Lisa Holladay of TIGER 21: 5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Run A Live Event, Conference Or Convention

Sensory experience — don’t ignore lighting, music, temperature, aromas, food, and beverages. If you can provide an amazing experience that touches all the senses, you’ve created a memorable event.

As a part of our series about “5 Things You Need To Know To Successfully Run a Live Event”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa Holladay, Chief Experience Officer of TIGER 21.

Lisa Holladay is responsible for optimizing the Member experience at TIGER 21, the premier peer membership organization for high-net-worth wealth creators and preservers and helps them to navigate the challenges and opportunities that success creates. She and her team curate an integrated portfolio of high-end Member programs. Before TIGER 21, Lisa served as Vice President and Global Brand Leader for Marriott International’s top luxury brands, including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, St. Regis Hotels and Resorts, and the Reserve. Previously, Lisa was with Mercedes-Benz USA, where she held leadership roles in public relations, advertising, and branding for the Mercedes-Benz, AMG, and Maybach brands.

Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a bit about your “childhood backstory”?

Growing up in Charleston, SC, I was definitely influenced by the Southern hospitality of my family. My maternal grammy loved to entertain and often hosted her bridge club with perfect bowls of warm, salty mixed nuts and monogrammed linen cocktail napkins. My mamma was more of a “come on in, our door is always open” kind of entertainer with a pitcher of sweet iced tea and freshly squeezed lemonade ready. Everyone would sit around the kitchen table sharing stories, asking for and offering advice. I was very influenced by these two strong, loving women and I think it has a lot to do with why I love curating events.

Can you tell us the story of what led you to this particular career path?

Originally, I was studying to be a high school English teacher; however, I knew after student teaching some wonderful seniors, it was not the career path for me. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do so I decided to try out different jobs and eliminate roles that I wasn’t interested in pursuing. After studying Shakespeare abroad and working for a variety of organizations, from a large public relations firm to a non-profit to a trade association, I found my way to Mercedes-Benz USA. My first job at Mercedes involved planning and executing new car launches for the press and customers. I traveled all over the United States selecting hotels, restaurants, driving routes, and entertainment options, all for a world-class luxury brand. I knew I had finally discovered my career path. I stayed with the company for over ten years and handled five different roles during that time, constantly learning and growing.

Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?

Early in my career, we were hosting a press party on a rooftop hotel in downtown Vancouver around a gorgeous pool. It was a beautiful evening with perfect music playing, soft candlelight for lighting, and a wonderful turnout, in fact, more guests than we expected. We moved the cocktail tables out near the edge of the pool to maximize our space. Unfortunately, one of our guests, who of course was impeccably dressed in an Italian suit, accidentally walked right off the edge of the pool into the water. Luckily, he had a great sense of humor and calmly swam to the shallow end, walking the length of the pool and up the stairs while receiving applause from the other guests. Lessons learned — capacity matters, lighting matters, safety protocols are essential, and invite guests who can laugh at themselves. And, make sure to save money for dry cleaning bills!

Is there a particular book, podcast, or film that made a significant impact on you? Can you share a story or explain why it resonated with you so much?

I was fortunate enough to have Stanford professor and neurosurgeon, James Doty, speak to a small group of attendees during a leadership conference. He discussed his belief in harnessing the power of both the brain and the heart to make extraordinary changes in our lives and the world. I immediately read his book, “Into The Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart,” and it inspired me to start practicing daily meditation.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

One of my favorite quotes is “View the world with compassion and curiosity rather than criticism.” I try to lead my life this way, both professionally and personally.

Ok, thank you for that. Let’s now jump to the primary focus of our interview. For the benefit of our readers, can you tell us a bit about your experience organizing events?

My experience planning events began after graduate school when I joined a large international PR firm, supporting press launches in Washington, DC for clients from all over the world.

As I shared earlier, I found my first career “home” at Mercedes-Benz USA, creating and executing new car launches. In my last role there, I led the brand management team, overseeing integrated brand marketing, including product placement and sponsorship of events at Fashion Week, the US Open, The Masters, the PGA Championship, among many others.

During my time at Marriott, I was the global brand leader for iconic luxury brands such as the Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis. I have always been passionate about travel so it was truly a dream role for me. We created consumer events ranging from Snow Polo in Aspen, to press launches for new property openings, and business-to-business events at large trade shows.

