Host: David Adler Guest: Deesha Dyer Imagine orchestrating a visit from the pope and a Chinese state dinner… within days of each other. In this episode of GatherGeeks, recorded live at Connect Winter Marketplace in Washington, D.C, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with Deesha Dyer, who served as the White House social secretary—the person responsible for planning and coordinating official social events at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.—for the last two years of the Obama...

Host: David Adler Guests: Tony Wagner, Sara Meyer Meeting professionals are constantly multitasking. The last thing they want to do is spend time on manual, tedious processes that should just be easy—including cross-checking spreadsheets to track down commissions and payments. This is where Onyx CenterSource’s GroupPay™ can help. This holistic solution is an industry-first payments automation platform that provides hotels and meeting professionals with unparalleled transparency and...

Host: David Adler Guest: Amy Calvert In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with Amy Calvert, CEO of the Events Industry Council (EIC), which oversees more than 30 member organizations in the events industry. The EIC is a global champion of event profs and event industry excellence, offering professional standards and recognition and certification programs that take the industry to new heights. In this podcast, Calvert divulges what keeps her up...

Host: David Adler Guest: Doug Emslie In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with Doug Emslie, CEO of Tarsus Group (one of the largest exhibition companies in the world), to get a global perspective on trade shows and exhibitions. How have things changed since the pandemic? How do they differ culturally between markets like Europe, the Middle East, and North America? Emslie also discusses how to bring back attendees each year, how the global...

Hosts: David Adler, Claire Hoffman Guest: Vaibhav Jain In this special edition of GatherGeeks—recorded live at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—hosts David Adler and Claire Hoffman (BizBash’s senior contributing editor) sit down with Vaibhav Jain, CEO of event technology solution Hubilo, to discuss how he took the company from a local in-person event solution to a global behemoth. He also touches on how he realized events could be life-changing, how he raised money...

Hosts: David Adler, Claire Hoffman Guest: Damien Baines In this special edition of GatherGeeks—recorded live at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—hosts David Adler and Claire Hoffman (BizBash’s senior contributing editor) sit down with Damien Baines, the experiential marketing lead at Instagram. They go behind the scenes at Meta Beach where, for the first time, the company has used Meta branding at the festival. Baines also discusses what inspired many of the...

Hosts: David Adler, Claire Hoffman Guest: Judy Lee In this special edition of GatherGeeks—recorded live at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—hosts David Adler and Claire Hoffman (BizBash’s senior contributing editor) sit down with Judy Lee, head of global brand experiences and programs at Pinterest. She breaks down her team's strategy and execution of Pinterest Beach, which put creatives front and center. She also discusses being a jury member for this year's...

Hosts: David Adler, Claire Hoffman Guest: Keyana Kashfi In this special edition of GatherGeeks—recorded live at the 2022 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity—hosts David Adler and Claire Hoffman (BizBash’s senior contributing editor) sit down with Keyana Kashfi, the global senior director of experiential and content production at Spotify. Kashfi, who is also a BizBash Event Master, was in charge of the creation of Spotify Beach at this year’s festival. She brought in some of...

Host: David Adler Guest: Steve Clemons In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with Steve Clemons, who has begun a role as a senior executive in charge of events at Semafor, a new global news organization launching this fall. Clemons was previously editor at large of The Hill. He also served as the Washington editor at large of The Atlantic, where he was the editor-in-chief of AtlanticLIVE, the brand’s live event series. He specializes in...

Host: David Adler Guests: Jennifer Savica, Sophie Ahmed In this special sponsored episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with longtime event pros Jennifer Savica, vice president and head of corporate events for New York Life Insurance Company, and Sophie Ahmed, senior vice president of market strategy for Hubilo. The trio discusses the newfound clout of corporate event organizers and how C-suite executives’ perception of events is changing. They also...

Host: David Adler Guest: Kristin Banta Sponsored by CORT Events, this episode of GatherGeeks is part of season two of our “Royal CORT” podcast series, which includes insightful convos with top event and experience designers. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with award-winning celebrity event designer Kristin Banta, owner and creative director at Kristin Banta Events. A teacher and mentor to the industry, Banta’s clients have included Justin Bieber and Oprah Winfrey. In...

