Events: Building Meaningful Connections

Anderson Williams: Welcome to Bigger. Stronger. Faster. the podcast exploring how Shore Capital Partners brings billion-dollar resources to the lower middle market space. In this episode, I talk with Julia Dilday, Head of Events at Shore Capital Partners and Jeff Williams, the Chief Operating Officer.

Led by Julia and her team Shore Capital invests an enormous amount of time, energy, and effort into hosting world-class events from our Executive Leadership Academy to Days with Shore to Operating Partner Summits and many more. But as Julia and Jeff share, it’s always with a laser focus on two overarching goals, building great relationships and learning from each other.

And to be clear, having fun helps both of those so we do that too. As you’ll hear, Shore events are fundamental not only to our founder friendly investor brand, but also to our investment strategy and the importance we place in finding the right partners, the best board members, and building the strongest possible Shore Capital team to support our collective success. It’s a pleasure with this episode to profile Julia and her team who have done so much to define the Shore Capital experience.

To get us started, will you just introduce yourself and say what you do here at Shore?

Julia Dilday: Sure. I’m Julia Dilday. I’m the head of events here at Shore Capital, and I’ve been in this role for three and a half years.

Jeff Williams: Jeff Williams serve as the Chief Operating Officer. Been here just shy of six years. So

Anderson Williams: Julia, what did you do before you came here and what brought you to Shore a private equity firm to be leading events?

Julia Dilday: So I had a bit of a winding path to Shore. I moved to Chicago to be an intern on the Oprah Winfrey Show back over 10 years ago. Ended up there four more years after my internship in production. Wound my way to a tech company with a serial entrepreneur who had his hands in a few different cool projects in Chicago. And while I was there, the COO of the firm was like “Oh, by the way, you’re in charge of the company’s holiday party.” I think we had 400 people at the firm at that time. And I was thinking, what me?

So, somehow found my way through that process and ended up taking on events full time. I moved over to a merchant bank in Chicago, BDT and Company, which was a wonderful experience, and then did freelance production for a while before ending up at Shore.

So, I came here, actually, I met Jeff through his wife and through former coworkers, heard about this little company, Shore Capital that was 70 people at the time and this brand new opportunity and was really interested and landed the job.

Anderson Williams: So Julia, just for anybody listening who might be surprised that there’s a private equity firm has their own head of events and that you came from a background, like you came from to do that at Shore Capital, give us some context for what events means at Shore.

Julia Dilday: So when I got here, Jeff and others were running events by committee, and I think they were realizing that events just couldn’t be a parttime job for someone on top of their regular role. For events here, we bring people together in all sorts of circumstances, so everything from board meetings to a huge annual Executive Leadership Academy for 600 people to four plus Operating Partner Summits a year.

We’re bringing in potential sellers and executives. We’re bringing in all of our various cohorts. So there’s tons of different groups and gatherings around the year, and really opportunities for us to create an environment where people can grow and learn and network. And there wasn’t someone doing that before I got here.

And so I was lucky enough to step into this role that I’ve been able to grow with that’s been able to grow with me and to create a team that is responsible for that. So I think they were really looking for one central department of the company that could really own that and could manage communications around it, manage planning.

And as we have grown, the task has gotten bigger and bigger. So we’re having to look further and further out for venues for communication, for just thinking about what our strategy is around events. And people have joked, we’re really an events company that does private equity as a side hustle. So, um, there are, especially during certain seasons of the year here, I mean, multiple events a week.

So it’s really part of our DNA. And I think a special part that makes Shore really different than other places that I’ve worked is how important events are, how seriously we take them. We make a serious business out of events, but still have fun doing it.

Jeff Williams: I think the other thing that Julia forgot to mention is that every year the events team puts on these wonderful experiences for people.

They keep raising the bar, and so part of the challenge of Julia and her team is how do you maintain and then level up every year for something bigger and better? Because all the finishing touches, all the details, all the, just the level of care they put into it. You can feel it every single day when you walk in.

That’s what impresses the heck outta me, is how do they continue to maintain that level and then how do they take it up a notch higher every year? It’s fascinating. It’s super hard to do and I think one other point, we’d love to have fun at our events. I think we’re a fun culture and a fun place at Shore, and anybody that walks in the door here I think gets that feeling.

And a lot of that comes from what Julia and our team have done, but it’s also a major offensive weapon and moat for us versus the marketplace. For example, we don’t bid on companies and open auctions like a lot of private equity funds. The way we find executives to hire businesses to partner with is literally knocking on doors and word of mouth.

