Planning the Unplannable: Events, PR, and Brand Trust with Daniel Schieman

[00:07] Intro
What does it actually take to build a business that lasts? Welcome to Owner’s Roundtable, where business leaders and industry experts pull up a chair, talk about all the ins and outs and ups and downs of running a business, and share their experience in entrepreneurship. Whether you’re just starting out, five years in, scaling something bigger, you’ll find real insights you can use in your business. always another problem to solve, and chances are someone at this table has lived it or built their career fixing it. So if you’re looking for insight, inspiration, or entrepreneurial entertainment, a chair at the Owner’s Roundtable waiting for you. Subscribe now on Apple, Spotify, wherever you listen to podcasts. I’m Jeff McClarty, Business Trainer and Management Advisor, and this is the Owner’s Roundtable. Real stories, real expertise, real insight.

[00:57] Jeff McLarty
At the Owners Roundtable today is Daniel Schieman, founder of DASCH Productions, an Edmonton event and public relations agency. We get into what actually makes a company event worth the investment, the real difference between marketing and public relations, and why every growing business should have a crisis communications plan before they think they need one.

[01:15] Jeff McLarty
Welcome back to the Owner’s Roundtable. We’re here with Daniel from DASCH Productions. Happy to have you on the podcast. Why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself, Daniel, and what DASCH Productions does?

[01:24] Daniel Schieman
Yeah, thanks for having me, Jeff. DASCH Productions. It’s an event management and public relations agency here in Edmonton we work nationwide on strategic event management, working on the corporate event side and then our public relations, you know, we work with some incredible individuals and companies that either have a story to tell or some sort of angle that– that makes it, you know, quite interesting to to bring to the public. And I think that’s really why we love what we do. I started it back in 2018, and just had it at the side of my desk for–for the time being. And then over the years I realized, oh, I think it’s time to go solo and do my own thing. And that’s when we kind of initiated DASCH to go full time, and it’s been – knock on wood – really good for us so far. So yeah, that’s it in a nutshell. “DASCH” is “Daniel Schieman” put together. So, know, I got lucky that way. Yeah.

[02:21] Jeff McLarty
Was it scary, like, going from working, having it off the corner of your desk and going, like, oh, I’m just gonna go out on my own. What was that like?

[02:27] Daniel Schieman
Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying ’cause you had no idea what things were gonna be like. And, you know, this was – when we decided to go full, full on – this was after COVID, right? So, you know, we were the first ones to go when it came to events and public relations. And then we were the first ones to come back. We had to deal with this uncertainty at many times, just because, you know, we really didn’t know what was gonna happen. And yeah, virtual events were–were something, um but it wasn’t… People are getting very tired of it quite quickly. So when you kind of go out on this venture on your own, knowing that what you’ve experienced in the past, it is terrifying. Because, you know, there is competition. There are others out there within our industry. You know, we’re a small group, especially in the Edmonton area. But I think we offer a lot of unique points of views and different styles to how we run events. So, you know, it’s–it’s an ongoing learning process.

[03:24] Jeff McLarty
So, something I thought would be interesting to talk about today is what makes a company want to hold an event? Like why spend the time, energy and money in having an event that is different from what they do every day?

[03:36] Daniel Schieman
Yeah. We kind of have quite a broad roster. So we’re lucky enough to work with, you know, those corporate sides, for profits, nonprofits, education, government, arts and culture. So, it’s quite interesting, because people want events to help either launch something or bring attention to a topic. When we think about conferences and summits and things like that, it’s all about progression and looking forward. So a lot of these events are all about what’s coming ahead or, you know, reviewing what happened in the past and then moving forward. So investment in events is–is quite important because you’re bringing your ecosystem together to collectively talk about the same thing, but also learn and network. And, you know, those spaces are very important, especially when it comes to business development. It’s networking events that make those happen. So I think when people invest in those events, you know, the return on investment is astronomical and almost invaluable in a way.

[04:39] Jeff McLarty
I mean, I’ve been to both really good events and really bad events, run by companies. What do you think the difference is in a company that invests in putting on an event and gets the return on it, and one that just invests a bunch of money and doesn’t get a return on their investment?

