Welcome to the honky tonk! I’m signing in from Nashville, Tennessee, where I joined Clarity 2 Prosperity (C2P) as their professional emcee for the group’s bi-annual Mastermind Collegium. This wasn’t our second, third, or even fourth Collegium together — it was our fifth! And folks, it was just as much of a honkin’ good time as I expected!
Where do I start with this event? Between the fantastic location and subtle tie-ins to the event theme, this mastermind was more like a masterclass in how to crush a bi-annual event! From fun and fresh engagement pieces to spectacular social outings, here’s what you missed from the most recent C2P Mastermind Collegium in Nashville.
My Fifth Clarity 2 Prosperity Mastermind Collegium…
Clarity 2 Prosperity, better known as C2P Enterprises, is a provider of industry-leading investment solutions, insurance products, and financial services. Every six months, top C2P advisors travel to the two-day Mastermind Collegium to thrive in a community that shares new practices and processes and encourages new collaborations.
Now, this was not my first rodeo — err, Mastermind — for C2P. In fact, I was the virtual emcee for three of the group’s online conferences throughout the pandemic. When the group reunited for their first in-person event in more than 20 months, I served as their event emcee in Miami, too. So, you could imagine I was stoked to join the group again in Nashville!
For my fifth C2P Mastermind Collegium, it was wonderful to finally see so many of the folks I had virtually met packing out the ballroom. After navigating the complexities of virtual events together (remember when I was Agent J for their James Bond-themed event?), it was awesome to have tons of C2P advisors recognize me and be glad I was back for event #5.
…And My First Masterclass in a Nashville Theme
I’ve spoken at great lengths about how organizations can leverage unique themes to create cohesive, creative events. I’ve also mentioned that sometimes, there is such a thing as too much of a theme… it’s still a corporate event, not a costume party! Fortunately, this most recent C2P Mastermind Collegium took on a Nashville theme that was executed perfectly.
It was a serious masterclass in how to use something like the event destination, Nashville in this case, as the ideal launching point for an event theme. The C2P team embraced the city — not going over the top — but included just enough subtle nods to Nashville culture to make for an unforgettable weekend. Here were the three components of the theme that stood out to me!
1. Location of Accommodation and Social Activities
If you’ve ever been to Nashville, you know that Downtown on Broadway is the place to be. So, you could imagine my excitement as the event emcee to learn that we would be staying and hosting the Collegium at the Grand Hyatt Nashville, right in the middle of the action! Right off the bat, the location of the accommodations set the tone for the event.
The C2P team also planned for some spectacular social activities that let us truly, “Eat, drink, and celebrate everything in Nashville,” as the locals say! The group headed to the Ole Red on Broadway, a country music-themed restaurant started by Blake Shelton. We chowed down on some of the best BBQ I’ve had in a while and spent the evening in a private upstairs lounge, which totally set the mood for day two.
2. Dedicated Games and Engagement Pieces
As a professional event emcee, I love when companies think of creative games and engagement pieces for their attendees. At the Collegium, we played a few rounds of Name That Tune, a fun game where contestants have to properly identify a song and artist from a few seconds of a song. We pulled guests’ names out of a cowboy hat to choose contenders and had them raise inflatable air guitars in lieu of hitting a buzzer — it was a total blast!
Rather than stick to only country music, which would be on-theme but could isolate contestants that weren’t familiar with the tunes, we chose to break each round down into genres. We played across pop, hip hop, and R&B songs, which created a throughline to the musicality of the city. Though it wasn’t physical entertainment, these games got attendees on their feet!
There was also a large emphasis on having attendees share what they’d learned from the Collegium. Several times throughout the mastermind, I would hop on the mic as the event emcee to encourage attendees to write down their ideas, take a few minutes to share with their peers in groups of two or three, and even join me on the mic. This was a fantastic way to synthesize information that I love to do as an event emcee, so I love when organizations make the stride to do it, too!
3. Nashville Keynote Speaker (and Singer!)
Of course, no event would be complete without keynote speakers — and C2P had a few! While there were obvious picks for the event, like industry-leading advisors, the C2P team had to also consider who could speak to the group and also represent the values and vibe of Nashville. Well, they hit it out of the park with country singer-songwriter Jimmy Yeary!
Jimmy is the former lead singer of Grammy Award winning supergroup, Shenandoah, and he’s penned country hits for more artists than I could count! He’s also one of the most engaging keynote speakers in the country, and he played a bunch of famous country songs on his guitar as he spoke. It was truly like experiencing a concert and keynote in one!
Now, it’s important to mention that Jimmy Yeary IS Nashville. Not only is he a nearly 30-year Nashville resident, but he completely embodies that Nashville vibe. He told stories about the power of connection, and shared humanity with struggles and stories that brought a human element to an otherwise finance-based event. It was the cherry on top of the evening!
Repeat Events for Clients That Become Friends
I’m happy to report that I had the most amazing weekend as the five-time event emcee for C2P in Nashville. It’s always such a pleasure when clients become friends, and at this point, I recognize so many attendees and event planners, like Lauren and Erin! It was so cool to me that we’ve built this relationship over virtual events and have now taken it in-person twice.
To wrap up the weekend, I also spent time with Mamie Shepherd and Kacie, the lovely folks who run our Win-Win Entertainment program at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital Nashville! Whenever I have a corporate event where Win-Win has a partner, I’ll always try to spend an extra day to dedicate my time. I was able to have a super fun visit in the studio with Mamie — who I hadn’t met in person yet! — entertain some kiddos, and grab dinner. It was fantastic!
Are You Ready for C2P Round SIX?
If you were reading carefully earlier, you would’ve noticed that the Mastermind Collegium is a bi-annual event. Well, we’re already geared up for event number two for the year, and event number six for me! Soon, C2P will be hitting Scottsdale, Arizona for their winter event. I am so excited to be tagging along as the professional event emcee once again!
Do you also need a professional emcee to guide your next event? Go ahead and shoot me a booking inquiry with the details! I can’t wait to hear from you.
