Thomas Serrano

Thomas Serrano launched Exclamation Group in 2020. Driven by its ‘Events That Make A Point’ mantra the company is a ‘one-stop-shop for corporate and luxury events, cultural and sports partnerships’. And the New York/Miami-based business lists Bulgari, Audemars Piguet, Dom Perignon and Swarovski among recent clients. In this episode, the focus is on how music sews, or should sew, events together. Thomas Serrano discusses the experience clients want to create, mapping their collective or independent emotional journey through sound, and how that system can make events memorable as well as meaningful. Talking to host James Dickson, Serrano goes on to explain how music fits the Exclamation Group model, live versus pre-recorded sound, compositions behind the reveal of a new car, the value of researching an audience, the data behind a playlist, drawing/keeping attention and the power of the unexpected.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form. This episode of the Event Industry News Podcast is sponsored by Evolution dome, award-winning temporary event structures. Take a look at their structures at evolutiondome.com

Thomas Serrano launched Exclamation Group in 2020. Driven by its ‘Events That Make A Point’ mantra the company is a ‘one-stop-shop for corporate and luxury events, cultural and sports partnerships’. And the New York/Miami-based business lists Bulgari, Audemars Piguet, Dom Perignon and Swarovski among recent clients. In this episode, the focus is on how music sews, or should sew, events together. Thomas Serrano discusses the experience clients want to create, mapping their collective or independent emotional journey through sound, and how that system can make events memorable as well as meaningful. Talking to host James Dickson, Serrano goes on to explain how music fits the Exclamation Group model, live versus pre-recorded sound, compositions behind the reveal of a new car, the value of researching an audience, the data behind a playlist, drawing/keeping attention and the power of the unexpected. To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free</a> here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>. This episode of the Event Industry News Podcast is sponsored by Evolution dome, award-winning temporary event structures. Take a look at their structures at <a href="https://bit.ly/EvodomeEINPod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">evolutiondome.com</a>

Sound: The Underrated but Fundamental Element of Events with Thomas Serrano

Launched in 2003, IMEX Frankfurt is the heartbeat of the global business events community. And that’s what it says on the show’s homepage.   In this episode, IMEX design manager Anna Gyseman and Oli Bailey, interaction designer, detail the considerable process involved in giving a new look to the practised, proven event.   In conversation with host James Dickson they discuss 18 months research – not least with 50 external partners - how it’s a refresh not a rebrand, modernising and streamlining the stamp, physically and digitally.   They go on to talk diligence in the process – through prototypes in context, animation, sponsorships and timing, ahead of the big reveal.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.     This episode of the Event Industry News Podcast is sponsored by Evolution dome, award-winning temporary event structures. Take a look at their structures at evolutiondome.com

Launched in 2003, IMEX Frankfurt is the heartbeat of the global business events community. And that’s what it says on the show’s homepage. In this episode, IMEX design manager Anna Gyseman and Oli Bailey, interaction designer, detail the considerable process involved in giving a new look to the practised, proven event. In conversation with host James Dickson they discuss 18 months research – not least with 50 external partners - how it’s a refresh not a rebrand, modernising and streamlining the stamp, physically and digitally. They go on to talk diligence in the process – through prototypes in context, animation, sponsorships and timing, ahead of the big reveal. To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free</a> here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>. This episode of the Event Industry News Podcast is sponsored by Evolution dome, award-winning temporary event structures. Take a look at their structures at <a href="https://bit.ly/EvodomeEINPod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">evolutiondome.com</a>

IMEX: Rebranding an established event

Raccoon Media Group, formerly Raccoon Events, launched in a garden shed and delivered the award-winning National Running Show, at Birmingham NEC, less than two years later.   In this episode, CEO Mike Seaman talks host James Dickson through Raccoon’s growth, how it currently runs 10 shows, eight of them homegrown, two acquired.   Mike discusses rebranding during Covid, delivering for the 500,000 people on the Raccoon database, turning ideas into realities, the resurgence of events post-pandemic, the future of Raccoon as a blended events and digital business, and the vetting process among target communities.   The podcast also touches on engagement and galvanising groups of people, similarities between running and equine events, sustainability, and the metrics of taking shows across the Pond.       To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.     This episode of the Event Industry News Podcast is sponsored by Evolution dome, award-winning temporary event structures. Take a look at their structures at evolutiondome.com

Raccoon Media Group, formerly Raccoon Events, launched in a garden shed and delivered the award-winning National Running Show, at Birmingham NEC, less than two years later. In this episode, CEO Mike Seaman talks host James Dickson through Raccoon’s growth, how it currently runs 10 shows, eight of them homegrown, two acquired. Mike discusses rebranding during Covid, delivering for the 500,000 people on the Raccoon database, turning ideas into realities, the resurgence of events post-pandemic, the future of Raccoon as a blended events and digital business, and the vetting process among target communities. The podcast also touches on engagement and galvanising groups of people, similarities between running and equine events, sustainability, and the metrics of taking shows across the Pond.    To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free</a> here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>. This episode of the Event Industry News Podcast is sponsored by Evolution dome, award-winning temporary event structures. Take a look at their structures at <a href="https://bit.ly/EvodomeEINPod" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">evolutiondome.com</a>

Scaling events on a global scale

Since 2022, tellingly titled company TURF has been pitching exclusive NFTs and art prints of ‘any place on earth’.   Co-founder Garm Lucassen, who has a history in business infomatics, took his experience of blockchain and NFTs to co-found TURF, which is focused on cartographic/map-based art. Every piece in its global collection is available just once and TURF is working with First Event and Cardano Foundation to deliver a new dimension in event giveaways.   In this episode, Garm is joined by Alex Maaza, outreach development manager at Swiss-based Cardano, a not-for-profit organisation focused on furthering the public digital infrastructure, and Max Collishaw, who is head of digital at corporate event management specialist First Event.   With host James Dickson putting the questions, the participants discuss the TURF collection and its impact on events, the 2022 Cardano Summit by way of example, the concept of NTFs and Blockchain, authenticity, gifting gold NFTs, gamification and much, much more.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Since 2022, tellingly titled company TURF has been pitching exclusive NFTs and art prints of ‘any place on earth’. Co-founder Garm Lucassen, who has a history in business infomatics, took his experience of blockchain and NFTs to co-found TURF, which is focused on cartographic/map-based art. Every piece in its global collection is available just once and TURF is working with First Event and Cardano Foundation to deliver a new dimension in event giveaways. In this episode, Garm is joined by Alex Maaza, outreach development manager at Swiss-based Cardano, a not-for-profit organisation focused on furthering the public digital infrastructure, and Max Collishaw, who is head of digital at corporate event management specialist First Event. With host James Dickson putting the questions, the participants discuss the TURF collection and its impact on events, the 2022 Cardano Summit by way of example, the concept of NTFs and Blockchain, authenticity, gifting gold NFTs, gamification and much, much more. To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free</a> here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>.

