If you are in the meetings and events industry, you have heard of our guest on this episode. She can talk about ALL things in our space AND she is a key thought leader in the association world. KiKi L'Italien founded "Association Chat", which is one of the first Twitter chats EVER. She then evolved it into a live broadcast, and then a podcast. She knows her stuff, there's no question! On this one we talk through the changes and strategies we've seen in EventTech over the last three years, and ho...
Apr 27, 2023•39 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast Our guest on this one is front and center, representing us in DC and beyond. Most folks know we've had the Meetings Mean Business coalition since the events of 2008-2009, and now we also have the organization Tommy Goodwin represents, Exhibitions & Conferences Alliance, advocating for our industry. On this episode we talk about the challenge of getting Visas to enter the U.S. and the impact that has had on our industry, the Kentucky legislature (failed) attempt to tax space rental for exhibitors...
Apr 06, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Mindfulness is something we can all do to improve our personal and professional lives. If you're not sure where to start or think you might need a refresher, our guest on this show is the perfect person to set us all on the path of mindfulness -- or awarefulness, as she mentions. Centering, examining, being intentional, and grateful are just a handful of practices we can do. We named this one "Mindful Leadership," but it all applies to all of us, whether in leadership or not. "You know, as you'r...
Mar 23, 2023•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast The word "image" can mean different things to people. When thinking about improving your trade show image, this can be viewed from the organizer level, the exhibitor level, and the attendee level. Marlys helps us understand the importance of focusing on how to improve our image from each of these perspectives. Who are the best people to work your booth, for example? "Sometimes some of the best people to be in the booth are the customer service representatives, because they're the ones who field ...
Mar 09, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are hidden gifts in volunteering. I've heard it said we can improve our lives through "addition by subtraction," and it hit me recently that volunteerism is "addition by addition." By giving back, as some would call it, we also receive. Of course, volunteerism doesn't just show itself in professional arenas, but when we do step up and into these roles for our professional associations, magic can happen. Our guest on this show is proof that getting involved won't only improve our profession...
Feb 23, 2023•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Diversity, equity, inclusion, and BELONGING… All things that are important with regard to how and why conference organizers select their speakers. Troy does a great job of helping us understand his perspective as a Black man and Megan adds gender equity into the conversation. We talk about speaking up about diversity on stages – solidarity also enters the chat. While we absolutely need more women and people of color on stages at our events, it’s important that you have them talking about what th...
Feb 09, 2023•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast The last few years have brought plenty of change, and trade shows have especially had challenges! Our guest on this episode has a ton of experience around helping exhibitors and show organizers alike tackle ways to make their trade shows better experiences . "Relationships are the currency of business" is one of the many quotes Jeffferson gave from many sage business people. Relationships ARE at the center of everything we do, and we should keep that as the focus as we build commerce and communi...
Jan 26, 2023•40 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast With this episode, we kick-off season two of Trade Show Talk! We speak with two industry leaders on this one about the state of the exhibitions industry -- we talk about where we have been and we look at where we're headed. "We just got the third quarter results. And what we have found is that about 14% of those shows that were held in the first - third quarters of this year (2022) have surpassed their pre-pandemic levels." -Cathy Breden The industry is recovering, but we do have a way to go. IA...
Jan 12, 2023•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's easy to either get swept up in the "new year resolution" thing OR to be caught-off-guard by a new year approaching without any goals or plans set for the new year. Our guest on this episode has a very easy, logical, and thoughtful way to tackle planning for the new year that she shares with us. "I think it's really important that we take time to reflect. And that's really the first step in my process of looking forward is looking back." Looking back before you look forward -- seems like a s...
Dec 29, 2022•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast We often hear we should provide "wellness" opportunities at our meetings and events. And we all likely know we should be taking better care of ourselves also. Dr. Kim kicks off this episode with this realization – self care is important. It’s not selfish, but essential… And we should start there before providing the opportunities for our participants. She provides all sorts of sensible tips and tactics we can all put to use, and we thought this was the perfect time to talk about it as we look to...
