Event Industry News Podcast

Behind Notified’s 2022 Benchmark Report

‘The world’s only communications cloud for events, public relations, and investor relations’, Notified, released its annual Benchmark Report in September.

Customer data highlighting trends in the virtual events market, the document revealed an upsurge in attendance for webinars and virtual events alongside increased engagement before and after thanks to the hooks – the downloads, live chats et al.

Host James Dickson jumps straight into this episode, analysing the report with Notified’s appropriately named chief revenue officer, Daniel Lotzof.

Starting with some report history, from 2018/19 and the “10 years’ progression” in the last two years, Daniel details the new percentages, the best day to produce an event, the ‘time-length’ to produce different formats. Broadcast environment, evolving definitions, video-use post-pandemic, sponsorship and much more – all drawn from the data.

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Behind the scenes at Shocklogic

CEO John Martinez, a quantum physicist, founded Shocklogic in 1997. One of the earliest exponents of event technology as we know it today, Shocklogic was developing/providing platforms for virtual events far in advance of the pandemic shift in thinking/delivery.

 

Thick with life experiences, from interviewee and from interviewer/host James Dickson, this episode delivers a deep examination of the Shocklogic method and the Martinez management mindset.

 

John Martinez talks rethinking the work/life balance, always delivering for the team, intelligence and discipline, algorithms, taking opportunities, the 10,000-hour rule and the ‘love the one you’re with’ logic.

 

Prompted by James Dickson he goes on to discuss the company’s cultural shift, its ‘always on’ commitment to simplifying the lives of event organisers, meditation, ‘quieting the chat box’, mindfulness for the Shocklogic masses and a whole lot more.

 

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First Sight Media: Learnings from the Event Tech Live livestream

Richard Belcher is director of streaming/production company First Sight Media, a key partner in delivering Event Tech Live (ETL) across its in-person, hybrid and virtual incarnations.  

Richard starts this episode explaining what First Sight Media does at ETL, front of house and behind the scenes, going on to detail changing audience perspectives post-pandemic, the dividends from community building, pre-event marketing, FOMO, engagement, blended content, sustainability, and the value of livestream

With Event Tech Live as the context, Richard Belcher goes on to give host James Dickson a take on the metaverse and ‘always on’, DJ Graffiti, webinars, breaking the barrier between hybrid as a single broadcast and ‘blended’, the Bonus stage and much, much more…  

 

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The ins and outs of global events recovery

James C Morris joined full-service event and experiential marketing agency Impact XM, where he is now VP client service, at the beginning of 2018 – bringing nearly 12 years of industry experience at Atlantic Exhibits with him.

In this episode, Morris and host James Dickson look at the realities post-the UFI’s Global Recovery Insights 2021 report. Have things bounced back as predicted and what the driving factors are if so.

Morris goes on to consider the parameters of ‘experiential’, how virtual is no replacement for face-to-face in event world, the increase in the want for global reach through Covid and out this side and how travel can heighten anticipation and productivity. Much more too, of course.

 

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Why ’Quiet Quitting’ is bad for business

Chief strategy officer Stephen Pickett joined Live Group in March 2022, from equally self-explanatory Canadian business CleanRiver Recycling Solutions.

In this episode Pickett explains what ‘quiet quitting’ is, the causes behind the concept, the impact on employers and, crucially, what they can do about it.

Steered by host James Dickson, Pickett discusses motivating a team and the individuals within it. Keeping people engaged and how crucial that is in the events industry.

He unwraps ‘how do I need to deliver my message’ and talks post-pandemic mania – balancing the in-person, hybrid, virtual equation. 

Pickett goes on to talk ticking the boxes – how many advantages the employees have and the potential benefits, on both sides, of allowing teams to work flexibly. Much more too of course.

Surveys show, incidentally, that disengagement at work costs some $70bn in lost productivity. And that 74 per cent of employees are actively looking for jobs within six months of taking on a new role. 