TURF for event sponsorships

Having spent the latter part of his 10 years at Clarion Events as EVP of its energy portfolio, Duncan Reid founded Reset Connect, a sustainability show for business, investors and innovators, during lockdown. With so many people knocked out of their employment stride by the pandemic, Reid was able to put together a top team of co-founders and launch, in the shape of a week of webinars against the clock in 2021. Since then, Reset Connect has found its in-person feet and this episode, recorded two weeks out from the 2023 edition, sees Duncan talk host James Dickson through those stages. They discuss the COVID-19-era ‘concentration of minds’, and its products, choosing the UK’s first carbon neutral venue to host the show - one element in the pressure to contain the inevitable uplift in emissions switching from virtual to hybrid in 2022, and the growth in want for sustainability across events-world and beyond. Aimed at business leaders, Reset Connect has a multi-sector reach. To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Having spent the latter part of his 10 years at Clarion Events as EVP of its energy portfolio, Duncan Reid founded Reset Connect, a sustainability show for business, investors and innovators, during lockdown. With so many people knocked out of their employment stride by the pandemic, Reid was able to put together a top team of co-founders and launch, in the shape of a week of webinars against the clock in 2021. Since then, Reset Connect has found its in-person feet and this episode, recorded two weeks out from the 2023 edition, sees Duncan talk host James Dickson through those stages. They discuss the COVID-19-era ‘concentration of minds’, and its products, choosing the UK’s first carbon neutral venue to host the show - one element in the pressure to contain the inevitable uplift in emissions switching from virtual to hybrid in 2022, and the growth in want for sustainability across events-world and beyond. Aimed at business leaders, Reset Connect has a multi-sector reach. To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free</a> here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>.

Reset Connect and the power of a positive event

Award-winning creative agency EMC3 recently published a white paper, ‘Events as a force for good’, is focused on holistic sustainability in the industry. This episode features the company’s events strategist, Emily Maule, and Saskya Liney, EMC3’s head of sustainability. Host James Dickson does some background, not least finding out about From Now, the environmental services specialist Saskya co-founded during the pandemic, before digging into the document itself. Emily and Saskya discuss the thinking and process behind the white paper, how event organisers need to think about their locations - about leaving these people, these places, these communities better off - the risks we face, timeframes, atmospheric data, human resources and investing in people, fostering interest in the next generation right through to greenwashing and the truth behind tote bags… One key takeaway – do something different!   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Award-winning creative agency EMC3 recently published a white paper, ‘Events as a force for good’, is focused on holistic sustainability in the industry. This episode features the company’s events strategist, Emily Maule, and Saskya Liney, EMC3’s head of sustainability. Host James Dickson does some background, not least finding out about From Now, the environmental services specialist Saskya co-founded during the pandemic, before digging into the document itself. Emily and Saskya discuss the thinking and process behind the white paper, how event organisers need to think about their locations - about leaving these people, these places, these communities better off - the risks we face, timeframes, atmospheric data, human resources and investing in people, fostering interest in the next generation right through to greenwashing and the truth behind tote bags… One key takeaway – do something different! To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free</a> here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>.

emc3: Events as a force for good

With 10 years’ event industry experience in the locker, Ryan Curtis-Johnson is director of communications for Valuable 500, the largest CEO network after the United Nations.   With 15 global chief executives at its core, from the likes of the London Stock Exchange, Apple, the BBC, Sky, Sony and Microsoft, together with 485 equally important others, the Valuable 500 is working to end disability exclusion.   In this episode, Ryan Curtis-Johnson details the group’s makeup and motivation, highlighting the 1.3bn people around the world who have a disability and means to better include them, not least through steps Valuable 500 companies have made.   Ryan tells host James Dickson how inclusion means action, talks advice and guidelines, hidden disabilities, making events open to everybody without waiting for a prompt, budgets, technology, all the time emphasising best practice.   Insightful, practical steps, supported by switched on businesses, to making event world a more inclusive place.

With 10 years’ event industry experience in the locker, Ryan Curtis-Johnson is director of communications for Valuable 500, the largest CEO network after the United Nations. With 15 global chief executives at its core, from the likes of the London Stock Exchange, Apple, the BBC, Sky, Sony and Microsoft, together with 485 equally important others, the Valuable 500 is working to end disability exclusion. In this episode, Ryan Curtis-Johnson details the group’s makeup and motivation, highlighting the 1.3bn people around the world who have a disability and means to better include them, not least through steps Valuable 500 companies have made. Ryan tells host James Dickson how inclusion means action, talks advice and guidelines, hidden disabilities, making events open to everybody without waiting for a prompt, budgets, technology, all the time emphasising best practice. Insightful, practical steps, supported by switched on businesses, to making event world a more inclusive place.

The Valuable 500: Working to end disability exclusion

Andrew Morrow is founder/managing director of venues the Belgravia and the Block but he’s here to highlight a new venture, the Events Club. With 25-years’ experience in the industry, primarily venue side, Andrew noted how the teams coming in to put events together under those roofs didn’t have a place to go between jobs/shifts/times. After providing host James Dickson with a weight of background information, this episode sees Andrew discussing his Event Club process, from finding an investor during the pandemic to seeking out founding members to working out what these venues – and there could be as many as six – should provide. Andrew Morrow talks creches, rest pods, commuting, comparisons with other members’ clubs, in terms of facilities and costs, sharing memberships in a company, food and drink quality – how to compete with the Pret/Starbucks models - and much more.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Andrew Morrow is founder/managing director of venues the Belgravia and the Block but he’s here to highlight a new venture, the Events Club. With 25-years’ experience in the industry, primarily venue side, Andrew noted how the teams coming in to put events together under those roofs didn’t have a place to go between jobs/shifts/times. After providing host James Dickson with a weight of background information, this episode sees Andrew discussing his Event Club process, from finding an investor during the pandemic to seeking out founding members to working out what these venues – and there could be as many as six – should provide. Andrew Morrow talks creches, rest pods, commuting, comparisons with other members’ clubs, in terms of facilities and costs, sharing memberships in a company, food and drink quality – how to compete with the Pret/Starbucks models - and much more. To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free</a> here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>.

The Events Club: A members’ club for events people

Former Mobile Promotions and Star Live man Robin Carlisle launched RC Consultants in November 2021 to help young people with special needs find a foothold events-world. In this episode, Robin talks host James Dickson through volunteering as a governor at a new local SEN school and the impact that’s had. He discusses sustainability in some of its myriad shapes and the notion of accessibility at events, applauding its growth and questioning its depth. With more than 35 years in events Robin Carlisle is a voice of true experience and these 30 next generation minutes are well worth listening to.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Former Mobile Promotions and Star Live man Robin Carlisle launched RC Consultants in November 2021 to help young people with special needs find a foothold events-world. In this episode, Robin talks host James Dickson through volunteering as a governor at a new local SEN school and the impact that’s had. He discusses sustainability in some of its myriad shapes and the notion of accessibility at events, applauding its growth and questioning its depth. With more than 35 years in events Robin Carlisle is a voice of true experience and these 30 next generation minutes are well worth listening to. To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free here</a>. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>.

