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Lori Lewis
August 22, 2017
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It may be 11 months away, but you can bet your bottom dollar that, as soon as it's after-hours, Lori Lewis is probably thinking of ways to make The Conclave 43 even better than its highly successful predecessor held a few weeks ago. The Cumulus/Westwood One executive serves as the Conclave's Board Chair and with the all-volunteer help of some of radio's finest, she plans on making the heritage learning conference better than ever. Here's how she plans on doing it:
One would think that you already have enough on your plate with your VP duties with Cumulus and Westwood One. What prompted you to consider and accept serving as Chairperson for the Conclave?
I didn't accept it lightly. It was 2015. I first went to Fred and Paul Jacobs to talk about the challenge of putting my name on something broken. Then I reached out to few industry leaders to gauge what kind of support they could offer if I took the role -- leaders like Hubbard CEO Ginny Morris; Cox Media President Kim Guthrie; CBS Radio SVP/Programming Jim Ryan and others.
I asked them if I took on the Conclave, would they support it and do what they could to help breathe life back into it. Within minutes of me asking, everyone said, "Yes." That prompted me to accept the position, knowing some of radio's best had my back.
So I see the role of Chairperson as similar to an air traffic controller, trying to get really smart radio people in one room, so everyone can listen, collaborate and learn. It would have been a shame to lose a heritage event like Conclave, now in its 42nd year.
How do you balance a wildly busy corporate gig and running an actual radio conference?
I apply a lot of the core values we practice here at Cumulus and Westwood One. One example of a core value is determining actions that are the best use of time, energy and money. Mary Berner, Suzanne Grimes and Christina Albee ask that of us every day.
All Conclave work is typically done after-hours ... maybe with a glass of wine or two.
What have been your biggest challenges at the Conclave?
Anytime you're in a rebuilding or rebranding mode, you have to work to earn the trust of those who gave up on your product. You earn trust back, one person at a time, through a lot of after-hours conversations.
You make time to find out what turned them off, and then convince them of the Conclave's new energy. To truly earn their trust back, you have to find ways show them that their new experience with Conclave will be quite dynamic.
Once you earn their trust, what's next to further their engagement?
Probably breaking traditions. We've already instituted some exciting changes over the past three years, but I have come to the conclusion that there are still a few Conclave traditions that we should break in 2018. Like simultaneous break-out sessions. Most attendees do not like them. We're going to change that up next year.
Explain to us how The Conclave works as a non-profit.
Conclave was incorporated as a 501c3 non-profit entity in 1985. It's governed by 100% volunteers, the Board of Directors and (me) Chairperson; our mission is not to make money but to keep an event alive that provides access to radio's decision makers and champions the industry.
Our financial goals are to make enough money to pay the hotel back so we aren't washing dishes in the end. The few dollars we do make go into a scholarship fund. Everyone on the Board, and speakers who attend, fly in on their own dime to help support Conclave.
While almost everyone admits there's a need to recruit the next generation of talent, as one whose own company also faces that challenge, what in your eyes would be the best way to entice the younger generations to join radio - and train them?
Every company faces this challenge, not just radio, and certainly not just mine.
Recruitment is key, yes, and we have a great outreach program, both internally at Cumulus and with Conclave. At Conclave, for instance, we invite a variety of broadcast students to attend as our guests.
With that said, Peter Bowen, who runs the Cumulus/Chicago cluster, said something that resonated with me at Conclave; "As important as it is to look for the next big talent, don't forget the people outside our office doors."
There's an incredible amount of talent in radio, some of whom have just broken in the business or have only been around for a few years. It's our duty to work with them and coach them, too. Too many potential stars can be missed when we're overly focused on the old ideal of the recruitment conversation.
Considering the less expense-friendly mentality of radio groups today, how has The Conclave adopted to the changes?
It's easy ... three words: "Invest in yourself."
That's the message I give those who say they can't attend because their company won't pick up the tab. If we're serious about our professional growth, we must invest on ourselves. The companies we serve are not 100% responsible for our growth.
Yes, our supervisors should coach us and encourage professional growth, but it's also up to us to take charge of our own careers and attend events, like the Conclave, to get out of our bubble, network, listen to what others say, and find ways to grow, reinvent and recharge ourselves for the day-to-day, as well as the future.
So far, who have been more likely to invest in themselves at the Conclave?
It's 50/50; there are PDs and senior management, as well as up-and-coming and established talent.
"Invest in yourself" isn't always inherent. So we try to get those three words out.
For me it was inherent. When I was a PD for Clear Channel/Baltimore, I flew myself to R&R conventions because I didn't know the company would pay. I paid for myself and I was happy to do it.
Another major trend in the industry, of course, is the growth of digital platforms and social media. How does Conclave address it?
We address it really well. It's important to have some of the best digital minds attend every year. We find the best and ask in our digital sessions to not give us their playbook or any proprietary intelligence away. We're not interested in that; we want them to share common sense that isn't always common practice when building on our digital strategy.
How do you measure success for The Conclave - the attendance, the brainstorming, or the financial side?
One of the most important metrics is the matter of interest. So I track what's called Conclave's "Net Promoter Score."
Net Promoter Score is an index ranging from -100 to 100, which measures how much people are willing to recommend a company or in this case, recommend the Conclave. All that matters to us is word-of-mouth.
And as you would guess, Conclave's Net Promoter Score in 2015 was not good when I took over, but fast-forward to 2017 and in the most recent survey to Conclave attendees, our Net Promoter Score is a 64 (which by the way is the same NPS as Southwest Airlines, which normally gets the best scores of the airlines). It's great to see the Conclave continue to earn the trust back.
Tell us about your board.
It's comprised of some of the best people walking on this planet. They're 100% volunteer; no compensation. We do this for the love of our industry and to keep a storied radio event around.
I already mentioned Peter Bowen, VP/Market Manager of Cumulus/Chicago. There's also Phil Strider, our Sr. Dir./Partnerships; Mark Bolke from RCS; Tony Coles, EVP/iHeartMedia; Melek Demir, formerly with the NAB; Lisa Dollinger, our Communications Dir.; Drake Donovan, President of Drake Donovan Creative Services; Bob Goff, OM of Wisconsin 106; Tom Kay, Exec. Dir. Emeritus; Nancy Kaywood, Sr. Event Dir.; Digital Dir. Steve Mills with Beasley; Alissa Page from The End in Seattle, Jay Philpott with KQRS/Minneapolis; Dan Spears from BMI; and George Woods with Radio George.
Finally, have you set long-term goals for the Conclave, and how long do you see being involved?
Long-term goals, yes, but we try not to look too far out. Again, we're still in a rebuilding mode.
The Conclave was really on the brink of extinction; I'm very thankful that the industry has been stepping up year after year. The Conclave had the largest attendance this year than it has had in 10 years, and now we're looking to build on that. The Board and I have exciting plans for 2018. As I mentioned, we're going to change a few Conclave traditions.
There's nothing more energizing than leaving the Conclave and receiving e-mails like the one from Kevin LeGrett, iHeartMedia Pres/Southwest Region: "You killed it; keep it going!"
Or the e-mail from Troy Hanson VP/Operations for Cumulus/Chicago. Troy said it best: "I'm 100% recharged after attending Conclave; the energy is back!"
My job now is to get that story out, and add a whole new energy to the Conclave in 2018.
And as for as how long I plan to stick around, that would be as long as the Board will have me.
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