Great Events

Now that in-person events are back in full force, it’s important to ensure our events are environmentally friendly. This is a great way to cut costs at your event while also doing your part to help keep waste from piling up in landfills. In this episode, Dave Biderman (https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-biderman-5135646/), former executive director and CEO of the Solid Waste Association of North Am...

The meetings industry has had to evolve over the past couple of years. Now more than ever, people are excited to get back to in-person events and continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. In honor of Global Meetings Industry Day, Paulina Giusti sits down with Mapreet Kaur (https://www.linkedin.com/in/manpreet-kaur-7829a321/?originalSubdomain=in), Director of Events and Cvent India, to re...

Jumping into the world of advertising can seem like a daunting task. With the wide variety of options at your fingertips, it can be hard to decide which approach will best suit your needs. In this episode, Silvio Perez (https://www.linkedin.com/in/silvio-perez/), Founder of AdConversion (https://www.adconversion.com/), discusses his perspective on entering the paid advertising scene and good pract...

Sales kick-off events can be a fantastic tool for setting your team up for a great sales year. However, knowing when to host the event and how to cultivate engagement is key to making the SKO as successful as possible. In this episode, Chris Kearney (https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-kearney-50317816), Senior Manager in Sales at Cvent, shares his take on why hosting your SKO in the first few month...

In honor of International Women's Day and Women’s History Month, Alyssa Peltier and Paulina Giusti share empowering stories of how they've achieved success, and how other women can continue to build confidence and create communities in their respective industries. International Women's Day celebrates the influence of women and their impact on society. Both Alyssa and Paulina have been supported by...

Is business travel really back? With whiplash from the pandemic and now an economic downturn, it doesn’t seem promising, but GBTA’s (https://www.gbta.org/) new CMO and former Cventer Kevin Fliess (https://www.linkedin.com/in/kfliess/) has a different opinion. A 25-year marketing and events veteran who’s worked in the travel, software, and technology sectors, he joins us to talk about trends he’s s...

The events industry is called upon to celebrate and bring attention to holidays throughout the year, Black History Month included. But amplifying black voices and promoting diversity in events and marketing cannot be reserved to one month. We have to be intentional about making it a permanent part of the planning process. Felicia Asiedu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/feliciaasiedu/), Cvent’s Senior...

Any expert knows to learn from their mistakes as well as their successes. In the end, it’s the only way to get better. Felicia Asiedu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/feliciaasiedu/) is one of those experts. As the Senior Marketing Manager in Europe, a Fast Forward 15 Ambassador of Diversity and Inclusion, and winner of the 2023 prestigious Cventer of the Year Award, she’s always looking to improve an...

It's harder than ever to break through the noise and get noticed. Moreover, with shrinking budgets and the rise in event costs this year, it truly seems like an impossible task. Patrick Smith (https://www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-smith-a5847/), Chief Marketing Officer and SVP at Cvent joins hosts Alyssa (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssapeltier/) and Rachel (https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachel-k-an...

The year is almost at an end, and predictions are as trendy as the trends themselves. And guess what? We’re jumping on the bandwagon. In this episode, we’re going to cover the meetings and event trends we’re excited about for 2023. This year, we’ve learned that event planners expect 83% more events than 2019, health and wellness isn’t going away, and there’s a renewed focus on ROI and sustainabili...

Betsy Pake, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bpake/) former Cventer and Subconscious Change Expert, is back! A big fan of the New Year, new beginnings, and Monday mornings, she’s a marketer and event professional who loves to reflect on successes and learn from failures. In this part two episode, she joins us for a discussion around uncovering the power of reflection and goal setting. Listen in as she...

We have control over our own thoughts. Betsy Pake (https://www.linkedin.com/in/bpake/), former Cventer and Subconscious Change Expert, believes our subconscious is powerful enough to drive change. Having forged a career as a change expert, she’s known for substantially altering her clients’ lives by shifting the way they think. In this episode, she and Paulina discuss human behavior and how to alt...

