The EPN Journal Podcast

Earlier this year, RefTech and Eventflow announced a new partnership. The introduction was made by Richard John , who is a Meetings and Events author, mentor and consultant. At this years Meetings Show, I caught up with Christian Skelton of Eventflow and Margaret Reeves of RefTech at the Meetings and Events Support Association’s exhibit stand. We discussed the power of partnerships and the importa...

Juliette Devillard is the founder & CEO of Climate Connection and Connection Studio . Her areas of interest included sustainability, mental health & wellbeing, and helping founders and entrepreneurs to become better speakers. When Juliette and I first discussed this episode, as I do with guests before we record, we didn’t plan to go too far in to mental health and wellbeing - but we did. I...

Marketing people and event planners create events, one uses the term ‘experiences’, while the other uses ‘experiential’. It sounds like they’re two sides of the same coin, but is that really the case? To help me understand this, I’m joined by Harry McCreanor who is the Global Business Development Director at the AVANTGARDE Group. Along with the main question, we chat about whisky, cars and is ther...

Mental health and wellbeing is still, and will always be, a very important topic. Providing for your attendees wellbeing needs to part of the fabric of an event, not just an add-on or an exercise in ticking a box. This is something Johanna Roodt has been specialising in for the last 6 years She also a coach and a mother of a young family. We explore mental health and wellbeing, her experiences of...

Searcys began with humble beginnings. Founder, John Searcy, began his journey as an apprentice pastry chef in 1834 where he honed his craftsmanship for which Searcys has become well known today. My guest is Rebecca Hawkes, Director of Sales & Events at Searcy’s . She is responsible for the company’s portfolio of 26 venues. This includes restaurants at locations such St. Pancras, Battersea Powe...

What is the current state of the jobs market in the events industry? How has recruitment changed? Around 5 years ago, recruitment was affected by COVID-19 lockdowns and now the conflict in the middle east. To discuss this and the current state of the job market, I’m joined by Robert Kenward of Jigsaw Talent Solutions . Robert has 25+ years’ experience advising senior leaders across events, MICE, a...

Jonathan Kazarian is the founder of Accelevents . A company that specialises in event registration websites and badge printing. The company has been around for more than 10 years, so Jonathan knows how event registration websites should be made and what goes into designing good forms. Along with website design, we also talk about badges and when you should start marketing your event. I would love...

In February at International Confex, which was held at ExCel at London, I spoke with Paul Cook of Planet Planit who shared a story about travelling. He discusses a recent trip and shares a tip or two involving suitcases and how to have them ready when you’re doing many trips, especially if you arrive home and need to leave again almost immediately. If you enjoyed this episode then please share it...

This week, BMA House revealed that their event data showed a shift towards alcohol free drinks, despite a change in alcohol consumption. We dive in to that, looking at the context and how their numbers compare to published reports on alcohol consumption. We also discuss a bar that's due to open in May that offers games such as darts, shuffleboard and axe throwing. Also, there's a bar in th...

How would you like to host your next corporate event or meeting in a unique piece of British heritage? With 700 years of regal history, grade 1 listed Ashridge House sits secluded in 190 acres of Grade II* landscaped gardens in Hertfordshire. Joining me to discuss it’s history, sustainability challenges, and how they work with local businesses, are… Matthew Wright, Head of Marketing David Evans, M...

A major UK event organiser, EMC3, is increasing its efforts toward the health of attendees and delegates. And the Venues Collection has introduced allergen emergency kits to the venues it represents. Does this mean there's an increasing focus on health and wellbeing? Discussing this with the host, Bob Toovey, is Kristyna O'Connell - a writer who specialises in venues. Links to his weeks ar...

At this year’s International Confex, held over two days in February at London’s ExCel, I spoke with Ash Austin, Director and Founder of Evolution Dome . Inside their brand new Nexus Pod that was set up on the show floor, we discussed his new industry guide to temporary inflatable structures and their 15 year anniversary. You can read more about Ash Austin's founders story on EPN Journal. If yo...

