Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

• Courtney Stanley's website: courtney-stanley.com
• Courtney on social: @courtneyonstage
• Dare to Interrupt podcast (search on your platform of choice)

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If you've ever been asked to host a panel or present at a conference for the first time and immediately felt the dread set in, this episode is for you. Kristin Nagle sits down with Courtney Stanley, global keynote speaker and executive presence coach, to answer the question first-time moderators wrestle with most: what's the one thing you need to know before you take the stage?

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Courtney's answer covers why nerves are completely normal (and what happens to them once you're actually up there), why memorizing every line is working against you, and how the best speakers think about their role before they ever open their mouths. It's part mental game, part preparation strategy, and part mindset shift.

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👤 Guest Bio

Courtney Stanley is a global keynote speaker, executive presence coach, and the creator and host of Dare to Interrupt, a podcast featuring influential women in the events, hospitality, and tourism industry. She is the youngest person ever elected to Meeting Professionals International's (MPI) International Board of Directors and co-founded #MeetingsToo, the industry movement to prevent sexual misconduct at events. As CEO of Courtney Stanley Consulting, LLC, she has spent over 15 years helping professionals lead more authentically and speak with genuine confidence from the stage.

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✅ The Event Question

Asked by: Kristin Nagle, Host

The question: With all of your experience, what's one tip that you'd give anyone hosting or moderating their first session?

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📌 What You'll Learn

• The time leading up to taking the stage is the hardest part. Once you're in flow and in conversation, you'll fall into a cadence that feels more natural than you expected. Know that going in.

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• Public speaking is a mental game. Breathing through the nerves and staying as present as possible is the single best thing you can do, not just for yourself but for the people you're there to serve.

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• Know your material at about 80%. If your slides went down and your notes disappeared, you should be able to carry yourself through. That remaining 20% isn't a gap: it's what lets you ebb and flow, handle the unexpected, and actually be with your audience instead of just delivering at them.

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• Over-scripting is a trap. Spending weeks memorizing line by line, slide by slide, puts the priority on getting content out rather than being truly present in the room. Audiences can feel that difference, and they tune out.

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• Make the whole experience about the audience. Use situational awareness, social awareness, and emotional intelligence to pulse-check the room in real time. Are they excited? Zoning out? Distracted? The answer to that question should be shaping what you do next.

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• Public speaking is about resilience and the comeback. Things will happen that you cannot predict or plan for. Your ability to roll with it, change directions, and keep going is what separates a good speaker from an excellent one.

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• Start with an engagement activity. Get the audience talking to each other, laughing, or sharing before you get into the content. You're there to facilitate an experience, not deliver a monologue.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Kristin asks: What's your most hype walkout song if you could choose one every time you take the stage?

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Courtney's answer, without hesitation: "Countdown" by Beyoncé. It has a built-in countdown at the top that gets people pumped, and she loves it so much she also builds music cues into her sessions throughout. Her position: music changes everything in a live experience.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

• Ken Holsinger on LinkedIn
• Freeman research reports: freeman.com/research

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Kristin Nagle sent her guest three different event questions before this episode. He said it didn't matter which one she asked, because they all have the same answer. That answer is attendee retention.

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Ken Holsinger, SVP of Industry Research & Insights at Freeman, breaks down what the data actually shows: the average year-over-year attendee retention rate across hundreds of events is 27%. Even on a three-year rolling cycle, it barely reaches the mid-thirties. Ken walks through exactly what that costs event organizers in customer acquisition dollars, why most teams don't even have retention on their dashboard, and why your post-event survey will never tell you the answer you need.

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👤 About Ken Holsinger

Ken Holsinger is the SVP of Industry Research & Insights at Freeman, the global event services and production company. He leads the teams behind the Freeman Trends Report, one of the most widely referenced research publications in the events industry. Ken sold his previous tech company to Freeman about 10 years ago, holds multiple hardware, software, and process patents, and is a frequent keynote speaker at major industry events including ECEF and PCMA Educon.

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✅ The Event Question

Kristin sent Ken three questions before recording. He said they all have the same answer. The questions: What separates events that grow consistently from the ones that plateau? What's one data point event organizers are ignoring that would completely change their strategy? How should event marketers actually be measuring success today?

