Better Events

In this week's episode, Mary and Logan interview Neil Ratliff of City Cocktails, an event bartending company. We talk about what he wishes every event planner knew, how he feels about the amount of ice at events, and several other spicy hot takes. You'll laugh along with us and learn a few things about how you can level up your event beverage experience and avoid some of the common mistakes. SHOW...

This week on the Better Events podcast we take you on a guided tour through the ins and outs of event registration. Join us as we demystify the process, answering fundamental questions such as what event registration entails and which platforms and tools work best for seamless sign-ups. We'll dish out valuable advice on capturing the right information during registration, optimizing the process fo...

Join us for an exciting episode where we dive into the world of event fundraising and share expert insights. We'll reveal our favorite fundraising techniques, including raffles, selling items, jewelry grabs, and more. Plus, we'll share invaluable best practices and tips for post-event cultivation, ensuring your hard work pays off even after the event ends. Tune in and unlock the secrets to success...

In this special episode, we turn the tables and take on the challenge of answering 10 thought-provoking questions directly from ChatGPT. Join us as we dive deep into the world of event planning, sharing our insights, experiences, and strategies to navigate the chaos and deliver exceptional events. From handling unexpected emergencies to mastering the art of multitasking, this episode is a must-lis...

In this week's episode, Mary and Logan interview Julius Solaris of BoldPush to talk about how we can avoid overcomplicating our events. We tackle four different buckets from content and sponsorship and partnerships to logistics and teamwork and get Julius' take on how we can simplify our event processes. The interview includes are few controversial opinions, future event trends and diving into the...

This week we're talking all about how we build our event teams from full-time hires to selecting the right contractors and partners. Discover what we really mean when we say "event teams," and get the inside scoop on how we assemble our squads, whether through formal job descriptions or informal recruiting. We'll dish out the top qualities we look for in team members and reveal potential red flags...

Ever wonder where the event industry is heading? And how far we've come? In this week's episode, Logan & Mary make predictions for events in the next year and react to their predictions they made back in July 2022. They get some right and get others wrong but definitely have some fun and learning along the way. They also make a big announcement about the podcast happenings in the next year! SH...

This week on the podcast, Logan and Mary have some real talk about the realities of being your own boss, whether you're a freelancer, small business owner, or you work full-time. Join us as we tackle the no-holds-barred world of problems that keep entrepreneurs up at night, from dealing with unpredictable cash flow to juggling the never-ending demands of running a business. This episode is all abo...

We love sharing our favorite tips and tricks on the podcast and this week's episode is dedicated to sharing our favorite tools for events, business, tech, and for fun. Learn some of our favorite books, all-star items in our event kits, and other things that are making us happy (hint we threw some food and some music in there!) SHOW NOTES: Most of our favorites are linked below - some of the links...

In this week's episode, Logan and Mary are tackling the nitty-gritty of event planning and production, spilling the beans on how to dodge those all-too-common mistakes that can ruin your big day. We'll share our stories and workarounds for how to navigate those common pitfalls and create backup plans to set you up for success. Tune in and save yourself some serious headaches! SHOW NOTES: Join us o...

In this week's episode, Mary and Logan interview Icie all about his event: The Sitdown UK. We get into the details of how the event came to be, how he focuses on the guest experience, and some of his biggest challenges and secrets to success with this event. Learn more about what it's like to run your own event, the keys to learn and key lessons learned along the way. SHOW NOTES: Join us on Thursd...

In this week's episode, Mary and Logan bring you with them onsite for a glimpse behind the scenes at several events they've worked on these past few weeks. Learn more about what it's like to produce nonprofit fundraisers, work with sponsors loading in, and manage a general session, through the eyes of these two event producers. SHOW NOTES: Join us on Thursday, June 29th at Expo Pass' webinar about...

In this week's episode, Mary and Logan share the things they wish they could go back and tell their 18-year-old/20-year-old selves. They also share their lessons learned for people who are new to the event industry. The episode is filled with tidbits of career advice and a little bit of fun along the way. SHOW NOTES: Submit Your Questions for Future Episodes At: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTgd75jwZ8...

