Speaking of Events
speakingofevents
Subscribe
This is Speaking of Events – The podcast for Event Industry Leaders
We bring together innovators, strategic rock stars, and visionary creatives to talk about all about events, industry trends, and anything in between.
Available episodes
Newest first
Oldest first
5 days ago
Learning Through Global Events - Katy Romdall - Speaking of Events - Episode # 038
Today’s guest understands the importance of giving yourself enough time to put together an event. With over 10 years of event planning, she knows what it takes to make an event special and bring the community together. Please welcome to the show, Katy Romdall! Katy is the Director of Global Events at Duolingo. She joins the host Kerri Garbis to talk about the event planning industry and shares her thoughts on some of the biggest pieces of event planning.
Takeaways
* Putting on an event isn't as simple as people might assume them to be. To make an event successful and bring the community together requires more thought than putting it together last minute.
* If an event seems really well put together and seamless, that means there are a lot of incredible things that are going on behind the scenes and a great team helped to work together to achieve that goal.
* When you have people register for an event, it’s important to capture their email and send them reminders that the event is coming up.
* The goal of any event is to provide high quality education and entertainment for people and the best way to achieve this is by having your speakers be properly trained. Other ways to achieve this are by making sure lines aren’t long and the food is good.
* There is a misconception that virtual events are going to be cheaper, but this isn’t necessarily true. Especially if you are looking to make it a high quality virtual event.
* Katy’s favorite part of the event process is being on set with her tam and filming.
* Something that keeps Katy up at night is figuring out how to put all the aspects of a great event together. She wants to deliver what others are envisioning in their head and oftentimes go above those expectations.
Quote of the Show
3:55 “A successful event is one that is not just sort of thrown together last minute.”
Links
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyromdall/
* Website: https://www.duolingo.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube - https://youtu.be/3iLEdLqPH_A
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Feb 23, 2023
Bringing Together Creative Experiences - Ashley Grandis - Speaking of Events - Episode # 037
Today’s guest thrives off engaging and connecting with audiences, and probably knows more about animals than other event professionals. She is a results driven professional with a natural hunger to test and optimize success. Please welcome to the show, Ashley Grandis! Ashley is the Manager, Global Events at Cybereason and she joins the host Kerri Garbis to share her tips on professional event planning.
Takeaways
* Events allow for a marketing team to really connect with the people that they are trying to turn into potential customers. It brings the conversation deeper than just what the company can offer and is more likely to help close a deal.
* When you are planning an event, you want to think of a speaker that would best fit for the event you are working on.
* Whether the event is live or virtual, technology might not always cooperate the way you want it to. It's best to be prepared and have a backup plan just in case the technology goes wrong.
* Ashley takes a lot of pride in her line of work, which makes it hard for her to let things go. That is one of the things that keeps her up at night.
* Originally, Ashley was very interested in being a paleontologist but after seeing a horse go through surgery, she realized that wasn’t her true passion and that she wanted to be in a line of work that involved being close with people.
* Events allow for a person to bring together all sorts of creative experiences (axe throwing, happy hour, nascar etc) and mix it with marketing to attract people to your company.
* Marketing is a valuable part across all departments of a company. It’s important to get to know the marketer within your company and see what you can do to help them.
Quote of the Show
3:35 “It's really enjoyable to be able to have these events where our sales teams are able to build relationships that go above and beyond just talking about technology.”
Links
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-grandis/
* Website: https://www.cybereason.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube - https://youtu.be/PRrLw9L-6Fk
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Feb 9, 2023
Understanding Events - Karen Snowden Yee - Speaking of Events - Episode # 036
Today’s guest has spent more than 25 years navigating in Global C-Suite experiential keynote presentations. She has produced global event productions in China, Spain, Taiwan, among other places. Welcome to Speaking of Events Karen Yee! Karen is the former Director of Global Conferences at Gartner. She joins the host Kerri Garbis to share some of her insight into the professional event industry.
Takeaways
* When a client thinks about an event, they might not understand the differences between certain terms and confuse certain things. To help clarify, an event is not an experience and it is not a conference or a tradeshow, they are all different.
* An event is where you go somewhere to hear someone speak on a certain topic, experience should be something that is immersive and a conference is a week long and could span multiple blocks of a city.
* The challenge that event producers face is trying to work speaker training into the budget ahead of time. If you don’t have speaker training, then your event won’t go as smooth as you are hoping it will.
* Having time to rehearse your event is a key component for making sure that it is well organized. Otherwise there is a gap that is created between those working backstage and then the event will seem unorganized and chaotic.
* When it comes to speakers, you want to make sure you don’t disrespect them but you also don’t treat them as loftier or better than any other part of the event process. At the end of the day, they are people too.
* Coming out of the pandemic, events had to be redefined in a sense because much everything had changed due to different guidelines.
* Karen’s favorite part of the event process is when it is finally taken to stage and it goes live.
Quote of the Show
3:51 “Events are not experiences and not conferences.”
