Host: David Adler Guest: Gianna Gaudini In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with Gianna Gaudini, head of events for Airtable, for a master class in planning events and experiences—whether you're an old pro or just starting out. The pair discusses Gaudini's work for companies like Amazon Web Services, Google, and Softbank Vision Fund, along with what went into creating her best-selling book and e-learning course. Gaudini believes that people want to attend events to experience some sort of catharsis or transformation—and she shares tips for how to accomplish that, along with insights into driving global event strategy, brand awareness, diversity and inclusion, and more. Sponsored by Hopin.
Host: David Adler Guests: David Landgraf, Allison Pieter In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with industry veterans David Landgraf, the founder and chief experience officer of Make It Happen Management in New York, and Allison Pieter, the founder and president of Cassis Productions in Los Angeles. The group shares real-world pain points—and solutions—for the event industry, diving into topics like the impact of new technology, whether traditional events have given way to unproven experimentation, the frustration of supply chain issues and labor shortages, and more. They also discuss whether the so-called "great resignation" is having an impact, how budgets and costs have changed, their insights into the future and much more. Sponsored by Hopin. Running time: 43:33.
Hosts: David Adler Guests: Erica Boeke, Austin Johnston, Nancy Shaffer In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with a powerhouse panel of event industry professionals: Nancy Shaffer, chief creative officer at RJ Whyte Event Production and the president of the Live Events Coalition; Austin Johnston, CEO of AKJOHNSTON and president of the Experiential Guild of America; and Erica Boeke, the founder and CEO of Liberty & Co. The group dives deep into how partnerships of all kinds have impacted their event businesses and shares key learnings on how to collaborate effectively. They give practical tips and takeaways for using partnerships—with both internal and external teams, with brands and artists, with the industry as a whole and even with event guests—as one of the most important principles of our post-COVID era. Sponsored by Hopin.
Host: David Adler Guests: Dawn Penfold, Travis Pham In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with recruiting veteran Dawn Penfold, president of Meetingjobs, a Cadre Company, and up-and-coming event professional Travis Pham, global business director for 360 Destination Group. The group discusses why passion is the defining characteristic for career success, and why we're in an employee market where staffers are reexamining their purposes and goals—plus, what that means for hiring managers right now. They also share their thoughts on corporate outsourcing solutions, how employers are attracting talent right now, how technology is changing the game and much more. Sponsored by Hopin. Running time: 34:15.
Host: David Adler Guests: Brendan Brown, Sohini Mitra In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with Brendan Brown, vice president of strategy for George P. Johnson, and Sohini Mitra, the vice president of experiential at ImpactXM, to tackle the ever-relevant question of engagement at virtual, hybrid and face-to-face events. The group discusses what keeps the attention of attendees at events of all types right now, exploring whether it's true that attendees pay attention to novelty, and if entertainment is the cost of entry for engagement. The world is changing rapidly, and this episode offers key ways to understand the audience, brand and context of any assignment—and to challenge all your prepandemic assumptions about engagement. Sponsored by Hopin.
Host: David Adler Guests: Brittany H. Anderson, Bella Day, Dr. Stuart Levy, Latoya Lewis, Gwen Loeber This special episode of GatherGeeks was recorded live on Nov. 30 at Connect DC, where BizBash chairman and founder David Adler conducted an insightful focus group to find out what's really next in the world of events and meetings. He's joined by a variety of students, professors and other leaders from George Washington University and the local Washington, D.C. school system. Guests include Dr. Stuart Levy—who has nearly two decades of experience in management, teaching, consulting and research within a range of organizations like PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Hospitality and Leisure Practice—as well as Latoya Lewis, the executive director of EnventU, and Brittany H. Anderson, coordinator of the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism at Frank W. Ballou Senior High School. This discussion offers an in-depth look into how the event world has changed during the pandemic, and the insights and lessons the next generation of event leaders can teach the industry as a whole. Sponsored by Brandlive. Running time: 36:09.
Host: David Adler Guest: David Tutera In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with celebrity event designer and lifestyle guru David Tutera. The globally known event expert and television personality shares personal anecdotes, discussing his first-ever job and what he learned for it, how he fell in love with the event industry and more. He also discusses the importance of asking questions, why leading with positivity is crucial, what works and what doesn't in a post-COVID world and how the industry has changed, and much more. Sponsored by Social Hour.
