In this special episode, Brooke and Cody sit down with some of the winners of the Cvent Excellence Awards right after the virtual ceremony. Listen in to hear all their tips and tricks and how they became Cvent winners.
Today, Brooke and Cody sat down with Leila Heller, Meetings and Incentives Director, North America at VisitBritain/MeetEngland, and Caroline Phelan, Meetings and Incentive Senior Manager Europe, to talk to us about how the UK is preparing to safely welcome back visitors and events. They share their insights on the impact they think the current pandemic will have on the industry both in the short term and long term for the UK. They also share some really creative ideas that UK restaurants and bar...
For event professionals, IMEX is a familiar name. IMEX is an industry-leading exhibition for incentive travel, meetings, events and considered the heartbeat of the global business events community. Their two tradeshows have been running annually for almost two decades in Frankfurt and Las Vegas. In this episode, Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX Group, talks to us about how their virtual event, Planet IMEX, went. She also shares insights on how IMEX made the decision to pivot to virtual and their approa...
With Virtual events being so prominent, many event planners have questions about integrating different platforms and their respective benefits. Lori Wildman, Senior Marketing Manager at DMA - DuCharme, McMillen & Associates, Inc. talks to us about her experience with moving her events to a virtual platform and how using different systems helps for one end goal. She also shares her views on how beneficial it is to use a virtual MC, other engagement strategies, and shares some alternative bene...
From traveling to eating meals at in-person events, the current pandemic has impacted everything. Lou Marrocco, President of Brandywine Events, talks to Brooke and Cody and offers us some guidance on reopening strategies as we begin to consider in-person events again. In this episode, he shares what steps event-planners and hoteliers can take to not let fear or anxiety impact reopening plans. He also discusses different options that planners have to be sensitive to COVID19 while also keeping sus...
With our current environment, several companies are taking preventative measures to limit exposure to employees, so what is the future of incentive meetings? Tahira Endean, Head of Events at SITE Global, talks to us about the state of incentive experiences for top performers. Hear her unique perspective on how companies can still keep incentive events alive during these times and how we can continue to provide that red carpet experience people have come to expect. Listen in to hear how companies...
The world has changed the way it operates and that includes how event planners need to think while working on international conventions. In this episode, Shawn Cheng, Project Manager at MCI and president of PCMA’s Canada West Chapter, shares his thoughts on the few things that international conventions are facing. You will hear more about the main reasons people attend conferences and how they need to be re-designed to work in the present scenario. He also talks about using gamification effectiv...
We know recovery is inevitable and live events will eventually resume and there are a lot of questions. Will you be able to build the same kind of relationship in the virtual environment? How can planners maximize attendance and engagement on the rebound? How social distancing will impact events? How should planners build value to justify the cost once we go back to live events? and so on. We all have questions. In this episode Brendan Dell, Founder and President of B2H, shares his thoughts with...
With Pride month in full swing, we invited Michael Newton, Team Lead of Europe Account Management with Cvent, back to the podcast to talk about diversity and inclusion and why it is so important for planners to be conscious of this while planning events. Michael not only has a wealth of knowledge but also as a subject matter expert, he shares his thoughts and ideas on how companies can get started with initiatives around diversity and inclusion. Listen in to hear his thoughts on launching and gr...
We all know that recovery is on the horizon and corporate travel will eventually resume, but not without some changes. Best practices and safety measures will be part of our lives and it will help in evolving corporate travel. In this episode we talk about how as travelers we will be responsible to make travel not only safe, but a success in the new world. Timothy Jones, Director of Corporate Travel at Cvent joins Brooke and Cody and shares some predictions about the phased approach on the futur...
Ever wonder what industry leaders of other countries are doing in the current situation? In this episode we talk through what they are doing to show that London will be a safe destination to go back to and also hear about visiting London virtually and everything it has to offer. Tracy also shares a 3-phase approach to getting back to “normal” and how working with government leaders has better prepared them for the current situation. As a special bonus, listen in to hear more about Cvent Connect ...
The transition from working in the office to working from home with all your family members happened so quickly in our lives. As we continue working from home some of us still find it difficult to maintain that much required work-life balance. We know it is hard to stay focused when we have all been home longer than we would like. In this episode we are joined by Stephen Carroll, Senior Director, Partnerships & Corporate Marketing at Cvent and his spouse Bernadette J. Carroll, Founder, and C...
These are unprecedented times and ON24 is trying to do their part to bring us into the new normal. Listen as Cheri Keith, Director of Strategy and Research at ON24, talks about some great insights from their annual benchmark report, such as the changes in ideal dates and times for webinars in recent weeks. She also talks about how webinars are still thriving with virtual events being the point of focus during these times. She also shares what changes might be required from an event marketing sta...
In a time when everyone is trying to do something for society, we had the privilege of talking to someone who took actions during these unprecedented times to start an initiative to help first responders called #CompoundingHandoff. Lizzie Harbin Vice President of Public Affairs, Communications, Education, and Human Resources at PCCA not only pivoted to a virtual event but made it a success from 25 attendees to 400+ virtual attendees. While also starting a community movement to make hand sanitize...
In this third part of our Cvent Virtual Week series, we debunk the myth that virtual events are boring. That couldn't be more wrong! Our guests, Lauren Allison and Noel McWilliams, share their tips on how to make virtual events engaging for attendees. Whether virtual or in-person, events can still be engaging and accomplish the same goals for attendees. Tune in to hear everything they had to say!
We are halfway through Cvent Virtual Week and we are continuing to debunk myths around hosting virtual events! In the second part of our three-part series, our guests Taylor Bohn and Lauren Turner demystify the myth that is on many people's minds -- not having the right technology to put on a virtual event. Our guests talk through the technology you need to run a virtual event and how it's not as complicated as we may think!