Links
* Twitter: https://twitter.com/7ftinside
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-snowden-yee-/
* Website: https://www.gartner.com/en
* Digital Blue: https://www.digitalblue.co/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube - https://youtu.be/TcKMuJnvk7g
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Dec 22, 2022
The Speaker Journey - Peter Gentile - Speaking of Events - Episode # 035
Today’s guest helps to elevate brands through unique events that stand apart from the rest. He has worked with all sorts of companies, from Fortune 500 to emerging startups. Peter Gentile is the Vice President of Sales at OVATION, INC. Not to be confused with Ovation Communication, LLC, the company that is run by our very own host Kerri Garbis. Peter joins Kerri to talk about what he has learned from the professional event industry and share some of his tips with the listeners today!
Takeaways:
* Events allow for a better opportunity for human connection. It’s not always about someone standing on a stage and talking for hours, but rather it could be smaller incremental presentations or smaller groups.
* You can see a tremendous amount of revenue growth from having meetings where you invite potential or current customers to see how your product works.
* When setting up an event, you have to not only think about the attendee journey but also the speaker journey and how to have the speaker be part of your content story.
* When working with speakers, you want to make sure you are being very clear and detailed with them about what they will have at their disposal (ie, the size of the projector they might be using and the format of it)
* You want to make sure that no matter what, the speaker you are using for an event goes through the rehearsal process and checks out the slide deck that you prepare for them. You don’t want them to be caught off guard by not preparing.
* Putting in the extra effort to an event can make all the difference in how the event will turn out. It might cost extra money, but it makes the event run more smoothly and be a better experience for all in attendance.
* There are expenses that have come up exponentially around events. Things such as travel, access to technology and the cost of technicians in the marketplace have gone up which makes it harder to find the right and best people.
Quote of the Show:
6:20 “The collective idea about events is it's an opportunity to gather together to do something important.” - Peter Gentile
Links:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pgentile/
* Website: https://ovationevents.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube - https://youtu.be/OpV7XUZM-Mw
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Dec 15, 2022
Data Doesn’t Lie - Tara Salvatelli - Speaking of Events - Episode # 034
Data Doesn’t Lie - Tara Salvatelli - Speaking of Events - Episode # 034
Preparation for any event is key in making sure the event goes off without a hitch. Today’s guest is an expert in doing just that. Tara Salvatelli is the Director of Global Events at N-able. Being an event coordinator can be a stressful job but Tara knows the hard work and preparation that goes into making it run smoothly. Tara joins the host Kerri Garbis to share some of her insight on the event planning industry.
Takeaways
* The general public doesn’t fully understand what goes into event planning. They think it’s just a party with balloons, magicians, and food. But really there is a lot more that goes into it and event coordinator is often ranked as one of the top 5 most stressful jobs.
* A big challenge in the industry is that you aren’t able to control technology. Technology can go wrong, so it’s best to plan for something to go wrong and have a backup option.
* Thinking on your feet is an incredibly important part of this job. In the moment, something could go out of control so you need to be able to think quickly and react swiftly to make sure that the situation doesn’t get worse.
* When it comes to working with keynote speakers, it’s important to make sure that they are ready and prepared for the speech they are about to give. That includes making sure they are well-rested and ready to give an A+ speech.
* To make an event successful, look at the data that is given to you by the room of people in attendance. You want to make sure that they are engaged with the speaker and that they are actually staying in the room.
* There are unknowns in the event planning industry that you can’t prepare for, like a musician knocking down important cords that you need. When it comes to situations like these, you want to try and anticipate these things happening beforehand and make sure no accidents happen to the best of your ability.
* Everyone in the event space can learn from each other. Someone can come up with a new idea that helps to move the industry forward, and you can build off of that idea.
Quote of the Show
“My wish is that everyone could plan some type of event and then be able to have a little bit of a better understanding as to what's involved in event planning.” - Tara Salvatelli
Links:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-salvatelli-cmm-1073008/
* Website: https://www.n-able.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube -
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Dec 8, 2022
Improving Your Speakers - Kerri Garbis - Speaking of Events - Episode # 033
Welcome to season 2 of Speaking of Events! There is no better way to celebrate the new season than to have the host herself open it up. Kerri Garbis is not only the host of Speaking of Events, but she is the Founder and CEO of Ovation, the go-to resource for professional presence and speaker development training. Join in as Kerri shares her biggest tips for improving your speakers.
Takeaways
* There are 5 key areas to focus on that will help to improve any speakers you decide to use: Create a “mistakes are good” culture with your speakers, give them options and milestones, get the speakers to rehearse with accountability, content development and rehearsal starts and then the deck gets built, and as the event professional take the speaker training off your plate.
* Everybody makes mistakes. It’s impossible to get somebody to be absolutely perfect so give them the breathing room to be comfortable to make mistakes.
* Giving people options or structural parameters doesn’t confine them, it actually frees them. If you give your speakers the key details about what they need to do when getting ready, that will actually help them plan their talk better.
* 73% of the population suffers from the fear of public speaking, and 90% of the people who have that fear comes from a lack of preparation. That is why it is so important for speakers be prepared and practice their speech outloud with others.
