We don’t mean to beat a dead horse, yet we’re saying it again: the pandemic has drastically changed the events industry and sped up the evolution of virtual and hybrid events. The process is not over, either. On the contrary: we have just begun! The future of the events industry is uncertain, but today’s #EventIcons guest thinks that it’s going to split into two huge chunks: one belonging to the digital event planner and the other one to the in-person event planner. Jason Koop is a writer,...

We’ve all been through a lot in this past year. Health and wellness in the events industry have never mattered more than now, which is why today, Sarah welcomes not one, but three iconic guests to share what they’ve worked on since the pandemic started. Kristin Horstman is a senior director at Salesforce and has been on our show just recently, Johnnie White is the CEO of the American Society of Appraisers, and Rachael Riggs is a WellBeing Leader at Maritz Global Events. And what does this...

This week’s #EventIcons guest is one of the most respected figures in digital media. He has a 20-year history in thought leadership, experiential events, and technology. Got your attention? Read on! This iconic guest has developed integrated digital video strategies for large media companies, including Viacom and  Discovery. And last but not least, he is the CEO of VidCon, the world’s largest convention for online video creators. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Jim Louderback!

#EventIcons podcast is all about talking to the cream of the events industry and getting to know what they do, how they do it, and what the current event trends are. Today’s guest is somebody with years of experience and a lot of charisma. Meet Kristin Horstman, the senior director at Salesforce! Together with the rest of the world, she had to make a quick pivot to virtual events last year. Today, she shares with our audiences what she had learned. As a marketing leader, she focuses on...

Hybrid events are the perfect synergy between virtual and in-person events, but it can be quite challenging for event planners to put them together. That’s why in this week’s episode of #EventIcons, Sarah welcomes Kelly Knowlen to talk about the most important hybrid event tips and tricks. Kelly Knowlen is the executive director of sales engagement and special events at Hilton where she started building her career 28 years ago. She tells Sarah how Hilton pivoted in March 2020 and shares the...

It's been a while since the industry made a tectonic shift to virtual events, and so far, we have covered the topic from nearly every angle imaginable. From choosing the right platform to delivering the best virtual content, we always first need to think about what kind of an experience we are providing for our virtual attendees. And who better to talk about experiential virtual events than today's event icon, AJ Williams from AJ Events who has been in the industry for over 25 years! Join...

In today’s episode of #EventIcons, we fix our eyes on the future and talk about post-COVID events. But let’s not leap headlong into how things used to be. After all, we’ve all grown, learned, and changed so much in the past year. Now, it’s time to put all that knowledge to use! Virtual, hybrid, or in-person – it doesn’t matter what type of an event we are talking about – the fact of the matter is that the attendees’ priorities have dramatically shifted. Before we even start considering...

This week's #EventIcons episode is particularly special because Sarah welcomes four of her amazing coworkers from Endless Events to the podcast. They are here to talk about virtual fatigue, one of the first and most talked about challenges of going virtual. As the first point of contact for event planners, Syd Griffith, Karmen Jericevic, John Pistotti, and Ambre Wade know how to decipher what their needs are and how to create solutions for better virtual audience engagement. Not only are they...

It's Tuesday, which means it's time for #EventIcons! For weeks, we have been discussing virtual and hybrid events, engagement strategies, and all kinds of other pandemic-related issues. Today, it's time for something different, but just as relevant: we will talk about diversity in events as of 2021. The conversations around diversity are quickly gaining traction, but it's important we implement the changes rather than disregard them when they're not hot anymore. And we found just the speaker...

Virtual events were all the rage last year, whether we liked it or not. While some adapted fast and organized extraordinary virtual events in 2020, many are still grappling with the new reality. But according to today’s #EventIcons guest, it’s high time we stop reminiscing about the past and start planning for the future! Liz King Caruso is the CEO of Liz King Events and techsytalk. She’s a source of wisdom who has been doing virtual and hybrid events for much longer than the pandemic has...

Many of us would give our right arm just to attend a live concert right now. The energy, the connection, the music – to feel like a part of something bigger than ourselves. Song Division knows all about the science of music. And they have good news for us: music for virtual events can be just as compelling as an arena concert. In today’s #EventIcons, Sarah welcomes Andy Sharpe, Sam McNeill, and John Lombardo from Song Division. As professionals in music and entertainment, they know everything...

How many times have you heard the expression “content is king”? Probably enough that you roll your eyes every time someone utters it. But that’s the thing about clichés – they exist for a reason. And when it comes to the exciting world of digital experiences, this particular saying still applies. Of course, crafting amazing content for virtual events comes with its own set of challenges. Not only is this particular slice of the experience more important than ever, but it can also get...