Host: David Adler Guest: Colin Cowie In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with event industry icon Colin Cowie to discuss his new book, The Gold Standard: Giving Your Customers What They Didn't Know They Wanted. Through compelling anecdotal-style stories, Cowie's new book is a must-read to make sure your business stands out in this ever-changing world, diving into ways to up your game to think about the intangibles that separate you from your competition. This episode is a one-man masterclass on doing it right, explaining how Cowie is using event thinking in all aspects of the hospitality, retail and service industries. He and Adler also explore themes of passion, elegance, failure, style, conflict resolution and the power of proactive customer service. Click here to order Cowie's new book. Sponsored by Ticketbud. Running time 40:00.
In this episode of GatherGeeks, BIzBash founder and chairman David Adler chats with Connor Stewart, the director of social media at mdg, a marketing and public relations agency specializing in audience acquisition for live and online events. Stewart offers case studies of the influencer marketing strategy for B-to-B events like FabTech, a trade show for the welding industry—proving that the practice isn't just for consumer brands and big-level celebrities. The duo gives an overview of why tapping into paid influencers and micro-influencers is so effective for events, and how to find the right partners for your brand. They also do deep dive into how to execute these new must-use marketing strategies—sharing the processes, tools and measurements needed to justify the expense. Sponsored by Ticketbud. Running time 43:22.
Host: David Adler Guest: Christina Matteucci In this episode of GatherGeeks, we're bringing you another live presentation from BizBash's hybrid conference in Las Vegas. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler introduces Christina Matteucci, executive director of David Beahm Experiences, who discusses how number-twos will lead the post-COVID bounce back. Like celebrity event designer David Beahm, successful entrepreneurs have become veritable superheroes in American culture. However, data suggests that society's obsession with entrepreneurship as the vehicle for professional recognition could spell disaster for the future of the U.S. workforce in a post-COVID landscape—if the struggle for acknowledgment continues to wipe out the value of collaboration. From unifying the political divide to healing race relations to solving our global climate crisis, solutions for our world's biggest problems won't come from one hero—they'll be the product of many minds working together. The prototype for that alliance begins in the workplace; it begins with the "number twos." In this educational discussion, Matteucci, aka "TeucciMama," will show us why we should be giving a second thought to our second in command. Running time: 50:50. Sponsored by Evolution Event Solutions.
Host: David Adler Guest: Ronnie Yoked In this episode of GatherGeeks, we're bringing you another live conversation that took place at BizBash's hybrid conference in Las Vegas. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with Ronnie Yoked, head of experiential for Anheuser-Busch, named one of BizBash's Most Innovative Brands in Events in 2020. Yoked offers an in-depth look at how the mega brand thinks about marketing and events, including how that strategy has changed during the pandemic, work the team has done to support struggling businesses, ways they've parlayed existing programs into digital in addition to creating new ones, and much more. Yoked also discusses her shift in focus from experiential marketing to "experience marketing," how she measures the success of a virtual program, the shifts she predicts for the future and much more. Sponsored by Ticketbud. Running time: 32:33.
Host: David Adler Guests: Carla Ruben, Joseph Cozza, Thomas Whelan, Kasha Mackelprang, Ezekiel Bronfman In this episode of GatherGeeks, we're bringing you another live conversation that took place at BizBash's hybrid conference in Las Vegas. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler hosts an informative discussion on how the industry is collectively curating new ideas to make meetings and events memorable and safe. He's joined virtually by Creative Edge Catering's Carla Ruben, and in-person by JVC Catering & Event Consulting's Joseph Cozza, Levy Convention Centers' Thomas Whelan, Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa's Kasha Mackelprang, and XED Beverage Company founder Ezekiel Bronfman. The group traces the history of event catering, followed by what's hot now (and how they're accomplishing it with COVID-related restrictions) and what trends will take over in the future. Sponsored by Ticketbud.
Host: David Adler Guest: Kudzi Chikumbu, Brian Feit In this episode of GatherGeeks, we're bringing you another live conversation that took place at BizBash's recent conference in Las Vegas. BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sat down with Kudzi Chikumbu, the director of creator community at TikTok, and Brian Feit, founder of New York-based creative marketing agency BMF. The pair has partnered over the last year to discover what the next generation of attendees and users really want, and they shared their insights during this captivating session. They also share case studies of TikTok events they've produced, why authenticity is everything, why music is so powerful in event creation, how TikTok has impacted event engagement and much more. Sponsored by Ticketbud.
Host: David Adler Guest: Dawn Penfold In this episode of GatherGeeks, we're bringing you a live conversation that took place at BizBash's recent conference in Las Vegas, held in late May. BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sat down with event and meeting hiring guru Dawn Penfold, president of Meetingjobs. The pair discusses the event industry's job landscape post-COVID, sharing tips for both job-seekers and employers about the most in-demand roles right now, the skillsets and personality traits most needed, best practices for virtual interviews and more. Penfold also explains where and how employers can find good talent right now, the challenges businesses are facing in terms of hiring, her predictions for the future and much more. Running time: 29:49. Sponsored by iVent.