Accessibility, diversity and sustainability

Since 2011, using content management systems including Drupal and Webflow, Touchdreams has been building websites for ‘e-commerce, product businesses, service businesses, agencies, accounting, law, anything you can think of’ from its offices in Cape Town and London. After giving host James Dickson some background on the company, this episode sees Touchdreams founder Dane Rossenrode talk about bringing his broad experience to bear, specialising in sites for the events industry. Rossenrode discusses complacency – how much people are looking beyond traditional websites – what the practical alternatives are, adjusting mindsets, presentation, engagement, competing with ‘drag and drop’ solutions, budgets and integrating with other platforms.     To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Since 2011, using content management systems including Drupal and Webflow, Touchdreams has been building websites for ‘e-commerce, product businesses, service businesses, agencies, accounting, law, anything you can think of’ from its offices in Cape Town and London. After giving host James Dickson some background on the company, this episode sees Touchdreams founder Dane Rossenrode talk about bringing his broad experience to bear, specialising in sites for the events industry. Rossenrode discusses complacency – how much people are looking beyond traditional websites – what the practical alternatives are, adjusting mindsets, presentation, engagement, competing with ‘drag and drop’ solutions, budgets and integrating with other platforms.   To keep up to date with all the news, <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe for free here</a>. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>.

Touchdreams: Shaping websites for 2023

The Event Industry News Podcast interviewing event planners, event organizers, brands, and agencies from around the globe.

Event Industry News Podcast

Joining our host, James Dickson, on this week’s podcast was Fleek Marketing founder, Jonny Ross. James enquired about the SEO (search engine optimisation) side of things in terms of building and developing a website for an event. Primarily, SEO is the optimisation of online content for it to appear higher in search engines such as Google. This can make the difference between your website sitting on page seven or page one of Google search results.  Jonny explained that there are a variety of different techniques and opinions in the industry regarding SEO but there are fundamental aspects to it that all websites should follow, such as keywords and target audiences. Not only must you understand your target audience, you must take into consideration when they may be searching, the device they may be using and even their dialect. All these details can affect where your website sits in the search results. James probed into the “grey area” that is Facebook and asked if Google can pick up data coming from ‘events’ created on the social media platform. Referring to it as primarily a B2C platform, James enquired whether B2B companies should dismiss Facebook quite so readily as they do. Following this, Jonny commented on the “missed opportunities” he so often sees when organisers are creating/developing a website for their event and touched base on the website traffic generated before, during and after the event. He followed this with some comments on Google Analytics.  Rounding the podcast to a close, Jonny finished with a brief explanation on why having an understanding of SEO is important for generating traffic to your website and interest in your event.

Joining our host, James Dickson, on this week’s podcast was Fleek Marketing founder, Jonny Ross. James enquired about the SEO (search engine optimisation) side of things in terms of building and developing a website for an event. Primarily, SEO is the optimisation of online content for it to appear higher in search engines such as Google. This can make the difference between your website sitting on page seven or page one of Google search results.  Jonny explained that there are a variety of different techniques and opinions in the industry regarding SEO but there are fundamental aspects to it that all websites should follow, such as keywords and target audiences. Not only must you understand your target audience, you must take into consideration when they may be searching, the device they may be using and even their dialect. All these details can affect where your website sits in the search results. James probed into the “grey area” that is Facebook and asked if Google can pick up data coming from ‘events’ created on the social media platform. Referring to it as primarily a B2C platform, James enquired whether B2B companies should dismiss Facebook quite so readily as they do. Following this, Jonny commented on the “missed opportunities” he so often sees when organisers are creating/developing a website for their event and touched base on the website traffic generated before, during and after the event. He followed this with some comments on Google Analytics.  Rounding the podcast to a close, Jonny finished with a brief explanation on why having an understanding of SEO is important for generating traffic to your website and interest in your event.

How to climb the Google ladder with your event website

The Event Industry News podcast returns with its first episode of 2019, and welcomes Cvent’s Brian Ludwig to the show. Host James Dickson talks to Brian about his 18 year career with the company, looking back to when the now global tech brand was just a handful of young people with a desire to make a difference. During the episode Brian also talks about the challenge of delivering solutions to territories that may have different social or cultural protocols, and the awareness that they need to have in order to provide a service that best fits any given location.

The Event Industry News podcast returns with its first episode of 2019, and welcomes Cvent’s Brian Ludwig to the show.   Host James Dickson talks to Brian about his 18 year career with the company, looking back to when the now global tech brand was just a handful of young people with a desire to make a difference.   During the episode Brian also talks about the challenge of delivering solutions to territories that may have different social or cultural protocols, and the awareness that they need to have in order to provide a service that best fits any given location.

The Future of Event Technology from Cvent's perspective

On this week’s podcast, host James Dickson is joined by Peter Eyre and Sophie Thomas from Meetoo.  Platforms such as Spotify, Vine, YouTube and Facebook offer people unprecedented opportunities to interact with the content that they are tuning into. This instant ability to post a comment, opinion or question has prompted event tech platforms to follow suit. During the episode, Peter and Sophie look at the way audience interaction at events has changed, and how platforms such as Meetoo are tapping into the concept of instant access.

On this week’s podcast, host James Dickson is joined by Peter Eyre and Sophie Thomas from Meetoo.  Platforms such as Spotify, Vine, YouTube and Facebook offer people unprecedented opportunities to interact with the content that they are tuning into. This instant ability to post a comment, opinion or question has prompted event tech platforms to follow suit. During the episode, Peter and Sophie look at the way audience interaction at events has changed, and how platforms such as Meetoo are tapping into the concept of instant access.

Podcast: How platforms such as Spotify, Vine and YouTube have changed audience engagement forever

On this week’s podcast, we discussed how podcasts can benefit live events. Offering their expertise on the subject was Cvent’s marketing manager, Brooke Gracey, and team lead, Cody Liskh from their offices in Portland, Oregon. As hosts of the How Great Events Happen podcasts, Brooke and Cody were able to offer our podcast host, James Dickson, invaluable advice on how to use podcasts for events. Podcasts are useful for event professionals to broaden their scope of expertise and knowledge. They are also convenient, accessible and not restricted by time or location – they can be listened to anytime, anywhere! Technological advancements have been such that digital content can be created easily and inexpensively. Easily produced, Podcasts are beneficial for creating or expanding the topics of conversation out in the industry, offering professionals otherwise inaccessible information/education. Additionally, podcasts are an added platform to market events: professionals can easily use them to “tease” content out of plug their events. Post-event, podcasts can keep the momentum of engagement going, offering guests a platform to express their comments, keep updated with event information and find content from the event itself. Offering her advice to professionals who may seem hesitant to launching a podcast, Brooke said, “Go for it. See what the audience likes and use those learnings for when you do your next season.” Cody agreed: “It’s really interesting to analyse what we think our audience wants to listen to and what our audience actually wants to listen to.”  If you would like to feature on one of our weekly podcasts, please email editor@eventindustrynews.com.