New year, new trends! That’s right, Endless Events is back at it with the best content to help you navigate the 2021 landscape. And to kick things off, we have a brand new episode of #EventIcons. Now that the new year has rolled in, event profs are eager to know the trends that will shape the months to come. And while there’s a lot to cover, we figured that there’s no best way to start January than by outlining the 2021 event design trends that will define the industry. 2020 was a challenging...

How does industry advocacy during a pandemic even look like? For as long as it has existed, the events industry has struggled with unity. And it's not because we don't want to come together as one. But rather because we're such a complex mix of professionals that span everything from production to catering, venues, planning, and more. Trying to define the events industry has always been a challenge. And consequently, finding unity during tough times has proven to be particularly...

Just yesterday, we once again tackled the topic of virtual audience engagement. And one of the points we stressed was the importance of entertainment. The world is always starving for entertainment, and remote attendees are not an exception to this rule! On the contrary - one could even argue that keeping audiences amused is even more crucial in a virtual setting. Plus, with hybrid on an almost certain path to become the norm, it becomes crucial to learn the ropes of entertainment in this new...

It’s time for another incredible episode of #EventIcons! Over the past few weeks, we’ve been focusing on bringing to the limelight the incredible stories of event profs who fought the pandemic and came out stronger on the other side. And this week, the adventure continues – with a little spin on the approach to virtual and the role of technology. We’re more than happy to introduce the iconic Scott Lockey, Senior Director of Partnerships at Cvent. As someone who is heavily involved in the...

Another week, another inspiring story about pivoting to virtual events! Now that the industry has come to terms with the so-called “new normal”, we want to bring the best stories to the forefront. All across the nation, event planners have been learning the ropes of virtual events. And they’ve been doing so in order to deliver high-quality experiences with the tools they have at their disposal. So there’s no shortage of success stories out there. On this week’s #EventIcons, we introduce yet...

We’re back for another week with another exciting episode of #EventIcons! And we’re excited to be discussing how small event companies can pivot in order to survive the pandemic. Because this has probably been the craziest time ever in our industry. Thousands of event profs saw their projects canceled or postponed within days. But while we’re all still adapting to the new normal, small event companies had to act faster than anyone else. And no one knows that better than this week’s iconic...

In a chaotic world where the industry sees itself turned upside down at every turn, learning about year-long sponsorships becomes crucial. And while events have always been about creating meaningful and lasting connections, our rush to find sponsors every year somewhat goes against this ideal. The focus is less on establishing a beneficial partnership and more on just getting someone as fast as possible. And this causes planners to not be as creative, forward-thinking, or successful as they...

Another week, another episode of #EventIcons! And since hybrid is one everyone’s mind lately, we thought we’d bring you something exciting. This week, we’ll be talking about interactive gaming experiences for hybrid and virtual events. Yes – because even during a hybrid experience, you still have the virtual aspect! So it seems only fitting that we dive into a conversation about entertainment. After all, who doesn’t love games? It’s one of the best ways for people to connect, engage, and...

Over the past year, sustainability has become top of mind for planners. And the events industry as a whole has doubled down on efforts to become greener. It's up to us as an industry that tends to create so much waste to improve. Part of this sustainability trend also refers to food waste in the events industry. And this is an issue that doesn't get addressed nearly as much as it should. So what can we, as event professionals, do to end this practice? How can we contribute towards a better...

Today we’re introducing a success story about a virtual product launch. Socio managed to elevate their virtual event and turn it into a full-scale virtual hackathon. Their goal was to create a collaborative environment and move the community forward as a whole. And not only did they manage to do that, but they became such a success, that the levels of engagement are still up over a month after the event. So how did Socio do it? How did they come up with creative ways to engage sponsors and...

Last week, we offered some pretty good ideas within the scope of entertainment for virtual events. And today, we’re diving even deeper! While virtual happy hours allow you to get extremely creative, they’re not the only way you can get attendees to have fun. There are plenty of misconceptions surrounding virtual events. But that’s completely normal – we’re all learning as we go and everyone is trying hard to navigate the new state of the industry. Still, there are some notions you should...

Even though most events are now going virtual, designing events for introverts still remains a relevant topic. And arguably, it becomes even more important. It’s a matter of fact that virtual events make the experience more accessible to a larger number of people. For those who can’t travel due to disability, for those who are all the way across the world and, in this case, for introverts. Plus, another thing to keep in mind is the fact that in-person events will come back eventually. And...

This week's #EventIcons is all about Remote Design Week. Because now that everyone is jumping into the virtual event bandwagon, this is something we had to talk about. Remote Design Week managed to do exactly what planners everywhere want to do. It was a massive virtual event with over 50 speakers and a whopping 3,000 attendees! And with such a successful event being planned in six weeks, we wanted to know more. More about the planning process. And more about everything it took to make it...