* The deck is the visuals, and would be considered as the backup signer to the main role of the star, the actual speaker. If you build the deck before the rest of the content development, then you are beholden to whatever is on the deck, rather than the actual content.
* Event professionals have a lot of different things going on all at once, so to help you focus on the overall event it’s worth your time to have a company like Ovation train your speakers.
* If Kerri could be any superhero, she would want to be the Flash.
Quote of the Show
“Giving people options or structure or parameters doesn't confine them. It actually frees them.” - Kerri Garbis
Links
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrigarbis/
* Website: https://www.getovation.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube -
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Oct 13, 2022
Working With a Professional - Kati O’Brien - Speaking of Events - Episode # 032
Today’s guest loves to create a vision and bring it to life. Kati O’Brien is the Director of Implementation and Training at SkedgeAlert. She sees the importance of event planning and how wonderful an event can be when it’s done with a planning professional. Kati joins the host Kerri Garbis to talk about her experience in the event industry.
Takeaways
* Event planning professionals go through extensive training to be where they are today and use that training to help corporate companies put on amazing events. When companies try and do it on their own they end up struggling and not producing as good of an event.
* Kati enjoys putting all the pieces together for an event and getting it ready for the public to take part in the process.
* If Kati could change one thing about the event industry it would be that she would get rid of name tags.
* In her previous jobs, Kati was a headhunter and that taught her valuable skills for her next job and how to value people in a company.
* Kati spent time working at trade shows and she fell in love with those events she found that she has a passion for planning events.
* The day the event goes live is Kati’s favorite part of the event process.
* When dealing with an event professional, it’s important to use your manners and treat them with respect.
Quote of the Show
3:52 “Event planning is a profession and it's not something that you just pick up on a whim.”
Links
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiobrien/
* Website: https://www.skedgealert.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube - https://youtu.be/-ZnPLJ-NQAI
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Oct 6, 2022
Arrow Heading Special Events - Jacquelyn Carroll - Speaking of Events - Episode # 031
Today’s guest has seen more than her fair share of professional football games. Jacquelyn Carroll is the Corporate Events Manager with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jacquelyn is passionate about sports and providing guests to all the events at Arrowhead Stadium with an unforgettable experience. Jacquelyn joins the host Kerri Garbis to share some of her tips on professional event planning.
Takeaways
* Behind every great event is a person with an idea and that is idea is made with good intentions about creating lasting memories. Events at the end of the day are a human experience.
* In the event space now, the teams are much larger than they were before covid because there is more work that needs to go around.
* Jacquelyn spent time in South Korea helping to set up the Winter Olympics in Pyongyang.
* In a lot of events, you get emotionally invested in the outcome and you will hold onto the memories from those events for a lifetime.
* Part of being a great event coordinator is being very detail-oriented, customer friendly, and having the ability to think on your toes.
* In the event space, you have to be proactive versus reactive. Nothing will ever go to plan so you need to think ahead and plan for the worst and try to avoid it coming true.
* Jacquelyn’s favorite part of the event process is when people walk into the event space and light up seeing all the amazing work that has been done.
Quote of the Show
4:47 “I wish more people knew that behind every great event is a person with an idea.”
Links:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelyn-luedtke-/
* Website: https://www.chiefs.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube - https://youtu.be/0cYihFdZ3FI
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Sep 29, 2022
Saying Yes to Yourself - Andrew Roby - Speaking of Events - Episode # 030
It’s a very special day for Speaking of Events! We celebrate reaching 30 episodes and today’s guest couldn’t be better for the occasion. Andrew Roby is the Corporate Event Planner at Andrew Roby Planner. Andrew joins the host Kerri Garbis to talk about diversity within the event industry and shares some of his tips on how to be a successful event planner.
Takeaways
* Events are a life-changing experience and more people need to appreciate that. Especially now during the pandemic, it is important to have those human connections with others.
* It’s important that there are still barriers that are being overcome in terms of race within the event space, we should be normalizing having more people of color in larger roles.
* You can walk the walk, but at the end of the day, you need to be able to talk to the talk as well. You can talk about being inclusive and having higher positions for other races but you need to prove that you are serious to your word as well.
* Roughly 25% of additional companies have begun to evaluate their diversity programs to make sure that they are not just going to the same people over and over again and are spreading their money around.
* A work/life balance is an important balance and a necessary part of life. Everything at the end of the day will come back to that and don’t feel like you have to work yourself to death.
* Andrew’s journey in events started with his time in the army. He helped put on the Coca-Cola classic and some fashion shows as well.
* The best way to take care of an event professional is by asking them how you can help. It’s good to be their support system if they need one.
Quote of the Show
3:41 “I really wish people would see events for the life-changing experiences that they really are.”
Links:
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewrobyeventplanner/
* Website: https://andrewrobyevents.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube - https://youtu.be/i6tq6G7NhUc
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Sep 22, 2022
Professionally Planned - Daniela Arciniegas - Speaking of Events - Episode # 029
Today’s guest knows that each event being put on in the corporate world has a plan or a theme to it, and she aims to take advantage of each and every event. Daniela Arciniegas is the Manager of Corporate Events at The Intersect Group. Daniela joins the host Kerri Garbis to talk and share some of her tips for corporate event planning and how to make them run smoothly.
