Navigating event attendee data requires the right balance between collecting valuable information and respecting event attendee privacy. But with rapid advancements in technology and law that struggles to keep up, finding that balance can be tricky, especially as tech becomes cheaper and easier to access.    Catalyzed by a recent Tech Crunch headline about a General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) violation at Mobile World Congress (MWC), Will, Nick, and Dustin tackle attendee data in...

The events industry is a melting pot of talent and diverse backgrounds, with event professionals bringing rich experiences and unique perspectives to the field. It’s not uncommon to find professionals holding degrees in business, communications, or marketing, complementing others with a foundation in hospitality or years of experience in related industries. But this diversity of education and experience begs the question, do you need event planning certifications to stand out?   In this...

A recently published Freeman report highlights a significant shift in the demographics of B2B event attendees. With this new generation of younger, more diverse, and more educated attendees emerging, the event industry must adapt to meet their evolving needs and expectations.   In this episode of the Event Brew podcast, Xander, Will Curran, Arianna, and Nick dive into this shift; from understanding the motivations behind younger attendees, and rethinking exhibit halls, to embracing new...

As event professionals, we’re constantly striving to create meaningful experiences for attendees and stakeholders while working within limited resources and a budget. In-kind sponsorships are relationships where a business sponsors an event by providing free goods or services rather than a financial contribution. So can in-kind sponsorships for events help you meet your event goals?  In this episode of the Event Brew, Nick, Will, Deanna, and Xander share their reactions to the term “in-kind...

Amid industry-wide event budget cuts, global inflation, and nationwide layoffs, teams across the events industry are forced to decide which things to keep, remove, or reduce in the budget. So in this episode of the Event Brew podcast, the crew shares their thoughts on what they’d keep, cut, and remove.    But before we dive into budgets, let’s introduce our special co-host, Xander Castro. Our history with Xander started years ago when he worked for Endless as a freelance ghostwriter. Since...

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated events across the globe. Almost three years later, the United States is finally making a widespread comeback, events included. Still, it’s not enough for President Biden to declare the pandemic over. As the Brew Crew shares today, many event professionals are still battling low attendance, learning about and designing for increased accessibility and figuring out how to implement the lessons they’ve learned throughout the pandemic.    In this episode...

As event professionals, we often reflect on our past experiences and wonder what we could have done differently. Hindsight is 20/20, and it's natural to have moments of regret or wish we'd known then what we know now. The Brew Crew isn't immune to this phenomenon. As experienced professionals, they would have lots of knowledge to share with their younger selves, but because they cannot, Arianna, Deanna, and Will share their advice with you. With the caveat that they speak to their former...

In recent years, “cannabis” and “marijuana” have been hot topics of interest for event professionals. And with the increasing legalization of the psychoactive drug, conversations around cannabis for events are at an all-time high. As the industry comes to terms with this new reality, many event professionals aren’t sure what to do next. ‘Bud’ if one thing is clear, cannabis is here to stay.  From CBD wellness retreats to cannabis at HR conferences, events are experiences that can benefit from...

Event goals are what you aim to achieve before, during, and after your event, and they impact almost everything event professionals do. So what happens when you crush your goals? Well, Ana A. reached out and asked precisely this. She says, “Say an event was successful, reached all goals and objectives, and made the host more money. What would you say the next step for the event is? Would it be making the event bigger year after year?”  That’s a great question, and in this episode of the Event...

As an event professional, you likely rely on some degree of creativity and inspiration to design events, drive innovation, and make your mark on the attendee experience. But when the creativity wheels aren’t turning, and the inspiration isn’t flowing, it can feel hard to come up with fun or even new ideas and make meaningful progress at work. That’s why in this episode of the Event Brew, the Brew Crew is talking about event inspiration, creativity, and innovation.    Together, they’ll share...

Event gamification kind of sucks right now, but it doesn’t have to. Event organizers turn to gamification to try and drive engagement and rally excitement around an event. But more often than not, it’s just a thinly disguised tool to get attendees to do what organizers and sponsors want them to do. That’s why our guest co-host Arianna Black is struggling to find value in event gamification.  In this episode of the Event Brew podcast, Will and Arianna discuss why gamification in events misses...

Event professionals can start their career paths in almost any job or industry. This is something the Brew Crew knows well, as today’s hosts share a combined 82 years of industry experience with a wide range of event jobs that led them to where they are today.   In this episode of the Event Brew podcast, Deanna Nwosu, Will Curran, Nick Borelli, and Arianna Black share their career journeys, the event jobs they’ve held, and advice they wish they’d known when first starting their careers. A big...