[04:55] Daniel Schieman
It always comes down to the question of who’s planning the event, right? Because a lot of people, a lot of companies, get their administrative team to plan these events. That’s not what they’re there for. And then work ends up getting backlogged. Event professionals exist for a reason. You could plan a small gathering with a team. That’s not gonna translate to planning a major conference attracting a thousand people. It’s two very different scenarios. It just depends on who’s planning the event, for sure. We are an extension of our clients. So we’re not just another vendor that’s been signed on to the project. We learn about the event. We talk about your stakeholders. We really get into the nitty-gritty to fully understand what we’re producing. And I think that’s a huge value to our clientele and a way for us to continue a sustainable relationship.

[05:47] Jeff McLarty
What do you bring into the event to like make sure the client is… like it’s not just a slap-on event? How do you approach making sure that it actually reflects who they are and how they approach their business?

[05:57] Daniel Schieman
What I love to say is that, you know, you entrust us and you’re investing in us to produce something. So let us do that. So you’re able to, you know, attend the event and not have to worry about any logistics or operational side of things. That’s what we’re for. So we ensure, you know, the communications and project planning is all very open and consistent, because events very much ebb and flow. Things change within minutes, which is terrifying. So we have to prepare ourselves for those risks. But we do everything that we can to ensure that we’re covering everyone’s butts, if you will, to make this event happen. But I think it’s just the understanding and the full vision that you’re sharing with your client to make the event a reality. I think that’s what’s important. And I just know for myself and who we represent – that’s how we approach, you know, our projects, to make it happen.

[06:54] Jeff McLarty
And speaking of big events, you just did Dîner en Blanc a few weeks ago.

[06:58] Daniel Schieman
I did.

[07:00] Jeff McLarty
For anybody who hasn’t heard of it, can you tell us like what that event is.

[07:03] Daniel Schieman
It’s a crazy event, let me tell ya. Initially it started in the 1980s, late 1980s in Paris, France. And what it was is these…these individuals and friends were tired of being excluded from nightclubs and restaurants that didn’t allow them to come in, because, you know, it was for certain individuals. So, with that, they were like, okay, we’re just gonna go find a random spot. We’ll meet there, we’ll wear white so we know where to find each other, have a picnic, drink, laugh, party, and then disappear like it never happened. So it’s a very interesting concept that’s turned into this international event and it happens in 120 cities around the world. We’re lucky enough to have the Edmonton franchise and we just produced it for the first time as hosts this year at the Agacon Gardens at the U of A Botanical Gardens and it was just spectacular. We had over 300 individuals attend. The garden was just… it was the epitome of perfection because it was decor in itself, which was lovely. And we partnered with some incredible vendors and we produced this incredible program that ended with a drone show that recognized our partners, but also did represent the culture of the event itself. Yeah, it’s like a fever dream. It doesn’t feel like it happened because we were just so busy in the moment. It was an incredible experience for sure.

[08:23] Jeff McLarty
I just think it’s a really interesting event from a marketing perspective. Like, hey, buy this ticket to this thing that we’re not gonna tell you where it is and we’re gonna tell you where to show up and we will take you there.

[08:33] Daniel Schieman
Yeah, yeah. And something I totally forgot to talk about was you don’t know the venue until you arrive. So you’re shuttled from five different departure points around the city you’re all brought to the same location at the same time for that aha experience. People brought their own tables, chairs and and catering, just because you know that was part of the tradition. But we also had a lot of that on site already. So, it’s a very smart idea. It really is. And people do some incredible things with this event.

[9:06] Jeff McLarty
What do you think gets somebody to buy into the idea that you should participate, but I’m not really gonna tell you what you’re getting? How do you position that in a marketing piece?

[09:14] Daniel Schieman
It’s so interesting because marketing very much is creating demand, right? And I think it’s if you advertise it right, if you create that level – for this in particular – that level of mystery and mystique around it, people will respond to it. I think a lot of people don’t understand it immediately, especially with something like Dîner en Blanc, but other events, you know, if there’s a full understanding of what the purpose is, what the scope is from an audience perspective, then I think it’s an easy sell.