Takeaways
* There is a large business purpose behind having a corporate event. It allows large companies to have people network and gain more knowledge from the people around them.
* People tend to stay with the groups they arrived with when they go to an event but it’s essential to go around and network. Networking could help you to find a solution to a problem you might be having.
* While people at the executive level of a company are usually pretty busy, it’s important to come up to them with an elevator pitch and grab their attention before they are gone.
* Younger event professionals tend to be more nervous or shy because of the online schooling they had to go through and losing that touch of human interaction.
* Daniela’s favorite part of the event process is seeing how it looks before all the guests arrive. She enjoys seeing something that you visualised come to life.
* The best way to take care of an event professional is to remind them to close their eyes and take a moment to take a few depths breaths to relax and recover from the stress of planning an event.
Quote of the Show
9:07 “Make that elevator pitch align with how you see your growth within the company.”
Links
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielaarciniegasl/
* Website: https://www.theintersectgroup.com/
Ways to Tune In:
* Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
* Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
* Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
* Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
* YouTube - https://youtu.be/x_jhgItfe2s
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/
playlist_add
Sep 8, 2022
The Show Must Go On - Angela Alea - Speaking of Events - Episode # 028
Today’s guest knows all about the behind-the-scenes work that goes into making a live event run smoothly and seem flawless. Angela Alea, the Chief Revenue Officer at LASSO. Angela is also the host of the Corralling the Chaos Podcast. Angela joins the host Kerri Garbis to share her tips on how to successfully run a corporate event.
Takeaways:
* There needs to be more of an appreciation of what it takes to create these amazing experiences. It takes weeks of work for one event to be planned and can be a logistical nightmare.
* The event industry is incredibly underserved when it comes to having good tools and investments in place. This means that people who work in this industry have to be even more careful to make sure events run smoothly.
* During the pandemic, 38% of people in the event industry left that business altogether because of the stress it was causing them.
* The pandemic allowed the event industry to take a reflective look at itself and move on from some of the b…
playlist_add
Sep 1, 2022
Properly Planning Events - Jennifer Delaney - Speaking of Events - Episode # 027
Today’s guest is a results-driven professional who has 14 years of marketing and event management experience. Jennifer Delaney is the Manager of Corporate Events at Netsmart. Jennifer is passionate about events and making sure that event planners also take care of themselves. Jennifer joins the host Kerri Garbis to share some of her tips on professional event planning.
Takeaways
* The event industry is now faster-paced than it was before COVID took over. A lot of aspects of the industry had to change as well to keep up with the COVID guidelines.
* Event professionals aren’t just party planners. There is an incredible amount of thought and detail that goes on behind the scenes.
* It’s important to take some time to recover mentally and really recharge. Planning events can be stressful and it can wear on you quickly if you aren’t careful.
* As an event professional, you have to be quick to react when things are happening and be more solution-focused rather than panickin…
playlist_add
Aug 25, 2022
Building a Relationship - Jennifer Cowie - Speaking of Events - Episode # 026
Have you heard the term “glamping” before? It’s camping but fancy! Today’s guest is big on glamping as an event professional, so it only makes for the best glampers out there to talk. Jennifer Cowie is the Corporate Event Manager at Canadian Water Network. Jennifer joins host Kerri Garbis to share some of her tips for professional event planning.
Takeaways
* The most important part of event planning is the feedback from guests on how the event went. It helps to shape all your events going forward.
* You want to make the event that you are producing more eventful and impactful for the attendees.
* It’s good to be aware of the carbon footprint you are having by putting on an event. Try and plan an event that is environmentally friendly.
* Some events are more focused on internal events now rather than making virtual events for everyone to attend.
* There’s something incredible about an in-person event where you can see people connecting in person and building rela…
playlist_add
Aug 18, 2022
Pivoting Towards Events - Kat Deal - Speaking of Events - Episode # 025
Today’s guest shares a passion for events as well as sometimes showing up undercover at events, the same way our fantastic host has done! Kat Deal is the Events and Program Manager at North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce. Kat joins host Kerri Garbis to share some of her tips about professional event planning and how to make events run smoothly.
Takeaways
* Events seem more intimidating than they really are. Oftentimes event professionals are stressed about the timeline but most events are run in an organized fashion.
* Even if you are hesitant or nervous about going to an event, it’s worth it just to go anyway for the experience.
* When going to an event, have a business card ready to go and have a 30-second pitch of your company ready to go as well.
* If you see a person alone at an event, you should go talk to them because they joined the event with the intent to network.
* Everyone has the ability to use webinars if they want to have virtual or remote even…
playlist_add
Aug 11, 2022
The Client Experience - Nicole Nichols - Speaking of Events - Episode # 024
Today’s guest is someone who brings unbridled passion to each and every event that they work on. Nicole Nichols is the Associated Director, Marketing and Event Management at The New York Academy of Medicine. Nicole has seen speaker successes and speaker disasters and joins host Kerri Garbis to share some of her tips on how to make an event run smoothly and be a success.