Dec 15, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast The content shared at our events is a GOLDMINE of a resource for organizations. Truly, events are their own marketing channel, and we should be curating that creative content to use throughout all of our marketing materials. We continue our content theme on this episode with the amazing Miguel Neves. He brings a unique perspective having served in so many roles within our industry. Now serving as an editor-in-chief, he is seeing our industry from both a 30,000-foot-view and having boots on the g...
Nov 10, 2022•40 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast The content we provide at our meetings and events is a crucial element of the experience. Did you know there is a ton of research around the psychology of content? Our guest on this episode is a thought leader in our industry on the topic. Victoria gives us a ton of things to think about that we can implement right away to make a difference. Did you know your participants get a BETTER experience with your content when they listen through headphones? It's true! The music you select matters too. P...
Oct 27, 2022•29 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast Event marketing and marketing an event are different things… and they are inter-connected. On this episode our guests share the state of the industry as they are seeing it through working with a variety of corporate clients over the years. Several strategic themes resonate throughout this show… be authentic, be purposeful, be critical, be agile, and always show value. It's important to look at your event portfolio holistically. Determining the events to hold and attend, to sponsor, and to speak ...
Oct 07, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are some people in the events industry who personify the creativity, class, and kindness we should all aspire to, and our guest on this episode is one of those people. Throughout her career Tahira Endean has been on a path of both learning and educating. In her latest venture she has joined the education team at IMEX Group as Head of Programme. Everything in the meetings and events industry provides different opportunities for growth of knowledge, relationships, and revenue. Trade shows ar...
Sep 22, 2022•35 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are many layers to a successful exhibition both from the organizer side and the exhibitor side, and our guest on this episode helps us understand some of the intricacies. He talks about how exhibition organizers have an incredible opportunity to help their exhibitors be more successful! And on the exhibitor side -- does everyone on your team have the same objectives? Does your team actually determine what you want your "return on objectives" (ROO) to be in advance of your events? Having a ...
Sep 01, 2022•38 min•Transcript available on Metacast Technology is an integral way for participants at our events to be fully included. For each and every event to be accessible for every human. One way to do this is to get around language barriers–allowing participants to both speak and listen in their own language, using technology. This is also important for those who are hard of hearing or deaf, which is what we think about the most, but translating languages is important too! A.I. is the key and it can be utilized using your smartphone. Our g...
Aug 18, 2022•23 min•Transcript available on Metacast Accessibility and inclusivity are not spoken about nearly enough. This month we're covering another super important topic with both episodes. While "tourism" is thought about as people "vacationing," it's about so much more. The travel industry is becoming more accessible, which makes it more inclusive. This also has an impact on the meetings and events industry because of the travel involved with in-person events. "Awareness leads to change... and awareness leads to education... and education l...
Aug 04, 2022•55 min•Ep 14•Transcript available on Metacast This is our second show this month around the very important topic of sustainability in events. On this one we talk about standards, helping us learn more deeply how we can all make a difference on this front. The Events Industry Council (EIC) has emerged as our industry’s authority for educating and providing standards and resources for sustainability. On this episode we have an expert from EIC who gives us so much to think about on a variety of ways we can make our meetings and events more sus...
Jul 21, 2022•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast There's no question our industry needs to have sustainability at the forefront. Our guests on this episode are on two sides of the aisle, so to speak. We have one corporate planner who has made it a priority with his team, and a B-Corp business owner who has made it her BUSINESS! What is clear is there are small efforts we can make that will make a difference, incrementally. AND it's important that we measure how we are reducing our carbon footprint in all ways. Both guests share a lot of strate...
Jul 07, 2022•45 min•Ep 12•Transcript available on Metacast We believe we've seen a lot of progress in the event technology space over the last ten years, and progress has been made precipitously over the past two (plus) years. I think there are lots of areas of event tech which are under-appreciated and under-invested. And a lot of that is where it intersects with the in person experience. This conversation with Adam Parry came right on the heels of the Event Tech Live Summit, and he gives tons of insights about mergers & acquisitions in the space, succ...
