#eventicons - Meet The Icons Of The Events Industry (audio)

Today we are reflecting on 2018 and discussing our hosts favorite tools for event profs from the past year. In this episode of #EventIcons our hosts Will Curran, Brandt Krueger, Tahira Endean, and Alex Plaxen will share all about their favorite tools for event profs. Our hosts will fill you in on their favorite episodes of the year, books, podcasts, apps, tech gadgets and so much more! If you are looking for new inspiration and tools this episode is for you. We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that were mentioned in this episode! You WANT to check these out! What has been your favorite episode so far? Comment below and let us know! You’re watching this recording of our episode here on our blog, but wouldn’t you rather watch live, ask your own questions, and participate in person? Subscribe now to watch live! (We’ll remind you of upcoming episodes.) We would love for you to join us LIVE and bring your ques

As event profs it’s critical we stay on top of trends. From design and pop culture to global trends we are expected to know them all. These trends influence the events industry.  Our clients expect us to stay current with trends and know how to implement them at their events when it comes to event design trends and so much more.  In todays episode we will be discussing all about event design trends. Joining us today are the #EventIcons, David Merrell of AOO Events and Susie Perelman of Mosaic. Their keen understanding of how rapidly events need to adapt, and their willingness to share their knowledge on what is next will make this a must-watch episode as you plan your 2019 events. We will cover everything from this years pantones and how you can use them in your next events, how they get inspiration and come up with trend predictions, and ways to use technology to enhance event design trends and so much more!  We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources secti

Today’s episodes is one of our favorites of the year. We are bringing together arguably the best minds in the #eventtech and social spaces to talk all about the top event tech trends in 2019. They will talk about what they have seen, where our industry is heading with tech and how we can continue to integrate more deeply and create better planner and participant experiences. Our iconic panel Corbin Ball of Corbin Ball & Associates, James Spellos of Meeting U, and Nick Borelli of Borelli Strategies are joining us and weighing in on the event tech trends. They will chat about everything from chatbots and AI, to facial recognition and cybersecurity. If you are ready to explode your mind with usable, useful ideas – this is the must-see episode! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that were mentioned in this episode! You WANT to check these out! What has been your favorite episode so far? Comment below and

Three years ago Will Curran wanted to find a way to stand out in a crowded space, doing what he loves best – talking to people. Just as important to Will was thinking about how to develop and deliver meaningful content for event professionals, by event professionals in an engaging format. While #EventIcons has been through iterations of delivery, the premise, the core that we can and should learn from each other has remained! In this episode of #EventIcons we are celebrating 3 years of the show! Our hosts Will Curran, Brandt Krueger, Tahira Endean and Alex Plaxen are joining us for a year round up. They will share their favorite episodes, what goes on behind the scenes, plus what you can look forward to in future episodes of #EventIcons and so much more! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that were mentioned in this episode! You WANT to check these out! What has been your favorite episode so far? Comment

A great event is very similar to a great theatrical production. There is the grand entrance, the setting, a narrative, building the story, emotions, and an ending that makes us think. On top of a storyline,  there is the technical side with set changes, technology to enhance the experience and a cast that brings it all to life. It makes sense to make your events more theatrical to enhance the attendee experience. So how do you make your events more theatrical? You are in luck! Today’s guests are going to share the best tips and tricks for doing just that.  In today’s episode of #EventIcons our iconic panel Brittney Lanni of O’Keefe Communications, LLC,  Kevin Molesworth, CSEP of Brass Tacks Event, Sarah Cissna of The Side Lobby will be discussing how to bring more theatrical experiences to your event to enhance the overall experience. They will share their dream mainstage setups, how to improve breakout sessions, technical elements and what will make or break your next event. If you want to have engaging and

Some of the most challenging events to produce are televised events. With a mega televised event such as the Super Bowl, Inauguration or Olympics you only have one shot to get things right. If you aren’t prepared or things go wrong it really shows. In fact, we saw a prime example of this at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade last week when the lip-sync track audio did not match up with Rita Ora’s in ear track creating an out-of-sync disaster of a performance that unfolded in front of millions viewing the live show. So how do you execute a flawless televised show? How do you deal with the pressure that comes along with planning one? Is it really that different than any other event? Joining us in today’s episode is Paul Winston the owner of Razor Marketing and Management and an expert on mega televised events. Paul has worked on events such as the Olympics, the Super Bowl, the National Memorial Day Concert, A Capitol Fourth Concert, both of which you can see every year televised on PBS and so much more. Paul wi