Takeaways
* Events are an experience. It’s about how you feel when you step into an event space and take part in an immersive experience.
* You want people to leave an event and when they see a certain brand or graphic it brings them back to the event they attended and they think about it in a positive way.
* The biggest return on investment is when you get return attendees for events and they can give their testimony to how great the event was.
* There’s always room to enhance or improve each event. You want your events to reach the next level and make them a little larger.
* When producing an event,…
playlist_add
Aug 4, 2022
Opening Up The World - Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey - Speaking of Events - Episode # 023
Today’s guest comes to us all the way from Texas and is a fan of Blue Bell ice cream. Lindsay Martin-Bilbrey is the CEO at Nifty Method. She lives and breathes events and has a relentless love of engagement and experiences. Lindsay joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about professional event planning and shares some of the tips she has learned.
Takeaways:
* Events are a big team sport. It requires a lot of work with a large group of people in order to make the event run smoothly.
* The pandemic created a lot of struggles for the event industry but now that things are slowing down it has allowed the opportunity for events to emerge again.
* Your work is never fully done in event planning. You always want to take the next step forward and be better every year.
* Take the time to get to know your audience. It will give you great content and you can include it in your speech to have better engagement.
* Coming down the road there is more change in the future for events. As recess…
playlist_add
Jul 28, 2022
A New Now - Sandra Herriot - Speaking of Events - Episode # 022
Canada is a wonderful place full of extremely nice people, which happens to include today’s guest! Sandra Herriot is the Acting Director of Education & Meeting Planner Events at CHMSE and the Managing Director at RPI Productions. Sandra joins host Kerri Gabris to share his tips on professional event planning.
Takeaways:
* You want to have touchbase points to know where your clients and your team are coming from and to find the best way to support them.
* People tend to forget how purposeful events are and the important role that they play in an organization.
* As an event organizer, you want to make sure that your speaker is prepared for the rules you have and make sure that they follow them.
* Second chances for a guest speaker are ok but you don’t want to give someone a third chance if they keep breaking the rules.
* As a speaker, you need to put your ego aside and understand your audience and know that it is all about your audience.
* Engagement is absolutely essen…
playlist_add
Jul 21, 2022
The Power of a Great Speaker - Joe McKeown - Speaking of Events - Episode # 021
Michigan is a very special place to Kerri and today’s guest just so happens to be from there! He has managed thousands of experiential and memorable events. Joe McKeown is the Head of Global Events and Partnerships at Ryan. Joe joins host Kerri Garbis to share some of his tips on how to expertly plan a corporate event.
Takeaways:
* Events have a big impact on the audience. A lot of people aren’t aware of the big impact of events and instead just focus on how events happen.
* You don’t want an event to be exactly the same as it was last year. You need to change things up and bring something new to the table.
* As an event professional, you have to consider including people virtually and in person as hybrid events have become more and more common.
* You need an ROI measurement tool for corporate events to show that they are providing a valuable service to the company.
* The average attention span of an audience at an event has dwindled down now because of how distractin…
playlist_add
Jul 14, 2022
Events as an Experience - Joan Wells - Speaking of Events - Episode # 020
You’ve heard of the six degrees of separation, well now there is six degrees of Grease. Today’s guest met Kerri all the way back since 2016 during Kerri’s production of Grease in Kansas City. Joan Wells is the President of Experience at Augeo. She joined Augeo in 2021 and supports all live and virtual experiences. Joan joins host Kerri Garbis to share her tips on professional event planning.
Takeaways:
* Events are the midpoint in a conversation. There is a whole other conversation and level of engagement that goes on before and after events.
* When events couldn’t happen during covid, it showed that events are more of an experience than just something that happens.
* Virtual events have made it so you can cater to a wider audience across the globe for an event rather than having them miss out.
* When a speaker walks up on a stage, they are representing a brand so it is important that they are able to put the brand in a positive light.
* You want to make sure that t…
playlist_add
Jul 7, 2022
The Big Pivot - Rachel Heller - Speaking of Events - Episode # 019
Today’s guest has a passion for bringing people together. Appearing on her first non-company podcast, please welcome Rachel Heller, the Senior Event Content Manager at Bizzabo. Rachel thrives on making connections and is a self proclaimed “event content nerd”. Rachel joins Kerri to share her tips on professional event planning.
Takeaways:
* Events bring people together and it creates amazing opportunities when you bring other people together who have never met each other.
* During “The Big Pivot”, a lot of event professionals had to change over to getting speakers used to using webcams and speakers and other technology.
* It’s easier to ask someone to speak to a camera rather than a room full of 1,000s of people.
* Speakers need to put a little more thought into their titles and abstracts that they create for their sessions.
* With more virtual events, it allows for people who wouldn’t have traveled before to be a speaker at an event.