On this week’s podcast, we discussed how podcasts can benefit live events. Offering their expertise on the subject was Cvent’s marketing manager, Brooke Gracey, and team lead, Cody Liskh from their offices in Portland, Oregon. As hosts of the How Great Events Happen podcasts, Brooke and Cody were able to offer our podcast host, James Dickson, invaluable advice on how to use podcasts for events. Podcasts are useful for event professionals to broaden their scope of expertise and knowledge. They are also convenient, accessible and not restricted by time or location – they can be listened to anytime, anywhere! Technological advancements have been such that digital content can be created easily and inexpensively. Easily produced, Podcasts are beneficial for creating or expanding the topics of conversation out in the industry, offering professionals otherwise inaccessible information/education. Additionally, podcasts are an added platform to market events: professionals can easily use them to “tease” content out of plug their events. Post-event, podcasts can keep the momentum of engagement going, offering guests a platform to express their comments, keep updated with event information and find content from the event itself. Offering her advice to professionals who may seem hesitant to launching a podcast, Brooke said, “Go for it. See what the audience likes and use those learnings for when you do your next season.” Cody agreed: “It’s really interesting to analyse what we think our audience wants to listen to and what our audience actually wants to listen to.”  If you would like to feature on one of our weekly podcasts, please email <a href="mailto:editor@eventindustrynews.com">editor@eventindustrynews.com</a>.

Podcast: Cvent discusses the power of podcasts for events

Speaking from Universal Live’s Bradford base, our podcast host, James Dickson was welcomed by its commercial manager, Neil Clappison, and creative graphic designer, Gaby Watson. On this episode, Neil and Gaby explained the creative design process the team at Universal Live undertakes with each project and how it may differ from client to client. They delved into the various tools, hardware and programmes they use as well as discussed how they generate ideas from brief to brief. The Universal Live duo discussed the tools and programmes they use in the design process, stating that drawing their ideas is much more beneficial than trying to describe them over email or on paper. Having a visual representation of their ideas immediately allows clients to understand exactly what they are thinking, and discussions become a lot more fluid. Additionally, Gaby explained that if her creative process was dependent on the tools she already had at her disposal, she would already be starting off on “the back foot”. Neil added: “You’re hindering yourself if you have to use just what’s in the warehouse. You’ve put walls up on your design.” The team at Universal Live utilises virtual reality to help them demonstrate their designs to clients. “We can take the client to the venue, put the VR goggles on and our design is there, almost in the flesh,” Gaby explained, stating that using VR technology in this way allows them to walk their clients through the event design.  “They can experience it from different angles, have the content playing on the screens.” Neil and Gaby also described the hurdles that are often thrown their way during the design process – whether it be client expectations, the venue space or brief deadlines – and how they overcome them. If you would like to feature on the Event Industry News podcast, please email molly@eventindustrynews.com.

Speaking from Universal Live’s Bradford base, our podcast host, James Dickson was welcomed by its commercial manager, Neil Clappison, and creative graphic designer, Gaby Watson. On this episode, Neil and Gaby explained the creative design process the team at Universal Live undertakes with each project and how it may differ from client to client. They delved into the various tools, hardware and programmes they use as well as discussed how they generate ideas from brief to brief. The Universal Live duo discussed the tools and programmes they use in the design process, stating that drawing their ideas is much more beneficial than trying to describe them over email or on paper. Having a visual representation of their ideas immediately allows clients to understand exactly what they are thinking, and discussions become a lot more fluid. Additionally, Gaby explained that if her creative process was dependent on the tools she already had at her disposal, she would already be starting off on “the back foot”. Neil added: “You’re hindering yourself if you have to use just what’s in the warehouse. You’ve put walls up on your design.” The team at Universal Live utilises virtual reality to help them demonstrate their designs to clients. “We can take the client to the venue, put the VR goggles on and our design is there, almost in the flesh,” Gaby explained, stating that using VR technology in this way allows them to walk their clients through the event design.  “They can experience it from different angles, have the content playing on the screens.” Neil and Gaby also described the hurdles that are often thrown their way during the design process – whether it be client expectations, the venue space or brief deadlines – and how they overcome them. If you would like to feature on the Event Industry News podcast, please email <a href="mailto:molly@eventindustrynews.com">molly@eventindustrynews.com</a>.

Podcast: Universal Live offers insight into its creative design process

Joining the podcast this week is Chris Elmitt from Surrey base Crystal Interactive. Chris speaks to host James Dickson about a new product that they have brought over to the UK from America. The product – klik – is a smart wearable that Chris and his team first spotted around 18 months ago. The product itself is worn by a delegate in the form of a smart badge. The badge itself contains a device that can be clicked, which activates it and allows the delegate to interact with other participants. During the episode, Chris explains how the data exchange takes place when the devices are in use, and why the process creates a more immersive experience for users.

Joining the podcast this week is Chris Elmitt from Surrey base Crystal Interactive. Chris speaks to host James Dickson about a new product that they have brought over to the UK from America. The product – klik – is a smart wearable that Chris and his team first spotted around 18 months ago. The product itself is worn by a delegate in the form of a smart badge. The badge itself contains a device that can be clicked, which activates it and allows the delegate to interact with other participants. During the episode, Chris explains how the data exchange takes place when the devices are in use, and why the process creates a more immersive experience for users.

Event data to create immersive experiences

Neil Mortimer

Wonder

Digital Innovation Director and Co-Founder, Neil Mortimer, joined our podcast host, James Dickson, on this week’s episode to talk about how events can increase value for organisers, clients and sponsors. Wonder is a creative events agency composed of experienced event specialists. It works with companies such as Google, BT, VISA and Deliveroo to design and create events across the B2B, B2C and B2E sectors. Yesterday, it launched Future Live Today – a new agency to fulfil the evolving requirements to build more technology into events’ ecosystems so they increase in value. Stating that event technology and marketing technology are complex facets in the world of events, he believes that clients, event organisers and even event agencies need additional support to make efficient decisions. “Decisions that seem straight forward at the time aren’t always the best decisions financially or effectively,” he said, stating that Future Live aims to educate and inform professionals to make better decisions. “I think we’ve seen a new era of event technology companies coming through.” Neil also offered his professional opinions on the use of technology for both organisers and consumers, stating that events can be driven from both the professional and user perspective. “If you are building anything that human beings are going to be interacting with, you have to have something that augments an experience.” If you would like to feature on an episode of our weekly podcast, email molly@eventindustrynews.com.

