As presented by Howard Givner, US MD of Grass Roots Meetings & Events, at Connect Marketplace in August 2017. If you'd like to discuss how to apply any of these concepts to your upcoming event, please email us; we're happy to help. About Grass Roots Grass Roots operate Meetings & Events services from key locations in London, New York, Dusseldorf, Zurich and Singapore. As specialists in strategic meetings management, attendee management and event services, they work with three of the Big Four professional services firms; nine of the top 15 investment banks and many other global organizations. Grass Roots Meetings & Events manage over $190m worth of meeting spend, drive compliance within organizations and focus on improving the performance of meetings and events programs. Visit https://grassroots.events

1. Building A Culture Of Innovation
In Your Team
Howard Givner
Managing Director, Head of Americas
Grass Roots Meetings & Events

2. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
Overview
1. Brainstorming myths & tips
2. Leadership strategies for driving innovation
3. Table exercises
4. Questions?
2

3. Brainstorming: Myths & Tips
3

4. Leadership Tips For Driving Innovation
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5. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
Encourage Dissent
When you’re the C.E.O. or the chairman,
the air gets very thin at the top, and
oftentimes you’ve got people telling you
what they think you should hear as
opposed to telling you the truth.
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Jonathan Tisch
Chairman | Loews Hotels

6. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
Encourage Dissent
1. Provide open forum for
disagreement. Otherwise, they’ll
do it in private.
2. Appoint a ‘devil’s advocate’.
3. Offer your opinion last.
4. BUT, not a democracy. All must
support your final decision.
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7. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
Build Their Confidence
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Cindi Leive
Editor In Chief | Glamour

8. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
Find the Right Balance of People
People tend to fall into one of 3 camps — you’re
either a thinker, a doer or a feeler.
So I think about the mix of those 3 groups on my
teams. If you have all thinkers, nothing will get done. If
you have all doers you’re not necessarily thinking
about the consequences. And feelers are important
because they create energy — but if you have too
many of them, they’ll just dramatize the moment.
When you put the different kinds of people together in
the right way, that can be very powerful. You never
want that out of balance.
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Nancy Dubuc
CEO | A&E

9. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
Pay People to Quit
1. Deliver WOW through service.
2. New hires are offered $2k to quit
after the 1st week of training if they
feel job is not right fit.
3. Cultural fit interview = 1/2 weight of
evaluation.
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10. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
The Pro Team Approach
Company is run like a pro sports team,
NOT a family.
The Keeper Test: Which of your
employees, if told they were leaving,
would you fight hard to keep? Everyone
else should be let go to make room for a
star player.
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11. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
A/B (Split) Testing
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12. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
‘Failure’ Parameters
1. Encourage intelligent experiments
2. Determine conditions for experimentation:
a. What will you learn?
b. How valuable is that intelligence?
c. What is at risk?
3. Set goals in advance
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13. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
1. Pick 1 innovative company you admire.
2. Why are they innovative? What do you admire
about them?
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14. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
How would they change:
1. Your events?
2. The way you/your team work?
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15. @GrassRootsM&E_USA @hgivner
Identifying New Opportunities
1. Which industry standard features should be:
a. Raised
b. Reduced
c. Created
d. Eliminated
2. Result: open waters, less competition
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16. @GrassRootsME @hgivner
Fill Out Surveys Now
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17. Questions?
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@GrassRootsME
@hgivner
howard.Givner@grg.com