And so all these wonderful events Julia and her team put on it is a key differentiator from a values perspective for LPs and for us personally. It allows us to achieve friendships, partnerships, executives meet amazing people, and amazing companies that we otherwise would not be able to.

It’s hard to talk a small business owner to put everything down and come to a day with Shore Capital. It’s hard to talk a, a world class CEO or CFO to stop everything and go to one of our executive networking events. They’re flying around the country, they’re taking time out of their day, and the reason why they want to do that is they heard these events that we put on are fantastic events to join in. There are a lot of fun professionally and personally.

And then everything these guys do from the moment the initial email goes out to the follow up bio books, to the run of show and the detailed agenda and all the different activities they put on throughout the day. The world class speakers that they’re able to bring in, it’s mind blowing the team here. You know, we’re not big, but we compete on an event perspective, toe to toe with anybody that I’ve come across.

Anderson Williams: I’m curious, Jeff, just to follow that up, what makes from your position from the CFO, CEO, COO, C-suite position, all the things that you’re a part of at Shore leadership level, what makes a successful event for Shore?

Jeff Williams: There’s a few things, but if I had someone been one thing, it’s having an attendee seek me out personally with a smile on their face and say, wow, that was awesome. I can’t wait to get to know you guys more. If this is how you put on our initial meet and greet event, and this is how you treat people in that environment, I can’t wait to see what’s next.

Anderson Williams: And what about you, Julia? From the insider’s perspective, from leading these events, what makes a successful event for you?

Julia Dilday: One of my colleagues and I were talking about this earlier, a former boss of ours used to say love is in the details. So I think it’s really about doing the little things right every single time. Because if you spell someone’s name wrong, they aren’t gonna remember if the event was great, they’re gonna think like, oh, that’s a little sloppy.

I think everyone is looking for where do I need to be? What do I need to do?

Did I pack the right attire? And who can I find in this room who I know, or who looks like a friendly face? So I think if we can really just be there and be able to anticipate people’s needs from the very beginnings.

Sending out the invitation and being able to be on the other end when someone has a personal question to ask about their itinerary or being able to be onsite there and be a friendly face and say, oh, Anderson, thank you so much remind me who invited you? Jeff Williams, he’s right across, let me go over and take you there.

And just creating those opportunities because I think there are very few people who like to walk into a room full of strangers and think, uhoh, what do I do next? I think our team really strives to be hosts and we have everyone at Shore who steps in and acts as hosts, no matter whether it’s your invitee or not.

So I think just creating the environment and setting the stage and the tone where like, everyone’s welcome. It’s a fun event. There’s no need to be stressed out about it. Like, we’ll take care of all the details. You come and just enjoy yourself. Network. Have some fun experiences. It doesn’t have to be that serious.

Anderson Williams: Well, I think what’s interesting about what you both have described is that even if you have a fantastic keynote speaker, or you’ve got the biggest stage with the best lights, if somebody’s frustrated about how they get their lunch or what room they’re supposed to be in, that’s the part they’re gonna remember about this experience. And so it is just all encompassing.

Anderson Williams: So I’m curious, your team, say more about the team you have built and are building to pull these things off the way that you do.

Julia Dilday: Sure. I’m part of a team of four full-time employees on the events team. We have three other women who serve on the events team in different roles.

We also have what I like to call a full-time freelancer in our colleague Ellie, who does all of the digital assets. We have casually called it Shore Capital Productions, but we’ve started to create all the onstage content, produce different videos, record what’s on stage, produce sizzle videography in the aftermath of these events.

So she is a really core part of our team as well. Then we work really closely. We’re so lucky to have the admin team at Shore who steps in to support all of these events and you know, rolls up their sleeves and they’re always there to help. Same with our Chief of Staff Max. So we have a collaborative relationship with a lot of different departments at Shore who really step in and support, especially our large scale events.

And then on top of that, where we need to, which is frequently now, we rely on a lot of external vendors. So we have created great partnerships with small production companies. Event production companies, AV companies, photographers, videographers, graphic designers, motion designers. So it really takes a village.

Anderson Williams: Well, I think it goes back to something, Jeff, you said about this being a relationship builder with people who may become a lead independent director who may become a board member who may become a partner in the future, and it’s representing that first impression of Shore to those people.

I’m curious, Jeff, once a company decides. To be a part of Shore or any of those other roles, a board member, lead independent director. Once you decided to join the Shore family, what’s the impact of those events once you’re sort of in the ecosystem?

