Stephanie Scheller, a successful business leader, is also an event planning expert and a fabulous violinist. She has extensive experience in running strategically crafted events. Events are an integral part of her business and the way she grows and expands to new events is just amazing. I brought her on to share the way she creates events and uniquely utilizes keynote speakers.. Please watch the full interview to learn her ways of planning and creating one-of-a-kind events that many people are lining up for.
Many event planners are very concerned about the volume of people that are willing to attend an event. They use a low-pricing strategy to draw masses, but often don’t get the volume they want that way. Stephanie Scheller initially ran some cheap events but developed a very different perspective in the long run and now only produces high-cost, and highly profitable, events. She feels that the biggest reason for the failure of cheap events is that people don’t show up because they’re not financially, or psychologically invested. She also added that providing a great user experience and a life-changing event is also unattainable at a low-cost ticket. Also, as part of the process of running high-quality events, Stephanie selects the attendees in a very intentional way. “They had to do something to be there beyond just paying money.” They are financially and mentally invested.
Theme is another aspect that Stephanie feels producers also miss the mark on. They don’t put a lot of time into considering the overall offering or strategic goal for the attendees. Her process of landing a theme has to consider all aspects and divisions of the business. She listens to the conversations in her network and pulls one from her running list of potential themes that seem to be most in line with the conversations she’s hearing.
Finding speakers who offer keynotes and workshops that support the theme is also a very important aspect in producing high-quality events. Stephanie selects her speakers very intentionally using an interview process with profile sheets and a scoring system. She stresses that knowing the theme and listening to whether what they are talking about aligns with it is essential in finding the right speakers for an event. The energy level is another thing to consider.
Stephanie intentionally lays out the day of the event to make sure the audience can go from beginning to end without losing energy. She learned the hard way how important it is to figure out the ideal timeframe for a break. For her events, they give their attendees 22 to 26-minute breaks. “Long enough to engage, short enough to stay focused.”
To keep the engagements, Stephanie also lays out speaker energy. The day is a beautiful balance of highs and lows energy-wise which is perfect for her audience that are entrepreneurs who tend to run their day in the same energy patterns. “Adjusting our agenda-energy to match their inherent energy is something that’s really important for keeping the audience engaged.”
In selecting venues for her events, Stephanie keeps a checklist that guides them in finding the perfect setting for her attendees. She looks for a place that feels unique, cozy, and comfortable, but also beautiful and modern. They look at room layouts, the amenities, and consider when the place was built or last updated. It also has to have a space that people can spread out in during breaks for a change of scenery. “If you change the scenery, the brains are able to engage a little bit better.”
Stephanie is not a huge fan of hybrid events as it adds so many layers of complexity. For her, to replicate the experience of an in-person event virtually requires so much effort and man-hours. With hybrid events, you lose the ability to manage many elements and it gives you no control. This type of event doesn’t provide the same level of engagement that an in-person event does.
The Grow Disrupt, an amazing company founded by Stephanie, will hold a luxury retreat in September 2022 called “Growcation”. It is high-cost, immersive, and will involve a very small number of attendees. Everything is completely covered from the moment the attendees land to the moment they depart. Attendees will be picked up at the airport in a luxury vehicle and driven to a beautiful modern estate to relax, learn, and have fun. She brings a celebrity entrepreneur to guide the attendees through personalized exercises & content to help them continue growing. For this year, the company is bringing in Jesse Cole, owner of Fans First Entertainment and the Savannah Bananas, who is known and recognized for his work as an entrepreneur. Stephanie’s high-end event has become so popular that people are on the waitlist to experience this incredible weekend of entrepreneurial learning.
Stephanie’s parting wisdom, “Just because you build it, they won’t come.” Stephanie shares that it is important to recognize that in events, the brand is so important and it takes time and intention to build. It is also essential to recognize that you will need to get creative in marketing your event to reach your potential audience and get them to buy tickets. “Put time to get creative because the tickets will not sell themselves.”
