Great Events

Today we are joined by Fay Sharpe founder of the not for profit organization Fast Forward 15 in the UK. After founding a meetings and events company and completing her life's goal, Fay found herself wanting to give back to the women in the events industry by setting up a mentoring program under Fast Forward 15. Taken from her many years of experience, Fay shares her advice on what you should focus...

In this episode we are joined by McNeel Keenan, Vice President of Product Management at Cvent who gives us a sneak peek into the five ways to drive leads at virtual trade shows. Join us in this episode as McNeel Keenan touches on how we can use trade shows to connect with customers and prospects even during a shift from in-person to virtual events. Learn new, creative ways to connect with your sal...

It's been shown that employees and customers really appreciate having a charitable component to events. Organizations like GlobalGiving help connect nonprofits, donors, and companies. Kayla O'Neill and Scott Williams with GlobalGiving share several ways their clients have utilized charitable giving at their events such as attendees earning points, using branded gift cards, and more. Listen in to h...

In this episode, Brooke and Cody sit down with Jeffrey Emenecker, Senior Director of Analytics at Cvent, to talk about the exciting data he uncovered on his monthly global webinar. Hoteliers won’t want to miss this! Jeffrey also touched on how hoteliers should think about their reopening strategy, his prediction with the future of hybrid events at hotel venues, and so much more! Make sure to tune...

In this special edition podcast episode, we are joined by Cvent's own Kim Segal, Senior Principle Account Manager, to chat about her top tips on how to spend your free time right now. Hear how you can go to the zoo, an aquarium, museums, and even have books read to you virtually. Listen in to take advantage of the plethora of free virtual content available right now that has never been available b...

As part of our Career Planning series, we are discussing tips to dig in to unique skill sets that are relevant to event professionals during these times. Joining us today to discuss this topic is Paulina Curto & Amanda Greenspan-DSouza who are on the Global Meetings Management Team here at Cvent. Paulina and Amanda share 4 skills that planners can learn now to enhance their resumes and help with t...

Brooke and Cody are joined today by Sherrif Karamat, President and CEO at PCMA, to talk about the benefits of embracing digital and how he's seeing an increased collaboration in the hospitality industry. We discuss everything from the relationship between the planner and supplier, to PCMA's approach to helping through COVID situations. Sheriff also shares the emerging trends he believes we will se...

Even before the events world pivoted to a virtual platform, the Women in Leadership (WIL) initiative at Cvent has been successfully conducting virtual meetings since last year. Today we are joined by WIL Coordinator, Amanda Greenspan-Dsouza & Taylor Wertheimer, WIL guest speaker, as they share their advice for anyone doing a virtual presentation. They even share how they've been successfully manag...

Finding a new job can be a full time job. But in today's podcast, we help narrow down what specifically you can do to be more appealing to an employer. Today we are joined by Tracy Judge, Founder and Chief Connector at Soundings Connect, and Matt Syme, Lead Corporate Recruiter at Cvent to discuss how to enhance your skills and beef up your resume. Matt and Tracy share what employers are looking fo...

It's no secret that music can bring back memories of exactly where you were at any point in time. But how can music help compliment your events? In this special edition podcast we are joined by Sam McNeil & John Lambardo with SongDivision to teach us about the science behind music to engage your attendees/employees and unify corporate culture. As a special treat, Sam and John create and perform a...

If you have been looking for a new way to boost your events and realize true engagement, then today's podcast is for you! Brooke and Cody sit down with Cindy Lo, CEO of Red Velvet Events, to get her take on utilizing gamification for events and how you can then track your ROI. Cindy also shares her advice for getting exhibitors and sponsors to interact with attendees on a virtual level. From exhib...

Developing and maintaining quality employee engagement is the theme of today's podcast. We are joined by Shannon Harrison who worked for a Fintech Company and like many other event planners was tasked with finding ways to keep internal employees engaged while working from home. Shannon shares what skills she leveraged from the event planner world to get colleagues engaging with one another. Free a...

In the past several weeks, we've had to quickly adapt to virtual events. Because of their strong focus on virtual events, planners have innovated the events industry by pioneering new event technologies and strategies. Jill Dasher with HPN Global and Phil Sings with Federal Conference join us today to share how they have innovated their events. In the conversation, Jill and Phil express the import...