Jeff Williams: I think when somebody joins the Shore Network, the Shore family is part of the Shore business system. I think one key differentiator. They come in and then they tell their network, their friends, their potential companies they want us to meet and partner with and so on. And they can say that with the confidence that we will deliver, we will make it a, you know, a wonderful dazzling experience for them from the moment that they meet Julia and her team or anybody else in the investment team all the way through from when they arrive at an event while they’re at the event.

And then when they leave the event, the follow up, the communication after the event is just fantastic. So I think when people join our network and our family through their own experiences and through confidence in us. They can trust us that we’re not gonna let them down when they’re talking about Shore Capital open or freely in their circles.

Anderson Williams: And I’m curious, you can imagine a company putting on a lot of events that are intended to be real dazzling and real spectacular, and the word junket comes to mind and it’s like, let’s go spend a lot of money and throw a big party and it doesn’t have a lot of meaning. One of the things that I think is remarkable about this, in addition to what you were describing about the relationship building intent is also the learning side. That’s really a part of pretty much every event that Shore does.

Julia, will you talk a little bit about that side of creating an event where it’s not just a party, it’s a learning event as well?

Julia Dilday: Definitely for the last three years. Now going on fourth, I’ve worked on the Executive Leadership Academy and I think for sure that’s really like the crowning jewel.

That is the event where you come in as an executive for three days and it is jam packed, not only with the social experiences as you said, but you’re sitting in a room with a network of your peers and you’re listening to world class speakers on stage, but then you’re also getting together in different variations of cohorts with others who you might have something in common with because of the role you do or the stage your company is at.

And we try to be really thoughtful about bringing in those speakers. And that’s not just my team, but that’s the entire Shore network I think is great at referring people who have really impacted them, who they’ve seen on stage, or who’ve been their professor when they were in grad school.

And so we try to incorporate an element of learning there. I think at our Operating Partner Summits, one thing that’s nice is we bring in one great speaker, and a lot of times they have a sports background, which is really popular here, and we have learned a lot from various veteran athletes, let’s say, who’ve taken the stage but also are working in business or private equity themselves.

And then at Day with Shore, which is one of our go-to events, or one of our marquee events, I should. Say where we bring in potential sellers and executives and others who are interested in working with the company. I think that the really interesting and fantastic thing about the feeling in that room is it is a lot of people who have been in the shoes of those who are attending.

And so the opportunity to learn from other people’s experiences, to be able to ask them with the door shut, “Hey, what’s it really like to work in private equity? What’s it really like to work with Shore?” We create those opportunities for people to ask those questions, and we’ve just set the stage by bringing in great people who’ve been our partners.

We’re not prescriptive about the syllabus, you know, and I think that those sort of organic connections, organic opportunities for growth and for learning are popular and make our events special.

Jeff Williams: When I think about the Day with Shore Capital and what Julia and her team really the whole firm marches towards is we bring in people that are probably being sought after by other private equity funds or other businesses in some form of combination or another.

So they’re used to, I would say, an outreach situation. I think what they’re not used to is us bringing them in. In a fairly small group. We do it three times a year and we explain a little bit about Shore and what we think makes us different on stage, a little bit about how we have a large operational team that makes us different than a lot of funds and so on.

But where I’ve gotten some of the strongest feedback is towards the end of the session. It’s generally about an hour, hour and a half. We tell them, all right, everyone from Shore Capital or who is very close to Shore Capital is leaving the room. We’re gonna leave five or six people that were in your shoes not long ago, 3, 4, 5, 6 years ago, and they decided to partner with Shore.

And we want to get outta the room, let them stand on stage, and it’s. Nothing’s off the table. You can ask them anything. And sometimes those go an hour, sometimes they go almost three hours. And to my knowledge, I don’t know of any other firm out there that is that comfortable being that transparent and open where we just leave the room, leave people on stage, and they can ask whatever they want.

The outcome is they come away with, I think, a realization that, you know, we’re an honest firm, we’re a transparent firm, and they help coach them through what it was like when they first decided with Shore Capital, and it’s the environment that Julia and her team create that allows for this.

Anderson Williams: Jeff, I’m curious for you, and then I’ll give you some time to think on it, Julia, but is there an anecdote, a story, a connection, one of those relationships, one of those learning moments from your time here that really captures what the value of putting these kinds of events together, what it really is?

Jeff Williams: I think what Julia and her team do that’s really exciting for me is, and we’ve said this in the past, a couple things. One is, where can you get together with friends either once a year at the holiday party or four times a year at a board meeting? Where else in your life do you have that opportunity? Outside of family, but just purely friends.