In this episode, we sit down with Hilary Laney of TPN to explore the event industry's unique challenges when it comes to managing stress. Hilary shares her experience of the moment when she realized stress management was crucial for her career and she provides strategies and practical tips to help event planners navigate the high-pressure environment of organizing successful events while prioritiz...

In this week's episode, Mary and Logan discuss one of the current challenges facing the event industry: staffing shortages. Learn more about what we've been seeing on the ground at events, what some of the reasons are and some of our proposed solutions for how you can keep working with the best in the business.. SHOW NOTES: Submit Your Questions for Future Episodes At: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTg...

In this week's episode, Mary and Logan share what's been top of mind for them as small business owners/freelancers: from learning lessons the hard way to late payments and learning about which event gigs to say yes to and which to say no. SHOW NOTES: Submit Your Questions for Future Episodes At: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTgd75jwZ8 MPI Cascadia 2023 Recap: The Future of Events (Episode 95): https:/...

In this week's episode, Mary and Logan break down what happens after they book an event client. Learn more about how they communicate with clients, what meetings are crucial for their event processes and what are their lessons learned. SHOW NOTES: Submit Your Questions for Future Episodes At: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTgd75jwZ8 —— Visit our new website at https://www.bettereventspod.com/ SUPPORT T...

This week, Logan Clements hosts a solo episode all about how to maximize your A/V (audio-visual) or production budget. She shares some of her top tips, common mistakes, and the pros and cons of working with in-house vs. external A/V teams. To learn more about her production work, visit her company online and across social media at Logan Strategy Group. SHOW NOTES: Visit Logan's website: https://ww...

In this week's episode, Logan interviews Mary and Laura Yarbrough-Lloyd about their latest retreat they hosted for their company Event Pros on the Go. Learn more about what makes the retreat different than a FAM trip, what their key takeaways are, and what's up next for the 2024 retreat. SHOW NOTES: Submit Your Questions for Future Episodes At: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTgd75jwZ8 DMC = Destination...

This week, Mary Davidson hosts a solo episode and shares her event pro tips and tricks for hosting a successful fundraising gala. To learn more about her and her fundraising tips and tricks at EP Events LLC. SHOW NOTES: Visit Mary's website: https://epevents.org/ Follow Mary on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maryrosedavidson/ Submit your questions: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTgd75jwZ8 Visit...

We are officially at 100 episodes of the Better Events podcast! To celebrate the milestone, we talk about the challenges and highlights of having a podcast and hear from you listeners about why you LOVE events! SHOW NOTES: Submit your questions: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTgd75jwZ8 Visit our new website at https://www.bettereventspod.com/ —— SUPPORT THE PODCAST: Buy us a coffee: https://www.buymeac...

This week, Mary and Logan talk into a tough topic: failure. But sometimes events or elements of events do fail and we dive into why that is, how we can do our part to avoid failure as event pros and how to recover when it happens. SHOW NOTES: 100th Episode Submission Form: https://forms.gle/WycG4uzoTgd75jwZ8 Visit our new website at https://www.bettereventspod.com/ Post-Event Wrap 101 (Episode 71)...

This week, Mary and Logan dive into what it's like to manage multiple events and projects at the same time. They walk through their processes for tracking all the to dos and deadlines, mistakes to avoid, and talk about how they balance their capacity. Learn more about how to find out the right number of events for you and the tools and tips that they use to stay on top of it all. SHOW NOTES: 100th...

In this week's episode of the Better Events podcast, we interview Sarah Shewey from Happily about how you can build a career as a freelancer. At Happily, Sarah leads a network of over 70,000 sustainable event producers, technologists, and creatives who create world-class virtual and live events. Learn more about how Sarah first started a freelancer, the jump from freelance to small business owner,...

One of the biggest challenges when you're getting started or maybe experiencing burn out as a business owner is knowing how to create a profitable business. In events, it's easy to assume all businesses are profitable. Mary and Logan break down what it means to be profitable, how we structure our businesses, and handling the unexpected (which at this point is expected in events). SHOW NOTES: 100th...