Great Events

There are somewhere around 10,000 technologies in the market that a marketing operations professional has to look at, procure, and understand the value of before making a recommendation to the organization. It’s overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be if you think about it smartly. In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier talks with Christine Kelly and Taylor Bohn, both event technology experts on the Cvent team, about the role that technology plays across the marketing organization. You’ll learn best practices on how teams can be smarter about their tech stack, what questions you should ask when acquiring new tools, and how you might be able to solve problems with the tools you already have.

Accessible technology is really changing the way we create events, especially for those who have disabilities. Not long ago, in-person events were inaccessible to people with certain disabilities. Now, with intention and technology, people are helping change this space for the better. In this episode, Stephen Cutchins, the Senior Product Manager of Accessibility at Cvent, joins hosts Alyssa and Paulina to share how he helps organizations transform their events to be more accessible and inclusive.

Dreamforce. The ultimate event everyone wants to attend. For years they’ve set the gold standard of how to put on a great event and tie the Salesforce brand and marketing to make it seamless. In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier is joined by three guests at Cvent, Charlie Friend, Mackenzie Regan, and Kevin McNeal. All three had the opportunity to attend the event this year and share trends and their biggest takeaways. You’ll learn how some of those insights might be infused into your own event programs moving into the future, as well as the impact that Salesforce and Dreamforce have on B2B event trends.

Whether you’re planning a corporate retreat or someone’s dream wedding, when you connect with your client on a personal level, you’re better able to create an unforgettable event. In this episode, we’re joined by Bianca Cruz and Victoria Williams, Co-Founders of Pivot Productions. This duo has a background in corporate events but they shifted to the wedding industry, and they take a distinctly personal approach to event planning. Listen in to learn more about producing people-centered experiences and staying authentic, even on social media.

Next level branding can be used to create a sense of community and even evoke emotions in attendees that stick with them long after they’ve headed home. In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier is joined by fellow Cventer Carisa Bartelt to reflect on their recent experiences at INBOUND. Both witnessed how HubSpot used a combination of high-profile, inspirational speakers and in-your-face brand installations to affect attendees on an emotional level. Listen in to learn how to use the feeling you want to evoke in people as your north star for planning impactful events.

Marketing operations play a specific role in organizations, and especially events. So what does it take to be a good partner to the team, whether you’re a vendor or a part of the company? In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier is joined by Cvent guest-hosts Emily Dick and Carisa Bartelt. They speak with Darrell Alfonso, the Head of Global Marketing Operations for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and author of The Martech Handbook, on all things marketing operations, from its evolution to how event marketers should think about their tech stack. In 2020, Darrell was named one of the top MarTech marketers to follow by MarTech Alliance and is currently ranked as one of the top marketers in the US. Press play if you want to learn more about planning for 2023 and understand what we should prioritize regarding MarTech and event tech.

The travel industry took a pretty big hit during the pandemic, but when it comes to events, it forced them to think outside the box and deliver what truly matters. In this episode, host Rachel Andrews is joined by Jess Hayes, Senior Director of Digital and Growth Marketing Membership Operations at GBTA (Global Business Travel Association), and Nicole Seely, Manager of Event Operations. They discuss the most recent GBTA conference and their key takeaways, including reimagining and rebuilding the event, incorporating sustainability, and learning to pivot to deliver what their attendees wanted. Events to look for: GBTA Regional Conference in Brussels GBTA Sustainability Summit APAC Travel Summit with Pata in Bangkok

The way people facilitate and execute great events are changing, especially when it comes to technology enhancements and innovation. On this episode, hosts Rachel Andrews, Paulina Giusti, and Alyssa Peltier are joined by Peter Gentile, VP of Sales from OVATION. OVATION is an event production agency focused on creating unique event programming in both the live and virtual settings. Listen in as they discuss the future of event tech and production, how those two industries have collaborated and aligned even more, and why your presenters’ experience is just as important as your attendees’ experience.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “It takes two to tango,” but have you ever thought of how it applies to sales and marketing? This year B2BSMX, a show usually attended by marketers, opened attendance to include sales professionals as well and show how the two departments can really work together when it comes to events. In this episode, host Alyssa Peltier is joined by two guests, Brian Ludwig (aka Luddy) SVP of Sales at Cvent, and Greg Jackman, a manager on the Cvent demand generation team, to share the takeaways and trends they learned from B2BSMX.

The Corporate Event Marketers Association (CEMA) holds a conference each year with anywhere from 400 to 500 attendees. This year, hosts Alyssa Peltier and Paulina Giusti were able to attend for the first time, and they’re bringing all their learnings to the podcast. In this episode, Alyssa and Paulina share their biggest takeaways from the event, including digital experiences, thoughts on “the great exposure,” and how creativity is making a grand entrance.

There’s a surge of interest for organizations to build more sustainable meetings and events programs. But how do we do it effectively and avoid greenwashing? On this episode, host Alyssa Peltier is joined by Kris Justice, Senior Manager on the Cvent Enterprise Client Success Team, and Ben Quarrell, the Co-founder of Isla and Trace, the carbon measurement platform. To get the planet where it needs to be, there has to be radical cross-sector collaboration. In their conversation, they share how organizations can help the cause, where technology and data can help further progression, and how we can plan for the future to make the industry a better place.

Meeting Professionals International produces one of the biggest event professional conferences every year and they recently celebrated MPI's 50th anniversary at The World Education Conference’s (WEC) in San Francisco. Creating an event for event planners is no small feat. What does it take to pull off? We’ve got two MPI experts to share the tricks of the trade. Melinda Burdette, Senior Director of Events, and Drew Holmgreen, Chief Brand Officer, share valuable insights not only on how to put on an amazing event but also illustrate what it looks like to design intentionally and have fun breaking sh*t to make memorable moments.

If you’re planning an event for people in the event planning industry, you better bring your A-game. In this episode, two of Cvent’s Meeting and Event Planning stars, Kayla Sommers and Sam Efthimiades, join us to share their secrets on how they were able to wow the company’s top performers at our Business Leaders Retreat. Listen in to hear how treating everyone like a VIP is more about personalization than perks. As you listen, you’ll also pick a lot of insider know-how about getting the most bang for your budget.

IMEX Frankfurt is one of the biggest events for hospitality and event professionals. With their 20th year anniversary this year, they had 100 countries represented and over 11,000 attendees. It is the place to be for anyone looking to learn more about the industry, get a sneak peek at innovation, and hear from industry-leading professionals. But don’t worry if you weren’t able to attend. In this episode, Rachel Andrews is joined by Karen Carter, Director of Enterprise Marketing for Europe at Cvent, and Jamie Vaughan, European Vice President of Sales at Cvent, to share their biggest takeaways from the event.

Virtual events or in-person events? Why choose when you can take the best of both worlds and go hybrid! Kelli Kopec, Senior Product Marketing Manager at Cvent and Lauren Allison, Lead Meeting and Event Planner at Cvent join Paulina on this episode to discuss another event that was a smash hit - the Cvent Travel Summit. The coolest part? It morphed from being an entirely virtual event to a hybrid one with great results. Listen in to learn how to stay agile across the board so you can reach more people in the ways they want to connect.