Fresh Takes: Events Unscripted

In high-pressure environments, staying calm is a leadership skill. In this episode of Fresh Takes: Events Unscripted, we sit down with Kristi Graham, a career executive assistant whose work spans finance, tech, higher education, and complex global organizations. Kristi has spent nearly three decades supporting leaders where pressure concentrates; executive calendars, major events, constant change,...

What role do live events play in an AI-driven world? In this episode of Fresh Takes: Events Unscripted, Kieran DiEmidio, Founder of 301 Walsh Events, shares why human-centered event design matters more as automation accelerates. With nearly 20 years of experience across tech, SaaS, and education, Kieran breaks down how intentional events create real connection, support sales alignment, and drive b...

In this episode of Fresh Takes: Events Unscripted, I chat with Pashara Black, the Director of Event Marketing at Fidelity Charitable. Pashara shares her unique journey from the Peace Corps to the forefront of event marketing, emphasizing the importance of empathy and creativity in creating meaningful connections. We discuss how her experiences have shaped her leadership style and the role of commu...

The Business of Memorable Exhibits: What Actually Works Trade shows have never been louder - yet the moments people remember are usually the quiet and intentional ones. In this episode, Jay Menashe unpacks what separates a booth from a real experience. We explore the shift toward emotion-led design, smarter ROI conversations, the chaos of load-ins, and how AI is shaping the future of experiential...

What if the real power of your event isn’t hiding in your spreadsheets… but in your attendees’ feelings? In this episode of Fresh Take: Events Unscripted, Jen sits down with the incomparable Liz Lathan - co-founder of Club Ichi, master gatherer, and the undisputed “What-If” queen of experiential marketing. And together, they flip the industry’s favorite question on its head: how do we measure succ...

In a world of doom-scrolling and AI noise, how do you design experiences people will choose to spend time on? Creative leader Scott Burns (SVP, Head of Creative, George P. Johnson) joins host Jen Selley to unpack where experiential marketing meets AI innovation - and why human connection is still the ultimate differentiator. He shares practical frameworks for value exchange, smarter pre-/post-even...