a resume catalogs personal achievements, and a CV outlines backgrounds, so it is essential to consider those integral components of your personal brand. He emphasizes that every action and decision we make contributes to our personal brand, ultimately shaping how others perceive and respect us. His central message is that personal branding is a crucial element in a professional journey, so it is essential to cultivate your brand consciously from the outset.
Embracing AI for Industry Advancement
AI has played a pivotal role in shaping the future of the meeting and events industry. While acknowledging the need for caution, David also emphasizes the importance of integrating AI into various aspects of event planning and execution. He explains that AI can enhance decision-making because it offers a hybrid approach that combines human intelligence with machine intelligence, allowing businesses to remain innovative and competitive.
Addressing Workforce Development Challenges
Workforce development is a pressing concern in the events industry. With over a million job openings in the hospitality sector, finding and nurturing talent is paramount. David points out that success in the industry does not necessarily require a college education but rather a combination of intelligence, commitment, and people skills. He believes there is an urgent need for a strategic outreach program to help cultivate a robust workforce.
Crafting Unforgettable Experiences
The role of experiences in the events industry is a central theme of today’s conversation. Drawing on the wisdom of author Jim Gilmore and his Experience Economy, David introduces the concept of experiential marketing. He points out that creating memo