Digital Innovation Director and Co-Founder, Neil Mortimer, joined our podcast host, James Dickson, on this week’s episode to talk about how events can increase value for organisers, clients and sponsors. Wonder is a creative events agency composed of experienced event specialists. It works with companies such as Google, BT, VISA and Deliveroo to design and create events across the B2B, B2C and B2E sectors. Yesterday, it launched Future Live Today – a new agency to fulfil the evolving requirements to build more technology into events’ ecosystems so they increase in value. Stating that event technology and marketing technology are complex facets in the world of events, he believes that clients, event organisers and even event agencies need additional support to make efficient decisions. “Decisions that seem straight forward at the time aren’t always the best decisions financially or effectively,” he said, stating that Future Live aims to educate and inform professionals to make better decisions. “I think we’ve seen a new era of event technology companies coming through.” Neil also offered his professional opinions on the use of technology for both organisers and consumers, stating that events can be driven from both the professional and user perspective. “If you are building anything that human beings are going to be interacting with, you have to have something that augments an experience.” If you would like to feature on an episode of our weekly podcast, email <a href="mailto:molly@eventindustrynews.com">molly@eventindustrynews.com</a>.

Reimagining ROI for events with Neil Mortimer of Wonder & newly launched Future Live Today

Dan Mason

Andy Sexton

Dan Mason, managing director, and Andy Sexton, creative director from 2LK, joined Event Industry News for this week’s podcast to discuss the company’s 25-year history. First and foremost a brand experiential agency, 2LK creates memorable live events for trade shows, brand activations, launches and conferences, and boasts a client pool that includes Canon, HSBC, Wiko, Dell and the Royal Bank of Canada. Currently celebrating its 25thyear of “independence”, as described on the website, 2LK focuses on creating memorable live events to increase clients’ engagement, revenue and reach. Touching on the history of marketing, Dan and Andy took us back to the economic crash of 2008 during which traditional marketing strategies such as print journalism took a substantial hit. Not only affected by the dipping marketing budgets, print also suffered from the development of certain technologies. The two colleagues agreed that “print went from being themethod of communication to just being a method,” alluding to the rise of the Internet, social media platforms, blogs and online influencers. Brands and organisations need to think outside the box to get their messages heard. Live events have the power to create meaningful impressions on potential clients and encourage more business from existing ones. Andy commented that, though live events are short-lived, they have the potential to create lasting influences after the event has finished. “There is a hungry appetite for experiential at the moment,” he claimed, drawing upon his own 12 years’ experience at the company. Technology even allows the success of these events to be measured somewhat, with factors such as dwell time and audience movement now being quantifiable. If you would like to feature on one of our weekly podcasts, please email editor@eventindustrynews.com.

Dan Mason, managing director, and Andy Sexton, creative director from 2LK, joined Event Industry News for this week’s podcast to discuss the company’s 25-year history. First and foremost a brand experiential agency, 2LK creates memorable live events for trade shows, brand activations, launches and conferences, and boasts a client pool that includes Canon, HSBC, Wiko, Dell and the Royal Bank of Canada. Currently celebrating its 25thyear of “independence”, as described on the website, 2LK focuses on creating memorable live events to increase clients’ engagement, revenue and reach. Touching on the history of marketing, Dan and Andy took us back to the economic crash of 2008 during which traditional marketing strategies such as print journalism took a substantial hit. Not only affected by the dipping marketing budgets, print also suffered from the development of certain technologies. The two colleagues agreed that “print went from being themethod of communication to just being a method,” alluding to the rise of the Internet, social media platforms, blogs and online influencers. Brands and organisations need to think outside the box to get their messages heard. Live events have the power to create meaningful impressions on potential clients and encourage more business from existing ones. Andy commented that, though live events are short-lived, they have the potential to create lasting influences after the event has finished. “There is a hungry appetite for experiential at the moment,” he claimed, drawing upon his own 12 years’ experience at the company. Technology even allows the success of these events to be measured somewhat, with factors such as dwell time and audience movement now being quantifiable. If you would like to feature on one of our weekly podcasts, please email <a href="mailto:editor@eventindustrynews.com">editor@eventindustrynews.com</a>.

Podcast: Dan Mason & Andy Sexton from 2LK discuss experiential marketing

Ravi Chalaka

Joining James for this week’s podcast was Ravi Chalaka. Ravi is a marketing and business development expert and is currently the chief marketing officer for Jifflenow, a meeting automation platform. Ravi has spent the last 25 years working in the events industry, 15 of which he spent as a vice president. This has allowed him to participate in events as a marketer, attendee and sponsor for more than two decades. Drawing upon his vast experience, Ravi discussed ROI when exhibiting at live events and how it can possibly be measured and turned into value for companies. Gone are the days where company bosses are satisfied with event feedback in the form of statistics on attendees. Exhibitors are now expected to produce information on how well an event panned out in relation to how much revenue it generated.  However, meetings, business connections and new contacts that are generated as a result of exhibiting cannot be defined straight away in terms of pounds and pence: they may lead to revenue later down the line or otherwise result in new contacts that then lead to revenue. This makes the ROI difficult to monitor. Meetings are a crucial element of creating these new business contacts – people are habitually more inclined to conduct business if they are within a formal meetings area. Appreciating this, more and more organisers now dedicate specific areas within their events for such meetings. Traditionally, businesses would continue their meetings elsewhere after an event. However, this is time-consuming and costly and excludes businesses with smaller budgets. Dedicated areas within the actual event venue allow meetings to take place there and then and without businesses breaking their budgets. “Customers who use a meeting automation platform at events are able to increase the number of face-to-face meetings by 40%-100%,” Ravi stated. Founded 10 years ago, Jifflenow was created through a collaboration with event professionals to ensure major event concerns can be solved. If you would like to partake in one of our weekly podcasts, get in touch at editor@eventindustrynews.com

Joining James for this week’s podcast was Ravi Chalaka. Ravi is a marketing and business development expert and is currently the chief marketing officer for Jifflenow, a meeting automation platform. Ravi has spent the last 25 years working in the events industry, 15 of which he spent as a vice president. This has allowed him to participate in events as a marketer, attendee and sponsor for more than two decades. Drawing upon his vast experience, Ravi discussed ROI when exhibiting at live events and how it can possibly be measured and turned into value for companies. Gone are the days where company bosses are satisfied with event feedback in the form of statistics on attendees. Exhibitors are now expected to produce information on how well an event panned out in relation to how much revenue it generated.  However, meetings, business connections and new contacts that are generated as a result of exhibiting cannot be defined straight away in terms of pounds and pence: they may lead to revenue later down the line or otherwise result in new contacts that then lead to revenue. This makes the ROI difficult to monitor. Meetings are a crucial element of creating these new business contacts – people are habitually more inclined to conduct business if they are within a formal meetings area. Appreciating this, more and more organisers now dedicate specific areas within their events for such meetings. Traditionally, businesses would continue their meetings elsewhere after an event. However, this is time-consuming and costly and excludes businesses with smaller budgets. Dedicated areas within the actual event venue allow meetings to take place there and then and without businesses breaking their budgets. “Customers who use a meeting automation platform at events are able to increase the number of face-to-face meetings by 40%-100%,” Ravi stated. Founded 10 years ago, Jifflenow was created through a collaboration with event professionals to ensure major event concerns can be solved. If you would like to partake in one of our weekly podcasts, get in touch at <a>editor@eventindustrynews.com</a>