This Week In Events is a weekly series that dives in to industry stories from last 7 days. This edition was recorded live on Thursday 26th at International Confex 2026. This week, the team consists of Paul Richardson of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VividInk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , Jill Hawkins of ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aniseed PR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and hosted by Bob Toovey of ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Event Planner News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Journal⁠ . We discuss confex...

This Week In Events dives in to event industry news stories from the last 7 days. This edition, for Friday 20th February features Paul Richardson ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , Paul Cook and hosted by Bob Toovey ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . This weeks discussion was inspired by a recent LinkedIn post by Julius Solaris. His suggestion included running an event party on the morning of the second day. We discuss the idea, and how we sh...

Alastair Winsey is the owner of the wedding and corporate event venue, Silchester Farm . He has first hand experience of how venue staff are struggling to keep up, not just with the current economic situation, but also with the pressures of the work and the admin involved. In our conversation, we explore the needs of venue staff and how the business tries to support them, the ways in which AI can...

Welcome to Backstage Pass, where we chat with those who work behind the scenes in the event industry. Eden Caterers and 15Hatfields have a strong and long standing relationship. Between them, they have demonstrated that sustainability can be more than just ticking box, and it can become a business advantage. In this episode of Backstage Pass, I’m joined by Joe Harris of 15Hatfields and Nick Mead o...

Welcome to Backstage Pass, where we chat with those who work behind the scenes to make events happen. My guest is Jennie Plumlee, who has many years of experience, which includes being a Marketing Director, organising Conference Sponsorships and creating global Webinars. And there’s much more, as you can see on her LinkedIn profile . She’s currently sharing her expertise with university students,...

This is a short episode as it’s the last one for 2025. We’re taking a break and we will be back in January 2026. Our amazing team has taken part in 20 episodes, so a huge thank you to Paul Richardson, Jill Hawkins, Paul Cook and Kristyna O'Oconnell. As mentioned in this episode... Listen to our most popular episode Apply to be a guest Discover how to become a supporter A huge thank you also go...

This Week In Events dives in to event industry news stories from the last 7 days. This edition, for Friday 28th November, features Paul Richardson ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , Paul Cook and Bob Toovey ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . Stories discussed this week... Evissio report on the ‘Awards Industry’ A look at IBTM, the exhibitor and attendee experience The UK Budget: minimum wage and the freeze on train fares for 2026 We would love to...

This Week In Events, a weekly series that takes a deeper look at some of the stories and trends from the last 7 days. This edition, for Friday 1st November, features Paul Richardson of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VividInk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , Jill Hawkins of ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Aniseed PR⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and Bob Toovey of ⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Event Planner News⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ . This weeks topics include... Eventwell Launches Operational Benchmark For Ev...

As mentioned in our last episode, we recorded a special edition of ‘This Week In Events’. The team met on the first day of Event Tech Live at the  First Sight Media  podcast stage, it was the first time we had recorded an episode face to face. We were also the first podcast to be recorded at the show. The team featured myself, Paul Richardson, Jill Hawkins and Paul Cook. The topics under discussio...

Our lead story this week, why are Eventex Awards getting so much attention? Are they a true reflection of the industry or simply a popularity contest? We also discuss 20 minute sessions and the associations with almost identical logos and names. PLUS we have news of where and when the next episode is being recorded! This edition, for Friday 7th November, features Paul Richardson of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠VividInk...

Inside Event Education is a new monthly series that features students and academics. In this first episode, the discussion is about the start of the academic year, the use of AI and what attracts students to event management courses. Taking part... Amelia Curtis - Student, BA events Management - University of Northampton David Jarman - Educator at Edinburgh Napier University Claire Drakerly - Educ...

In this week's episode, we discuss if organisers have any responsibility regarding the content of exhibitor stands, do they need to sure it's legally and morally correct? It seems in China they take it very seriously . Plus we discuss alcohol at events, i nspired by a LinkedIn post by Robert Kenwood . This episode features Paul Richardson of ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠VividInk⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ , Events Journalist ⁠...

When you think about accessibility, what comes to mind? Wheelchair access, visual or hearing impairment? You might, perhaps, consider neurodiversity? There’s more to it than that, for example - have you considered accessibility requirements for your event or conference registration website? To help me discover the challenges and some of the things you need to be aware of, I talked to Stephen Cutch...