Event Planner Confessions

Your attendees may have decided your event interests them long before they register. What happens between those two moments can reveal whether your marketing is giving them a compelling reason to commit. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Ashley Currin talks with Ken Holsinger, EVP of Industry Research & Insights at Freeman, about newly released research on the participant journey a...

A destination event should feel like more than a meeting that happens to be in another city. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara Pratt, Ashley Currin, and Sam Monroe explore how event planners can build a real sense of place into an attendee experience without relying on obvious themes or destination clichés. From creating an authentic Las Vegas experience for 10,000 attendees to tr...

Every event planner has a Plan B. But what happens when Plan B is not enough? In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara Pratt, Ashley Currin, and Sam Monroe share the behind-the-scenes contingency stories their attendees never saw. One indoor event was disrupted when a storm contributed to a generator failure and an electrical fire at the host hotel. Another required 500 attendees to be r...

Modernizing an experienced event team does not mean starting over. It means knowing what to preserve, what to change, and who needs to be involved earlier. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara Pratt talks with Dawn Wesley, Senior Manager of Agency Operations, Agency Awards and Recognition at Allstate, about team modernization, attendee experience, AI, supplier strategy, procurement,...

AI can generate content at extraordinary speed. It cannot recreate the trust, spontaneity, and shared memory of a live room. In Part 2 of this Event Planner Confessions conversation, Ashley Currin continues her discussion with Jimmy Knowles, Global Head of Experiential at Canva, about artificial intelligence, human connection, experiential marketing, and the future of live events. Jimmy explains w...

Canva is one of the world’s most recognizable digital platforms. Jimmy Knowles is responsible for making it something people can walk into, explore, and feel. In Part 1 of this Event Planner Confessions conversation, Ashley Currin sits down with Jimmy Knowles, Global Head of Experiential at Canva, to explore how creative careers are built and how digital-first brands can create meaningful real-wor...

More content is not always more valuable. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara Pratt talks with Tavar James, vice president of global events at Forrester, about why the company introduced shorter, more intimate Forums alongside its flagship Summits and shortened experiences across parts of the portfolio. Tavar shares how a listening tour with attendees, sponsors, clients, and interna...

Anaheim is one of the most recognizable destinations in the country, but recognition does not always lead to consideration. Visit Anaheim’s research found that roughly nine out of ten people knew the city, yet there was a 64 percent drop between awareness and the number of people who would consider bringing a meeting or convention there. The challenge was not getting people to recognize Anaheim. I...

Most event problems do not begin on-site. They begin much earlier, when expectations are misunderstood, important details are missed, or everyone leaves the same conversation with a different version of what was decided. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara sits down with executive coach Evan Roth to explore the communication and leadership skills event professionals need when the pr...

A packed calendar can look like ambition from the outside while quietly becoming the very thing that is burning you out. For event planners, every open space can quickly become another client call, site visit, internal meeting, networking event, travel block, or after-hours obligation. The work keeps getting done, but the margin disappears, the recovery time gets pushed aside, and eventually even...

Event gifting sounds simple until the wrong item ends up in a hotel trash can, the timeline gets compressed, or the planner realizes too late that “custom” does not mean “available tomorrow.” In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Sam sits down with Jamie Cohen and Jenn Allen to talk about what planners need to understand before they choose the next branded gift, swag item, or attendee acti...

Experiential design gets talked about constantly in the events industry, but too often it gets reduced to flashy activations, trendy tech, or “wow factor” moments that do not connect back to the reason people gathered in the first place. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Sam sits down with Michael Cirino, Founder and Chief Creative Officer of House of Attention, to unpack what experien...

Furniture is often treated like the last thing event planners figure out. But the right furniture can completely change how a room feels. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Ashley sits down with Sarah Bradley and Renee Pool from AFR Events to talk about the furniture company behind major events. From new event furniture collections to national-scale logistics, this conversation looks at...

Some event ideas feel impossible until the right creative partner figures out how to make them real. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Ashley sits down with Melis Feingold, Senior Director of Creative Partnerships at Cohera, to talk about the art of spotting what’s next in events and turning inspiration into live experiences. Melis shares how she pulls ideas from fashion, technology, a...

Planning an event is already hard. Planning one for a room full of event planners raises the stakes even more. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara, Sam, and Ashley go behind the scenes of Cohera’s inaugural “Imagine That” event and unpack what it takes to create an internal event for people who live and breathe meetings and events every day. From bringing nearly 400 employees togeth...

Event creativity in the DMC world isn't about copying Pinterest boards... it's about building something no one's ever seen before. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara Pratt sits down with Danny McMillan, Director of Design and Development at COA Orlando, to unpack what it really takes to stay creatively sharp when you're producing thousands of events a year. From his journey as an i...

In this episode, we sit down with Nicola, CEO of ELX — the exclusive community for senior event leaders at enterprise companies. Nicola shares her winding career path from incentive travel dreamer to leading one of the most talked-about communities in the events industry. We dig into what makes ELX different, why event leaders feel so isolated in their roles, and how Chatham House rules create a s...

Tony Lorenz has spent 30 years in the events industry — building a company from the ground up, selling to Freeman, leading PRA through 16 acquisitions, and now serving on the board at Cohera. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Tony shares how he scaled PRA from $65M to $200M, why the DMC category needs to move upstream, and how AI should be treated as a partner — not a replacement — for...

Join us for an insightful conversation with Ronnie Collins from Visit Anaheim as we explore what it takes to create truly engaging trade show experiences in today's distracted world. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, we dive deep into strategic booth design, the importance of experiential engagement over traditional swag, and how to maximize value during appointment-based shows like IM...

Join us for an honest conversation about the evolving landscape of industry conferences and trade shows. We're breaking down what really influences event attendance decisions—from the macro factors like budget constraints to the micro moments like unexpected traffic jams. 🔔 Love the podcast? Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe!

What does it really take to build culture that lasts in a 24/7 industry? In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, we sit down with Carrie Campbell, longtime hospitality leader and the force behind Evergreen, formerly Fenway Park Events. With 16 years of experience building teams, experiences, and trust inside one of the most iconic venues in the country, Carrie shares the lessons that shaped...

If the headlines feel chaotic, how do you figure out what is actually happening with the economy and what it means for your meetings? In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, host Cara sits down with Mike Dominguez (ALHI) to cut through the noise and translate big economic signals into practical, planner level decisions. From why the “story” about the economy often misses what the data is sho...

Struggling to figure out what to wear to your next company event or conference? Let’s talk about what actually works. In this episode of Event Planner Confessions, Cara Pratt, Ashley Currin, and Samantha Monroe break down what actually works when you’re attending events. From hair and makeup decisions to blazers, graphic tees, denim, all-black onsite looks, and the great sneaker debate, they share...

Convening Leaders isn’t just another conference. It’s a carefully designed experience that helps set the tone for the entire events industry year. Samantha Monroe and Ashley Currin sit down with Karla-Jean Zander, Director of Operations & Experience at PCMA, to break down what makes Convening Leaders stand out from intentional event design and first-timer experiences to education, wellness, an...

Event marketing is changing fast and relying on last year’s playbook is one of the quickest ways to fall behind. Ashley Currin and Jay Schwedelson unpack the most common pitfalls in event marketing, why routine tactics no longer deliver, and how small shifts in email, social, and video strategy can dramatically improve engagement. You’ll hear how to create campaigns that stand out, where to test n...