 

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Composing the Metaverse

Caroline McGuckian founder/CEO at Meshh, a company focused on the ‘metrics of movement’, and Jack Jacob, MD and founder of PNE (Partnership Network Events), join host James Dickson to take a look at the Metaverse.

 

On the premise that Metaverse is a work in progress, and everyone, everywhere, has a different perspective, this episode is part wish list, part comparison.

 

All three participants are resolute supporters of in-person events and hope this next iteration of the virtual world can, to an extent at least, be dictated by consumers.

 

Unconstrained by traditional parameters, the conversation covers everything from the funding question and sating the five senses to gaming, Metaverse gigs and the Queen’s funeral, underscored by the perennial ‘what it could be good for’.

Blackthorn: easy event management for Salesforce

With multiple cross-industry specialties in his locker New York-based Matt Frank is director of technology evangelism & product marketing at Blackthorn – ‘easy event management for Salesforce’.

Across some 40 minutes, this episode’s focus is the largest CRM system in the world and how Blackthorn’s apps, which are native to Salesforce, make processing payments and managing events easy.

With host James Dickson containing the conversation, Matt Frank talks Blackthorn’s capacity to help customers get the best from Salesforce – understanding its extraordinary reach and capacity - how having data in one place allows you to create the bespoke experience stakeholders have come to expect.

Matt discusses creating an event platform, the Salesforce tools, how Blackthorn tech is designed to be absolutely straightforward to operate and much more.

Zoom Events: Developing hybrid event innovation

With more than 20 years software development, product management and business development in her back pocket, Wei Li is head of Zoom Events and Webinar.  

In this episode, Wei talks host James Dickson through the launch of Zoom Events in July of 2021, discussing pandemic impact., mitigation, and highlighting the system’s extraordinary updates and innovations impetus.

Referencing the hybrid user and partner conference Zoomtopia 2022, which takes place later this month, Wei discusses Zoom Webinar’s ‘green room’, called ‘backstage’, where remote presenters can hang out between sessions – talk to each other and watch what’s going on ‘front of house’.

Detailing the Zoom roadmap, she highlights Zoom Events’ networking features, the Q&A function, hosting with the proper production tools, engagement, interactivity, the ‘webinar reaction’ feature, which embraces feedback from virtual and physical attendees, getting beyond tech stacks and much, much more.

Cvent CONNECT Europe 22: Cvent culture with Jamie Vaughan

Introduced by host Adam Parry the second chapter of chats he had during a visit to Cvent CONNECT Europe, at Intercontinental Hotel – The O2, is with Jamie Vaughan, the company’s VP of European sales.

 

Following Jamie’s potted perspective on some of CONNECT 2022’s content, and the show’s primary takeaways, this short episode focuses on the Cvent culture and what the greater industry can learn from it.

 

Jamie Vaughan takes another tack on the virtual/hybrid evolution that Patrick Smith discussed in part one, going on to define Cvent as it stands, beyond the ‘software company’ label, and how the team there is developing a structure for anything that comes next.

Cvent CONNECT Europe 22: Patrick Smith on adapting to the new event model

Adam Parry caught up Cvent senior vice president and chief marketing officer Patrick Smith at the physical element of hybrid Cvent CONNECT Europe, held at Intercontinental Hotel – The O2.

A special episode – Event Tech Talks and Walks – this is a focus on marketing; adapting to the new event model post-pandemic.

Host Adam Parry introduces the discussion and Patrick Smith talks quickly, covering a lot of ground in these 25 minutes.

Having done just one, experimental, virtual event prior to 2020, like so many other companies Cvent has dug deep into hybrid delivery since.

Patrick details the benefits to a show like CONNECT Europe, where weight of numbers, physical or virtual, adds to the storytelling, the thought leadership, the best practice and the value in choosing the right event option for you.

He goes on to discuss adjusting budgets, the total event programme, how one size won’t fit all, the difference between and a webinar and a virtual event and more.