Skift Meetings Podcast

Jaimé Bennett, Managing Director EMEA at PCMA and also Managing Director for EMA-UK, discusses the value of starting with 'Why' when it comes to event planning and design; the importance creating a safe and welcoming environment at events; the challenges of doing business across regions with multiple countries and cultures; the need for consolidation in business events, that will lead to a more su...

Scott Beck, incoming president and CEO of San Francisco Travel Association, discusses the challenges he will have to overcome as president and CEO of San Francisco, a city that has not fully recovered from the pandemic. The importance of content and his goal of attracting conventions that feature thought leaders across industries. How the three cities he has worked with have understood the importa...

Thuy Diep, senior meeting planner at CWT Meetings & Events, discusses her recipe for sustainable personal success in the events industry. She covers what makes event people special, working from a starting point of how you want attendees to feel, how reframing our language defines our point of view and impacts our actions, why planners need to be better attendees, and why communication and collabo...

Simon Thewlis, managing director of Event Pty, discusses the challenges faced by the Australian events sector, the debacle of the Commonwealth Games, and the need for governments and politicians to understand the events industry. Subscribe to ensure you don't miss an episode of the Skift Meetings Podcast. Skift Meetings is defining the future of business events. Visit our website for the latest ne...

Kelly Cavers, chief sales officer for Discover The Palm Beaches, discusses The Palm Beaches' long history of hospitality, what it means to be a great host, what genuine hospitality is and why it is important, creating welcoming environments where everyone is made to feel welcome, how connecting meetings and events with DEI initiatives makes a real difference, and the importance of what happens bet...

Daphne Hoppenot, founder of The Vendry, discusses the importance of the visual portfolio in hiring a venue or vendor for events, moving from a content engine into a marketplace, pivoting during the pandemic to creating a community, why reviews are so challenging, why planners don’t care about AI. Subscribe to ensure you don't miss an episode of the Skift Meetings Podcast. Skift Meetings is definin...

Deana Ivey, president and CEO of Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp., discusses the city's decision to focus on the role of music as part of its branding story. She also highlights the importance of the city hosting a wide variety of its own events, the importance of influencers in a city filled with celebrities, and how Nashville has managed to compete with top-tier destinations. Subscribe to e...

Peggy Williams-Smith, president and CEO of VISIT Milwaukee, highlights the city's upcoming role in hosting the Republican National Convention and emphasizes the potential economic benefits. She also shares her passion for the hospitality industry and dedication to promoting Milwaukee's unique stories and attractions. Subscribe to ensure you don't miss an episode of the Skift Meetings Podcast. Skif...

Anush Alexander, chief marketing officer at Stova, discusses measuring and ultimately obtaining a return on investment from in-person events. This conversation covers the challenge of calculating an event's return on investment (ROI), the importance of collecting first-party data, the advantages of building a data lake, why AI won’t solve bad data and why streamlined marketing stacks are more effe...

Liz Lathan, co-founder of The Community Factory, discusses the importance of building engaging communities. The conversation covers the concept of unconferences and spontaneous think tanks, why the stories behind brands are more important than the name, why events must be design for connection in order to provide great networking, sponsor activations need to be designed into the core conversation...

David Peckinpaugh, President & CEO of Maritz Holdings, discusses the importance of unleashing human potential. The conversation covers the main challenges in reorganizing the Maritz brand into one company, what Maritz's "unleashing human potential" initiative really means and how to apply it in practice, how Maritz manages its workforce, and how it’s helping its clients in dealing with remote and...

Vanessa Lovatt, Founder of Forte Futures, discusses the importance of leading with the customer as your main focus. The conversation covers taking full advantage of virtual events; why embracing a less is more approach to technology is always the right thing to do; why service level is the gamechanger for event technology providers; the rise of bleisure and how planners can use it to their advanta...

Christina Ghani-Smith, Director of Sports Sales at Visit Baltimore, discusses Baltimore's rich history of hosting large sporting events and the benefits this can provide meeting and event planners looking to find their next destination. The conversation covers Baltimore's culture as a sporting city; the sporting venues and arenas that can create a unique attendee experience; what the future may ho...

Kitty Ratcliffe, President at Explore St. Louis, discusses effective leadership through discovering the untold story. The conversation covers Ratcliffe's journey with MPI, having recently receiving their Industry Leader Award; the long history of travel bans and whether they are effective; the importance of connecting with your team at all levels; why networking is crucial for the next generation...

Sheriff Karamat, CEO at PCMA, discusses the impact of business events and the future of the associations industry. The conversation covers the strategic importance of using the right terminology and why the term “business events” is the right word for what we do; why great events are the ones that generate transformative impacts; what is needed to evolve the industry and fight the lack of speed th...

David T Stevens, director of field marketing and global events at data.world, discusses the importance of incorporating health and wellness opportunities at meetings and events. In our conversation, we cover several topics, including the role of field marketing, how creative approaches to exhibiting can often cost less but have a higher impact, wellness trends and the concept of sweat working at b...

Mark Cooper, the CEO of IACC, discusses the role of venues in delivering exceptional meeting experiences. In our conversation, we cover several topics, including the different venue requirements that different meetings have, the starring role of food, why job ownership and experience matters, the game-changing role of automation, and why virtual meetings have their place. Skift Meetings is definin...

This episode features Jonathan Martin, founder and principal designer at ShowTec. The conversation focuses on the role technology can play in an event. Here are a few of the topics we cover: how technology should be in the background supporting the storytelling; the most powerful performances for the audience; the magic of theatricality and the willing suspension of disbelief; showbusiness executi...

This episode features Stacy Ritter, President and CEO at Visit Lauderdale. The conversation focuses on the challenges facing destinations in cities and states passing divisive legislation. Here are a few of the topics we cover: Travel advisories in place for Florida; If meeting planners should boycott a destination and what their alternatives may be; Being a welcoming destination for everyone; Con...

This episode features Ewandro Magalhães, a language industry executive and former chief interpreter in the United Nations system. The conversation focuses on language, interpretation, and the role of communication at events. Here are a few of the topics we cover: The evolution of remote simultaneous interpretation The subtle, and controversial, differences between interpretation and translation De...

This episode features Matt Kleinrock, CEO of Rockway Exhibits + Events The conversation focuses on brand building through events and exhibitions. Here are a few of the topics we cover: Evolving from an exhibit house to strategic partner  The right way of doing face-to-face activations Why you need to think like a marketer, tying exhibition successes to business goals What constitutes a great mix a...

This episode features Stan Smith, senior director of marketing at Visit Detroit. The conversation focuses on the resurgence of Detroit and what these developments can offer meeting and event planners. Here are a few of the topics we cover: What is involved in renovating the Huntington Place convention center How their thriving music scene attracts groups Detroit's urban renewal story Capitalizing...

This episode features Cleo Battle, president and CEO of Louisville Tourism. The conversation focuses on DMOs and CVBs' roles within the wider community. Here are a few of the topics we cover: How tourism can help improve communities The ways in which events can leave a legacy on a destination The importance of diversity How a destination manages the political decisions of its city or state Why a d...

This episode features David Jefferys, founder and executive director of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association. The conversation focuses on the meeting industry's LGBT community. Here are a few of the topics we cover: Why an organization such as LGBT Meeting Professionals Association was needed How LGBT and DEI discussions have changed within the meetings industry Some of the challenges faced...

This episode features Luke Bilton, co-founder of Life Science Networks. The conversation focuses on the power of community building. Here are a few of the topics we cover: How different event technology companies fared coming out of the Covid pandemic Why matchmaking and a well-structured meeting program is the secret sauce for events The gap in the market for engaging online communities in specif...