[09:49] Jeff McLarty
I’d be interested, like, if it wasn’t like a well known thing. To sell the first one. Putting that together must have been an interesting challenge. It probably grew naturally to that point, but…

[10:00] Daniel Schieman
Well, it’s interesting because the first one in Edmonton that happened in 2014 attracted over fifteen hundred individuals. And so that was, if you think about it, 2014, we’re in 2026 now. So marketing and public relations has evolved immensely since then. So, you know, social media and influencers were just starting to really come up. And print was still a thing, radio, all those types of media. So it’s interesting to see how that’s progressed over time and how people have engaged since then and respond to events like this.

[10:35] Jeff McLarty
How do you think marketing, in events and in general, has changed? Like what does a business need to do different today than they did ten years ago? Aside from I guess spend money differently, but how – how to even think about it, I guess, is my question.

[10:49] Daniel Schieman
Yeah, it very much is spending money differently. I use Dîner en Blanc because we’ve talked about it and it’s a really good example, because it is such a unique event in its nature, influencers and large, say, social media pages like your YEG Thrive or your YEG ventures are really ideally the individuals that you want to partner with, that will get your word out there and get that attention. So it is an investment, but is it worth the investment? I think it is, especially when you’re starting something so new in a brand new venture. Do you have to do it down the road? We’ll see how things progress, but right now it seems to be very much getting those influencers invested, than it was to do your media release or your paid ads, or working with digital billboards, or purchasing ad space in your local newspaper, those types of things.

[11:48] Jeff McLarty
I was saying to somebody the other day when I first bought my first advertisement like twenty some years ago, it was a pretty simple recipe. Like you went, you could either buy it from the newspaper or you could buy it in the phone book. Like, here’s your five places to spend money and you could try each one and see which one worked. And now there’s so many options. Like even running tests like that isn’t really feasible. You have to really bring in an expert to talk about even where to start looking at spending your money sometimes.

[12:15] Daniel Schieman
It’s crazy because, you know, they start talking about things like SEO and analytics and the algorithm, and you’re like, oh my god, can I not just buy that ad, put it out there and people will respond to it? It’s not that simple anymore. We’re oversaturated with so many things right now when it comes to advertising and marketing and things like that. It really is a science and thank goodness we have those people who work in like digital marketing or physical marketing because they understand it. And so we have to rely on those individuals to really figure out what we need to do to get that attraction.

[12:48] Jeff McLarty
One of the things I’ve been kind of mulling in the back of my head is, we’ve kind of gotten to a point where nobody knows where to go to get trusted information anymore. Is this gonna eventually by the roundabout way, like the way they tricked us back into cable, are we coming back around on that loop? What are your thoughts on that?

[13:03] Daniel Schieman
It’s an interesting thought. And I think in a way we are starting to go in a bit of a circle. So we look at even just podcasts, right? It is a form of radio, when you think about it. Talk radio. I loved talk radio as a kid. I don’t know why. I just did. And it seems like podcasts now they’re getting more and more popular because it is about human interaction and it seems to be the cherry on top that people want. More of, you know, person to person, those types of interactions, I think, are kind of the better selling point.

[13:42] Jeff McLarty
One of the things that I was really wanting to ask you about today is, in addition to events, your public relations firm. Can you outline, for people who may not be clear on the distinction, like where’s the line between marketing and public relations? And why would a company hire a public relations firm, for example?

[13:58] Daniel Schieman
So it’s quite interesting because marketing is paid exposure when public relations is a natural exposure. However, you’re still paying for that person to get you that natural exposure. But marketing is more segmented and public relations is quite broad and generalized. So I mentioned before that marketing, you know, is very much creating that demand, where in public relations is creating that trust. Not so much looking at the brand itself, whether it be a logo or an image or something. You’re looking at the person. So for myself, DASCH Productions, DASCH is the brand, I’m the person running it. So it’s about reputation, perception, getting in front of the media, community relationships, leaderships, crisis communications. All those things that are kind of a little bit more, I like to say the meat and potatoes. One thing about public relations is you can’t really control it, especially when it comes to, like, media coverage, right? They’ll either get your story or they won’t get your story. They’ll take your pitch, they might alter your pitch. You send them a TV segment and questions, they might alter that and go, like, a completely different direction, right? So it’s a double-edged sword, but public relations is a huge opportunity, especially for brands that are up and coming or if they’ve got something that they want the world to see, maybe, be a campaign or the launch of a product, those types of things. So public relations is very important.

