Event Industry News Podcast

Diversity is not enough

Having worked in events for 15-years, Lauralee Whyte moved from experiential marketing towards the content construct, focused on sourcing speakers and talent.

Having seen, and drawn from, the shallow waters of practiced options, in July 2021 Lauralee launched Spectrum Speakers & Entertainers, the UK’s first diversity focused content bureau.

In this episode, she discusses the motivation behind that move and why speakers at events from different backgrounds are invariably asked to talk about their experience as a minority more than anything else.

Lauralee Whyte looks at learnings from lockdown, inspiration, representation and opportunity, tapping into micro-communities and working with Brixton Finishing School.  

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How CMOs should prep for the new event world

Based in Boston, Massachusetts, Devin Cleary is the VP of global events at award-winning digital platform Bizzabo – multiple-winner of the Event Tech Awards’ coveted People’s Choice gong.

With more than 16 years’ experience designing and delivering diverse experiential marketing programmes for b2b, non-profit and consumer markets, Devin has an enviable track record in strategising and executing in-person, virtual and hybrid events.

In this episode, Devin Cleary discusses budget cuts, which began pre-pandemic, and how chief marketing officers (CMOs) can prepare for this era of redefined events, what the impact of Covid-19’s delta variant on in-person events is likely to be and how event professionals and CMOs can effectively collaborate through that window.

Cleary also looks at in-person sponsorships and how the event marketing landscape has changed over the longer term – from 2010 on.

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Exploring variables in Precision Communities

Dr. Baris Onayis an entrepreneurial executive with 15 plus years’ experience in b2b media, events, exhibitions and conferences. He launched Precision Communities six months ago, on a mission to build virtual events that ‘catalyse’ companies outside the traditional loop.

In this episode, Baris Onay discusses his learnings from the Covid-19 pandemic, the story behind the company name, cost efficiency, mitigating risk with event series, moving away from the make or break mentality, the untapped value in the virtual world and much more.

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Truly Event Genius

Reshad Hossenally found his inspiration in a part-time job; selling tickets, by hand, while at university. He went on to found Event Genius, and the related Ticket Arena consumer brand. In 2019, Hossenally and the Event Genius, Ticket Arena company joined forces with Festicket, becoming one of Europe’s leading primary ticketing and event tech providers.

 

Trusted by the likes of Coachella, Afro Nation, Amnesia Ibiza and Rolling Loud, the Event Genius Group provides services to 35 different countries generating sales of more than £650m.

Throughout, Event Genius has stayed in step with Hossenally’s original ambition – and the company name - to provide promoters with a better means to sell tickets and to manage all aspects of the business.

In this episode, Reshad Hossenally details his role in the recent flurry of Liverpool test events, which, with clinical tests for audiences either side, required no social distancing and no face masks. He talks about Event Genius’ cashless payment system as well. Crucially, post-Covid, it facilitates speed in event transactions and prevents congregation in typical pinch points, reducing risk of contamination and the potential for identifying contacts via RFID bands.

Look out for Hossenally detailing the system’s new functionality too.

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Gower on growth at The Game Fair

With a background in big events, from London and Southampton Boat Shows to the International Festival for Business, James Gower was a perfect fit with The Game Fair when he was appointed managing director in 2015, and still is.  

In this episode, James Gower talks about the Fair’s considerable history – the late Prince Philip famously branded it the ‘shop window of the countryside’ - before digging into fallow 2020 and the positive impact that had on the 2021 show. How build time was cut from 12 weeks to four, adjustments to the site layout, new elements to the audience – a product of the lockdown reconnection with the great outdoors - and much more besides.

Event Design for live…

A self-confessed ‘tech nerd’ at heart, Anthony Vade worked in AV and event production Down Under before moving to Canada in 2010, initially for more of the same. Over the last few years though Vade has stepped across to the design field, joining Swiss-based Event Design Collective in its Toronto office as director for North America 12 months ago.

In this episode, Anthony Vade digs into his background, and details the CED in his current job title, before detailing exactly what Event Design Collective does for organisers. With plenty of hand gestures, he talks bringing about change, facing the challenge of the events and tech mindset collision, digital dexterity, partnership relationships and why it’s worth budgeting for some tech redundancy.

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Hosting government and much more at Manchester Central

Manchester Central, formerly GMEX, has been home to, among many other things, festivals, standalone concerts, consumer shows, trade shows and conferences, not least those by the Labour Party and the Conservative Party.

Tellingly, CEO Shaun Hinds, who is also director/vice chair of the Association of Event Venues, featured on the EIN podcast pre-pandemic, in October 2019.

This episode, in a wholly different world, sees Hinds talking about Manchester Central events before, during and after lockdown. How staff and suppliers to the venue worked right through the installation of NHS Nightingale North West at the site, how the event industry was “absolutely fundamental” in establishing the chain of those facilities across the country and the lack of understanding in the corridors of power about the planning and delivery that goes into live events nevertheless.

Hinds also discusses the resurgent appetite for the live model and how that will stimulate new event genres, making better use of outdoor spaces, vaccine passports, mitigation measures and personal responsibility.

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Tune in to M&C Saatchi Talk

Sophie Bannister, head of creative development at communications agency M&C Saatchi Talk, is responsible for delivery of all campaign implementation, including social, content and experiential activations.

In this episode, Sophie Bannister gives host James Dickson her take on everything from lockdown media days via Zoom, and other platforms, understanding the consumer journey, and rethinking content, through to planning live events again post ‘freedom day’.

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JUNO Live in July

Josh Hotsenpiller launched ‘hybrid events and 365 engagement software’ business JUNO Live in March 2020, at the top of the Covid-19 storm, responding to demand from clients of his other businesses, CrowdHub and Wisdom Capture.

In this episode, Josh Hotsenpiller discusses, among other things, the thinking behind JUNO publication ‘All events are hybrid: a planning workbook’.

Rife with sporting analogy and self-help missives the conversation touches on variables, the power of empathy, making challenges smaller, the benefits of a pen and paper approach, user generated content and how removing boundaries is the future of the world…  

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Time for Recess...

Jack Shannon is CEO and co-founder at California-based experiential growth marketing platform Recess.

Launched in 2010, Recess is tech designed to marry brands with perfect match live events and venues efficiently – without all the searching/emailing and calling. Crucially, there are 100s of brands and agencies signed up, so Recess is a balanced equation.

Jack Shannon explains the switch he and his business partner made 11 years ago, from event organisers to facilitators, and the attendant value in truly understanding the challenge prior to rolling out Recess.

This episode goes on to look at the difference between ‘unfair advantage’ and seizing opportunities, the behemoth of the US collegiate system, the pandemic impact, creative thinking and, because Shannon thinks and talks quickly, much, much more….

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