Sam McNeill, 31, works in London as general manager at SongDivision U.K./Europe. As a 2017 40 Under 40 honoree, McNeill discusses his passion for the events industry.
*Connect with McNeill on Twitter and Instagram.What I do: I am responsible for the sales, design and delivery of all our events across the U.K. and Europe. SongDivision helps organizations communicate their event messages by delivering unique, interactive and engaging songwriting experiences with help from musicians who tour and record with acts like Sting, Michael Buble and Beyonce. We call it teambuilding disguised as a rock concert. Within my role at SongDivision, I am also an in-demand emcee, facilitator, keynote speaker, singer and global party starter!
How I got here: After finishing my degree in classical voice in 2007, Andy Sharpe (SongDivision founder) saw me performing in Sydney and asked if I would help with a large event with Microsoft. I fell in love with the concept and asked how I could get more involved. From there I worked my way up the Australian office before Andy asked me to move to London and help him set up in the U.K. and Europe.
My greatest career accomplishment: Bringing heart and soul to meetings and events around the world using the power of music, and helping connect people from all walks of life, from CEOs to cancer survivors, Fortune 500 employees to disadvantaged kids. That—and being kissed onstage by Sir Richard Branson!
Impressive stats: I have delivered more than 300 events throughout Australia, the U.K., Europe, New Zealand, Asia, the Middle East and the United States for leading organizations. I grew the turnover for our Australia business 50 percent per year for three years in a row, and have already beaten first-year targets for the U.K. and Europe launch.
A specific improvement I’ve made for a client’s program or the meetings industry in general: In April 2016, I facilitated the world’s first live, online, interactive songwriting experience via Periscope and Facebook, where a completely original song was created by the meetings industry about the meetings industry. The event was part of a SongDivision campaign to create a Global Meetings Industry Day anthem. Participants were able to vote on the genre and submit lyrics online while watching the whole thing be brought to life in real time by musicians who have toured and recorded with artists like Adele, Prince and Justin Timberlake. The song (which has since had thousands of views online) was used by industry heavyweights such as Caesars to celebrate GMID2016 and this year will see the release of a follow-up video clip featuring performances from MPI, IMEX, MCI and Maritz Global Events.
What I’m working on: I’m excited to add to the 30-plus countries SongDivision has already worked in, along with launching our new offering, the InstaHit, where our amazing musicians write songs for trade shows and special events in just three minutes.
Five phrases that identify me: Passionate producer; host with the most; constant connector; bringer-of-sunshine; storyteller
What I do outside of work: Music: watching it, performing it and recording it!