Ravi Chalaka from Jifflenow on ROI

On this week’s Event Industry News podcast, host James Dickson welcomes Emma Stokes, managing director of Smarter Shows. Based in Brighton, the company has experienced rapid growth since its launch, with a portfolio that has expanded to seven different shows. During the podcast, Emma talks about the specialist manufacturing and engineering sectors that they focus on, and how the events are developed and refined. Emma also talks about the challenges faced by the fact that – despite being based in the UK – all the Smarter Shows events take place abroad, either in Europe or the USA

On this week’s Event Industry News podcast, host James Dickson welcomes Emma Stokes, managing director of Smarter Shows. Based in Brighton, the company has experienced rapid growth since its launch, with a portfolio that has expanded to seven different shows. During the podcast, Emma talks about the specialist manufacturing and engineering sectors that they focus on, and how the events are developed and refined. Emma also talks about the challenges faced by the fact that – despite being based in the UK – all the Smarter Shows events take place abroad, either in Europe or the USA

The rapid rise of Smarter Shows

Nils Braude

Our podcast host, James Dickson, recently filmed at the home of Crucial FX and its Origin experience. Here, he was joined by Nils Braude, the director of catering, conferences and events at Twickenham Stadium where the brand-new East Stand opened in Autumn 2018. Twickenham is the largest dedicated rugby union venue in the world and, due to the new “bolt-on”, now seats 8,500 people. Aside from hosting rugby matches, the stadium is also the venue for: music gigs, Christmas parties, corporate events, exhibitions, meetings and summer parties. The new stand was a huge undertaking that covered five floors and took the capacity of the stadium from 4,500 to 8,500. The whole footprint and floor space of the building was extended with the addition of two new floors and the addition of 3,000 hospitality covers. Describing the consultation process, Nils explained the stadium used a “collaborative approach” with its principal sales partners, Compass Group, RFU and Keith Prowse. They drew inspiration from similar-sized venues and researched the “rugby-goer” to create ideas that would fall in line with their budget. Nils went on to describe the flexibility of the stadium: the majority of the days at Twickenham aren’t match-days so the new stand needed to be adaptable to ensure it can be used for other events, both professional and personal. For this reason, it was designed with “dividable” rooms – a room may be used for a seated conference for 1,000 people one day, and a food area for 100 people the next. Progressing from the traditional round, covered tables with the usual three-course meal, Twickenham now boasts a variety of options from interactive street food to five-course Michelin star-styled taster meals. Again, this was to add to the stadium’s offering, ensuring events of all sizes and styles could be catered for. Touching on the customer experience, Nils explained that the external areas were also developed to become much more “fan-friendly”, allow visitors’ experience to start sooner and bring people to the stadium earlier. With the East Stand being essentially a huge extension, it was possible to shut it off from the rest of the stadium during its 18-month construction. This was “advantageous” to keeping the stadium open for business without negatively impacting other events.

Our podcast host, James Dickson, recently filmed at the home of Crucial FX and its Origin experience. Here, he was joined by Nils Braude, the director of catering, conferences and events at Twickenham Stadium where the brand-new East Stand opened in Autumn 2018. Twickenham is the largest dedicated rugby union venue in the world and, due to the new “bolt-on”, now seats 8,500 people. Aside from hosting rugby matches, the stadium is also the venue for: music gigs, Christmas parties, corporate events, exhibitions, meetings and summer parties. The new stand was a huge undertaking that covered five floors and took the capacity of the stadium from 4,500 to 8,500. The whole footprint and floor space of the building was extended with the addition of two new floors and the addition of 3,000 hospitality covers. Describing the consultation process, Nils explained the stadium used a “collaborative approach” with its principal sales partners, Compass Group, RFU and Keith Prowse. They drew inspiration from similar-sized venues and researched the “rugby-goer” to create ideas that would fall in line with their budget. Nils went on to describe the flexibility of the stadium: the majority of the days at Twickenham aren’t match-days so the new stand needed to be adaptable to ensure it can be used for other events, both professional and personal. For this reason, it was designed with “dividable” rooms – a room may be used for a seated conference for 1,000 people one day, and a food area for 100 people the next. Progressing from the traditional round, covered tables with the usual three-course meal, Twickenham now boasts a variety of options from interactive street food to five-course Michelin star-styled taster meals. Again, this was to add to the stadium’s offering, ensuring events of all sizes and styles could be catered for. Touching on the customer experience, Nils explained that the external areas were also developed to become much more “fan-friendly”, allow visitors’ experience to start sooner and bring people to the stadium earlier. With the East Stand being essentially a huge extension, it was possible to shut it off from the rest of the stadium during its 18-month construction. This was “advantageous” to keeping the stadium open for business without negatively impacting other events.

Nils Braude discusses new Twickenham East Stand

This week’s podcast looks at the rapid growth of contactless payments and how organisations are utilising he growth to their advantage.Joining podcast host James Dickson is CEO of Manifesto, Jim Bowes. Manifesto works with many not for profit organisations and has seen many of its clients benefit from the using contactless payment systems at their events. As society becomes less and less reliant on cash, the podcast looks at how organisations are levering this fact to their advantage. During the episode, Jim looks at the way consumers have adapted to the process of contactless payments, and how digital payments as a sector may further develop.

This week’s podcast looks at the rapid growth of contactless payments and how organisations are utilising he growth to their advantage.Joining podcast host James Dickson is CEO of Manifesto, Jim Bowes.   Manifesto works with many not for profit organisations and has seen many of its clients benefit from the using contactless payment systems at their events. As society becomes less and less reliant on cash, the podcast looks at how organisations are levering this fact to their advantage.   During the episode, Jim looks at the way consumers have adapted to the process of contactless payments, and how digital payments as a sector may further develop.

The growth of contactless payments

Paul Campbell

Join us as we talk to Tito co-founder and CEO, Paul Campbell, and delve into what makes the company tick, the importance of maintaining its core values and why creating a community helps success. Essentially, Tito is event ticketing software that was created to offer the best check-out experience for buying tickets online. Speaking from the head office in Dublin, Paul comments on how taxing buying tickets used to be: “Buying tickets felt more stressful than it [should have been] or you were landed with a tonne of forms to fill in before getting your ticket and I felt there should be a better way.” Initially starting out as a simple bit of code, Paul used his software background to create an app to connect PayPal to the Tito website. Describing the evolution of Tito, Paul explains that he and his colleagues avoided the “start-up mania” that other companies fall into as they didn’t want to fall victim to ‘hyper-growth’: “focusing on growth at all costs to get investors’ money back can compromise one’s morals and values.” Drawing more on the company’s values, Paul explains that they wanted to build a company of which they would want to be customers. “Avoid spammy email tactics, trickery and dark patterns” he advises. “[To maintain our values] we built a community. We put effort into getting to know our customers really well.” Relating the nature of being a small company, Paul goes on to explain the pros and cons of building his company slowly and organically, drawing comparisons to larger companies. To keep our guest from being too modest, our host, James, makes reference to Tito’s accomplishments and questions Paul on the method behind these achievements: “We try to achieve growth without compromising on our values… we want people to use Tito and their jaws drop.” Tito is a small company comprising nine people but has already got a number of accomplishments under its belt. Throughout the podcast, Paul stresses the importance of remaining true to your beliefs and not sacrificing your integrity for success.