Jun 16, 2022•40 min•Ep 11•Transcript available on Metacast The human element will never be automated. Creativity will never be automated. And Event Technology is the workhorse behind the human efforts to make change and creativity in the meetings and events industry. When we design events – or an experience – we are behind them as humans and event technology is a force we can use to help us put the ingredients together. These are just a few of the gems from our guests on episode ten. Event technology has taken on many forms over the last ten years, and ...
Jun 02, 2022•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast We don't hear from the chefs in our industry nearly enough. This particular chef is covering a TON of ground with the properties he is working with, so he was the perfect guest for this episode. Chef Jeff gives us insight from his perspective about working with event organizers on menu development, some trends he is seeing and his company is working towards, and more. Chef has an affinity for eco-friendly practices in food and beverage also, so we learn about some of that as well. Jeff Leidy Sen...
May 19, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast For our theme this month, we're focusing on food and beverage. It is Food Allergy Awareness Month and Celiac Disease Awareness Month. There is so much more to managing food and beverage than meets the eye. It’s no longer about just learning who needs a vegetarian meal. We have to account for allergies and we need to understand it is also about inclusivity and accessibility. There are things you might not be thinking about. By educating the industry from hotel chefs, to planners and CSMs, to food...
May 05, 2022•35 min•Ep 8•Transcript available on Metacast It sounds a bit silly that we haven't had a "trade show" topic until episode seven on a podcast called "Trade Show Talk." We have so many important topics to address in our meetings and events industry, and talking about trade shows as a theme, of course, is so important. Our guests on this episode are "trade show royalty." Friends throughout the years, Doug & Kai provide a really great conversation about the successes of the industry as we move forward... and what to expect for the future. Trul...
Apr 14, 2022•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is the second episode of our Women’s History Month-themed shows. All four women this month have been amazing examples we can all learn from. Our industry has made some progress in recent years. And, more progress definitely needs to be made in terms of diversity in leadership. The data is there – businesses with more women in leadership are more profitable ! Our guests on this episode are not only women in leadership themselves, they are following the research, and trying to educate the ind...
Mar 24, 2022•39 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are an industry filled with remarkable, strong, passionate, driven, and creative WOMEN. This month we celebrate women’s history, which was motivation for having some conversations with women who are making a difference in the industry at-large and on individuals personally. On this uplifting episode we chat with two women entrepreneurs who happened into the beginnings of their businesses (years ago now) AND discovered opportunities to change and grow their businesses in inspiring ways. With a...
Mar 10, 2022•43 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Every individual has different impressions of what diversity, equity, and inclusion means. Some of us tend to have very narrow views of what the issues are. We might not fully understand, for example, that inclusion should always consider the food and beverage choices that we make for our guests. On this episode we hear from a bright industry professional who has a unique perspective, based on all of his lived experiences. This is a more personalized look at DEI that can help us all look at it t...
Feb 24, 2022•45 min•Transcript available on Metacast Did you know there are 19 different facets to diversity, equity, and inclusion? 19! It IS about ethnicity and race, but it really is about so much more. Our guests on episode three wanted to have a conversation around where things are now within the meetings & events industry (and beyond). They didn’t want to revisit the same conversations, but to look at what’s most important NOW around DEI, and to set the stage for the change that is still to come. Melissa Majors and Greg DeShields are the per...
Feb 09, 2022•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast Community is no longer just an entity. It is a career path, and RD Whitney helps us understand this deeply on this episode! Online / virtual events are not a new concept and RD was involved in advancing them back in ‘07-’10. He fully believes it was the current pandemic that was the “slingshot” to show how important community is. Whether your events are online or in person, they are a catalyst to complement year-round communities for our audiences. “Events are the culmination of community.” And ...
Jan 27, 2022•36 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Community has always been important within the meetings and events industry, and the last couple of years have elevated just how crucial it is! On this episode we explore how PCMA is embracing the 365-community approach and it gets us thinking about how we should all approach it. Our guest on this inaugural episode of the "Trade Show Talk" podcast is Meredith Rollins, Chief Community Officer at PCMA. She truly shows us exactly why a position like hers is needed. "And with the mentality of puttin...
Jan 09, 2022•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