CrowdCompass has been an integral part of many in-person events. But how is it possible to utilize an event mobile app during this time without in-person events? Linda Meunier and Jennifer Sosiewicz from Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits share some incredible tips on using the CrowdCompass app for more than just events! Using the app, they are able to keep their employees engaged and connected while e...

On this episode we chat with the Dynamic Duo, Jamie Lakin, with O2 Events, and Mike Baugh, with Pink Monkey Studio. Jamie and Mike provide their perspective of being an event producer during this time. The reality of going from a jam packed schedule to nothing, hit hard. Yet during this time, Jamie provides her top tips to building revenue in today's market. Hear how Jamie found inspiration to tak...

How will we know when recovery is beginning? What will be the first signs that in-person meetings can make a come-back? We sat down with Don Welsh, CEO of Destinations International, to discuss just that. Hear how a 100 year old organization is continuing to engage with their members and the hotel community. Whether as a planner or tourist, get the expert opinion on what to do if you're considerin...

This special episode of the podcast features Brenda Ainsburg, the App Ninja and Channel Program Manager at Siemens. During this downtime, Brenda puts an emphasis on the importance of leveraging your contracts and staying connected with your attendees. She shares the best resources and methods to keep in touch with attendees even if your event has gone virtual. It is especially important to make yo...

Brooke and Cody are joined (virtually) by Techwell president, Alison Wade, who talks about the current events landscape, how to use technology, and how she managed to pivot an in-person event to virtual in just ten days! Apart from her tips and tricks on how to execute an engaging virtual event, Alison also talks about the advantages and cost benefits of hosting a virtual event. She also shares he...

Adapt, Evolve, and Accelerate! This is the mantra of our guest Patrick Smith, Senior VP and CMO at Cvent. Join us as Patrick discusses what the future looks like for in-person events and how you can accelerate by threading virtual events in to your event program. Patrick also provides useful insight into how Cvent Social Tables can provide event planners a virtual site visit to help them get ahead...

See how a non-profit membership organization adpated their 5,000 person event to a virtual platform with a virtual exhibit hall, in just 1 week. Hear Danny Silva, Director of Technology Integration with CUE, share how he switched up his events, overcame the hiccups, and gained success along the way. Additional Resources (https://explore.cvent.com/c/risk-management-for-?x=g2Layu&lb_email={{lead. Em...

Allison Monro, CMO at Vena Solutions, discusses how pivoting her company’s team user conference from in-person to virtual in a few weeks started by thinking about their audience. From reimagining the experience for a new medium to finding the right tools to bring a virtual conference to life, she walks us through the excitement of aligning stakeholders to recreate a virtual event focused on engage...

We sat down with Paul Van Deventer, MPI’s own President and CEO, to talk about how he is adapting to the new climate the events industry is now living in. He shares his experience and great positive outlook for the future. Tune in! Paul Van Deventer, President and CEO, Meeting Professionals International mpi.org/trustedresources (https://www.mpi.org/tools/coronavirus) Additional Resources (https:/...

Kerry Lambert, Senior Director of Strategic Accounts, Cvent Kelli Kopec, Manager, Product Marketing, Cvent In times of crisis, managing communication with strategic partners and vendors becomes critical. Now more than ever is the time for event planners and hoteliers to align and work together. We’ll take a look at both perspectives and provide insights into how these two groups can coordinate and...

Will Curran, Chief Event Einstein, Endless Events Many in-person events must currently be transitioned to virtual events. But quickly executing this change poses a number of pitfalls even for seasoned event pros. Learn how you can be victorious with your virtual events with tips and tricks from Will Curran, Chief Event Einstein at Endless Events. More Resources [How to Turn Your Event Virtual: ] (...

When thinking about branded gear for your event, what do you hope to get out of it? More importantly, what do your attendees hope to get out of it? Are you bored already? Don’t be! Today’s episode of How Great Events Happen is all about branded gear and the exciting options and strategies that are available. Todd Frankford is Vice President of Business Development at GNP Branded gear, and he has s...