By Jeffrey Hayzlett
Attention is the game. And if you don’t know how to capture it, you don’t have a business, you’ve got background noise.
I recently sat down with Michael Williams, General Manager and Managing Director of SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, on All Business, and let me tell you this guy doesn’t just understand attention. He knows how to turn it into a full-blown movement.
And that’s the difference between brands that survive and brands that dominate.
It’s Not the View, It’s the Feeling
Let’s get something straight: New York City doesn’t need another observation deck.
You have the Empire State Building. You’ve got the Top of the Rock.
So why is SUMMIT One packed even during a blizzard?
Because they’re not selling the view. They’re selling an experience.
Michael said it best: a brand is one part expression, two parts experience. You can talk all day about what you are, but if you don’t deliver it consistently, you’re dead in the water.
At SUMMIT, every visit is different. Weather changes it. Time of day changes it. Even you change it. You’re not just looking at the city; you’re part of the story.
That’s how you create evangelists, not just customers.
Data Doesn’t Just Measure, It Drives
Here’s where most companies get it wrong: they collect data and then do nothing meaningful with it.
At SUMMIT, data drives everything.
They cap attendance not because they have to, but because they know the exact tipping point where a great experience turns into a crowded mess. They stagger entry times. They engineer flow.
That’s discipline.
Too many businesses chase revenue at the expense of experience. Michael and his team do the opposite and that’s exactly why the revenue follows.
Technology Isn’t the Experience
Let me say this loud for the people in the back: technology alone is not your experience.
Michael sees this mistake everywhere. Companies throw tech at a problem and call it “immersive.” That’s lazy.
At SUMMIT, technology enhances the experience, but it doesn’t define it. The real magic is giving people the freedom to create their own story.
Introvert? Extrovert? Doesn’t matter. The experience adapts to you.
That’s powerful.
Culture Is Built on the Ground Not in the Boardroom
One of the things that stood out to me most? The people.
Every single person at SUMMIT from security to maintenance understands the mission: deliver an exceptional experience.
And that doesn’t happen by accident.
Michael isn’t hiding behind a desk. He’s on the floor. He’s shaking hands. He’s setting the tone. That’s leadership.
If your front line doesn’t understand your brand, you don’t have a brand. You have a slogan.
Want to Scale? Start Here.
We talked about growth – global expansion, new markets, and new verticals. SUMMIT is heading to Paris next, and they’re doing it the right way.
Not by copying and pasting New York. By respecting the local culture and building a new experience around it.
That’s how you scale without diluting your brand.
The Bottom Line
Here’s what I took away from my conversation with Michael Williams:
If you’re not creating an experience worth talking about, you have missed the boat.
It’s not about what you say your brand is. It’s about what people feel when they interact with it.
You want attention? Earn it.
You want loyalty? Deliver it.
You want growth? Build something people can’t ignore.
Now get out there and make it happen.
Watch the full episode of All Business with Jeffrey Hayzlett, live from the New York Stock Exchange.
