Every time I walk into the grand entrance at the Hilton Wembley, I feel a sense of excitement.
Next to the check-in desk are the signed shirts of teams who have won trophies in the famous stadium next door.
In the bar there’s memorabilia from world-famous acts who have performed on stage.
They sometimes even have an actual F1 car in reception!
The Hilton Wembley has been the home of our Expert Empires events since November 2018, so I’ve hosted a number of events there and had some amazing experiences.
And on Wednesday afternoon, I had that same sense of excitement… but for a very different reason.
I’d got tickets for me and my 12-year-old son Zak, to see England v Denmark in the semi-final of Euro 2020*
*I’m still saying it should technically be called Euro 2021, but apparently ‘officially’ it’s Euro 2020 – lol!
Now, for the non-football fans, I think I need to explain something…
I LOVE football.
Always have.
As a kid I idolised David Platt, and spent pretty much every waking moment playing football with my mates.
I’ve travelled all over the country and been to Wembley on numerous occasions to watch my beloved Aston Villa (albeit those trips often end in disappointment more often than victory!)
But for many years, one of my ‘bucket list’ items has been to go and watch England play in a major tournament.
So – England playing in the semi-final of a major tournament at Wembley was to good a chance to miss.
Of course, as England fans, we’ve been through some tough times.
Losing on pens to Germany in the semi-finals in 1990 and 1996.
Going out to Portugal in the quarter finals.
The semi final defeat to Croatia in 2018.
Sometimes we failed to qualify for tournaments altogether.
Basically, my 30+ years as an England fan has been a never ending cycle of hope and disappointment!
So, being at the game with my son on Wednesday night was an amazing experience.
Of course, watching England win and reach their first final in 55 years was something special.
But what was even more special, was the atmosphere.
From the second we walked out of the Hilton towards Wembley Way, crowds of fans were chanting, laughing, joking, cheering, and generally having a great time.
Before kick off, the national anthem was spine tingling.
When Denmark scored the place almost fell silent, but when the equaliser went in, the place erupted once again.
And when Harry Kane scored the winner (albeit luckily from a dodgy penalty, which he missed!) it felt like the roof was about to blow off the stadium!
After the final whistle we belted out ’Three Lions’ (Football’s Coming Home), Neil Diamond’s ’Sweet Caroline’ and that weird song about Southgate tuning us on lol.
When Denmark scored the place almost fell silent, but when the equaliser went in, the place erupted once again.
And when Harry Kane scored the winner (albeit luckily from a dodgy penalty, which he missed!) it felt like the roof was about to blow off the stadium!
After the final whistle we belted out ’Three Lions’ (Football’s Coming Home), Neil Diamond’s ’Sweet Caroline’ and that weird song about Southgate tuning us on lol.
Of course, everyone was ecstatic to be in the final.
But this was more than just celebration of winning a football match.
It felt like a collective release of emotion.
Like a celebration of life slowly getting back to normal.
After 18 months of restrictions and lockdowns, people were just so happy to be together.
To connect with others.
To be free.
On 2nd-3rd September I’ll be back at Wembley for the first live Expert Empires event in almost TWO YEARS.
And I promise, it will be another experience you’ll never forget.
If you’ve been to an EE before, you know the keynote presentations from our world-class speaker lineup are only a small part of the magic.
For me, the REAL magic is what happens outside the main room.
It’s the connections you make in the breaks.
The people you sit with at lunch and dinner.
The once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to meet and connect with our headline speakers.
…And of course, the (now infamous) EMPIRE PARTY!
Whilst every Expert Empires event we’ve hosted since 2017 has been special, I just get a feeling that this one is going to be EXTRA SPECIAL.
For the last 16 months we’ve been *starved* of human-to-human connection.
And whilst Zoom, social media, etc have certainly helped, it’s still been challenging to create and develop REAL business relationships.
Expert Empires represents the first real chance for UK-based Coaches, Consultants, Mentors, Speakers, Trainers, and other ‘Experts’ to connect, collaborate, learn from each other in a LIVE setting…
…AND (FINALLY) CELEBRATE FREEDOM!
This really does promise to be a truly unique event.
When you attend, you’ll be part of an exclusive group of people who have the chance to:
See Ed Mylett’s first EVER live UK keynote
Learn exactly how Lisa Johnson did a whopping $3.6m on her recent launch (this is Lisa’s first – and maybe only – live event appearance this year)
Attend Masterminds/private Q&A’s with selected speakers
Have lunch/dinner with me/my team, and get advice specific to you and your business
And lots more.
In summary, this event is going to be something special.
And, when everyone else is seeing posts about it on social media, you’ll be able to able to say:
“I was there”
Tickets to attend Expert Empires #MAXOUT are now on sale, click here to get all the event and ticket info.
Speak soon,
Nick James