[15:31] Jeff McLarty
You said something there – was it crisis relations?

[15:34] Daniel Schieman
Crisis communications, yeah.

[15:36] Jeff McLarty
You know, it’s something a lot of people don’t think about, is like you have a plan for when something goes really wrong? How do you approach that? Can you give me an example of what that might look like for a company and how you’d respond?

[15:47] Daniel Schieman
Very similar to, like, how we run events is we do risk assessments, right? And we try to identify as much risk as possible that may arise from producing an event. So you know, with Dîner en Blanc we’re in a garden, something gets set on fire. What’s the risk assessment for that? Luckily, knock on wood, didn’t happen. When it comes to crisis communications, you have to think of all the things that could happen. And especially when you think about, like, politicians or people that are in the public eye, celebrities, they have to be as prepared as possible. So they think of all these scenarios that could take place. And they have almost this mathematical equation on how to deal with these crises. And they’ll pick from different scenarios and make it into one full statement, if you will. Sometimes it happens within the moment because you’re not gonna be prepared for everything, no matter how much you plan ahead. There’s always gonna be something, at some point, where you’re like, never thought of that. Good thing. But, professionally, you do everything you can to ensure that you’ve covered any sort of things that might mitigate, from any type of situation, right? So crisis communications, I think, is kind of like a top-tier category when it comes to your brand and any sort of public relations work.

[17:09] Jeff McLarty
What size do companies usually start thinking about those things? Like, hey, we should maybe have a plan if something goes wrong. Like what team size or revenue size do they usually start engaging with those types of issues?

[17:19] Daniel Schieman
Ideally it should be like twenty-five plus. But I don’t think that they’re thinking that at that time. Once they hit those hundred, two hundred plus, that’s when you get someone in your communications team, or you are hiring outsourcing, like DASCH, and you’re bringing them in to talk about those things. But in a perfect world, 25 plus would be ideal, it’s not that. And then that’s when they get into trouble. And then, you know, things happen and you’re like, uh-oh. As humans, we never think, oh, you know, I saw something like this happen. That would never happen to me. It does. And it’ll come out of nowhere. So I always encourage that you should have these plans and packages set in place for anything that may happen.

[18:05] Jeff McLarty
It’s always good to have a plan before something goes sideways.

[18:08] Daniel Schieman
And you know what my grandfather taught me, always have a plan B. So, you know, we always have something extra in our pockets too, just in case.

[18:15] Jeff McLarty
Yeah, for sure. I appreciate you sharing your perspectives with us on that. Before I let you go though, I wanna ask now that you’ve built this company, you’ve been in business for a while. We built this podcast around talking about issues that matter to owners. What advice would you give to somebody that’s kind of interested in building out their company, or they’re a ways in, they’re ready to take the next step. What’s your best piece of advice for a fellow entrepreneur?

[18:38] Daniel Schieman
Ohf. Well, I know from my perspective it was terrifying. But I always say there’s a solution to everything. And I truly believe that there is a solution to everything. It might take time to figure it out, but there is a solution. If you know someone who’s done it, that means you can do it. It takes time and I think as humans, you know, our patience is not the best thing about us. I know for myself I was very impatient. But it takes time. But there’s always opportunity for sure.

[19:10] Jeff McLarty
I appreciate that. I always say as long as you can get to the point where you’re generating enough revenue to pay the bills, you’ve got an infinite amount of time to solve the problem.

[19:18] Daniel Schieman
100%

[19:20] Jeff McLarty
Awesome. Well thank you very much. Appreciate you coming on Owner’s Roundtable and have a great day.

[19:25] Daniel Schieman
Awesome. Thanks, Jeff.

[19:29] Outro
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