It's Cvent Virtual Week and we are going to be debunking myths around hosting virtual events! In the first part of our three-part series, we tackle the myth around having to start from square one when switching to a virtually hosted event. Our guest Paulina Curto shares her tips for taking events originally planned for an in-person experience, to a virtual platform without having to start completely from scratch. Stay tuned for part two of this series that will focus on the tech side of virtual ...
Today we are joined by Fay Sharpe founder of the not for profit organization Fast Forward 15 in the UK. After founding a meetings and events company and completing her life's goal, Fay found herself wanting to give back to the women in the events industry by setting up a mentoring program under Fast Forward 15. Taken from her many years of experience, Fay shares her advice on what you should focus on if you've been furloughed and how to stand out when updating your resume. You won't want to miss...
In this episode we are joined by McNeel Keenan, Vice President of Product Management at Cvent who gives us a sneak peek into the five ways to drive leads at virtual trade shows. Join us in this episode as McNeel Keenan touches on how we can use trade shows to connect with customers and prospects even during a shift from in-person to virtual events. Learn new, creative ways to connect with your sales leads virtually. Don’t forget to tune into the webinar that launches tomorrow, June 4th, to hear ...
It's been shown that employees and customers really appreciate having a charitable component to events. Organizations like GlobalGiving help connect nonprofits, donors, and companies. Kayla O'Neill and Scott Williams with GlobalGiving share several ways their clients have utilized charitable giving at their events such as attendees earning points, using branded gift cards, and more. Listen in to hear the fantastic opportunities they can offer to you at your events. Want to learn more? Contact Ka...
In this episode, Brooke and Cody sit down with Jeffrey Emenecker, Senior Director of Analytics at Cvent, to talk about the exciting data he uncovered on his monthly global webinar. Hoteliers won’t want to miss this! Jeffrey also touched on how hoteliers should think about their reopening strategy, his prediction with the future of hybrid events at hotel venues, and so much more! Make sure to tune in!
In this special edition podcast episode, we are joined by Cvent's own Kim Segal, Senior Principle Account Manager, to chat about her top tips on how to spend your free time right now. Hear how you can go to the zoo, an aquarium, museums, and even have books read to you virtually. Listen in to take advantage of the plethora of free virtual content available right now that has never been available before! Another great option to take advantage of right now is to become certified in Cvent! Cvent is...
As part of our Career Planning series, we are discussing tips to dig in to unique skill sets that are relevant to event professionals during these times. Joining us today to discuss this topic is Paulina Curto & Amanda Greenspan-DSouza who are on the Global Meetings Management Team here at Cvent. Paulina and Amanda share 4 skills that planners can learn now to enhance their resumes and help with their day to day. One special event Paulina and Amanda are working on is Cvent Connect Virtual! F...
Brooke and Cody are joined today by Sherrif Karamat, President and CEO at PCMA, to talk about the benefits of embracing digital and how he's seeing an increased collaboration in the hospitality industry. We discuss everything from the relationship between the planner and supplier, to PCMA's approach to helping through COVID situations. Sheriff also shares the emerging trends he believes we will see in the next 6 - 12 months. Check out how you can get involved with PCMA and their supportive commu...
Even before the events world pivoted to a virtual platform, the Women in Leadership (WIL) initiative at Cvent has been successfully conducting virtual meetings since last year. Today we are joined by WIL Coordinator, Amanda Greenspan-Dsouza & Taylor Wertheimer, WIL guest speaker, as they share their advice for anyone doing a virtual presentation. They even share how they've been successfully managing a virtual book club along with their top tips on how you can launch a program similar to thi...
Finding a new job can be a full time job. But in today's podcast, we help narrow down what specifically you can do to be more appealing to an employer. Today we are joined by Tracy Judge, Founder and Chief Connector at Soundings Connect, and Matt Syme, Lead Corporate Recruiter at Cvent to discuss how to enhance your skills and beef up your resume. Matt and Tracy share what employers are looking for in a candidate and share tips such as how best to position your LinkedIn account as well as how to...
It's no secret that music can bring back memories of exactly where you were at any point in time. But how can music help compliment your events? In this special edition podcast we are joined by Sam McNeil & John Lambardo with SongDivision to teach us about the science behind music to engage your attendees/employees and unify corporate culture. As a special treat, Sam and John create and perform a song for us during the podcast! Don't forget! Cvent is hosting a week of "Real Talk" Conversatio...
If you have been looking for a new way to boost your events and realize true engagement, then today's podcast is for you! Brooke and Cody sit down with Cindy Lo, CEO of Red Velvet Events, to get her take on utilizing gamification for events and how you can then track your ROI. Cindy also shares her advice for getting exhibitors and sponsors to interact with attendees on a virtual level. From exhibit hall bingo to branding, Cindy shares all the tips and tricks! Additional Resources (https://explo...
Developing and maintaining quality employee engagement is the theme of today's podcast. We are joined by Shannon Harrison who worked for a Fintech Company and like many other event planners was tasked with finding ways to keep internal employees engaged while working from home. Shannon shares what skills she leveraged from the event planner world to get colleagues engaging with one another. Free and cheap ideas became an instant hit such as Happy Hour Fridays, Talent Shows, and even Bingo! Liste...
In the past several weeks, we've had to quickly adapt to virtual events. Because of their strong focus on virtual events, planners have innovated the events industry by pioneering new event technologies and strategies. Jill Dasher with HPN Global and Phil Sings with Federal Conference join us today to share how they have innovated their events. In the conversation, Jill and Phil express the importance of keeping your attendees engaged and included in the conversation. This can be achieved by uti...