Our conversation today comes from a question sent in by one of our listeners named Genesis. She asked, “Why do event marketers receive more credit and respect than event planners?”    Event marketers and event planners do, in fact, often receive credit, financial support, and recognition differently, which makes this an excellent question. As the Brew Crew will discuss, the reasons for this difference in treatment are complicated and can vary from person to person and company to company.  In...

Events are not exclusive to any industry, business, or group of people. Every year, from sports and weddings to big banks and marketing agencies, all kinds of people have events. As event professionals, they employ specific skills to plan and engage that audience. Should HR core competencies be a part of those skills? On today’s episode of the Event Brew, the Brew Crew shares their thoughts on HR competencies and the event professional’s skillset. What does it look like for an event...

The world is in transition, and event industry professionals are asking questions. Does event size matter? Many events are seeing the fall of pandemic safety regulations. Does this mean large events are back?    In today’s episode, Thuy leads the Brew Crew in a conversation about event size. While Nick, Will, and Thuy mostly agree that their preference that small events are better, they also explore the benefits of going big. Tune in and find out what the Brew Crew has to say about event size...

n 2019, the events industry had a $1,135.4 Billion valuation, making the events industry well positioned to make an economic impact should planners support social movements like boycotts. But should they?   In this episode of Event Brew, the entire Brew Crew shares their thoughts on planners and organizations boycotting venues, hotels, destinations, and more. Should planners have a say in event boycotts? Do boycotts even have an impact? Let’s find out.

Marketing has changed significantly over the last 10 to 15 years. Content marketing has seen a boom in activity. Twenty years ago, content marketing was what people wanted to be doing. Today, everyone’s doing it. And according to Will, it might be the bare minimum for brand awareness. What’s next? In today’s episode, Will Curran and Nick Borrelli talk about what’s in the future for event marketing. With Web 3.0 on the horizon, the internet is changing, and marketing for events must keep up....

The great resignation has made waves across corporate America as people leave their jobs at unprecedented rates. Low pay, lack of opportunity for advancement, disrespect, and lack of flexibility are just a few reasons why employees leave, according to Pew Research. The events industry isn’t immune to the ripples of the great resignation. That’s why, in today’s episode, the Brew Crew flips the script on the topic. With the great resignation shifting the jobs landscape, Deanna, Will, and Nick...

In April, we talked about a recession on the horizon. As the horizon approaches, Will and Nick find that many event professionals are running on fumes. Today, the discussion is all about executing events on a reduced team.    Teams are expected to do more with less as layoffs, downsizing, and budget cuts make waves across the economy. Whether people on your team are sick or no longer working with you, Nick and Will have several ideas on how to avoid downsizing and how to execute events on a...

The Event Brew squad is tackling a complex topic today; a topic most event planners have contemplated in the last two years. It's time to talk about audience engagement on event platforms! The topic was inspired by Encore's article, titled 'Keep Attendees Engaged with an Interactive Event Platform'. The Event Tech Podcast has tackled this topic from multiple angles, but today, we can get an inside scoop from Dustin, Nick, and Thuy, as well. Event professionals are divided when it comes to...

Technology is advancing at a rapid speed. We all use all kinds of gadgets, software, and hardware products to manage our personal lives. Today, the Event Brew tackles the relationship between personal and professional life as it relates to technology. Have they ever used personal technology pieces for the events industry purposes?  In this short but sweet conversation, Nick, Thuy, and Will share what technologies they happily use in their event lives. Tune in and find out whether they’re...

In-person events might be back, but some things in the events industry are not going back to how things used to be before the pandemic. Take online supplier relationships, for example. It's a relatively new phenomenon in the industry, but now that the Event Brew team got a taste of it, they refuse to go back.   The digital world is teeming with opportunities to build relationships. Not to mention online platforms make those who are less extroverted feel more comfortable. However, some are...

While the metaverse is not a fully-fledged event trend just yet, there is no denying that metaverse events will become increasingly more popular in the years to come. They might not be the one and only future of events, but event planners should nonetheless keep their pulse on it - and the Brew Crew gives some compelling arguments as to why that is. It's not that event planners need to learn how to plan events in the metaverse or else risk staying behind. As Nick emphasizes over and over...

As things currently stand in the events industry, we're planning events in 2022 as if the COVID-19 pandemic never existed. The mask mandates are gone and COVID compliance talk has all but disappeared. In-person events are back in all their glory. And to the Event Brew hosts, they often look identical to 2019. But is that a good thing? According to this episode, not so much. Dustin, Nick, and Will are joined by a very special guest that some might know from #EventIcons: Deanna Nwosu. She...