Join us as we talk to Tito co-founder and CEO, Paul Campbell, and delve into what makes the company tick, the importance of maintaining its core values and why creating a community helps success. Essentially, Tito is event ticketing software that was created to offer the best check-out experience for buying tickets online. Speaking from the head office in Dublin, Paul comments on how taxing buying tickets used to be: “Buying tickets felt more stressful than it [should have been] or you were landed with a tonne of forms to fill in before getting your ticket and I felt there should be a better way.” Initially starting out as a simple bit of code, Paul used his software background to create an app to connect PayPal to the Tito website. Describing the evolution of Tito, Paul explains that he and his colleagues avoided the “start-up mania” that other companies fall into as they didn’t want to fall victim to ‘hyper-growth’: “focusing on growth at all costs to get investors’ money back can compromise one’s morals and values.” Drawing more on the company’s values, Paul explains that they wanted to build a company of which they would want to be customers. “Avoid spammy email tactics, trickery and dark patterns” he advises. “[To maintain our values] we built a community. We put effort into getting to know our customers really well.” Relating the nature of being a small company, Paul goes on to explain the pros and cons of building his company slowly and organically, drawing comparisons to larger companies. To keep our guest from being too modest, our host, James, makes reference to Tito’s accomplishments and questions Paul on the method behind these achievements: “We try to achieve growth without compromising on our values… we want people to use Tito and their jaws drop.” Tito is a small company comprising nine people but has already got a number of accomplishments under its belt. Throughout the podcast, Paul stresses the importance of remaining true to your beliefs and not sacrificing your integrity for success.

Podcast: CEO and co-founder of Tito, Paul Campbell describes the fickle relationship between integrity and success

In this week’s EIN Podcast, James Dickson talks to the founders of Push, a live broadcasting platform that is helping to blur the distinction between TV and live streaming. James is joined by Chris Webb and Adrian Eaton, who explain the principles of the platform and highlight some of the examples of its deployment. With so many people watching TV via internet streams, the podcast explores how the distinct lines that used to exist between broadcast quality and live streaming are now rapidly blurring. It also discuses how the Push platform is helping to add the details that only TV broadcasting could previously offer, as well as being able to connect to social media platforms to increase the potential watchers.

In this week’s EIN Podcast, James Dickson talks to the founders of Push, a live broadcasting platform that is helping to blur the distinction between TV and live streaming. James is joined by Chris Webb and Adrian Eaton, who explain the principles of the platform and highlight some of the examples of its deployment. With so many people watching TV via internet streams, the podcast explores how the distinct lines that used to exist between broadcast quality and live streaming are now rapidly blurring. It also discuses how the Push platform is helping to add the details that only TV broadcasting could previously offer, as well as being able to connect to social media platforms to increase the potential watchers.

The blurring lines between TV broadcast and live streaming

Many organisations in the industry have had very little choice but to pivot to a virtual solution. Swoogo, an event registration platform, is no exception.  Joining me this week is Molly Falco, the company’s director of marketing, who explains what was achieved in just 40 days.  The company’s ethos has always been ‘Make Things Easy’ so the first step was to create a place for customers’ virtual events to live within the existing Swoogo product. Using a single sign on (SSO) process, data is transferred from the streaming platform securely by Swoogo rerouting the link to one of its own. This cool feature also prevents uninvited people accessing meetings, or in Molly’s words “Zoom-Bombing”.  One feature I really like is that this new offering is Streaming Platform agnostic - meaning organisers can use their preferred platforms rather than being forced to learn another. It’s also possible to use multiple streaming platforms simultaneously.  In contrast, Molly went on to tell me that Swoogo will soon be launching ‘Swoogo Virtual’ which will include its own white labelled streaming service. Many will ask (as I did), Is it not crazy to launch another when there are so many others already? Molly said “When we jump on a Zoom call for example, there is almost a total loss of brand identity and very little option for customisation. A cool benefit of having our own is that organisers will be able to customise and preserve brand identity and/or that of their sponsors.  Molly reminds us that the fundamental activity when exhibiting needn’t change completely as a result of going virtual. Visitors dropping in to say hello, having meetings, doing demos or choosing what content they download, is all possible in a virtual setting. Data-capture is also largely unaffected due to the SSO and, there’s no need to pay for a device to scan bar codes. To be notified of its official launch subscribe to updates here.  If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form. 

Many organisations in the industry have had very little choice but to pivot to a virtual solution. Swoogo, an event registration platform, is no exception. Joining me this week is Molly Falco, the company’s director of marketing, who explains what was achieved in just 40 days. The company’s ethos has always been ‘Make Things Easy’ so the first step was to create a place for customers’ virtual events to live within the existing Swoogo product. Using a single sign on (SSO) process, data is transferred from the streaming platform securely by Swoogo rerouting the link to one of its own. This cool feature also prevents uninvited people accessing meetings, or in Molly’s words “Zoom-Bombing”. One feature I really like is that this new offering is Streaming Platform agnostic - meaning organisers can use their preferred platforms rather than being forced to learn another. It’s also possible to use multiple streaming platforms simultaneously. In contrast, Molly went on to tell me that Swoogo will soon be launching ‘Swoogo Virtual’ which will include its own white labelled streaming service. Many will ask (as I did), Is it not crazy to launch another when there are so many others already? Molly said “When we jump on a Zoom call for example, there is almost a total loss of brand identity and very little option for customisation. A cool benefit of having our own is that organisers will be able to customise and preserve brand identity and/or that of their sponsors. Molly reminds us that the fundamental activity when exhibiting needn’t change completely as a result of going virtual. Visitors dropping in to say hello, having meetings, doing demos or choosing what content they download, is all possible in a virtual setting. Data-capture is also largely unaffected due to the SSO and, there’s no need to pay for a device to scan bar codes. To be notified of its official launch <a href="https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">subscribe to updates</a> here.  If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">submission form</a>.

The Pivot to Virtual Events in just 40 Days

Erdal Kilinc

Event Industry News’ journalist, James Dickson, spoke to Deal Room Events’ co-founder and CEO, Erdal Kilinc, about the techniques, advantages and values of networking at live events. Networking is a crucial element of live events for creating valuable business connections, engaging with like-minded industry people and gaining insightful information. Networking apps and platforms ease the process of making these connections with people who are often strangers. Deal Room is an online platform created to enhance networking at live events. Over a year of academic research, workshops, surveys and feedback from event professionals went in to designing it to ensure it could provide organisers with all the features and benefits suitable for business networking. Discussing the uptake of networking apps and platforms by the event industry, Kilinc said: “At tech events, almost all of them have to have a networking application because the demand from start-ups, investors, et cetera, is high. “If your networking application fails, you are basically ruining the whole event.” Playing devil’s advocate, James argued that attendees would still be able to network without such event platforms. However, he agreed that the rate for success would be much lower due to there being less information available regarding who certain delegates should approach to make a valuable connection. If you would like to feature on one of our weekly podcasts, please email editor@eventindustrynews.com.

