Rock The House Brings Think Tank to Cleveland
In July, Rock The House won the bid to bring Think Tank to Cleveland, a national organization for entrepreneurs that specialize in production and entertainment. The purpose of this event was to provide an educational and networking opportunity for all members of the organization while taking a concierge level approach to hospitality at every turn. We blended top-notch educational content with world-class audio / visual production, and provided fresh excursions and team building opportunities. To deliver a true Cleveland experience, events were held throughout the downtown area with our partners at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Corner Alley, Marriott Downtown, Pura Vida, Hospitality Management Center, House of Blues, and Barley House.
The goals and objectives for the event were clear; offer members a high-end production conference while providing exceptional networking and educational opportunities. This included professional and personal growth while showcasing our fantastic city in the process.
First, the educational committee needed to serve world-class education to its members. In order to over deliver, the committee acquired speaking talent that doesn’t typically present to smaller fee conference categories. Their ability to think big allowed the team to secure two nationally known presenters, Jeffrey Gitomer and Mike Michalowitz.
Another success factor was offering a fresh perspective for education and activities – to allow the organization’s members to experience much of the downtown area. The planning committee strategically chose a centrally located downtown hotel. During the first day, an interactive team building activity was offered as team members set out to complete a 15-item scavenger hunt in the downtown area… with nothing but their cell phones. During the challenge, each team posted their findings to Instagram using a custom hashtag that was instantly displayed in the educational space.
To avoid a typical conference feel, the team decided that the House of Blues would be an intimate yet fitting feature venue for the first day of education. Besides being in awe of the decor and their surroundings, attendees thoroughly enjoyed the fresh and unique scenery.
Completing the powerful first day of education, attendees enjoyed a custom bracketed bowling tournament complete with trivia contests, prizes and other exciting giveaways at Corner Alley. Afterward, there were optional “workshops” at the Marriott Downtown, the host hotel. The topics discussed were the “overflow” items that didn’t make it into the main education but were still important to attendees. These were extremely valuable to all who attended.
Day two was filled with compelling content at the Marriott, with a truly amazing and unique audio-visual setup that kept everyone guessing. After the day of education was over, attendees walked to the Hospitality Management Center where a custom pizza-making challenge involved all members of the convention. Teams split up, created team names, chose toppings, and prepared/baked their pizza. Along with that, they also designed marketing materials and even recorded commercials for their creations. The challenge finished with a charity auction that raffled off swag from members’ companies. All proceeds benefitted an organization that helps industry business owners in their times of need. After that, the group capped the night off at Barley House, where members of the convention each had a chance to compete in a surprise DJ competition.
Day three ended on a high note; a trolley tour was scheduled after the edutainment was completed, adding a special sightseeing touch to provide a short tour around downtown. This concluded at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, providing the perfect venue for the awards ceremony and free time for attendees to get the chance to peruse the memorabilia.
Since the conference attendance was highly encouraged by all members, small bits of information and short video teasers were sent out leading up to the time together so all members were excited before they even arrived into the city.
With a conference that moves to a new city every year, Rock The House was pleased to host and exceed the expectations of the organizational board to produce a conference that was not only inspirational and professional but also set the bar high for the next city.