Host: David Adler Guest: David Beahm Sponsored by CORT Events, this episode of GatherGeeks is part of season two of our “Royal CORT” podcast series, which includes insightful convos with top event and experience designers. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with David Beahm, founder of event design firm David Beahm Experiences, who has designed weddings for high-profile clients like Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas, as well as Fortune 500 corporate events for clients...

Host: David Adler Guest: Todd Fiscus Sponsored by CORT Events, this episode of GatherGeeks is part of season two of our “Royal CORT” podcast series, which includes insightful convos with top event and experience designers. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with Todd Fiscus, founder of Todd Events, whose clients include Tom Ford, the Dallas Cowboys, Audi, and Neiman Marcus. In this interview, Fiscus discusses navigating the waters of a post-pandemic world, his definition of...

Hosts: David Adler, Lilian Shen Guest: Larry Abel Sponsored by CORT Events, this episode of GatherGeeks is part of season two of our “Royal CORT” podcast series, which includes insightful convos with top event and experience designers. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler and CORT Events’ director of marketing Lilian Shen sit down with Larry Abel, CEO and “dreamer in chief” at Abel McCallister Abel, a full-service experiential agency. In this interview, Abel talks about how the industry...

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...

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...

Host: David Adler Guests: Tim Groot, Natasha Wood, Carolyn Dawson In this special sponsored episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with Tim Groot, CEO and founder of AI-powered event success platform Grip; Natasha Wood, head of strategy for FT Live at the Financial Times; and Carolyn Dawson, CEO of Founders Forum. This powerhouse panel sets out to define what event success means today—and quickly realizes there are no clear answers, and that we continue...

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...

Hosts: David Adler, Cathy Song Novelli Guest: Cliff Rigano In this special sponsored edition of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler is joined by Cathy Song Novelli, SVP of marketing and communications at virtual and hybrid events software platform Hubilo, to chat with Cliff Rigano, creative director and head of culture, content and experiential marketing for Mast-Jägermeister US. Rigano shares how he brings mosh pit-inspired energy, enthusiasm and a unique ethos to...

Hosts: David Adler, Lilian Shen Guest: Mo Husseini Sponsored by CORT Events, this episode of GatherGeeks is part of our “Royal CORT” podcast series, which includes insightful convos with top event and experience designers. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler and CORT Events' director of marketing Lilian Shen sit down with creative mastermind Mo Husseini, senior vice president of design at Freeman Company based in Portland, Ore. Husseini reveals how his design-led thinking helps him...

Hosts: David Adler, Lilian Shen Guest: Shelly Tolo Sponsored by CORT Events, this episode of GatherGeeks is part of our “Royal CORT” podcast series, which includes insightful convos with top event and experience designers. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler and CORT Events' director of marketing Lilian Shen sit down with Shelly Tolo, president of Tolo Events LLC in Seattle. The group traces Tolo's history in the industry, ranging from her high-school days as a synchronized swimmer to...

Hosts: David Adler, Lilian Shen Guest: John Fuhr Sponsored by CORT Events, this episode of GatherGeeks is part of our “Royal CORT” podcast series, which includes insightful convos with top event and experience designers. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler and CORT Events' director of marketing Lilian Shen sit down with business development expert John Fuhr of CenterCircle Creative in Phoenix. With his acute awareness of emerging trends and market conditions, Fuhr offers up a host of...

Hosts: David Adler, Lilian Shen Guest: André Wells Sponsored by CORT Events, this episode of GatherGeeks is part of our “Royal CORT” podcast series, which includes insightful convos with top event and experience designers. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler and CORT Events' director of marketing Lilian Shen sit down with André Wells, founder and CEO of Events by André Wells in Washington, D.C. In this candid interview, Wells talks about everything from how the management of his...

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...

Host: David Adler Guest: Julius Solaris In this special sponsored episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash chairman and founder David Adler sits down with Julius Solaris, vice president of marketing strategy, events, for digital and in-person event platform Hopin. The duo traces Solaris’ journey in the event industry, discussing why he left the media sphere to join the massively popular tech platform. They also explore how the new event platforms are empowering the participant and are influencing...