For a little over two years, I’ve been helping to build our Member Experience Department at TIGER 21. It has been inspiring to join this premier peer membership organization for high-net-worth wealth creators with its extraordinary entrepreneurial spirit. We host a large annual conference, our Global Exchange, as well as virtual events and smaller in-person gatherings.

With all of our offerings, whether large, small, virtual, or in-person, we strive to deliver across three pillars: Learn. Access. Connect. If a Member is giving us their time, what are they learning, what special access are we providing them, and how are they making connections?

In your opinion, what is an example of a company that has done a fantastic job creating live events? What specifically impresses you? What can one do to replicate that?

Companies including Davos, Art Basel, US Open, and Venice Biennale have done a fantastic job at creating live events that keep guests engaged and dive deeper into important topics that are reframing global business operations.

What are the common mistakes you have seen people make when they try to run an event? What can be done to avoid those errors?

The most common mistakes I notice mainly are around logistics — not having enough food, beverage stations, and bathrooms can create lines and result in an unpleasant experience for guests. Ensure you have all the basics in place before layering in the extras.

Are there any essential tools or software that you think an event organizer needs to know about?

For our events, the following are essential: a registration platform, an event diagramming tool, and an online platform for virtual events. This helps give an overview to the organizers and guests in order to create a seamless participation experience and a successful event.

Ok. Thank you for all that. Here is the main question of our discussion. An in-person event can have a certain electric energy. What does it take to create an engaging and memorable event? What are the “Five Things You Need To Know To Successfully Run a Live Event” and why? (Please share a story or example for each.)

Personalize the experience as much as possible and make every guest feels like a rock star. Before each TIGER 21 event, we study the bios and headshots of every guest so that our team may recognize guests by name. We also ensure we know all dietary restrictions so that everyone can share in the pleasure of dining together and no one feels left out.

Know the “why” of your event. What percentage is educational and/or social? Is the purpose customer retention or acquisition? How do you want guests to feel when they depart? For example, at TIGER 21’s annual summer soiree in the Hamptons, we hosted a learning session during the day with top speakers from a geopolitical think tank. In a very intimate setting, our Members were able to learn from these experts but also from each other. That night, we hosted a party at a private club on the beach, providing guests the chance to connect with one another. For this event, we leaned into the theme of a beach party and offered classic boardwalk-type food and activities, including photo booths, games, and a bonfire with s’mores.

Create “surprise and delight” moments. At a garden party, during the reception, we had poets set up with typewriters. Guests would share one word with the poet and within a few minutes, they received their own haiku on a beautiful piece of Japanese paper. For many, it brought back the memory of having to write their own haiku during school, and they were provided with a special gift for attending and sharing their time with us.

Facilitate conversations. At TIGER 21, we host events where Members can come together based on areas they are passionate about. Many of our Members are dedicated to making a difference in their communities and around the world. We host monthly calls where Members can connect to discuss the areas where they have shared passions and look for opportunities to support one another. For instance, over the last year, we’ve had Members come together to build basketball courts in neighborhoods that are in need of a safe place for youth to gather.

Sensory experience — don’t ignore lighting, music, temperature, aromas, food, and beverages. If you can provide an amazing experience that touches all the senses, you’ve created a memorable event.

Let’s imagine that someone reading this interview has an idea for a live event that they would like to develop. What are the first few steps that you would recommend that they take?

Define the purpose of the event, your target audience, budget, and any must-haves as well as restrictions.

Super. We are nearly done. Here are our final questions. You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.

Education and mentoring are very important to me and it is a key part of TIGER 21. I take pride in personally mentoring Clemson University students, helping to give them a sense of direction for their own future careers. I have been lucky enough to have excellent mentors in my own career and have deep confidence in the power of these relationships. I would like to create a movement for anyone in a position to help others to do so.

We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.

I have had the pleasure of overseeing lots of premier sporting events. I truly admire the dedication of professional athletes to their sport. At TIGER 21’s 2022 Global Exchange event, I had the honor of meeting Venus Williams who was one of our amazing keynote speakers. I would also love to have the chance to meet privately with her sister, Serena Williams, who is an incredible tennis player, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and role model for other athletes and especially women.

Thank you for these fantastic insights. We greatly appreciate the time you spent on this.