Author:
Megan (Sweeney) Schafer, Group Account Director
If you're not emotionally invested, others will feel it—and they won't be either.
That idea has been my North Star throughout more than a decade in experiential marketing. I’ve learned that passion, curiosity, and conviction aren’t just soft skills—they’re strategic assets. When you’re building experiences that move people, you have to start with what moves you.
From Elite Athlete to Account Lead
Before joining OBE in 2013, I spent my life chasing excellence—on the field, in the pool, and on the ice track. Growing up, I was a competitive swimmer and varsity soccer player. I earned a second-degree black belt and medaled at the Junior Olympics. However, my biggest accomplishment during my athletic career was competing for Team USA in the sport of Luge at the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games in 2010.
That high-performance mindset—disciplined, focused, and always chasing the next challenge—shaped how I approached my career. I didn’t start in experiential marketing. In fact, I didn’t even know what it was until I found myself in a random conversation with someone who would become my next boss, while out with my friends in San Francisco. That spark of curiosity led to an interview with OBE and changed the trajectory of my life (and my career).
Be Curious
Curiosity is how it all started for me. That one conversation ignited something that led me to a career I didn’t know existed. It taught me that asking questions—genuinely, relentlessly—is the best way to unlock what’s next.
Be Open to Everything
In my early days at OBE as an Account Manager, I stretched into a parking duty role at Alice Radio's Now and Zen musical festival in San Francisco. That experience taught me about logistics, crowd control, and the realities of production that I still draw on today. This is just one example of how stepping outside of your “official” role can accelerate your growth. It reminded me that titles are temporary, but skills are lasting. Every new task—whether glamorous or gritty—shapes the way you think, problem-solve, and show up for your team.
Being open to everything means saying yes when the opportunity doesn’t look like it belongs on your resume. Every opportunity, no matter how small, is a classroom if you let it be.
Find What Lights Your Fire
The work that energizes you will guide your growth. Are you drawn to a certain industry, a creative challenge, or a particular kind of client problem? When I’m in the flow—solving problems creatively, navigating tough feedback, collaborating across teams—I’m energized. That’s when I know I’m in the right place.
Keep Learning and Challenging Yourself
One of the best things you can do in this business is keep saying yes. Say yes to the tough assignments. Say yes to the unknown. That’s how you stretch your muscles and expand your toolkit. Growth rarely happens in your comfort zone, and the more you lean into challenges, the more prepared you are for the next one.
And just as important as the challenges you take on are the people you surround yourself with. Living by the old saying, “Never be the smartest one in the room,” means putting yourself in environments where others inspire you to think differently and raise the bar. When you combine saying yes to new opportunities with learning from people who push you forward, you create the conditions for continuous growth.
Do What You Believe In
Lead with conviction. Passion is contagious. Research even shows that emotions are socially transmissible. If you're truly excited about the work, the team and the audience will feel it. If you’re just going through the motions, they’ll feel that too.
As psychologists describe in the science of emotional contagion, “emotions are ‘caught’ by others... within milliseconds.” That applies just as much to consumer events as it does to everyday conversations. If you show up with heart, it becomes the heartbeat of the experience.
In the End, It's About Purpose
Great experiential marketing isn’t just about logistics or visuals or innovation—it’s about emotional resonance. That only happens when the people behind the work are personally invested. When you care, it shows. And when it shows, it sticks.