C2 Montreal is completely different from any event out there. C2 Montreal is all about setting the stage to spark creativity and exploration within attendees.  The event is full of collaborative experiences and experiential brainstorming. Whether you are hoisted into the air during a lab or have a networking meet up in a mirrored room, you can expect the unexpected at C2 Montreal. In this episode of #EventIcons the iconic Julia Cyboran of C2 Montréal joins us to teach us more about the magic and engineering that makes this event truly spectacular. She will fill us in on techniques C2 Montreal uses to collect data and how they leverage that knowledge to create amazing experiences. We will also talk about what goes into planning the collaborative experiences and the purposes behind them. By the end of this episode, we guarantee you will be inspired and itching to attend! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites

If you have not heard the term braindate yet, we need to talk! We believe braindates are the future of networking and you are going to want to incorporate them into your next event. We all want networking at our events to knock the socks off the participants, leaving them feeling richer for the experience, and braindates do just that. They allow you to use an app to connect to other participants and set up one on one or small group meetings based on shared interests at a specific location. Overtime, they have proven itself at events from C2, PCMA and so many more.  But how exactly do braindates work? What do you need to set them up? Today our ICONIC panel, Christine Renaud and Sophie Silkes of e180 are here to discuss all these burning questions and more! In today’s episode we will discuss what braindates are, how they work, how to set them up and so much more! You do not want to miss this episode! Let’s jump in. We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources se

This is one of our favorite episodes of the year! If you follow #EventIcons you know our hosts travel the world and see so many epic events. Today our hosts are sharing their favorite events from 2018 with us. They will discuss what makes a great event, and highlights from the many events they attended this year. We will also cover what events are on their bucket lists for 2019. Watch below to get the scoop! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that were mentioned in this episode! You WANT to check these out! What has been your favorite episode so far? Comment below and let us know! You’re watching this recording of our episode here on our blog, but wouldn’t you rather watch live, ask your own questions, and participate in person? Subscribe now to watch live! (We’ll remind you of upcoming episodes.) We would love for you to join us LIVE and bring your questions for our icons. This is all for you! And now f

Planning a nonprofit event is no easy feat, it takes a great strategy and above all a big heart.  These events require a commitment to the cause, an understanding of how to leverage the power of events to share a message and raise funds. Of course, on top of all that you still need to be a master of the event planning skills all planners need! Today we are so excited to have two very strong leaders joining us from this space. They have a deep expertise ranging from how to manage diverse teams, planning nonprofit events, and really making your company shine. Our ICONIC guests, Megan Kincaid Kramer of Catalyst Inc. and Kelsi Boyle of Women Deliver are walking us through planning nonprofit events. They will answer what to keep in mind when planning nonprofit events, how to keep the cause alive well after the event,  challenges and so much more. We are excited about the wide range of ideas they are going to bring to anyone who joins us for this ride! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greates

In this special episode of #EventIcons, we are coming to you live from IMEX 2018.  PACKED with  23 #EventIcons (yes, you read that right 23 industry heavyweights!). If you aren’t familiar with IMEX it is THE place to connect as an event prof. IMEX has 3200 plus destinations, venues and suppliers from 130-plus countries under ONE roof in Las Vegas literally everything you can imagine in one place.  On top of connecting, there are so many educational programs, workshops, and amazing keynotes. This is the place to be! In today’s show our iconic and gigantic panel will weigh in on hot topics and trends in the events industry. We will cover everything from the details that impressed our event profs at IMEX, to best tips when it comes to planning your next event. From AI to sustainability and many more hot topics, you don’t want to miss this jam-packed two-hour episode! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that

PCMA truly cares about the personal success of all their members and their organizations. They are committed to making their members they best they can be. They have been around for decades and are constantly pushing the events industry forward. Today on our iconic panel we are joined by Sherrif Karamat of PCMA and Claire Smith of Vancouver Convention Centre. They will be taking us through an extremely thought provoking epsiode! Not only will we learn more about PCMA, but we will learn about the industry as a whole and how it connects to other global issues. Our panel will discuss what key challenges the industry collectively faces. The impact we have as event planners on the world, and how we can make a difference. They will also discuss what they are looking forward to at IMEX this week and so much more! Watch the episode in full below! How To Subscribe: Click here to watch the show live and get email notifications of new episodes. Subscribe via iTunes: Video & Audio or Audio Only Click here to subscr

Event furniture design is often an overlooked part of events. Sometimes to cut corners we go with what is cheapest or what’s available at the venue. This is a mistake! Have you ever sat in those locking chairs all day at a convention tightly packed like a sardine? Don’t do this to your guests you can do so much better! With the help of CORT furniture, we are talking all about how furniture and design can really help you achieve your event goals and so much more! Joining us today on our iconic panel are Kelsey Rausch,  Lilian Shen,  Holly Larson of CORT. They will be giving you insider tips of how to use seating to encourage face to face interaction, and also seating that inhibits engagement. We will learn about what is trending in event furniture and some amazing options for all budgets. If you haven’t put much thought into event furniture you need to see this episode. We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites