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📌 What You'll Learn

• The average year-over-year attendee retention rate across hundreds of events is 27%. Even when you extend to a three-year cycle, it only reaches the mid-thirties. Most organizers don't know this number because it's not on their dashboard.
• Customer acquisition costs to market to event attendees run between $100 and $300 per person. For a 1,000-person event, replacing churned attendees costs between $70,000 and $250,000 a year. Even attendees on a three-year cycle carry ongoing marketing costs to keep them warm.
• When Freeman researchers went to hundreds of events and asked what their attendee retention rates were, the organizers couldn't tell them. Retention isn't a standard metric most teams track. That has to change.
• Your post-event survey only captures people who came back. The people who didn't return won't fill it out. You have to actively go after the ones who left and ask them why.
• Attendees come to events to learn, network, have fun, and do business. Loyalty isn't built in general sessions or classrooms. It's built through the connections people make with each other, which means event design needs to create space for that.
• Millennials and Gen Z are now the largest group of event attendees and the growth engine the industry needs. They trust events as a channel, but loyalty takes time and they haven't built it yet. Member-driven organizations especially need to understand what retains them.
• Events that grow vs. events that plateau: the difference is retention. When retention is higher, organizers can put resources toward improving the event instead of constantly churning the attendee list.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Would you rather have to dance every time you hear music, or sing everything you say? Ken picked singing without hesitation. Nobody wants to see him dance. What most people don't know: he was in bands in college and sang opera.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

ㅤ

MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

• Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yushsztalkoper/
• Company Website: www.neurosparkplus.com
• Capacity Reflection™: www.neurosparkplus.com/capacity-reflection
• Cvent: cvent.com/jay
• Eventastic: eventastic.com
• Know Your Audience (design lens for events): https://www.neurosparkplus.com/knowyouraudience

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Events are traditionally designed around content delivery and expected outcomes. But what happens to the actual human experience when attendees arrive stressed, overstimulated, and carrying the weight of their daily lives?

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Host Kristin Nagle tackles this exact disconnect with Yush Sztalkoper, CMP. Yush explains why attendees never arrive at an event as a blank slate.

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Listeners will hear how to shift their planning focus upstream. Yush details the high demands events place on nervous systems, from constant social interaction to context switching. By understanding the formula of demand plus capacity, event professionals can build gatherings that actually fit their audience.

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👤 Guest Bio

Yush Sztalkoper, CMP, spent 20 years directing global corporate events for Fortune 500 organizations. She recently left that career to found NeuroSpark+. Through Human Capacity Design™, Yush helps organizations recognize the invisible conditions that affect how people show up. She builds frameworks and tools, like Capacity Reflection™, that allow planners to see attendee strain clearly before making event decisions.

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✅ The Event Question

Kristin Nagle asks: "Events are often designed for content and outcomes. What gets missed about how people actually experience them?"

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📌 What You'll Learn

• Assess what attendees carry with them before they even step foot in the venue.
• Recognize the hidden demands of your event, including energy requirements, social interaction, and context switching.
• Design upstream by mapping the pressure your environment places on human capacity.
• Apply the core equation of event success: Demand plus capacity equals fit.
• Provide quiet spaces and built-in pacing so attendees can regulate their nervous systems.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Kristin asks: "Would you rather give up your favorite app or your favorite snack?"

Yush chooses to give up her favorite snack. She prefers keeping apps that enhance her life, specifically her own free tool, Capacity Reflection™, which helps users see their environmental demands and capacity levels.

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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• Guest LinkedIn: Caitlin Book
• Company Website: Backblaze
• Host LinkedIn: Kristin Nagle
• Website: Eventastic

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How do you design a trade show booth to actively pull people in instead of just waiting for passive foot traffic? Host Kristin Nagle asks Caitlin Book, Senior Events Manager at Backblaze, this critical question. They discuss why booth architecture is just as important as the swag on the tables. Caitlin explains the value of open floor plans and why putting up walls can subconsciously turn attendees away.

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The conversation covers specific tactics, such as pre-show sales outreach to secure meetings before the doors even open. Listeners will hear how to use gamification to encourage meaningful interactions rather than hit-and-run swag-grabbing. Caitlin also shares why training your booth staff to stay approachable is your ultimate secret weapon on the show floor.

