" Jody Smith 5/22 #72 "

When I walked in, I was greeted by my friend, Jordan. If you know Jordan, then you know that means a brotherly hug and an “OMG! I am so happy to see you!”. Then quickly a group of other Elevate team members gathered in the lobby in a circle all facing me with huge smiles and warm faces. I was given a personal welcome and introduction by each team member in attendance. I learned names, favorite hobbies, passions and what hobby they would pursue if money was no object. What an ice-breaker!

Jordan then lead me on an office tour to see the various functions of their operation where I met the Creative Team, the Logistics Team, the Experience Team, a few interns, and the founder, Billy. During the tour around the office, I was also presented with Elevate’s mission statement, core values, engagement process and a very personal and engaging illustration of what inspired Elevate’s founder to start the company.

By this time you may be wondering why you are getting a play-by-play of this particular event on my calendar... Well I think the play-by-play is important because;

1. I had a great time and I wanted to write about it
2. I think it’s a great example of strategic planning
3. I think it's the perfect application of tactics, that point to the strategy

It was never stated out loud in words or otherwise, but the strategy was clear to me.

Every tactic they utilized was on point…

1. The team focuses all their attention on the guest to ensure they feel welcomed and valued
2. Guests receive personal attention throughout the visit
3. Interactive and tactile interactions along the way
4. Behind the scenes look into the culture
5. Team members stop what they are doing (work) when guests walk into their space displaying their presence matters
6. A personal touch and exciting conclusion to the tour

So what is the strategy?

I think the strategy is;

“Elevate the visitor above the work and show them (not tell them) that Elevate values people; that Elevate Cares”.

These are my words, and what I gleaned from my short time there. I also think culture drives as much of this strategy as anything, but that will be in a future post. This is blog post after all...not a dissertation.

I purposely left out parts of my visit because some things need to be experienced, not just read about on someone else's blog. Look for more dissection from my visit to Elevate as I explore proper strategic planning and tactical implementation in future posts.

I had begun writing this post a few days after my visit on May 22nd. After a few re-writes, and a handful of edits I was ready to publish. Well, life happened and I never hit publish. Fast forward to June 6th. I received a Thank You card in the mail from Elevate thanking me for stopping by and it included my "card" that was on the team's schedule board.

What a classy touch.

(there is a little backstory to that slip of paper, but as I said, you'll have to experience that in person)

Thank you Elevate for taking the time to think about and create experiences that wow. I am not a client, or probably even a potential client, but you have engaged with me on a level that leaves me impressed. I am blown away.

One of the reasons I started this blog was to identify and discuss how organizations should properly use strategic planning and tactical application to better engage with their audiences. Elevate is a model citizen in this respect. To learn more about Elevate, check them out at www.elevateexperiences.com and you can also find them on social platforms @ElevateTeam .