Elevating Events: Kraig Kleeman Live, Where Energy Bumps and Rock ‘n’ Roll Collide

Research indicates that corporate event planners have under 52 minutes to grab the audience’s attention. This statistic is hardly surprising when conference rooms full of glazed expressions and attendees checking text messages are par for the course.

Kraig Kleeman has been on both sides of the podium — both in the boardroom and in the event planning industry — and saw an unmet need for engaging in corporate conferences. Today, he calls on the power of rock ‘n’ roll to fight wandering thoughts and electronic distractions.

“The combination of music, movement, and messaging redefines engagement in the corporate world,” says Kleeman. “Rock ‘n’ roll’s raw energy shatters the mold of traditional keynotes, transforming ordinary speeches into electrifying performances. It captivates, inspires, and leaves audiences craving more.”

Kraig Kleeman’s journey from the boardroom to the stage

Kleeman broke into the tech space with a company that scaled from $0 to $30 million in sales in three years. After selling the successful business to a West Coast venture capital fund, he took time to write. When his new book got into the hands of sales and marketing thought leaders, they asked him to speak.

“The next thing I knew, I was in front of ten and twenty thousand people,” recalls Kleeman. “These speaking engagements led to webcasts for tech companies like LinkedIn, DocuSign, and Salesforce centered on corporate communications.”

As Kleeman strove to fuse informative content with an entertaining format, he saw the need for something entirely new. His team surveyed over 300 executives from Fortune 500 companies to discover their thoughts on live conferences.

“We found that these senior-level executives typically attended two or more events each year,” Kleeman remembers. On the whole, they expressed displeasure with the number of keynotes, the lack of energy, and the standard conference format.

“I had attended enough business conferences to be familiar with the format,” Kleeman explains. “That format is typically keynote, keynote, keynote, break, more keynotes, and networking to wrap it up. Some conferences are heavier on keynotes, others are heavier on breakout sessions, but all of them are difficult for the audience. Unless a rare speaker wowed the crowd, our surveys revealed that mingling was the high point.”

After that validation, Kleeman knew he was on the right track, so he set to work incorporating performing arts, theatrical performance, and music into the dry conference format. Even throughout his years in the world of entrepreneurship, he maintained a strong passion for music, theater, and the arts. When he needed talent, he had connections ready to help hand-pick improvisational actors, stand-up comedians, a great director, and a phenomenal band.

This led to the launch of two unique brands: Kraig Kleeman Live, providing corporate comedy, and Rock the C-Suite, offering corporate music. “Messaging is best expressed through the performing arts,” Kleeman asserts. “If you can wrap corporate messaging into music and comedy, it becomes wonderfully entertaining and even stimulating.”

How Kraig Kleeman infuses the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll into speaking engagements.

What do you get when you combine Elon Musk and Mick Jagger? Among other things, you get an audience that pays attention.

Once upon a time, PowerPoints were considered flashy, but today’s event attendees need more. Event planners are fighting information overload. Nearly 1 billion websites exist today, and the sum total of human knowledge doubles approximately every 13 months. Until the past century, this doubling happened only once in a hundred years.

People are bombarded by news, information, and data, and they don’t even have time to digest a fraction of the content. Despite this, impactful real-time experiences still break through.

Kleeman revolutionizes speaking engagements by infusing them with the pulsating energy of rock music, uplifting affirmations, and a jubilant atmosphere. His signature involves incorporating four vibrant “Energy Bumps” into each event, strategically positioned between keynote presentations. These three to five-minute Energy Bumps feature driving music and choreography.

Blending live entertainment with corporate and conference environments

Departing from the static conference formula makes way for a groundbreaking transformation. Kleeman Live redefines the conference experience by captivating attendees through meaningful interactions enriched with rock music and dance.

Traditional conference formats don’t fit today’s fast-paced world. When events overwhelm attendees with information, they forget almost all of it. However, they remember topics if they are given short, simple hooks.

Kleeman hones in on vital messaging and packages it in unforgettable ways. His blend of entertainment, interaction, inspiration, and connection ensures attendees depart with enriched knowledge and revitalized purpose.

Live music invigorates any event, but Kleeman’s team does not merely take the stage between keynotes as performers and entertainers. They collaborate with event planners to fuse music and messaging by crafting songs tailored to the event’s theme and objectives. As they embed event-specific messages, takeaways, and anecdotes into the lyrics of each song, they reinforce key content and achieve enduring impact.

“We customize everything we do for each individual audience,” Kleeman explains. “A performance from Rock the C-Suite mixes rock music from identifiable icons like Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones with lyrics spot on for the audience, conference producers, and vendors. Magic happens when we customize the lyrics of classic rock songs with keywords and topics the audience relates to. It enhances the entire day’s communication and improves understanding, retention, and engagement. The emotional resonance becomes palpable!”

Kraig Kleeman Live connects with the crowd

Kleeman breathes life into events by sustaining a vibrant atmosphere, elevating the energy level, and connecting with the audience. His natural charisma infuses excitement into every event, especially during dance sequences when the entire crowd is fully engaged and on their feet.

Kleeman points to a rock legend’s insight to highlight the crucial connection between musician and crowd. In an interview with NPR, David Bowie said, “It’s becoming more about the audience. So from my standpoint, being an artist, I want to see what the new construction is between artist and audience.”

“We always draw attendees in,” Kleeman concludes. “For example, when someone in the audience has a birthday, our band sings a Beatles tune, and our dancers come out with sparklers and champagne. Those moments create a bond that takes corporate events and turns them into something that people are excited about.”

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Tags: #WheresTheFunny, business comedy, comedy, corporate comedy, Kraig Kleeman, Kraig Kleeman Live

About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.