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Guest Bio

Caitlin Book is the Senior Events Manager at Backblaze, a publicly traded cloud storage and computer backup provider. She manages all logistical aspects of global trade shows, tech conferences, and conventions with up to 50,000 attendees. With over 15 years of live production experience and an MFA in Theatre Management, Caitlin brings a highly orchestrated, audience-first approach to corporate event marketing and custom booth builds.

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The Event Question

Kristin Nagle asks: "How do you design a booth to pull people in instead of just waiting for foot traffic to go by the booths?"

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What You Will Learn

• Enable your sales team to do pre-show outreach and schedule in-booth meetings before the event floor opens.
• Build an open and accessible floor plan without tall walls so attendees feel comfortable walking right in.
• Keep the space active with live product demos and presentations so visitors have a clear reason to stay.
• Implement gamification like a sticker rally to reward attendees for completing specific actions like watching a demo or speaking to a rep.
• Train your booth staff to avoid huddling together in the center of the space so they remain welcoming to approaching visitors.

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The Ridiculous Question

The Question: What is a random skill you are weirdly proud of?

The Answer: Thanks to her background in theater and cosplay, Caitlin can fix almost any event disaster, including a collapsed booth wall, using just gaff tape, hot glue, and safety pins from her handy stage manager kit.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

• Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE on LinkedIn
• Talley Website
• Eventastic
• Kristin Nagle on LinkedIn

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What makes a global event community actually stick? Host Kristin Nagle asks exactly that to kick things off. Creating a space where people want to connect requires more than just launching a platform. Listeners will find out why forcing engagement never works and what organizers should do instead to build loyalty.

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Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE, brings over three decades of international event experience to the conversation. She explains the essential elements required to build a group that lasts. Ksenija shares why associations are in a great position to facilitate knowledge sharing. She also details the importance of setting basic rules of engagement to keep digital and physical spaces respectful.

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👤 Guest Bio

Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE, is the Director of International Development at Talley, an association management company and professional congress organizer. She holds nearly 30 years of global event experience. Ksenija started her career at a convention bureau in Croatia before spending 27 years with the International Congress and Convention Association in Amsterdam. She specializes in strategic partnerships, multicultural event management, and building long-lasting association communities globally.

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✅ The Event Question

Host Kristin Nagle asks: "You've been a major part of building global event communities. What do you think makes a community actually stick?"

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📌 What You'll Learn

• Fill a specific gap: A community only survives when it solves a distinct problem or meets an actual need for its members.
• Leverage association strengths: Use your organization's unique position to bring peers together for shared experiences and knowledge.
• Let growth happen organically: Avoid forcing engagement or creating portals before there is a natural, member-driven demand.
• Keep the barrier to entry low: Make it incredibly easy for members to join, participate, and interact with one another.
• Set clear guardrails: Establish simple rules of engagement early on to ensure all interactions remain respectful and peaceful.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Question: "If you could live in any TV show or movie, what would it be?"

Answer: Ksenija chose the crime thriller The Blacklist because she is currently binge-watching it with her son, noting that the show's ridiculous premise makes it highly entertaining.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

What is one event activation that every brand should be doing? Host Kristin Nagle asks this exact question to find out how to grab an audience's attention. David Adler shares a historical example involving a high society party designed exclusively for dogs. He explains why bringing pets into the picture creates the ultimate democratizing experience with massive retention rates.

Kristin and David also discuss the neuroscience behind event music. They explore why combining a DJ with a live drummer wakes up the brain and brings energy to a room. Finally, they cover the logistics of event food, including David's strict rules for hors d'oeuvres and his thoughts on the mashed potato bar.

👤 Guest Bio

David Adler is the Chairman and Founder of BizBash, the largest business-to-business media property for event professionals. He started the platform in 2000 to give event organizers a central hub for commerce, content, and community. Before his landmark venture into the event space, David held significant corporate communications roles at Primedia and Macmillan Inc. Today, he operates as an independent observer, keynote speaker, and the curator in chief of GatheringPoint.news. Connect with David on LinkedIn.