* During the past coupl…
playlist_add
Jun 30, 2022
Eventful Beginnings - Megan Miller - Speaking of Events - Episode # 018
Today’s guest is an avid runner and sports fan. She is passionate about events and loves discussing them with others. Megan Miller is the Manager, Events & Experiences at Fenway Sports Management. Megan joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about some of her tips for professional event planning and her stories from some of her times running.
Takeaways:
* You don’t have to blow up your entire plan if one person has a negative comment or has some advice.
* There’s a lot of organizational protocols and different steps you have to take in order to make sure that corporate events are done properly.
* When working with celebrities and athletes, although it may be hard to not be a fan of them, you need to treat them just like any other person.
* There are many things that events touch and it takes a lot of work to make sure that they run smoothly.
* There is a lively atmosphere when producing events that takes a strong focus to make sure things don’t get derailed.
* Megan’s…
playlist_add
Jun 16, 2022
Planning For a Purpose - Folami Jenkins - Speaking of Events - Episode # 017
Folami Jenkins is the Digital Event Strategist at Curve the Runway / Community Engagement Manager at Ruby Slipper Restaurant Group. She is from New Orleans and teaches a catering class for a group of young professionals who want to get into the event world. Folami joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about event planning and some of her tips for others.
Takeaways:
* Events aren’t all about a room full of pretty things. Everything in an event is done purposefully and has meaning to it.
* You want to provide your clients with their ideal vision and make sure you are meeting them on their level.
* All events should have a purpose when they are being put on. You want to think about the people who are in charge and involved also benefiting from it.
* Speakers at events need to be prepared for anything, and it’s a good idea to get them to read off a script that has been approved.
* As an event professional, it’s best to be prepared for any situation to happen, including catering…
playlist_add
Jun 9, 2022
Tricks of the Trade Show - Donna Jervis-Miller - Speaking of Events - Episode # 016
Donna Jarvis-Miller is the Director of Membership Operations & Events / Conference Manager at American Public Human Services Association. Donna has a passion for trade shows, and she uses that passion to create memorable moments for the people showing up to these events. Donna joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about how both of their last names are easily mixed up and their passion for events!
Takeaways
* Planning events takes a lot of time and people don’t realize that. There are plenty of pieces that need to fall into place to make it work.
* During COVID, it became a challenge to represent the same feelings of a trade show through virtual means.
* Venders weren’t sure how to manage their booths because they are used to face to face interactions and engagement went down.
* Trade shows are not just about the vendors, but they are also about the audience. Organizers for these have to meet the sponsors for what they want out of the event.
* You have to listen to the people…
playlist_add
Jun 2, 2022
Leaving With a Story - Leora Kimmel Greene - Speaking of Events - Episode # 015
Leora Kimmel Greene is the Founder & Principal at One28 Strategic Events. Even though her company is in Massachusetts, the name has nothing to do with Highway 128 in Massachusetts, they are focused on event planning and Leora has a lot of knowledge to share about that! Leora joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about event planning and the effort that goes into that.
Takeaways
* Events are part of the overall strategic marketing and communications and fundraising plans, they aren’t just stand alone events.
* When planning an event, you need a community that is ready to join and contribute to the event.
* The biggest part for an event is finding your main vendors at the beginning and then fine tuning the smaller details 5 - 6 months out.
* During these difficult times, you need to be flexible and willing to pivot when it comes to event planning since guidelines and rules are constantly changing.
* You want people leaving the event feeling like they heard about your company and…
playlist_add
May 26, 2022
The Return of Events - Courtney McNeese - Speaking of Events - Episode # 014
Courtney McNeese is the Head of Strategic Events at United Nations Global Compact. Both her and Kerri have a shared experience regarding the horrors of the New Jersey transit, but also share a passion for events! Courtney is impressed by the advancement in technology and how that can help corporate events better serve everyone. Courtney joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about event planning and provides her wonderful insight on how to make an event successful.
Takeaways:
* The event industry was waiting for a disruption to happen, and covid came along and did just that. While it provided its hardships, it brought along some new ideas to events.
* The advancement of technology and live streaming has brought new and innovative ideas into corporate event planning.
* “Roadshow model” events have become popular, where you bring the event to where people are, rather than bringing in a large number of people all together to one location.
* You have to know where you are starting f…
playlist_add
May 19, 2022
Having Proper Patience - Kate Cardoso - Speaking of Events - Episode # 013
Kate Cardoso is the Director, Strategic Events at HMI Performance Incentives. She is passionate about events and wants to make sure that attendees of events can better connect with the host, venue and everything else. Kate joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about event planning and shares some of her tips for success.
Takeaways
* There are major staffing shortages right now and supply chain vendor issues, which leads to complications in event planning. It’s important to be patient during these times.
* Availability of hotels during COVID has also made event planning difficult, since the options are limited and rates have gone back up.
* You want to think through your best practices and think of things differently. There are more options of unique solutions now with covid guidelines coming down.
* Make sure that you are prepared as best as you can. Sometimes things go wrong but you need to be ready in case they do.
