BARRHEAD – The inaugural must-attend LIFT Business Conference, hosted by the County of Barrhead, was the place to be on Oct.19 where business owners and leaders connected, brain-stormed and shared experiences.
The heart of any good conference is the speakers, and the committee outdid themselves with their choices.
Keka DasGupta is an award-winning public relations and marketing strategist and senior leader who is globally recognized for her 25 years in the industry.
She has worked with world-renowned clients like Disney, Nike, Ikea, and Mercedes-Benz.
DasGupta is also Santa’s speechwriter and public relations person.
Ty Assaf, Town of Barrhead councillor, commented in her introduction, “You are certainly on the ‘Nice’ List.”
Key takeaways from DasGupta’s presentation are that marketing centres around emotion, whereas many businesses focus on logic or the combination of logic and emotion.
DasGupta shared Harvard University research, “95 per cent of our decision-making process is dedicated to how we feel in our hearts about a purchase.”
“Here's the irony of it all, that 5 per cent right there it's reserved for rationalizing our emotional decision making.”
She described this as “emotional currency”.
Attendees were asked to think about what emotional currency they are offering their customers and how the consumer benefits from the emotional currency provided by the business.
The trade show attracted visitors throughout the afternoon to learn more about the 48 businesses set up to engage with community members and discuss the benefits their businesses can offer area residents.
Barrhead and area businesses already show people they have heart, and this was a great opportunity for businesses to connect.
Michelle Cederberg spoke to the business group about empowering themselves to set goals, lifting energy in their work environments, and reenergizing performance from their teams on their path to success.
Cederberg is an award-winning author who was inducted into the prestigious Canadian Speaking Hall of Fame in 2023.
She spoke to the crowd about success, self-motivation, re-energizing yourself and your business and celebrating the milestones along the way.
The crowd ranged in business expertise from entrepreneurs with 50 years in business to a new business owner who started a month ago.
Cederberg used humour and her own personal experiences to bring home the success process steps she has personally used and shared with others, sharing meaningful quotes.
“Fortune favours the prepared,” said Cederberg. “It is only hard until it’s done.”
The networking event wrapped up the conference where business leaders discussed the day's events and shared their own experiences and unique stories.
