
Powering CEO Life’s Growth with Scalable Event Operations
How Sway Helped This Executive Membership Group Scale Events Without Adding Headcount
Scalable Event Strategy and Operations
The Challenge
Fragmented Communications: Multiple channels (email, Slack, phone) led to missed invitations and low RSVP rates.
Manual Tracking: Attendance, sponsorship commitments, and member touchpoints were managed in disparate systems.
Financial Complexity: Invoicing and budget reconciliation across markets lacked a unified process, delaying revenue recognition.
High-Touch Expectations: Members expect white‑glove service—any lapse in coordination risked eroding their exclusive experience.
Sway’s Approach
1. Discovery & Audit
Stakeholder Interviews: Met with CEO Life leadership, programming directors, and membership managers to clarify revenue targets, attendance goals, and member experience standards.
Process Review: Audited existing workflows for venue sourcing, sponsorship fulfillment, attendee registration, and post‑event follow‑up.
Data Assessment: Pulled historical attendance records, membership renewals, sponsorship contracts, and financial close‑out reports.
Key Bottlenecks Identified:
Disparate communication channels causing missed touchpoints
Manual tracking of attendance and budgets in siloed spreadsheets
Lack of a unified view into sponsorship deliverables and invoicing status
2. Strategy Development
Centralized Client Portal Design: Defined requirements for a single access point—integrating event briefs, vendor approvals, and member requests.
Data & Pipeline Architecture: Mapped out custom bases (e.g., Member Profiles, Event Lifecycle, Sponsor Commitments) with clearly defined fields and relational links.
Automated Workflow Blueprint: Designed end‑to‑end processes for:
Lead capture → proposal generation → contract execution → deposit tracking → post‑event feedback
Sponsorship invoicing → payment reminders → fulfillment verification
High‑Touch Service Protocols: Drafted templates and scripts for pre‑event “experience calls,” on‑site concierge check‑ins, and post‑event surveys, ensuring consistency across markets.
Communication & Messaging Framework: Developed standardized email cadences and notification triggers for each key stage—lead, member, and sponsor touchpoints.
3. Implementation & Optimization
Team Onboarding Workshops: Trained CEO Life’s operations, sales, and concierge teams on portal navigation, data entry standards, and automated reminders.
Platform Configuration: Deployed and configured the centralized portal and relational databases; integrated invoicing tools and reporting dashboards.
Dashboard & KPI Setup: Built live dashboards tracking membership growth, event attendance, days‑to‑invoice, and sponsorship revenue; scheduled automated snapshots.
Launch & Monitoring: Rolled out the new workflows in a staggered pilot—first market, then two additional regions—collecting feedback in bi‑weekly check‑ins.
Continuous Refinement: Tweaked messaging sequences and automation rules based on real‑time metrics (e.g., open rates, booking velocity, invoice turnaround), driving ongoing efficiency gains.
The Results
+35% average attendance rate
+10% net profit per event
+20% attendee satisfaction
Expanded Opportunities: Operating member events in 10 markets each month.
Ashlyn P. - Event Director - CEO Life