Check out the ‘People’ section from Small Bite Architecture to see some of your favorite Event Pros personalized as hors d'oeuvres! https://smallbitearchitectutr.lovable.app/people

The Event Question

Kristin Nagle asks: "What is one event activation you have seen recently that made you stop and say every brand should be doing this?"

📌 What You'll Learn

1. Create activations that feature pets to instantly boost engagement and retention rates.
2. Design events that function like a dog park to democratize the networking experience.
3. Bring live music onto the stage to wake up the audience using neuroscience.
4. Combine a DJ with a live musician, like a drummer, to bring a different element of energy.
5. Focus on delivering goosebumps through great conversations, music, and human connection.
6. Serve classic comfort foods like pigs in a blanket to satisfy guests.
7. Follow the "one bite, two chews" rule for hors d'oeuvres so attendees can eat without interrupting their conversations.

The Ridiculous Question

Kristin asks: "If you had a theme song for your career or your life, what would it be?"

David says his song is "Life on the Other End of a Toothpick," a custom track he is writing on Suno. He also notes that his stage walk-on song would be "Eye of the Tiger."

🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

1. David Adler LinkedIn
2. BizBash
3. GatheringPoint.news
4. Small Bite Architecture
5. Suno
6. Eventastic: https://www.eventastic.com

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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Your email bounce database is actually gold, and ignoring it is a big mistake. Jay Schwedelson shares why bounced emails are not just contacts to remove, but a signal that a company still sees value in your event, even if the person behind that address is gone. The move is to take your bounce database, pull the domains and companies, and turn them into a targeting file for paid social media, prospect email, and direct mail campaigns. For sponsorships and exhibits, bounced addresses should go straight to your salespeople, BDRs, and SDRs so they can find who took that spot and who needs to be contacted now.

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Why “do nothing” and removing bounced emails from the list is a big mistake
2. How to treat your email bounce database as a targeting file using domains and companies
3. Where to use the bounce company list: paid social media campaigns, prospect email campaigns, direct mail campaigns
4. Why bounced addresses matter for sponsorships and exhibits
5. Who should get the bounced sponsor and exhibit emails: salespeople, BDRs, SDRs
6. Priority number one: find who took their spot and who you need to be talking to now
7. Why starting with the last 90 days, 6 months, or a year is the right motion

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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Links / Resources Mentioned

1. Yes& Agency: yesandagency.com

Have you ever experienced an event disaster and what did it teach you? Kristin Nagle asks this core question to uncover how professionals manage unexpected crises on site. You will learn the importance of having backup plans and trusting your creative partners when things go wrong.

Sara Rassi shares a personal story about a vacuuming accident that destroyed a 50-foot projection screen right before rehearsals ended. She explains how staying calm and relying on a trusted team helped her resolve a major issue quickly.

Guest Bio

Sara Rassi is the Vice President of Event Management at Yes& Agency. She collaborates closely with the Guru team and the Eventastic team to make creative ideas possible for her clients. Her expertise includes managing on-site production, troubleshooting equipment issues, and working with audiovisual partners. Outside of events, she is a passionate animal lover and dog owner.

The Event Question

Kristin Nagle asks: Have you ever experienced an event disaster and what did it teach you?

What You'll Learn

1. Develop a plan A, B, C, and Z for your on-site production needs.
2. Prepare backups for smaller equipment like graphics machines, video players, and microphones.
3. Trust your audiovisual partners to troubleshoot and resolve major equipment failures creatively.
4. Remain calm when unexpected accidents happen to prevent panic among your crew.
5. Realize that some large replacement items might be cost prohibitive to have as immediate backups.
6. Roll with the punches and adjust your activation when elements like the weather ruin your plans.

The Ridiculous Question

Kristin Nagle asks: What is the last thing that you Googled?

Sara Rassi explains that she Googled a time zone translation to figure out the time difference for her upcoming trip to Phoenix.

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EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

ㅤ

MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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Victoria from Washington, DC wants to know the most underrated item to add to a sponsor package. Dahlia El Gazzar joins host Kristin Nagle to explain why access to attendee intelligence is the answer. Dahlia breaks down how to curate small groups for sponsors to gain insights rather than just leads. She shares why this isn't a hosted buyer meeting and why adding food or drinks is non-negotiable for success. Dahlia also touches on her role as a "Netweaver" who loves connecting cool people in the industry.