Event Industry News’ journalist, James Dickson, spoke to Deal Room Events’ co-founder and CEO, Erdal Kilinc, about the techniques, advantages and values of networking at live events. Networking is a crucial element of live events for creating valuable business connections, engaging with like-minded industry people and gaining insightful information. Networking apps and platforms ease the process of making these connections with people who are often strangers. Deal Room is an online platform created to enhance networking at live events. Over a year of academic research, workshops, surveys and feedback from event professionals went in to designing it to ensure it could provide organisers with all the features and benefits suitable for business networking. Discussing the uptake of networking apps and platforms by the event industry, Kilinc said: “At tech events, almost all of them have to have a networking application because the demand from start-ups, investors, et cetera, is high. “If your networking application fails, you are basically ruining the whole event.” Playing devil’s advocate, James argued that attendees would still be able to network without such event platforms. However, he agreed that the rate for success would be much lower due to there being less information available regarding who certain delegates should approach to make a valuable connection. If you would like to feature on one of our weekly podcasts, please email <a href="mailto:editor@eventindustrynews.com">editor@eventindustrynews.com</a>.

Podcast: Erdal Kilinc, Deal Room Events, discusses networking at live events

Joining the Event Industry News podcast this week is Joel Kelly, founder of event management platform Eve. Despite a rich selection of event management systems already available to organisers, Joel’s decision to design and build his own platform was promoted by his own hands-on experience of working with the industry. During the podcast, Joel talks about his significant experience of working at major outdoor events, which includes running bars for event organisers Cuffe &amp; Taylor. It was this experience that allowed him to build a platform that – in his opinion – has been designed specifically with the operational requirements of an event in mind.

Joining the Event Industry News podcast this week is Joel Kelly, founder of event management platform Eve. Despite a rich selection of event management systems already available to organisers, Joel’s decision to design and build his own platform was promoted by his own hands-on experience of working with the industry. During the podcast, Joel talks about his significant experience of working at major outdoor events, which includes running bars for event organisers Cuffe &amp; Taylor. It was this experience that allowed him to build a platform that – in his opinion – has been designed specifically with the operational requirements of an event in mind.

Event management platform Eve

Following our special series to coincide with the Event Wellbeing Week 2018, the Event Industry News podcast resumes with an episode looking at the growth of tech events within London. Joining host James Dickson are two guests who represent organisations at the very heart of the thriving sector. Tracy Halliwell is the Director of Tourism, Conventions and Special Events at London &amp; Partners, and Jane Hague is responsible for Business Development at ExCeL. Both guests discuss the way in which London has established itself as a key destination for technology related events, and how London Tech Week has played a vital role in that process.

Following our special series to coincide with the Event Wellbeing Week 2018, the Event Industry News podcast resumes with an episode looking at the growth of tech events within London. Joining host James Dickson are two guests who represent organisations at the very heart of the thriving sector. Tracy Halliwell is the Director of Tourism, Conventions and Special Events at London &amp; Partners, and Jane Hague is responsible for Business Development at ExCeL. Both guests discuss the way in which London has established itself as a key destination for technology related events, and how London Tech Week has played a vital role in that process.

Discussing London’s continued growth as a tech event destination

Joe Davy

Talking to Event Industry News on our weekly podcast was Banzai co-founder and chairman, Joe Davy.  Banzai, an event marketing automation platform, was created when Joe discovered a recurring pattern demonstrated by marketers when creating events.  The “lifecycle” of most event marketers typically lasts a month. This involves designing a new registration website, setting up email templates and having the relevant coding put in place among all the other tasks faced by marketers. After the event has passed, all that work is “blown away” and marketers have to start all over again for the next event. Calling this a “waste of time”, Joe wanted to eradicate some of this unnecessary workload. Banzai, therefore, provides solutions for event registration, reminders, outreach and attendance to help organisations grow their events. Additionally, Joe described marketers as “overloaded” and so wanted to create a platform onto which marketers could delegate some of their duties. “If we can build a great product, and we can design a great product, people will buy a lot of it,” Joe stated, simply. Currently, Joe is working towards building Banzai, questioning himself on what other services the company could provide. Though Banzai does not yet support every country, it is used internationally, which is something the team had worked towards from year one. To feature on one of our weekly podcasts, please email editor@eventindustrynews.com. 

Talking to Event Industry News on our weekly podcast was Banzai co-founder and chairman, Joe Davy.  Banzai, an event marketing automation platform, was created when Joe discovered a recurring pattern demonstrated by marketers when creating events.  The “lifecycle” of most event marketers typically lasts a month. This involves designing a new registration website, setting up email templates and having the relevant coding put in place among all the other tasks faced by marketers. After the event has passed, all that work is “blown away” and marketers have to start all over again for the next event. Calling this a “waste of time”, Joe wanted to eradicate some of this unnecessary workload. Banzai, therefore, provides solutions for event registration, reminders, outreach and attendance to help organisations grow their events. Additionally, Joe described marketers as “overloaded” and so wanted to create a platform onto which marketers could delegate some of their duties. “If we can build a great product, and we can design a great product, people will buy a lot of it,” Joe stated, simply. Currently, Joe is working towards building Banzai, questioning himself on what other services the company could provide. Though Banzai does not yet support every country, it is used internationally, which is something the team had worked towards from year one. To feature on one of our weekly podcasts, please email <a>editor@eventindustrynews.com</a>.

Podcast: Joe Davy from Banzai discusses marketing for events

In this week’s EIN podcast, host James Dickson talks to Tim Schluter about the creation and development of VoxR, a tool that helps to promote interaction with event audiences. During the podcast, Tim explains how he used his experience as a journalist and host to inspire him to create a tool that would allow audiences to vote and interact during conference sessions. Since launching, the tool has expanded into three distinct areas, which can be used collectively or independently based on the criteria and objectives of the user.  A special trial discount for VoxR is available exclusively for EIN podcast followers.  Please note that contrary to the date quoted during the podcast, the offer of A FREE Event App has been extended until the 31st August 2018. Use the code EIN at https://voxr.org to take advantage of this exclusive offer

In this week’s EIN podcast, host James Dickson talks to Tim Schluter about the creation and development of VoxR, a tool that helps to promote interaction with event audiences. During the podcast, Tim explains how he used his experience as a journalist and host to inspire him to create a tool that would allow audiences to vote and interact during conference sessions. Since launching, the tool has expanded into three distinct areas, which can be used collectively or independently based on the criteria and objectives of the user.  A special trial discount for VoxR is available exclusively for EIN podcast followers.  Please note that contrary to the date quoted during the podcast, the offer of A FREE Event App has been extended until the 31st August 2018. Use the code EIN at <a href="https://voxr.org/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://voxr.org</a> to take advantage of this exclusive offer

VoxR helping to reshape interaction at events

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