As I stood, shivering in the rain, at the side of the road trying to hail a taxi during rush hour on one of the busiest streets in Manhattan, I was reminded how cruel life can be. Just then, an occupied cab raced by me and right through a puddle, splashing me with the blackened juice of what I’m sure contained a mix of car pollution, dog excrement and goodness knows what else lives on the surface of New York thoroughfares.

It was at that moment I would have given my (sopping wet) left arm to have known about Uber.

At the click of a button, I could have had an Uber car pick me up anywhere I wanted, chosen my car and driver, known exactly what I would be paying, paid without having to have cash on hand and even posted feedback on my experience…all from my mobile phone.

Perhaps that’s why at just 5 years young, Uber Technologies has been valuated at $18.2 billion dollars.

Less utility. More of what customers were crying out for.

How do you apply Uber’s best practices to your event business?

Don’t worry. You don’t need to rush to find your old business plan and rework it with the intent of revolutionizing the event industry.

You just need to start being empathetic.

If Uber had done what virtually every other cab company was doing, they would have simply added an ‘er’ or ‘more’ to a adjective. We are fast’er’, we are cheap’er’, we are ‘more’ accessible.

Instead they answered what customers wanted, needed and desired. And they had customers lining up to pay a premium for it.

Do you know what your customers desire?

Most companies think they know. Problem is, they’ve never asked.

What if instead of assuming empathy, event companies actually exercised it?

Do you know what your customers’ biggest frustrations are with your segment of the industry? Do you know what keeps them up at night? Do you know their horror stories? Do you know the hopes and dreams they have when they put on an event? Hint: I’m not talking about the, “I hope this event comes in on budget and without any hitches.” I’m talking about, “I hope this event puts my name on the map.”, and “I finally want a raise and the attention of the CEO.”

The only way to know is to ask.

If you can empathize with their fears, frustrations and their end destinations, you have a leg up that no lower-priced competitor can touch. Period.

Your customers don’t buy 1/4″ drill bits, they buy 1/4″ holes.

Theodore Levitt of Harvard Business School once said, “People don’t want to buy a quarter-inch drill, they want a quarter-inch hole.” 

My challenge for you today is to stop assuming that people are hiring you for what you do, but rather the problem you solve for them. People don’t care that you have offices around the world. They don’t care if you’ve been around for 30 years. They don’t care how many awards you’ve won or that you were written about in a magazine. They care about themselves. Their problems. Their dreams. Their vision.

So, stop splashing them with the conventions of your industry and instead open the door and invite them into an experience they’ve been crying out for.