The Mark Jeffries Event Podcast

This week we are joined by Patrick Smith, CMO of Cvent. He tells the behind the scenes story of CVENT Connect Virtual ...we talk about how different content planning had to be, dealing with a vastly larger audience, the fascinating insights gleaned from tracking attendee behavior and how production was completely transformed.Plus - a bold prediction: The Golden Age of events is coming!!Extra Thanks to Patrick Smith for his time and to Rachel Andrews and Kayla Sommers for their hard work behind the seconds to make Cvent Connect Virtual such an exciting event - it was my honor to rejoin the team and host this event.

The travel industry has, much like our industry, been hit incredibly hard and its journey back to travel normality doesn’t seem to have a clear path… YetBut travel is happening, people are back in airports and getting on planes!! Hotels are slowly opening up and welcoming guests and... small meetings are actually taking place! So what is it like to travel in the Covid-world and what can you expect if you finally pack that carry-on, board that plane and get up to 39,000 feet?Michael Holtz is the founder and CEO of Smartflyer - one of the most impressive and successful travel advisory firms in the World. Smartflyer turns 30 years old - this year -  and Michael is the power behind a remarkable team - a team I couldn't do without when doing my normal epic voyages!! Michael reveals what the airlines and hotel groups are up to, right now and what to expect when you, for event business or personal leisure, decide to get out there again!https://smartflyer.commichael@smartflyer.commark@markjeffries.com

I am betting everyone reading this has either attended or been part of an event at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. In this special edition of the podcast we meet Ernest Stovall - the Vice President of Sales, Catering and Convention Services, who tells us the behind the scenes story of locking down one of the worlds largest venues and the work going on behind the scenes to bring it back to life. Fascinating insight from a true friend of the events industry!! Enjoy

Whether you are planning an in person event for next year or a virtual event for next week (!), This is a podcast you need to listen to.However you imagine that you might utilize a Virtual Event Platform company to help bring your virtual event to life, the considerations and guidance in this podcast will arm you with the right questions to ask and the right approach for a very successful event. This episode is so filled with content I hardly know how to describe it! Dahlia el Gazzar is a fountain of knowledge and creative ideas and I'm pretty sure you will find this conversation to be well worth your time.PLUS - Bonus content....I share my new approach to online interviews which raises the bar several notches!! (And it costs next to nothing!)Thanks to:DAHLIA EL GAZZAR / Idea Igniteur + Tech Evangelist / DAHLIA+Agencydahlia@dahliaplus.commark@markjeffries.com

This is a big one!!Three guests bring their insight and wisdom to the subject of bringing in Celebrities, Bands and Keynote Speakers to your next event.Jackie Heller from Harry Walker Agency talks Keynotes - the topics and the right approach for your next virtual speaker. Corey Shapoff from SME Entertainment Group goes big with a deep dive into the major acts and massive stars that are suddenly within reach and Drury's very own Mark Felix brings his unique behind-the-scenes insight and stories from across the years.Grab your AirPods, download the episode and enjoy!Jackie starts at 3'31"Corey starts at 19'54"Mark Felix starts at 32'52"www.harrywalker.comwww.smelivenation.comwww.drurydesign.commark@markjeffries.com www.markjeffries.com

Our events are all online - but does that change the Marketing ask? What should be front of mind when branding, explaining and telling the stories that drive your next event or online session. We are lucky to get to spend some time with Alison masters, CEO of the UK's Silver Agency which has offices in London, Cheltenham and Austin, Texas. Alison shares interesting perspectives as well as explaining how to ensure your message is compelling and targeted at the right people.Plus I reveal why pre-recorded won't keep you awake at night and how I actually got into this industry of ours!A very British episode indeed!www.markjeffries.commark@markjeffries.com

Learning fast and under a tight time deadline, Kevin Iaquinto and his team put on Blue Yonder's "Icon" event - online. Lots of actionable advice in this episode including working with your own execs, what to look for in a strong platform and some very surprise findings -  especially around the behavior of your online audience!! #virtualevents #eventplanner #eventpro #CMO #marketingFind out more about Blue Yonderwww.blueyonder.comContact Mark:mark@markjeffries.comwww.markjeffries.com

The behind the scenes story of how IBM Think was transformed from a HUGE live event in San Francisco into a two day online experience. Mark chats with President and CCO of New York’s Drury Design Dynamics. As part of a huge team, Drury Design was the main production partner for IBM working on a tight 5 week timeline to put together a very successful event. Chris shares lessons learned, mistakes made, best practice and the future of the event industry itself. Unmissable Podcast on the changing event industry and what you can do to rise to the challenge. Plus - Mark’s top tip on why the 3C’s of communication matter even more in the virtual worldFind out more about Drury by visiting:https://www.drurydesign.comFind Mark at:www.markjeffries.com

Whether you are gathering together 10,000 people or just 10 - the event world is suddenly in turmoil. What do we do now?Join industry expert, accomplished MC, moderator and speaker - Mark Jeffries - as he explores a variety of instantly usable ideas that you can use to quickly pull together your next event. In this episode Mark covers the essential difference between stage and screen, the importance of timing and why your executive's shelter-in-place location may well have the crappiest Wi-Fi you've ever known!