The Room Block
Apr 21, 2021
Having It All By Not Doing It All, with Jessica Schoefernacker and Jen Manthei
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What does it take to handle two demanding jobs, especially when both jobs can require long hours, nights, weekends, and stress? There’s no way around it, being a working mother in the events and hospitality industry is tough. In this episode, I am joined by Jessica Schoefernacker, Director of Sales and Marketing from the Sofitel Chicago Magnificent Mile, and Jen Manthei, an independent meeting & event consultant - both mothers of young children. They weigh in on the good, the bad, the highs and lows, and what exactly it takes to be able to do it all. Spoiler alert - you can’t, and that’s okay! Whether you are looking for specific strategies or simply some words of encouragement, this episode is here to help.
More episodes from The Room Block
Jul 6, 2022
Taking the Fear out of Team Building, with Matt May
What makes a team building session engaging, interactive, and fun for everyone? We know that "teamwork makes the dream work" but all too often, team building activities can cause hesitation, anxiety or feel like a waste of time. In this episode I am joined by Matt May, founder and CEO of Premier Team Building & Interactive Experiences™, who shares why effective team building is so beneficial, especially in today's remote-work world. Tune in to hear what led Matt into this unique line of work, learn some team building dos and dont’s, and discover why hiring a professional is your key to a successful experience.
After several years producing and facilitating corporate team building programs for a variety of companies throughout the USA, Mexico, and Canada, Matt May recognized that there was an alternate way to provide individuals and corporations with engaging, interactive experiences. As a result, he created Premier Team Building & Interactive Experiences™, in 2017, delivering programs nation-wide, and abroad. As the company’s president, he is responsible for the design & development of its team building and interactive experiences, overseeing the production and facilitation of these programs, customer support, and staff training.
In addition to having produced and facilitated hundreds of large and small-group team building experiences, in his career, May has served as a producer, director, manager, administrator, educator, and consultant for various event and live entertainment, theatrical, and educational organizations.
Matt is the co-author/producer of the award-winning theatrical musical comedy DIEGO & DREW SAY I DO. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree with a double major in Theatre Arts and Arts Administration, and a Master of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Arts.
A sought-after speaker and published author, Matt excitedly shares his passions and experiences in his book, Take The Fear Out Of Team Building.
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Jun 15, 2022
Adding Your Single Coworkers to the Inclusivity Discussion, with Colleen Brzozowski
Do single employees get the short end of the stick when it comes to office policies and politics? In her second visit to The Room Block, Colleen Brzozowski joins me to share her experience as a single in the workplace and explains why it led her to develop and present a talk on the subject for the 2022 SITE Global Conference in Dublin, Ireland. Whatever age or stage of life you're at, being single creates some unique situations that should be considered in the workplace as well as in the world of business and incentive travel. As we continue to focus our efforts on being more inclusive in today's world, be sure to keep in mind this large and growing segment of the employee population when it comes to boosting job satisfaction, retention and mental wellness.
Colleen Brzozowski, CIS, CITP has 25+ years of experience in the hospitality industry, and is currently Director of Venue Sales with Sodexho Live! overseeing the Sales Teams at the Museum of Science & Industry, Shedd Aquarium, and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Past positions have included on-property as well as Global Sales positions for Hotel companies as well as Representation Firms and National Sales for a DMC organization. She values engagement in industry associations and has held several key leadership positions including the International Board of Directors for SITE (Society for Incentive Travel Excellence), 2020 President of SITE Chicago and Chair of the HPAC (Hospitality Partner Advisory Council) for FICP (Financial and Insurance Conference Planners).
The Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) is the only Business Events association dedicated exclusively to the global incentive travel industry. SITE has 2500+ members in 90 countries with 29 local chapters. The SITE Global Conference that took place in April 2022 in Dublin, Ireland featured the breakout session presented by Colleen Brzozowski, "Table for One - Why the Diversity and Inclusive Discussion Should Include Singles in the Workplace."
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May 25, 2022
Exploring Experiential Design, with Mallory Gott
What is experiential design and how can it help the events and hospitality industry? In this episode of The Room Block I am joined by Mallory Gott, Owner and Creative Director of G + A, An Experiential Design Firm which helps transform clients such as restaurants, bars, and other boutique hospitality event and brand experiences through their feelings-led 4D Framework™. Mal explains how experiential design helps your customers develop an emotional connection to your brands and businesses, as well as uncover solutions to challenges big and small. If you haven’t yet considered what you want it to feel like for your customers to experience your brand, then Mallory Gott is here to guide the way.
After years designing experiences of all kinds (events, conferences, trade shows, learning programs, pop-ups, training, and more) for some of the world’s most discerning audiences, Mallory Gott, founder + creative director of G+A, realized that her approach – identifying the feelings she wanted an experience to evoke and then reverse-engineering those feelings through intentional design of each facet of the experience – was anything but typical. From her unorthodox style, The 4D Framework™ was born and Mallory began guiding clients through the experience design thinking process, salvaging events, products, and services that seemed beyond help.
By focusing on emotion and desire first, working solutions instead of solving problems, and emphasizing intuitively-based decision making over a data-or-die mentality, G+A quickly amassed a portfolio of experiential design success stories helping client after client rediscover their innate magic to fantastic results and resounding success!
Read about how to apply G + A's 4D Framework™ to find a solution to any challenge by checking out this blog post.
Learn more about The Great Las Vegas Coffee Shop Giveaway.
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