* A good speaker will insist on talking to the client to unde…
playlist_add
May 12, 2022
All The World’s A Stage - Bob Bejan - Speaking of Events - Episode # 012
Bob Bejan is the Corporate Vice President: Global Events, Production Studios and Marketing Community at Microsoft. He is passionate about event planning and finds the entire process to be cool and exciting. Bob joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about strategic events and his tips on how to make them run smoothly.
Takeaways
* A lot of work goes into event planning in the corporate world but it can be very entertaining to plan it and put it together.
* Human resilience is important when it comes to corporate event planning. When COVID hit, it was tough on the industry and resilience and bounce back of the industry became very important.
* Being a leader in the event industry means that you need to have patience and be understanding of your employees, but also be strong at the same time.
* Don’t be afraid to be a well rounded individual and listen to what others have to say to you. It can make you a better leader.
* Inspiring speakers is something that can’t be understated.…
playlist_add
May 5, 2022
A Little Bit of Grace - Steve Brown - Speaking of Events - Episode # 011
Steve Brown is an event professional. He’s worked his way up from being a paid actor as the energy police in England, wearing a big pink fuzzy hat and handing out magnets to people,all the way to being a full blown event professional. Steve joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about some of the tips he’s learned for professional event planning and how to make everything run smoothly.
Takeaways
* It’s not as incredibly easy to put on events and make them appear seamless and effortless.
* You want to have the right kind of menu for your event and make sure that works with the theme of the event.
* When planning an event, keeping aesthetics in mind is important. You want to make sure that the colors for decorations and the setup all go with the event and make sense.
* Sometimes a career break is the best decision you can make. Mentally we can be tasked with too much work over the years so taking a break for a bit is a good idea.
* There can be a bit of a language barrier in t…
playlist_add
Apr 28, 2022
Remote First - Liam Martin - Speaking of Events - Episode # 010
Liam Martin is the Director of Running Remote Conference. He is also the author of the book “Running Remote”. His business has been fully remote since it was first launched and he sees the advantage to having remote teams. Liam joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about remote work and event planning.
Takeaways
* Events are easier to start up now than in the past. You can start them up in a similar way to how tech startups get going.
* Pareto’s Principle says that for many outcomes, roughly 80% of the consequences comes from 20% of the cause.
* When looking at running a business, you want to look at what assumptions you are making from your conclusions.
* Remote work has become normalized during the pandemic, and some of the largest companies are all remote.
* With remote first organizations, every employee in theory should have the same informational advantage as the CEO. It creates a culture of transparency.
* When planning an event, it’s easier to think about the pe…
playlist_add
Apr 21, 2022
The Theatrics of Event Planning - Susan Chebookjian - Speaking of Events - Episode # 009
Susan Chebookjian is an Event Professional. Her and Kerri go back all the way to the days of Kerri helping her with a Christmas play. Susan has a passion for theater and event planning, which shows throughout her conversation. She joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about some of the tips she has when it comes to event planning.
Takeaways
* Events are not like planning a birthday party. It is complex and there are tight deadlines that can not be pushed back.
* Some elements are the same from one event to another, but there are so many different things to consider as well, such as the audience and the kind of content you deliver.
* Theater and event planning are a little similar. In both of them you are putting on a production and there is a lot of planning, preparation and rehearsals that go into both.
* When planning for an event, you want to plan for a year ahead at minimum. It gives you more time to get everything into place.
* Transitioning from in person events to virtual…
playlist_add
Apr 14, 2022
Leading with Empathy - Jeff Kalpak - Speaking of Events - Episode # 008
Jeff Kalpak is the President of Americas at FIRST. His passion for events and public speaking is evident by the beautiful work that he does all the time. He uses the 10 principles of storytelling to influence his event planning style and it creates a lasting impression on guests. Jeff joins host Kerri Garbis to talk about all things event planning and what advice he might have for others.
Takeaways
* Events have an incredible shelf life. If an event is done well, it stays with you for a long time. It’s something that happens once but can live on in the way it makes you feel.
* There are 10 principles of storytelling and the first one is to think about where you want to end up. With the audience, you want to build backwards from there.
* Speaking to clients often and giving them advice can help save them from potential disaster situations.
* People don’t always understand the amount of preparation that goes into planning an event. You need to plan for backup plans in case…
playlist_add
Apr 7, 2022
Reflecting on Your Event - Kevin Cobb - Speaking of Events - Episode #7
Here we are with Kevin Cobb! This week we’re here to discuss how much time can really go into an event and how any event is so much more than just a one day ordeal. There’s plenty of work that goes into making sure your event is perfect both before and after it even starts and that is what Kevin is here with us to discuss! .
What do you wish more people knew about events: :
* An event takes place before, during and after anyone arrives.
Takeaways
* An event isn’t just a one day ordeal.
* Your event should have a strategy that everyone who is involved in it should know about.
* Use the time after the event is over to reflect on how it went.
* Being able to pick out what worked and what didn’t work only helps you even more for your net event.
* Hone in on what an event can excel at and amplify it even more.
* Allow your audience to supply you with their own feedback.
