Event Industry News Podcast

Why the right event host is more important than ever...

Simon Howard, a professional host and compere with more than 200 virtual and 100s of live events in his portfolio over the course of some seven years, came to the job after a considerable tenure as an event manager in both hemispheres.

In this episode, Simon discusses ‘Why the right event host is more important than ever’, looking at the pandemic impact on his role in the short-term and its legacy as the world started to open up again.

He talks about tailoring his practice in engagement to lockdown events, getting people involved physically, leftfield thinking, being unpredictable, the difference between a good storyteller and a good host, relating to an audience and, of course, much more.

All the way to Remo

Hong Kong-based Hoyin Cheung founded interactive virtual event platform Remo in 2018, to ‘humanise the online event experience, and bring people together worldwide’.

Triggered by his background in social media and years spent managing remote teams across eight years in marketing, Remo rings the changes.

In this episode, Hoyin talks connectivity, what’s stopping us from cultivating online relationships every bit as deep, meaningful and enriching as those that develop in person, developing the idea for Remo, the time spent in testing and market research, Covid-19’s ‘accelerator’ impact, changing the business post rather than pre-pandemic, how it works and much more.

The power of empathy - brought to book

Founder/CEO of customer acquisition agency MCM, John McMahon, added to his lockdown To-Do list researching and writing The Power of Leading With Empathy, which was published in January to much acclaim.

A product of interviews with business leaders and fellow agency owners coupled with John’s own considerable experience - empathy is a cornerstone to his leadership style at MCM – this episode looks at the motivation behind the book and its ambitions.

Aimed at anyone running a small team, in any sector, John McMahon discusses being described as a ‘soft leader’, the limits of the workplace, the benefits of working from home on the back of all the pandemic lessons, the power of trust and much more.

Tracking changes at new model Hilton Birmingham Metropole

Nicola Underhill is general manager at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole – a venue built in step with the NEC, where it sits. The biggest UK hotel outside London.

Nicola came to the job from six plus years in a similar role at the Hilton St George’s Park - home to all 24 England football teams and a centre for coach education.

In this episode, host James Dickson asks Nicola Underhill about the Hilton Birmingham Metropole’s multi-million-pound refurbishment; due to complete in April it includes all the hotel’s event spaces along with a new bar, a new restaurant and a new executive lounge.

Nicola talks digital technology too, staying competitive – with a spotlight on the Hilton Metropole’s event relations managers – as well as looking back on her career to date.

Changing lanes at Brooklyn Bowl

Emma Tietze, director of sales and events at Brooklyn Bowl, has a 10-year history in live events, turns at the Manhattan Center and at CBS Radio reflecting her passions.

Emma joined the team at Brooklyn Bowl, a former iron foundry in ‘hip’ Williamsburg, three years ago.

A sought-after mix of live music, award winning food and bowling, since its 2009 launch Brooklyn Bowl has spawned three other venues in the group, one in Vegas, one in Nashville and one in Philadelphia.

In this episode, Emma Tietze talks through her background before emphasising the Importance of venues like the Bowl post-pandemic, not least the flexibility of the room and how much that helps in responding to client wants.

Emma goes on to discuss leadership roles for women in events, business development and targeted marketing, networking at the Bowl, working with other venues, partnering with local hotels and watching the neighbourhood grow.

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Farnborough International facility flying high

Carlo Zoccali joined Farnborough International Ltd in 2016. Responsible for venue sales, operations and customer service he also oversees relationships between the venue and the wider events industry.

Involved with trade associations throughout his career, Carlo was president of the ILEA from 2017 to 2018 and continues to be an active board member of the Europe chapter.

In this episode Carlo Zoccali’s focus is beyond the airshow (FIA) which, cancelled in 2020, comes back to the site in July this year. It’s on newer heights instead, the 12,500sq m exhibition hall opened in 2018 and the similar size space outside among them – and how that combination delivered as live events slowly came back to life from mid-2021.

Carlo Zoccali talks about the Farnborough footprint facilitating everything from exhibitions and experiential events through to conferences and product launches in its new meeting room portfolio, re-connecting people in 2022, audience-driven demand, niche events, elevating experiences and contemporary delivery.

Ink Factory’s perfect picture

Since 2011 Chicago-based Ink Factory has been delivering visual note-taking, physically and virtually.

Creating pictures that summarise key takeaways for conferences, meetings, brainstorming sessions, show content and much more, Ink Factory clients include Adobe, Amazon, CAT, Deloitte, Ford, Unilever, Whole Foods Market and the YMCA,

In this episode, Ryan Robinson, the company’s co-founder and CMO, discusses the business before digging into the immediate gratification audiences get from visuals and its benefits in retaining information and recalling it.

Ryan Robinson goes on to talks bookmarks in the brain, using keywords, colours, the focus on training, listening and adapting, videos, illustrations and preventing distraction.

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Talking shop with The Party Goddess

Verbose, in the best Los Angeles tradition, Marley Majcher is CEO of The Party Goddess, an A-list full-service event planning and catering company in LA,, and author of acclaimed business guide for entrepreneurs, But Are You Making Any Money?

In this episode, Marley details her background, from cooking school in Paris and egotistical chefs right through to standing out in the event planner crowd.

The conversation with host James Dickson covers celebrity endorsement/the publicity machine, organising events in LA, big budget clients, contracts, confidentiality agreements, young starters’ expectations and much more.    

Vendoir vidi vici

Launched at the threshold of the pandemic, March 2020, Vendoir is a platform for sole traders, freelancers, start-ups and existing suppliers to showcase their service to customers without paying for marketing.

Vendoir also allows clients to book vendors based on their reputation, budget, location, event type etc., with just a few taps.

In this episode, co-founders Oshoma Zekeri (CEO) and Yoma James Kukor (COO), discuss the personal and professional experiences that got them thinking.

They highlight the app’s focus on quality, ratings and reviews, local talent – everywhere - calendar/geography/budget functionality, payment protection, getting the best out of everybody and opening doors for freelancers.   

 

Music: Wish Background by Kevin MacLeod Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4633-wish-background License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

Deep into EventWell

The message ‘One in three event professionals will experience poor mental health every year, in the form of stress, anxiety, depression and burn out’ is spelled out loud and clear on the EventWell site - https://eventwell.org/about/

Helen Moon founded the not-for-profit CCLG social enterprise in 2017 to serve as the mental health and voice of the event industry.

Talking to host James Dickson at the Association of Event Venues (AEV) annual conference in the Business Design Centre, Helen Moon discusses mental health first aid, the impact of increased workloads post-‘freedom day’, the potential for burnout, the spoils of proper planning, on site EventWell hubs/quiet rooms, working memory, the benefits of repetition and much, much, more…

 

Music: Wish Background by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4633-wish-background

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license