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👤 Guest Bio

Dahlia El Gazzar is the founder of DAHLIA+Agency and a self-described "Chief Ruckusmaker." She rejects "vanilla" marketing and focuses on helping event professionals break the status quo. Through her concept of "Vibe Eventing," she designs tech-powered experiences that prioritize human connection and energy. She specializes in helping teams overcome "tech paralysis" and use digital tools to stand out.

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✅ The Event Question

Victoria from Washington, DC asks: "What is the most underrated perk or deliverable you can include in a sponsor package right now?"

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Offer intelligence, not just leads: Give sponsors access to attendee insights before the event begins.
2. Target startups and newbies: This strategy works best for sponsors who are "building the plane while flying it" and need market feedback.
3. Curate the crowd: Handpick specific attendees who can provide the exact data points or intel the sponsor needs.
4. Format matters: Facilitate these interactions through intimate breakfasts, dinners, or huddles.
5. Separate from sales: Do not treat this like a hosted buyer program or a matchmaking session. It is about knowledge exchange.
6. Include hospitality: Always include food or drinks, or the "cool people" will not show up.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

"If your dog could speak, what would it roast you for the most?"

Dahlia admits her late dog, Piper, would roast her for having so many browser tabs open that she can't even find where the sound is coming from.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links & Resources

1. Brandt Krueger on LinkedIn

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Should your event advertisements send people directly to a registration form? Host Kristin Nagle asks industry veteran Brandt Krueger to weigh in on this common debate. Brandt breaks down why "cold" traffic often bounces when hit with an immediate ask and explains his strategy for warming up potential attendees first.

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They discuss the difference between injected ads versus host-read endorsements and why the "vibe" of an event matters before a user clicks buy. Later, things get controversial when Brandt explains why he would kill Spotify in a round of "Kiss, Marry, Kill."

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👤 Guest Bio

Brandt Krueger is a technical producer and educator with over 20 years of experience in the meetings and events industry. He is a globally recognized voice in event technology, advocating for a "human-first" approach to production. Brandt co-hosts the Event Tech Podcast and teaches the "Virtual Event and Meeting Management" certificate course for PCMA and the Event Leadership Institute.

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✅ The Event Question

Stacy from North Carolina asks:

"Should event ads lead directly to registration or to content first, like a highlight reel or agenda teaser?"

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Avoid cold asks: Do not send ad traffic straight to a registration form unless the user is already very familiar with the event.
2. Massage the decision: Use content to "warm up" the audience before asking for a commitment.
3. Focus on the funnel: Recognize that ad clicks are usually top-of-funnel actions where the user is just curious, not ready to buy.
4. Leverage personal influence: Host-read ads or personal endorsements often carry more weight than generic injected ads.
5. Provide context: Give potential attendees a chance to understand the "vibe" and details of the association or event before forcing a sign-up.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

The Question: "Kiss, Marry, Kill: Netflix, Spotify, and YouTube."

The Answer: Brandt kills Spotify (he prefers owning his music and dislikes their AI stance), kisses Netflix (it’s a flirtatious, dip-in-and-out relationship), and marries YouTube (for the utility and learning content).

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

1. Connect with Stania Antoine on LinkedIn
2. Eventastic (Next event coming June 2026)
3. GURU Conference

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Post-event communication often feels like an afterthought. You spend months planning the main show, but the follow-up strategy determines if attendees stick around. Host Kristin Nagle sits down with Stania Antoine to answer a critical question from Azi in Los Angeles: is writing that recap email actually worth the effort?

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Stania reveals why the clock starts ticking the second your event ends. She shares specific timing strategies to hit the inbox while positive vibes are high. You will learn why these emails often outperform your best promotional campaigns and how to structure them for maximum impact.

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👤 Guest Bio

Stania Antoine is the Conference Director at GURU Media Hub. She oversees the production of some of the world's largest virtual marketing events, including the GURU Conference. With a background in integrated media and account management at Worldata and Outcome Media, Stania focuses on creating high-energy, data-driven event experiences that prioritize actionable advice over fluff.