Quote of the Show:
* “Your event should be pouring gasoline on what your strategy is the w…
playlist_add
Mar 31, 2022
Serious Business - Lisa Lundeen - Speaking of Events - Episode #6
Planning an event isn’t just planning a party, there are whole entire teams of people all working together to put on a great event that will help make brand new connections. After starting those new connections, that's where you can start to see the value of your event, and Lisa Lundeen is here to give you all the information you could ask for when it comes to it!
What do you wish more people knew about events:
* Real business gets done at events, deals are made and pipelines are moving forward.
Takeaways
* Real business is done at several events that even pushes the global economy forward.
* There is a lot more work that goes into putting on an event than someone may originally think with a whole team of people working together to make it happen.
* Having time to debrief after your event is finished lets your team communicate about what did and didn’t work.
* Stop and think about how your industry can engage anyone attending your event.
* A hybrid event is importan…
playlist_add
Mar 17, 2022
Time and Effort - Jim Clapes - Speaking of Events - Episode #5
Here we are this week with Jim ClapesDirector of Events at M3 Meet. He’s here to not only discuss some of his favorite musicals, but also to inform the listeners on what it really takes to put an entire event together. An event doesn’t just happen on its own and Jim is here to go deeper into all of the intricacies of what makes an event possible.
What do you wish more people knew about events?:
* That more people understood and knew what it takes to put on an event.
Takeaways
* An event isn’t just put together on its own, it takes a group of dedicated people to put on a great event.
* It’s impossible to know everything that is going to happen at an event, but it’s how you handle those moments.
* Events are very tightly orchestrated for time, which requires collaboration from all the parties involved.
* If something does go wrong, especially when a speaker is presenting it is important to be ready for anything that can happen and to be able to fix it promptly.…
playlist_add
Mar 10, 2022
Customizing Your Event - David Kliman - Speaking of Events - Episode #4
On this episode it’s time to really dig deep into the impact that your event can have and the connections it can make! That’s why we have David Kliman with us to speak the truth on events, how you can make important connections at your event and how to nurture those connections.
What do you wish more people knew about events?:
* Events can be business game-changing vehicles.
Takeaways
* Events can be used as a way to finally meet face to face with someone and have a real conversation with them.
* Customize the content of your event to reflect on what your guests are most interested in.
* Your speech shouldn’t sound manufactured, it should sound like you genuinely care about what you’re saying.
* You can have a great point with great cadence but if what you’re saying just sounds generic then no one will remember it.
* In the upcoming years it is to be expected that there will be a big recovery for events in the event industry that will lead to in person events.…
playlist_add
Mar 4, 2022
Quality Content - Allison Crooker - Speaking of Events - Episode #3
If there’s one thing that will always help boost the quality of your event, it’s content! And this week’s episode we have Allison Crooker with us to discuss what it means to have engaging content at your event. Allison also talks on why having event content as part of your strategy is incredibly important. If you’re looking to learn more about event content then this is for you!
What is the one thing you wished more people knew about events?:
* Event content is important, and a lot more important than many people initially think.
Takeaways
* Your content marketing strategy should include your event content.
* Having a variety of speakers that can speak on the technical side of an event and engage their audience is very important.
* The content at your event can also be used to create even more connections.
* Have content that resonates with your audience.
* It’s important to have time to practice any speech that you have prepared beforehand.
* Content can he…
playlist_add
Feb 17, 2022
Engaging Experiences - Dean Armintrout - Speaking of Events - Episode # 2
Dean Armintrout is here with us today! An event planning expert, Dean shares with us the real facts of what goes into planning an event and why it’s not just planning a party. There are so many different cogs helping the event planning machine function and this episode has plenty of knowledge on that topic!
What do you wish people knew about events:
* Planning an event is a much more difficult task than most people think.
Takeaways
* A lot more time and effort goes into events than people think.
* Planning an event is a huge team effort, there are hundreds of things that have to be done before the whole event is ready.
* Focus on what you can control.
* Communicate with anyone on your team about what is and isn’t working so you all stay on the same page.
* Moving events to virtual instead of in person can bring in new challenges that weren’t there before.
* An event that has to be planned virtually can still be very engaging if it still provides a similar experi…
playlist_add
Feb 10, 2022
Team Effort - Chuck Santoro - Speaking of Events - Episode #1
On this very first episode of Speaking of Events we have Chuck Santoro, founder and Chief Creative of PROSCENIUM. Chuck is here to kick things off right for us with some wonderful conversations, giving us the insider knowledge of what it takes to really make an event a success. Hybrid events are discussed in-depth, can we really have the same experience if we’re not physically there? Find out right here on Speaking of Events!
What do you find most challenging?
* Where are you going to have/host your event.
Takeaways
* Having everyone as comfortable as possible behind the scenes makes things even easier on your presenter
* Rehearsing is key to a successful presentation
* With hybrid events becoming the most popular style of event, it’s important to plan accordingly for both those showing up in person and online.
* Someone at an in-person event isn’t going to experience the event the same way as someone online, even if they both are witnessing the same event
* You c…
playlist_add