Best described as CEO of Fun, Jodi Harris is setting a striking instance of exemplary leadership. She is the CEO of Sight & Sound Events. You would be hard-pressed not to enjoy an event that Jodi is doing. She has an energy that is consistent with her job title. If you entrust your clients with Jodi they will have a ‘FUNtastic” experience.
In an interview conducted between Jodi Harris and CIO LOOK provides clients with superior service in entertainment enabling to build incredible experiences.
Below are the highlights of the interview:
What were the challenges you came across since founding the organization?
The challenge is that my industry, especially the DJ part is a very male-dominated industry. Also, Las Vegas is a very connected town and sometimes the best person for the job doesn’t always get the job. You are only as good as your last event.
Being an experienced business leader, what is your opinion regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on your industry? And how has your company managed to overcome this significant challenge?
COVID-19 DEVASTATED the event industry. I’m in the social gathering business NOT the social distancing business. Las Vegas is the entertainment and convention capital of the world and our business came to a screeching halt. Our company managed to overcome this challenge by addressing the concerns. We immediately put our COVID-19 safety procedures on our website and created a safety video. We also stayed consistent with our branding messages on social media that when you are ready, we’ll be here for you. Because of this, we picked up a new business with properties we never did business with before.
What is your thought on the necessity of a positive work culture? In what ways do you implement it at your organization?
Our company culture is that of family, positivity, and respect. Everyone in our organization truly cares about our clients and the importance of being part of their special day. We have quarterly retreats with our team taking them to fun locations around Vegas. We put fun photoshoots together. We’ve had a lot of ZOOM meetings too. We have a special FACEBOOK page set up just for our team.
In what ways have you or your contributed to the community? If given a chance, what change would you bring to help other companies?
Our company provides entertainment for 4 charities we work with. We provide entertainment for the American Cancer Society’s Annual Making Strides Against Breast Cancer event. Where in 2019, 30,000 Las Vegasans came out to raise money for the fight against Cancer. In 2020, we did a drive-thru event with 1000 cars. I am a rescue pet mom of 2 dogs, so the company’s 2nd community event is to help the local animal shelter by providing entertainment for fundraising and at pet adoptions. Our 3rd event is to support our US military by providing entertainment for our US Marine Corps Birthday Balls in November. We collect a small fee for our services. We also donated our services for the Las Vegas Wedding Chamber of Commerce event called ‘Vegas Marries the Military’.
The Vegas Marries the Military event provides free weddings with a group reception dinner for our military who want to get married. It’s in November in conjunction with the USMC birthday ball. Our 4th community event is working with the local colleges and hospitality schools teaching students about the business of hospitality and business. I would tell other businesses to find a local group you are passionate about and see what you can do to help out.
What would be your advice for aspiring and emerging women entrepreneurs in your industry?
My advice is to always be learning. Never settle no matter how long it takes or where you are in your journey. Networking is also the key to success and being consistent. Don’t take no for an answer. Find unique ways to connect with your passion.
Have you in any way contributed towards the cause of women empowerment.
Yes, I’ve spoken on many women business podcasts about being a woman entrepreneur and Disc Jockey too.
What people, what books, what life factors have influenced and impacted you?
In my early career, I had the honor of working for the late TV personality, Regis Philbin. Regis taught me a lot about being caring. If you truly care about people, you’ll be successful. Stephanie McMahon the Chief Brand Officer for WWE because she is a true woman in business making it happen. She’s the total picture of a woman who is well respected in a man’s world, a boss, giving back and having it all.
Books: CRUSH IT (Gary Vaynerchuk) and BIG MAGIC (Elizabeth Gilbert). ‘Crush it’ gave me inspiration on taking my business to new levels by making it cool to create content about what it is that I do. ‘Big Magic’ unleashed my creativity and made me realize that my crazy ideas are not that crazy after all.