DEI is always going to be an important topic, but what’s missing right now is the focus on diverse leadership. This year at Cvent CONNECT Europe, we hosted our first-ever leadership summit. At the summit, we discussed some of those bigger trends in the industry. In one of the panels, we focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion with a sub-conversation centered on women in leadership. This episod...

What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas? Not this time! In this episode, hosts Paulina Giusti and Rachel Andrews are joined by Lisa Messina (https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisasmessina/), Chief Sales Officer at Las Vegas Convention and Visitor's Authority (https://www.lvcva.com/) (LVCVA). Lisa shares what she’s been up to since leaving Ceasar’s Entertainment (https://www.caesars.com/) and gives some in...

We’ve been talking about it for a while, but it’s time for Cvent employees to return to the office. In this episode, you’ll get to hear from all of your Great Events hosts, Alyssa, Rachel, and Paulina, as they discuss their return to the office and the employee engagement events that have kind of surrounded Cvent as a company. Tune in to learn more about the back-to-office trend and how to think a...

There are somewhere around 10,000 technologies in the market that a marketing operations professional has to look at, procure, and understand the value of before making a recommendation to the organization. It’s overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be if you think about it smartly. In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssapeltier/) talks with Christine Kelly (https:/...

Accessible technology is really changing the way we create events, especially for those who have disabilities. Not long ago, in-person events were inaccessible to people with certain disabilities. Now, with intention and technology, people are helping change this space for the better. In this episode, Stephen Cutchins, the Senior Product Manager of Accessibility at Cvent, joins hosts Alyssa and Pa...

Dreamforce. The ultimate event everyone wants to attend. For years they’ve set the gold standard of how to put on a great event and tie the Salesforce brand and marketing to make it seamless. In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier is joined by three guests at Cvent, Charlie Friend (https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleswfriend/), Mackenzie Regan, (https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenzieregan/) and Kevin...

Whether you’re planning a corporate retreat or someone’s dream wedding, when you connect with your client on a personal level, you’re better able to create an unforgettable event. In this episode, we’re joined by Bianca Cruz and Victoria Williams, Co-Founders of Pivot Productions (https://www.apivotproduction.com/). This duo has a background in corporate events but they shifted to the wedding indu...

Next level branding can be used to create a sense of community and even evoke emotions in attendees that stick with them long after they’ve headed home. In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssapeltier/) is joined by fellow Cventer Carisa Bartelt (https://www.linkedin.com/in/carisa-bartelt/) to reflect on their recent experiences at INBOUND. Both witnessed how HubSpo...

Marketing operations play a specific role in organizations, and especially events. So what does it take to be a good partner to the team, whether you’re a vendor or a part of the company? In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier is joined by Cvent guest-hosts Emily Dick and Carisa Bartelt. They speak with Darrell Alfonso, the Head of Global Marketing Operations for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and author...

The travel industry took a pretty big hit during the pandemic, but when it comes to events, it forced them to think outside the box and deliver what truly matters. In this episode, host Rachel Andrews is joined by Jess Hayes (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesshayes/), Senior Director of Digital and Growth Marketing Membership Operations at GBTA (https://www.gbta.org/) (Global Business Travel Associa...

The way people facilitate and execute great events are changing, especially when it comes to technology enhancements and innovation. On this episode, hosts Rachel Andrews, Paulina Giusti, and Alyssa Peltier are joined by Peter Gentile, VP of Sales from OVATION. OVATION is an event production agency focused on creating unique event programming in both the live and virtual settings. Listen in as the...

We’ve all heard the phrase, “It takes two to tango,” but have you ever thought of how it applies to sales and marketing? This year B2BSMX, a show usually attended by marketers, opened attendance to include sales professionals as well and show how the two departments can really work together when it comes to events. In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier is joined by two guests, Brian Ludwig (aka Lud...

The Corporate Event Marketers Association (CEMA) holds a conference each year with anywhere from 400 to 500 attendees. This year, hosts Alyssa Peltier and Paulina Giusti were able to attend for the first time, and they’re bringing all their learnings to the podcast. In this episode, Alyssa and Paulina share their biggest takeaways from the event, including digital experiences, thoughts on “the gre...