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✅ The Event Question

Azi from Los Angeles, California, asks: "Do people still read post-event recap emails, or is that effort wasted?"

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. The 30-minute rule: Send your first post-event email within 30 minutes of the event ending to ensure it sits at the top of the inbox when attendees check their phones.
2. Pre-planning is mandatory: Draft your follow-up content before the event starts. The window of attention is too short to write copy after the fact.
3. Leverage high engagement: Post-event emails can see up to a 25% higher open rate than your final promotional email. Use this attention wisely.
4. Drive the next action: Do not just say thank you. Use the positive momentum to tell attendees exactly what is coming up next or what they should do now.
5. Understand the journey: View the recap as a continuation of the attendee journey rather than a separate administrative task.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Q: What is a skill that you are weirdly elite at that has nothing to do with your job?

A: Stania picks up new languages very quickly and has a hidden talent for drawing (and singing, according to Kristin).

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

ㅤ

MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

1. Adam Parry LinkedIn
2. Event Tech Live
3. Confex (UK Event)

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When trade show booths get busy, exhibitors often lose potential leads who are not willing to wait ten or fifteen minutes to speak to a staff member. Host Kristin Nagle discusses this missed opportunity with Adam Parry, the founder of Event Tech Live. They address a specific listener's question about whether QR codes are effective tools for engagement or merely a "techie" aesthetic choice.

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Adam argues that while many people use them incorrectly, they are vital for capturing the attention of passersby. He explains why linking a code to a generic homepage is a waste of time and proposes a better strategy using curated content. Listeners will learn how to use digital tools to act as a safety net for engagement when the booth is crowded.

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👤 Guest Bio

Adam Parry is the co-founder of Event Tech Live (ETL) and the editor of Event Industry News (EIN). With over 15 years of experience in the sector, he moved from print media to become a leading voice on digital innovation. Adam also co-founded the Event Technology Awards and Event Sustainability Live, working to connect organizers with technology providers to support the "long game" of ROI and relationship building.

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✅ The Event Question

Felicia from Las Vegas asks: "Have QR codes actually improved booth engagement or do they just look techie?"

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Why a busy booth is often a missed opportunity for attendees who want quick answers.
2. How to use QR codes to provide immediate value without requiring a staff conversation.
3. The major mistake exhibitors make is linking codes to general websites or landing pages.
4. Examples of "curated valuable content" to offer, such as industry reports or cheat sheets.
5. How to use high-value incentives like holiday sweepstakes to encourage a scan.
6. Strategies to capture attendee data and build a pipeline through digital forms, even when staff are occupied.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Question: What is your favorite controversial food opinion?

Answer: Adam puts salt and vinegar on his pancakes, a savory twist on the traditional British style.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

1. Tahira Endean LinkedIn
2. Accessible Disruption (Podcast)

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Sharon Washington from The P3 Solution asks the big question: How do event professionals innovate year after year when the competition is fierce, and innovation feels impossible?

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Host Kristin Nagle discusses this challenge with Tahira Endean, Head of Program at IMEX Group. Tahira explains why "innovation" may be the wrong goal if you aren't first anchoring your event in what people actually need right now. She explains that attendees don't just show up as professionals; they bring their families, work stress, and cultural norms. The conversation covers how to design for different ages and learning stages by iterating rather than reinventing the wheel each time.

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👤 Guest Bio

Tahira Endean is the Head of Program at IMEX Group, where she curates educational content for IMEX Frankfurt and IMEX America. A leader in "intentional design," she focuses on how neuroscience and human behavior impact event experiences. She is also the author of Intentional Event Design and her latest book, Our KPI is Joy.

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✅ The Event Question

Sharon Washington (The P3 Solution): How do event professionals innovate year after year when innovation seems totally difficult to maintain against so much competition?

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Anchor in human needs: Focus on what your attendees need now (post-digital, post-COVID) rather than chasing trends.
2. Iterate constantly: You do not need to invent a new event every year, but you must evolve based on participant feedback.
3. Respect cultural norms: Adjust your design based on the location and the cultural expectations of the majority of your attendees.
4. Acknowledge the whole person: Attendees bring their personal lives, family issues, and office stress to the venue. Create space for them to manage these outside pressures.
5. Design for variety: Build learning environments that cater to different ages, career stages, and preferred learning styles.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Question: What celebrity would you want to sit next to on a plane?