Event Transportation is the key to the success of your event. It’s a piece of the puzzle we often take for granted. Event transportation often is overlooked, strategy and logistics go on behind the scenes but is a must to execute well when planning.  There is so much to consider when planning event transportation from how many people you will have, where they are coming from, the venue you are going to, the city. To make transportation a success you need to be proactive in the planning. Where do you even start? If you aren’t sure have no fear! Our ICONIC panel joining use today are masters in event transportation! In this episode Lisa Lanna of Newsday Communications and Eric Hotard of Event Transportation Systems are going to tell you everything you need to know and didn’t consider about event transportation. From what you need to think about when planning, to budgeting and the top details event planners over look, plus how to make money off transportation! You can’t miss this episode! We want to help keep yo

Cyber security for events should be at the top of every event planners mind. But often, it’s overlooked or misunderstood. As event profs we need to very aware of cyber security for events. Is your clients data safe? If you aren’t sure this episode is for you! In todays episode our ICONIC guest James Spellos of Meeting U joins our very own Will Curran and Brandt Krueger to discuss cyber security for events. From the basics like what do you have to protect? and how do you protect it? To a deeper dive into VPNs, passwords and softwares we will cover it all.  This is a episode you cannot miss!  We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that were mentioned in this episode! You WANT to check these out! What has been your favorite episode so far? Comment below and let us know! You’re watching this recording of our episode here on our blog, but wouldn’t you rather watch live, ask your own questions, and participate in

In this episode, we are covering the hot topic of hiring an event staff. We will discuss independent contractors vs W2 employee and which might be right for you. While there is no right answer, people have very strong feelings on what is best and you will see that today! Our panel will discuss best practices for hiring your event staff from differences between a W2 employee and an independent contractor to best applications. Furthermore, we will discuss the differences in breaks, travel, over time, the future of employment and more. There are benefits to both W2 employees and independent contractors and we will discuss them all in this episode. Hiring an event staff can be daunting but it doesn’t have to be! Here to help us thoroughly walk through the topic are our iconic guests, Noha Salah of The EventWork, Kelsey Crane of Quench Staffing, Krista Hazelwood of Quench Staffing. They will cover all the hot topics and tough questions you are dying to know about! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the lates

It’s no question that everyone wants to build internal event team that’s amazing. However, actually going about creating the team can sometimes feel like a mystery. We are here to help you learn all about how to build an internal event team that is engaged and ready to execute events at the highest level. On this episode of #EventIcons, Sej Pandya of Event Marketing Consultant, will be discussing how to build a great internal events team. We will talk about ways to connect your team whether you have weeks or a few hours to do so. How to filter and cut through the noise when hiring for your internal events team. Furthermore, we will discuss how brands are evolving their events and what you need to do to catch up. There is so much to cover today and by the end you will be a pro at building an internal event team! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that were mentioned in this episode! You WANT to check thes

Today on #EventIcons we’re talking about the life of a creative agency. We will be learning from Mills James. For more than three decades Mills James has been helping some of the country’s biggest brands plan, develop and execute the events and videos that have shaped and driven the industry. They have offices in Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland, Ohio, providing event and video production services to Fortune 500 companies, startups and not-for-profits. Futhermore, Mills James will be answering all your biggest questions in this episode. We will talk about the evolution of experiential events and other trends. And cover some of the biggest event challenges they have overcome and how you can overcome your challenges too. Check it out below! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that were mentioned in this episode! You WANT to check these out! What has been your favorite episode so far? Comment below and let

This week we are live from Connect Marketplace! If you are unfamiliar, Connect Marketplace is all about meeting with the best minds in the industry, they have the most interesting speakers from many industries and it’s a great time to well, connect! This weeks episode is an extended two-hour show with the best and brightest minds in the industry. This episode will touch on almost every topic in the events industry. From sustainability to event technology we have you covered. Furthermore, we will discuss how to elevate the low points of your events and elevate them to the next level to best tips in entertainment it’s all here in this massive episode! Check it out below! We want to help keep you up-to-date with the latest and greatest! Below, in our Epic Resources section, we link the awesome insider favorites that were mentioned in this episode! You WANT to check these out! What has been your favorite episode so far? Comment below and let us know! You’re watching this recording of our episode here on our blog,

Today’s episode is near and dear to our heart! We are live from ILEA Live! Joining us today are some of the best and brightest in the industry.  As you probably guessed, it’s all about ILEA Live and how to grow as an event prof. But! Before we jump into that I think it’s important we take a step back and go over ILEA. Incase you have been living under a rock, International Live Events Association is a thriving association for global creative event professionals. They provide networking, education, professional development and so much more to their members.   What is ILEA Live? ILEA Live is a yearly conference held for the association members to meet in one place, network, grow professionally and stay informed on what is happening globally. It’s not event planning 101 but a very indepth dive into live events. What also makes the conference unique is that it is intimate, there are not thousands and thousands of event profs at the conference allowing a setting that attendees can truly experience the conference a