The older we get, the more busy we get with life and work and so on, that becomes harder and harder. And so when I think about what the team offers us the ability to do internally, it makes those moments even more special. When you put on a fantastic holiday party and a great video that kind of caps off the year and allows us a minute to stop and just pause on what’s been going on the last year and sort of enjoy the moment, enjoy the journey, not just be completely laser focused on in five years and 10 years and 15 years.

But wow, the last 12 months have been a lot of fun and hard. But a lot of fun. And those videos and those events allow us a moment together to sort of cherish that and take a moment and appreciate it and stop for a second. Yeah, and I love that.

Anderson Williams: And what about you, Julia? What stands out to you?

Julia Dilday: Oh my gosh.

I just calculated today, I think we do about 190 a year. So 190 times, three and a half. I would say that’s like conservative. We do. The biggest part of that is our board meetings, and so we do 160 plus board meetings a year, three quarters of which are hosted in Chicago and the other quarter out of state.

Those all involve a dinner and so that you can imagine that the logistics add up there. Thanks to our team for being responsible for those. But then we do 25 or so core events a year. So those are events of one to three days with anywhere from 30 people at a dinner to 600 people at the Executive Leadership Academy, or 175 at the Operating Partner Summit.

So it’s fun to look back and reflect. I was surprised by that number myself.

Anderson Williams: I’m like, it’s a pretty shocking number, I’m not gonna lie.

Julia Dilday: Yes, it is.

Anderson Williams: So my question becomes a little bit more complicated probably than I intended. What stands out to you in all of those experiences? Is there a story or a couple of stories or a moment that you’re like, yeah, that’s what this is really all about?

Julia Dilday: I think my mind goes to the times I can take a deep breath and relax when most of the event is over. So I think I tend to reflect and like stand back and look and think, oh my gosh, look what started as this little idea of a potential event in this city. How are we gonna bring 300 plus people there and what are we gonna do with them for three days?

I think stepping back at the end and just seeing how things have all come together, like that’s my wow moment. That’s what I take away. I mean there have been really special times. I’m a country music fan and you guys are based in Nashville. So when we’ve done the Operating Partner Summits there in the past, we have these amazing in the rounds with singer songwriters who are on stage and we’re sitting in the country Music Hall of Fame and the person who you know wrote Zach Brown Band’s Best Hits is singing to you acapella.

And I think is everyone else singing? This is as cool as I am. It’s sometimes those moments sort of near the end of an event where I step back and think, wow, this is really special. But I also think there are things that are smaller, like smaller moments, like a Day with Shore. So we started this series in 2021, and we had some people who attended who are now some of our most successful CEOs who are back on the stage telling people about themselves partnering with Shore.

I think one place that my team’s so lucky is when people come in, you forget. They only know the person who invited them and maybe the person on the events team. That’s it. So to get a chance to sort of develop those relationships and be on the front lines of how they’re receiving the company and how they’re experiencing Shore and maybe be a part of the beginning of their journey like that for me is really special.

Anderson Williams: What haven’t I asked or what haven’t you said about events, about the team, about the role at Shore? About the impact, about the importance that I should have or that you want to get on the record for us as we pull this thing together?

Jeff Williams: This team, the way they lean in and own it, I mean, how important they’re to Shore, and I know they’re super important externally and client facing, if you will, or partnership facing, but the impact they have, I think on the other roughly 175 people here that are not on the specific events team is really hard to articulate. It’s a huge positive event to our team at Shore, not only to help them do their job and form partnerships and executives and so on, but. Just they level up the mood at Shore.

I think they make people feel special. They make people feel good when they walk in the door, whether it’s just at work or getting the update every Monday on what’s going on. They cast a wonderful mood throughout the firm and you can’t really hire that. It’s not on a resume. It’s not something that’s easily described and you just really know it when you feel it and see it. And I think that’s what Julia’s leadership, that’s what she’s done here at Shore over the last few years.

Anderson Williams: If you enjoyed this episode, be sure and check out our other Bigger. Stronger. Faster. episodes, as well as our Microcap Moments and Everyday Heroes series at www.shorecp.university/podcasts, or anywhere you get your. This podcast was produced by Shore Capital Partners with story and narration by Anderson Williams. Recording and editing by Austin Johnson, editing by Reel Audiobooks, sound Design, mixing and Mastering by Mark Galup of Reel Audiobooks.

Special thanks to Julia Dilday and Jeff Williams.

This podcast is The Property of Shore Capital Partners, LLC. None of the content herein is investment advice and offer of investment advisory services, nor a recommendation or offer relating to any security. See the terms of use page on the Shore Capital website for other important information.