Host: David Adler Guest: Sam Kolbert-Hyle In this special sponsored episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with Sam Kolbert-Hyle, the president and CEO of Brandlive, who shares how his company has helped major corporations add the right polish to their live and virtual presentations. He explains how his team has developed the sense of a high-end television studio in a very accessible Greenroom product, and also shares a wide variety of tech and engagement tips for virtual events—including why you should over-prepare for big production moments, why you should never start your event on time, what the most important part of a virtual event is, how he stays calm during high-stress moments and more. An added bonus? Listen for some fun, behind-the-scenes insights from Brandlive's work on the Biden campaign in 2020. Running time: 51:29
Hosts: David Adler, RD Whitney Guests: Liz Irving, Paul Treanor This episode of GatherGeeks is a collaborative show between BizBash, the Society of Independent Show Organizers (SISO) and Event Relief 2021, Dan Assor's 24-hour vodcast that raised funds for the nonprofit EventWell in March. BizBash chairman and founder David Adler teams up with RD Whitney, the founder of 365 Media, to host an event producers' roundtable featuring Liz Irving, executive vice president and head of marketing at Clarion Events North America, and Paul Treanor, senior manager of content and community at Informa. The group of industry veterans discusses the evolving world of virtual and hybrid events, sharing the unvarnished truth about what they've learned about events and exhibitions over the last 13 months. They also share why event producers should consider themselves community-builders, discussing how to understand your customer's needs and motivators, ways to foster connections online or in-person, what works and what doesn't work when building new communities, and much more. Finally, they chat about their own experiences with virtual and hybrid events, sharing insights on attendee engagement, the hub-and-spoke method, why Clubhouse is so popular in the event industry and much more. Running time: 51:40. Sponsored by iVent.
Host: David Adler Guest: Nir Eyal In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler chats with behavioral design and time management expert Nir Eyal, the author of the books Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products and Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. The duo discusses why event professionals are masters of designing distractions, especially when trying to monetize events, and give some insights into the science of distraction both for personal growth and professional use. Eyal shares tips for fighting attendee distraction at events and trade shows, why focus is not the opposite of distraction, how speakers can grab attention (and why they should always ask audiences for feedback), the future of events in a post-pandemic world and much more.
Host: David Adler Guest: Glenn Haussman In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler chats with Glenn Haussman, a 25-year hotel industry veteran, professional speaker and the host of popular hospitality podcast "No Vacancy." During this high-energy conversation, the duo discusses all things hospitality and events, including what they both miss and don't miss from in-person gatherings, the good and bad of virtual, tips for training speakers and exciting changes that have been accelerated by the pandemic. Haussman also shares what he's hearing from hotel organizers about the future, including labor shortages and automation tools, and gives some behind-the-scenes details from his new book, The Adapters. Sponsored by Brandlive. Running time: 44:35.
Hosts: David Adler, Ashton Pike Guests: Dan Cormany, Latoya Lewis, Lynn Minnaert, John Niser, Briana Stewart, Aruzhan Toleubay In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler and editorial director Ashton Pike chat with a diverse group of students and professors in the event and hospitality industry. Hosted during Dan Assor's 24-hour vodcast to benefit EventWell, the conversation features Briana Stewart and Aruzhan Toleubay, two students finding their way in the industry during COVID-19, as well as Florida International University professor Dan Cormany, New York University professor Lynn Minnaert, Farleigh Dickinson University professor John Niser and EnventU founder Latoya Lewis. The group discusses how COVID-19 has reshaped the industry, outlining what works now and how the next generation can face the challenges of today. This vodcast is a must-watch for anyone trying to adapt and thrive in this ever-changing industry.
Host: David Adler Guests: Steve Gottlieb, Natalie Jones In this special sponsored episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler chats with Steve Gottlieb, founder and CEO of the virtual event platform Shindig, and Natalie Jones, the senior vice president of external affairs and diplomatic engagement for the nonpartisan diplomacy center Meridian House. The group discusses the challenges of—and best practices for—emulating high-touch events like the G-8 world leader summit virtually, and how other tools of diplomacy can work in the digital world. They also talk about the importance of making technology almost invisible during online events, as well as the future of hybrid, whether on-demand conversation hubs like Clubhouse will have an impact on traditional events, the future of collaboration and much more. Sponsored by Shindig. Running time 41:42.