Marc Haine
Customer & Employee Experience Strategist
- Devon, Alberta, Canada / MT
- marchaine.com
- Elite Headline Speakers
“Today’s guest is Marc Haine, a Customer Experience Strategist, bestselling author of LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!, and Founder of Elite Headline Speakers. With over 30 years of experience, Marc helps leaders slow down just enough to design smarter journeys, ask better questions, and avoid costly missteps before they happen.”
10
Podcast Appearances
2
Podcasts Hosted
“Today’s guest is Marc Haine, a Customer Experience Strategist, bestselling author of LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!: Business Operational Excellence Through the Lens of Live Theatre, and Founder of Elite Headline Speakers. Marc works with entrepreneurs and business leaders who are building something meaningful—but often underestimate the experience they’re creating for customers, partners, and even themselves along the way. With over 30 years of experience working alongside business leaders and their teams, Marc helps people slow down just enough to design smarter journeys, ask better questions, and avoid costly missteps before they happen. He is the host of Marc Haine Live and Experience Leadership: The Small Business Podcast.”
Marc Haine is a Customer & Employee Experience Strategist, professional speaker, author, and the Founder of Elite Headline Speakers — a boutique speaker bureau built on one simple belief: booking the right speaker isn’t about star power, it’s about outcomes.
With more than 30 years in hospitality, retail, and customer-facing industries, Marc has lived the reality most leaders face: promoted because they were exceptional at the job… and then handed a team with little to no leadership training and a quiet “You’ve got this.” His work focuses on a truth many organizations learn the hard way: extraordinary experiences don’t happen by accident — they’re designed.
Marc is the bestselling author of LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!: Business Operational Excellence Through the Lens of Live Theatre, where he blends his background in operations, leadership, and live performance to show leaders how to choreograph culture, align teams, and create show-stopping results — without burning people out in the process.
As the founder of Elite Headline Speakers, Marc works closely with meeting planners and organizations to move beyond transactional speaker bookings. His approach begins with curiosity — clarifying the change leaders want to see in their people — then curating thought leaders who are aligned with the organization’s values, culture, and desired outcomes.
He works with organizations across Canada, the U.S., and internationally, supporting front-line leaders, middle managers, and business owners who are tired of firefighting and ready to build systems that actually stick. His sessions are known for being practical, story-driven, and refreshingly human — equal parts insight, laughter, and “That’s exactly us.”
In his spare time, when he manages to find some, you can catch Marc tossing a mean pizza, perfecting his sourdough, or even taking the stage as a stand-up comedian. He lives in the charming town of Devon, Alberta, with his wife and a lively menagerie of pets.
- Extraordinary customer and employee experiences don't happen by accident — they are deliberately designed, choreographed like a live theatre production.
- Most leaders were promoted because they were exceptional at doing the job — not because they were trained to lead. Marc helps bridge that critical gap.
- Culture is not taught — it's directed. When leaders act as directors instead of managers, teams perform at a level that surprises even themselves.
Your book draws fascinating parallels between live theatre and business operations. What inspired you to blend these two seemingly different worlds—and how does this analogy help hospitality leaders?
You talk about creating 'show-stopping experiences.' For a hotelier or restaurant manager, what does that actually look like in the day-to-day?
Chapter 3 of your book talks about 'setting the stage.' How important is environment and ambiance in shaping the customer experience—and what are leaders often overlooking?
In theatre, everyone knows their cue. But in hospitality, we often see 'ad libbing' at the cost of consistency. How can leaders instill operational choreography without stifling staff creativity?
One of your key ideas is 'Forever Boarding'—a fresh take on onboarding. Can you unpack what that is and why it's crucial in high-turnover industries like hospitality?
Many hospitality managers were promoted because they were great doers—not necessarily great leaders. What's your advice to business owners trying to support these 'incidental leaders'?
- What your audience will gain from this episode:
- Learn how to stop leaving customer & employee experiences to chance and start choreographing them intentionally — like a director on opening night.
- Discover how leading with empathy and purpose creates loyalty, retention, and team cohesion — the foundation of truly exceptional leadership.
- Understand Marc's revolutionary approach to ongoing onboarding that reduces turnover in high-churn industries by making every day feel like a great first day.
- Walk away with actionable frameworks to transform everyday operations into extraordinary, memorable experiences — for customers and employees alike.
LIGHTS! CAMERA! ACTION!
Business Operational Excellence Through the Lens of Live Theatre — available as a physical book and audiobook. Marc's bestselling guide to choreographing culture, aligning teams, and creating show-stopping results.
Complimentary Brainstorming Session
A complimentary 30-minute brainstorming session with Marc and your leadership team — explore the experience gaps in your organization at no cost.
Marc Haine Live
Marc's YouTube-based podcast bringing together leaders, creators, and disruptors to explore what it really takes to lead well in today's fast-moving world.
Experience Leadership: The Small Business Podcast
Marc's podcast dedicated to front-line leaders, middle managers, and small business owners who are ready to build systems that actually stick.
- Driving force behind the highly acclaimed TEDxDevon — the first global TEDx event in Devon, Alberta — bringing together 11 bold innovators, community leaders, and changemakers
- Founder of Elite Headline Speakers, a modern, planner-first speaker placement agency with a curated roster of values-aligned, high-impact speakers
- Host of two podcasts — Marc Haine Live and Experience Leadership: The Small Business Podcast — collectively earning 125,000+ views worldwide
- Proud recipient of the 2023 Community Spirit Award
- Co-founder and president of nonprofit organizations including Walk the Talks and East of 60 Productions Society
- Serves on the national board of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS)
- Committed Toastmaster since 2012; served as District 42 Toastmasters International Public Relations Manager
Marc has delivered keynotes, workshops, and presentations for organizations across Canada and internationally:
- Government of Alberta's Registry Service
- Alberta Association of Agricultural Societies
- Lions Club International
- Edmonton Chefs Federation
- Area 1 Frontier School Division (Northern Manitoba)
Contact us to connect with Marc for your show. Our team will handle the introduction — always free for podcast hosts.
We never charge podcast hosts.
Title
Customer & Employee Experience Strategist
Brand
Elite Headline Speakers
Location
Devon, Alberta, Canada / MT
Audience
3,773 LinkedIn · 1,440 YouTube
Availability
Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri — any time (MT)
website
marchaine.com
Bestselling book — physical and audiobook available. Business Operational Excellence Through the Lens of Live Theatre.
Ready to Book Marc for Your Show?
Our service is completely free for podcast hosts. We handle the introduction and make sure Marc is briefed and prepared for your audience.