Why the bank’s sales meeting made me cry: 10 unexpected details you’ll want to incorporate at your next event

Near Louisville, Kentucky there is a cozy village bistro with a southern-inspired menu served amidst artful décor. It is called The Village Anchor and their tagline is, “Expect the unexpected.”  

These powerful three words summarize what it’s like to eat here. Why is this place so magical you ask? It’s simple, it’s the details. Someone has thought of every.single.detail. From the way your check is presented in an old romance novel, yes you can still smell “the old” from the book, to the swanky Frank Sinatra melodies playing in the background to the way the cream cheese frosting melts on the warm red velvet pancakes. 

Charles Swindoll, pastor and author said, "The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail."

Meet Karen Rice. She is the powerful woman behind Park National Bank’s latest sales meeting. Beautifully choreographed, this event wasn’t just a meeting, it was an experience that solidified in my heart I would retire as an old lady from this place. 

Events are simply that, it’s just an event.  But what I witnessed was an experience. "When making experiences, attention to detail matters," says Richard Branson, Founder of Virgin. 

I’m going to assume Richard and Karen are bff’s. 

To help my employee experience and internal comms brethren, I decided to make the unseen seen. Details are considered “the invisible work” so if planning events and experiences are in your job description but doesn’t come to you as naturally as wonder woman Karen, I am calling out the things I noticed. 

Hint: The last one made me cry so read to the end.

1)    LOADS of communication: Before, during, and after the event Karen continuously sent communication. Every detail we needed from registering to what to expect was included. Karen knew her audience. We were busy associates and needed lots of reminders to register, to book our hotel, to sign up for breakout sessions, to take the after-event survey, etc. You can’t over communicate, go ahead folks, send it again. 

2)    A team that’s recognized: Karen had assembled an “experience team” to help make things happen. Many times throughout the event, this team was recognized. Such recognition, I would argue, consciously or subconsciously made the rest of us “feel good” about working here. This team was there waiting for us to arrive. Upon entry there was a beautifully decorated sign in table, with signage and a bowl of mints. You immediately got the vibe that everyone was grateful to be reunited in person.

3)    A lanyard nametag: Seems small, but this lanyard had my named spelled correctly. Usually people misspell Sara. Also, I was grateful to not have to put a pin through my clothes, the lanyard was a nice touch.

4)    A beautiful workbook that was themed: I’m not sure who the brainchild was behind the workbook. It was beautifully printed, in color, and had everything we needed to capture our insights, remember who spoke on panels, etc. There was an agenda, names and photos of award winners, special tips pages, and on and on and on. I still have this workbook and refer back to it. 

5)    Sound system and team: This was critical. There was a team in charge of the sound. When a mic went out there was no awkward waiting and suffering through to hear the speaker. A member from the team immediately went up on stage and switched out the mic. 

6)    Music: There were walk up songs that added a cheery and celebratory vibe. The maestro behind the music knew exactly when to fade in and fade out the music. It was not too loud and songs were upbeat. 

7)    Good food: The food was abundant and there was something for everyone. If you were vegetarian, vegan, etc. you had lots of choices. There was a system for getting folks through the line as quickly as possible. Hand sanitizer was present and everyone was encouraged to use it before they went through the line. Mid-afternoon breaks had sweet and savory choices and a variety of drinks, everything from sparkling waters to warm coffee.

8)    Access to the C-Suite and leaders:  Associates were encouraged to interact with the bank’s top leaders. The leaders were approachable, welcoming and inviting. There were high-top tables and lots of room for small group conversation. 

9)    Personalized gifts: There were lovely gifts on the tables for associates as well as personalized stationary for each associate to keep their connections strong going into 2023. Tables were decorated with pens, fidget toys, mints, etc. 

10) Authentic communication from the stage: Speakers were positioned where their strengths would shine. Chad, a new associate and a work bestie, we could not stop talking about this in the car ride on our way home. 

Here are four examples:

a.    Matt Miller, President: When he gave his talk, he spoke in a Mr. Rogers like style. His pace was slow, he didn’t go to the podium but rather pulled up a chair. Leaning in with elbows on his knees, index card in hand, he simply went over the progress of the bank as if we were sitting on the back porch drinking tea out of Mason jars.

b.    Tom Button, Chief Credit Officer: Tom’s style is direct. In his session, his cut right to it, no sugar coat style was appropriate for talking about the pains of implementing a new process. He said, “It’s tough and I feel really bad about this. It will continue to be tough going into 2023, but we couldn’t do it without the entire team.” He then recognized members from his team that from what I gathered might play a behind the scenes role. But in this moment, he made them seen. Associates timidly stood up showcasing the bank’s brand of humility. 

c.     Lou Prabell and his team:  These guys literally wore costumes to deliver associate feedback results. There’s something about Gandalf delivering the message that made this not only memorable, but magical and engaging. Of course these guys could have defaulted to your traditional “speak in suits from the podium,” but they didn’t. They were creative to deliver from costumes, a detail that showed they cared. 

d.    The breakout: The breakout session I attended reflected survey results again from associates on barriers and opportunities. Associates were brilliantly facilitated to share their truth and in the end move closer to collaboration and to achieving their goals.

e.    The panel knew their why: Members from different areas of the bank shared their experiences and stories. Our President moderated in his “back porch” style, a good strength of his and once again, engaged the whole audience. 

One particular story, however, sticks out.  Osia Craig, Community Home Lender said that he doesn’t provide mortgages, but rather hope. He was paving the way to the American dream of homeownership. He then went on to share the story of the single mom who built her credit and when finally handed the keys to her new home, there wasn’t a dry eye in the closing room. 

 And that was the moment. 

There I sat in the back of the room and cried. I expected this to be a boring sales meeting. But the unexpected happened. It wasn’t a meeting or an event, it was an experience beautifully choreographed by people who not only knew “their why,” but they were living it. The experience was a physical manifestation of the bank’s passion which was clearly their deep care for people. I thought to myself, “I can’t wait to grow old here with these fine souls.”

If you are the lonely event planner in your company, remember what Basketball Coach, John Wooden said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.” Your work may be behind the scenes, but it has the power to be seen and even more importantly, felt. 

Do the small things, print the name tags, order the personalized gifts, stay up until 1:30 am decorating to surprise and delight your audience (which the team did, btw). It will be unexpected but so well worth it. And it all matters.

And to Karen and her team, I noticed. We all noticed. This best in class experience not only checked all the boxes, it solidified that what I was told about this bank, is in fact real. I just didn’t expect to feel so connected so quickly. Oh, and I filled in my event survey. Thanks for the email reminder. :)