How to Wow Your VIPs

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5 tips for planning a blockbuster executive event

Every meeting attendee is important, but what happens when your event is entirely comprised of VIPs, each requiring top-level security, transportation, accommodations and more? How do you impress an audience who’s seen it all?  I spoke about these challenges with Elliott Dunwody, president and executive producer at Soren West, a creative, entertainment, media and communications company. Over a career spanning 20 years of producing festivals, designing activations and executing branded events that have reached millions of people, Dunwody has accumulated vast knowledge on strategies, tools and tips for meeting profs tackling challenges like discretion, personalization and limitations during the planning process.

To start, it’s important to define this sector of meetings and events. As Dunwody puts it, “These can sometimes be sort of high-end, high-profile summer camps, where people are going to exclusive, beautiful locations in nature settings. It’s very much like a retreat or a resort, where you’re able to enjoy the surroundings and nature and all of those types of things. These events can also be short destination experiences that might even be in cities, where high-profile leaders in a variety of different markets come together to be with their peers, to network with equals and have that high-value content and do so in a space that feels good and is relaxed.”

Dunwody has seen a surge of interest in executive meetings over the last five years, and that has translated into bigger spend. The return on investments made in targeted approaches to network expansion can often justify the numbers.

Following are some tips to ensure the time is well spent.

No. 1: Prioritize Privacy and Discretion

The opportunity for real-life face time has shrunk since the dawn of digital, perhaps especially for highly in-demand attendees—and this makes a compelling pitch to potential clients. “I think a big reason for the [interest in these events] is focusing in on your most important customers or investors or your most important community of people and providing a safe space for peers. People want to feel like they’re able to network with equals in these spaces, and there’s a really high value for discussions when you get into that peer space,” says Dunwody.

When inviting a curated list of high-profile attendees, stress that this will be exclusive, private and executed in the spirit of Chatham House Rule so everyone will feel free to speak without prying outside ears. The primary restriction on information shared is usually that it may be used, but its source is to be kept confidential.

Read More: What to Expect When Booking A-List Event Speakers

Bonus, the no-recording approach can also help with the AV, PR and marketing budget.

“All of these events are very personal. The guest lists are curated. The anonymity of the event is the appeal. The exclusivity of it—is part of the marketing.”

No. 2: Make It Easy

While top-tier summer camps sound like they’re all fun and games, Dunwody has experienced his fair share of challenges in bringing these meetings to life, including the deceptively difficult task of choosing a location.

When sorting through options, he advises focusing in on several key variables, saying, “Either it needs to be something really easy and in a major city, or it needs to be at a destination that is going to attract people, or it needs to be centrally located in some way that people are going to be able to come to the location—and then finding a place that is going to be private and isn’t going to attract a lot of attention.”

No. 3: Calendar Carefully

Scheduling is never simple, but the complex and demanding nature of high-profile attendees’ calendars can be particularly difficult. Add in travel and accommodations, and the red string really starts to ricochet across the corkboard.

“These are big pieces that that can be challenging,” says Dunwody, and at the end of the day, it’s time and effort that solve the puzzle.

While some technology such as Doodle and Capterra can help with group scheduling, for small, executive groups, a series of phone calls may be required well in advance of the desired date in order to clear schedules and lock in commitment.

No. 4: Keep It Small: Curate Your Staff for Attendee Impact

While major conventions, summits and vendor shows can involve dozens if not hundreds of various staff members, that simply isn’t an option in this sector of the meetings industry. A small number of multi-talented personnel who can balance the demands of several departments at once are required in order to successfully produce these types of events.

Read More: Hospitality and Humanity Meet to Solve Hotel Staffing Crisis

Dunwody explains, “We’re trying to maintain this level of intimacy and this level of ease, and so what you don’t want is any more staff or more people than it requires to pull off the event. You want it to feel like it’s very natural that it’s happening, that you’re really just setting the stage for the guests. It is very high-touch, low-interaction—you’re really trying to make this feel very homey and safe,” he explains.

No. 5: Find a Mentor

Whether you’re planning a C-level summer camp, a phones-down keynote or a remote getaway for those looking to escape the headlines, this sector of meeting planning requires multiple skill sets and major cross-functional capabilities.

If you’re starting to think about transitioning to this type of event, take note of Dunwody’s example by focusing on curating a network within the community as well as gaining as much multi-faceted firsthand experience as possible. Much of the insider info is contained within a relatively small group—and the good news about that is it means more manageable outreach to key players. Whether it’s the meetings or any other industry, mentorship can be foundational to success, so be sure to put yourself out there and connect with leaders whom you can learn from.

And when you eventually find yourself planning an incredible exclusive experience, we’ll be sure to RSVP “Yes!”