Somebody call the fire department, because we just ignited the stage at the Four Seasons! Okay, so maybe we didn’t bring the whole place down in flames… but we definitely (safely!) lit up the evening. Between the dynamic keynote speakers, a fantastic production team, and yours truly, the Comerica Ignite Summit was a smash hit.
Luckily for me, this was my second time hosting for the Comerica Ignite Summit, and I could not have been more happy to join this fantastic group once more in Irving, Texas. Even better, I was able to serve as the corporate entertainer for the summit this year as well! Tag along as I break down the elements that made this event so special.
Back for Event Two with the Comerica Team
Comerica is a financial services company headquartered in Dallas, Texas, with additional locations found throughout Arizona, California, Florida, and Michigan, as well as a select few branches across North America. Since its early days as the Detroit Savings Fund Institute, Comerica has been actively expanding its services for more than 170 years.
The primary services housed with Comerica include its Commercial Bank, Retail Bank, and Wealth Management. And with a tagline like, “Raise your expectations,” you can bet your bottom dollar that Comerica continuously goes above and beyond for its customers, investors, and staff. In fact, I’ve seen the brand’s incredible efforts firsthand!
Back in February, I helped light up the Comerica Ignite Summit as the evening’s event emcee and moderator. It was one of my first full-scale events post-Covid — meaning it wasn’t actually full-scale and was pared down to around 100 leaders. This week, the event was expanded to include 250 leaders at the Four Seasons at Las Colinas.
It was wonderful to host and perform for a larger Comerica group! At our last event, I moderated a panel called ‘Revving Up Revenue,’ facilitated question and answer sessions, and of course, made sure the evening ran smoothly. At this recent summit, I was able to incorporate more of my Comedy in Action stunts as a corporate entertainer.
“What I loved best about Jeff was the time and care he took to really learn about our company, the event content and purpose, and the attendees. Yes, he is energetic, upbeat and funny – but he was also able to adapt at a moment’s notice to more serious subjects and content. We work with a lot of talent and they are not all the same. We were especially impressed by Jeff’s professionalism and care towards our goal of a successful event. We are already looking forward to working with Jeff again!”
~ Shelly Pisors, SVP, National Director of Events & Corporate Contributions at Comerica Bank
3 Elements to Guarantee an Engaging Show
I often leverage this blog to break down the elements of events that clients do right. If there’s anything Comerica does right (aside from financial services and being named a 2022 Best Employer, obviously), it’s planning a downright fantastic event for its leadership teams! Here are the three perfectly executed elements that stood out to me.
1. Maximize the Value of the Event Emcee
Back in February, I strictly served as Comerica’s event moderator — though I did include one brief juggling bit to close out the show. After establishing myself as a professional event emcee and entertainer with the Comerica team, they decided to maximize my value this year and have me perform a dedicated entertainment spot as well!
So, I provided a 30-minute corporate entertainment show after the team’s dinner banquet. This was a fantastic method to truly amplify the presence of the event emcee, allow the audience to really familiarize themselves with me, and keep things fresh year over year. After all, if I’m already at the venue, let me entertain your audience, too!
2. Customize the Branding of Event Production
While a corporate entertainer can really grab the attention of a crowd, a solid production company is the true secret to a captivating show. So, you can imagine my excitement when I was able to work alongside Creative Day Technologies, an incredible full-service AudioVisual (AV) company! Together, we were able to make some event magic.
We choreographed a stunt that allowed me to ‘write out’ the word ignite with my glowing juggling clubs — but really, Creative Day Technologies was controlling my ‘writing’ with a glowing LED wall! The end result was this jaw-dropping glow in the dark trick that truly wowed the crowd, proof that a little customization goes a really long way!
“Jeff is a delight to work with. As part of the production team, he comes prepared, takes part in pre-production meetings and gives clear direction as to what show elements go where within his show. He makes our jobs easy!
From a client/audience perspective – he is just AWESOME. He’s funny, engaging, and people really get excited when he’s emceeing or doing a performance because they want to hear/see what he’s doing. He personalizes all emcee parts and performance to fit with the theme and audience, his remarks are always spot on. He’s perfect for all corporate events and really engages the audience, gets people networking, talking and laughing. Your event can’t help but be a standout with Jeff.
He’s FANTASTIC. Thank you for bringing your A+++ game every show you’ve emceed and performed at for us!”
~Lesley Harding, Senior Live and Virtual Event Producer, Video Producer, Writer and Creative Strategist at Creative Day Technologies
3. Summarize the Keynote Speakers’ Key Points
Last but (certainly) not least, Comerica really knocked it out of the park with their selected keynote speakers. Both were speakers second and authors and innovators first, which gave them an awesome perspective. Up first was Lisa Bodell, who gave a bunch of useful actionable insights on simplicity, including hacks for emails and meetings.
Up next was Shane Snow, who spoke on innovation. Shane set himself apart from other innovation speakers by using unique anecdotes, like a story about a healthcare team that went to Formula 1 to learn how to work faster and more efficiently with one another! I then jumped on the mic to provide recaps for both speakers.
I form my recaps by taking notes during each keynote speaker’s presentation. For instance, for Lisa, I jotted down tons of her actionable tips to simplify workflow. I was then able to get back on stage to share a bite-sized summary with the audience — and the best part is, I can share these recaps on social media or send them to the client for maximum impact!
Back with Some Old and New Friends, Too!
After you work with a client once, they begin to feel like friends, especially when the client is as awesome as the Comerica team is in Irving, Texas! And for this traveling event emcee and corporate entertainer, you ultimately find other friends everywhere you go — including Texas! Case in point: I got to see Four Day Weekend while in Dallas!
For those who aren’t in the loop, Four Day Weekend is an award-winning improv group that I first met during Covid over Zoom. This group is so funny, so talented, and so fantastic to see live! I had heard of how great the group was from the event circuit, but it was a real treat to see them perform and hang out with founder, David Wilk.
Plus, I was able see my friends Kerris and Debbie from GDA Speakers while in Dallas as well! I go back with GDA Speakers… as in 40+ event bookings back! I do a lot of work with Kerris and Debbie, so I love when they get to see me in action. It was so fun to have them at the Comerica Ignite Summit!
Stay Tuned for Comerica Part THREE!
I am happy to report that Comerica has already booked me for the group’s 2023 Ignite Summit, and folks, I cannot wait! It’s truly such a pleasure to work with Comerica, moderate the group’s insightful conversations, and spearhead the evening’s activities. But don’t just take my word for it — send an inquiry today to have me emcee your next event!
