UVAMC 2023
General Session Speakers
Keynote Session: Why Should I Choose You?
Presented by Don Cooper, The Sales Heretic™
The venue marketplace is more competitive—and more challenging—than ever before. How do you stand out among the competition? And how do you persuade a buyer to choose you over them?
In this practical, insightful session, you’ll discover:
- The single biggest sales and marketing mistake most venues make
- Why being great isn’t good enough
- How to differentiate your venue—so you stand out from the crowd
- The two critical questions you need to answer
- How buyer expectations have changed—and what that means for you
- What you’re really selling (it’s not what you think)
- How to craft a marketing message that resonates with your prospects
- The keys to boosting your bookings—even when you’re selling the exact same type of venue
- And much more!
Don Cooper, The Sales Heretic™
Named one of the “Top 30 Social Salespeople in the World” by Forbes, Don Cooper helps salespeople, business owners, and professionals dramatically increase their sales. His clients include Yamaha, Johnson & Johnson, Bloomberg Media, Costco, Nissan Canada, and Hot Spring Spas. A frequent guest on television and radio, Don has written regular columns for five different business publications, has co-authored three books, and is currently working on two more.
You can reach Don at 303-885-1182 or [email protected]. Find loads of sales tips on The Sales Heretic™ Blog at DonCooper.com and on Twitter at @DonCooper.
Keynote Session: I Want THAT! – Five Keys to Making Your Venue Irresistible
Presented by Carolyn Strauss
As a premier clothing designer on the Home Shopping Network, Carolyn Strauss sold more than $160 million worth of merchandise to people who never actually expressed interest in buying anything! In this dynamic program, Carolyn will share with you the secrets that enabled her to move viewers from a state of apathy, to desperately wanting the items she was selling. And you’ll learn how to apply these five secrets to your venue to create the same passionate desire in the minds of your prospects!
In this session, Carolyn will share:
- How to create incredible rapport
- The competitive advantage you didn’t even know you have
- How to turn your venue’s weaknesses into strengths
- Multiple ways to leverage your client testimonials
- How to make marketing and selling WAY easier
- Why your prospects’ fears are as important as their desires
- How to tap into the part of the brain that makes decisions
- The simple way to move your prospects to ACTION
Carolyn Strauss
Carolyn Strauss is a sales and persuasion expert who spent 18 years on camera on the Home Shopping Network where she personally sold over a $160 million dollars of her clothing line the Carolyn Strauss Collection™. During that time, she developed her Dollars Per Minute™ sales and relationship management strategy to train salespeople and executive teams across all industries and in 14 countries. She has appeared on PBS, ABC, NBC, Food Network and Lifetime television network. She is an active member of the Screen Actors Guild and is the author of 4 books. She is a Certified Speaking Professional who has over 30 years of experience communicating with audiences on camera and from the front of the room. She is the host of the long running podcast “Another Day Above Ground” and believes a good day contains chocolate.
You can reach Carolyn at 303.578.2362 or [email protected].
UVAMC Peer-to-Peer Presentations
How to Hire Top Talent to Earn a 5-Star Reputation for Your Venue
Amy Leyden, Marketing & Communications Director, McNamara Alumni Center
Employees who are considered top talent in any industry have a combination of education, experience, attitude, industry skills, and soft skills that help them excel in specific roles. Yet, these attributes can be subtle and very difficult to recognize, unless you ask the right questions in an interview. At the McNamara Alumni Center, an award-winning event venue on the University of Minnesota campus, we have been hiring top talent for more than two decades. In this session, attendees will discover the strategic and, some might say, unusual questions asked during the interview process for McNamara’s various event positions that help reveal candidates who make a great event professional. Attendees will also learn about McNamara’s robust training program for all new venue operations and sales staff, a vital investment to ensure the success of new hires.
Learning Objectives:
· Questions to ask in interviews that help reveal a person’s work ethic and customer service standards
· The value of reference checks
· How to develop a robust training program for new hires
Sales Tips for the Reluctant Seller
Christopher Sikora, Director of Sales, MITAGS-Maritime Conference Center
Many venue managers find themselves balancing two sets of conflicting responsibilities – the need to conduct outreach and sell their venue to interested meeting planners and individuals, and the need to service the booked business at their venue daily. The layoffs and reorganizations during the pandemic only accentuated this issue, as many dedicated sales professionals were let go or found other employment. A lot of venue managers today find themselves short-staffed and attempting to function in a sales position, in addition to their roles as operations manager, event manager, facility manager, etc. They may also not have a sales background and are challenged to think strategically about the sales process. This often leads to fear and trepidation for the seller, and avoidance of this critical sales role. If you are a reluctant seller, or even an experienced salesperson who still stresses out over the sales process, this session will provide valuable tips, tricks, and context to think strategically, minimize anxiety, and help you become the best salesperson you can be.
Learning Objectives:
· How the sales role can be rewarding for the individual, organization, and yes, even the client
· Sales is not about deception, tricks, or secrets, it is about building trust and relationships and focusing on the clients’ needs
· How to talk to your colleagues to get buy-in that everyone is in sales!
Stop Letting Yourself Get In Your Own Way: Leveraging Your Authenticity to Close New Opportunities
Mark Williams, Operations Director, Event Guru Software/Registration Guru Software
Norma J. White, Deputy Director, Conferences and Events, Vanderbilt University
Dave McCandless, General Manager, Hobart and William Smith Colleges
When you eat, sleep, and breathe events, you can start to lose track of what makes your venue special and attractive to its core audience. The saying that you “can’t see the forest through the trees” is the perfect description of what many venue professionals struggle with when it comes to improving their operations. We are all guilty of being distracted by the latest trends and find, at times, especially after losing business, that we are missing the big picture.
During this interactive session we will take a deep dive to see where we can “flip the script” by turning your perceived weaknesses into strengths that can we added to your toolbox, making your venue more competitive. Is parking limited at your venue? What can you do to turn this pain point into a positive experience? Meeting planners are looking for authenticity and memorable experiences, so this session will examine specific situations and provide examples of creative solutions for overcoming challenges. After this session, attendees will be able to put themselves in their customers’ shoes and answer the million-dollar question – why should a planner hold their meeting, reception, workshop, dinner, or conference at your venue?
Learning Objectives:
· Applying techniques that will take perceived weaknesses and position them into strengths
· Understanding the importance of knowing your customers’ eccentricities and interests
· Investigating new techniques and tools to enhance your brand identity