Answer: Beyoncé or Taylor Swift. Tahira wants to ask them how they review their own show tapes every night to refine their craft and refuse mediocrity.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links

1. Ghazwan Almoazen on LinkedIn
2. DocuSign

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Rick from the MPI Mexico Chapter asks a critical question about how to increase registrations in the final two weeks before an event. Ghazwan Almoazen warns against the common mistake of "going macro" and blasting every contact in your database. He explains why this strategy fails and offers a more targeted approach to drive pipeline value.

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Host Kristin Nagle discusses these strategies with Ghazwan to help marketers avoid wasting efforts on the wrong audience. Ghazwan breaks down how to use geography and sales data to fill seats with the right people, not just warm bodies.

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👤 Guest Bio

Ghazwan Almoazen is the Director of Global Events Demand Generation and Communications at DocuSign. He brings over 12 years of experience in the events and technology sectors, having previously held leadership roles at VMware, Oracle, and Yahoo. His philosophy centers on integrating human empathy with data-driven demand generation to create meaningful "event experiences" that move beyond simple logistics.

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✅ The Event Question

Rick from the MPI Mexico Chapter asks: "What is the biggest mistake people make when trying to increase registration in the final two weeks before an event?"

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Stop "going macro": Avoid the temptation to invite everyone in your database just to fill seats in the final weeks.
2. Target the locals: Focus your marketing on prospects and customers in the venue city.
3. Partner with sales: Identify top accounts and opportunities within a 100-mile radius of the event to drive relevant attendance.
4. Retarget registrants: Don't assume registration equals attendance. Market to your existing registrants to ensure they attend.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

"Would you rather never watch TV ever again or never listen to music again?"

Ghazwan chooses to keep the TV. He admits that binge-watching shows on weekends is his primary escape and way to recharge.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

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MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links

1. EventMobi.com
2. Bob Vaez LinkedIn

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Sponsors usually want one thing: leads. But when Jenny from Brighton asks how to prove ROI beyond simple impressions, Bob Vaez (CEO of EventMobi) flips the script. He joins host Kristin Nagle to explain why you should treat sponsorship exactly like a marketing funnel.

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Bob breaks down the three stages of the sponsorship funnel: brand exposure, trust building, and conversation. He shares specific tactics to move sponsors through this journey, from using competitor FOMO to close deals to restructuring how logos are displayed onsite. Instead of chasing vanity metrics, Bob argues for creating "demo sessions" and off-floor experiences, such as food tours, to build genuine relationships. It is a fresh look at delivering value that goes beyond the badge scan.

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👤 Guest Bio

Bob Vaez is the Founder and CEO of EventMobi, an end-to-end event management platform used by over 30,000 planners globally. A computer engineer by training, Bob launched EventMobi in 2010 to replace paper guides with mobile apps. He recently led the acquisition of the virtual platform Run The World and focuses on integrating event data into the wider marketing stack.

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✅ The Event Question

Jenny from Brighton, UK, asks: "How can event organizers prove ROI to sponsors? Beyond impressions."

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Apply the Marketing Funnel to Sponsorship: Break your sponsorship opportunities into three clear buckets: Awareness (Brand Exposure), Trust, and Conversion (Conversation).
2. Leverage Competitor FOMO: Tell potential sponsors whether their direct competitors are attending or attended last year. This simple tactic can significantly increase sponsorship sales.
3. Rethink Logo Placement: Instead of a single massive logo wall that goes ignored, split sponsor logos into 20-30 smaller banners. Place them along the main walkways between the hotel and the venue to ensure every attendee passes them.
4. Build Trust with Demo Sessions: Create low-commitment "pitch sessions" in which 4-5 vendors present back-to-back, each for 5 minutes. This allows attendees to qualify vendors before visiting a booth.
5. Facilitate Off-Floor Networking: Move beyond the trade show floor with activities like scavenger hunts or city food tours. Informal settings often lead to stronger relationships and higher response rates than a cold badge scan.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Question: What is your go-to song for karaoke?

Answer: Bob recalls a disaster singing "Walk Like an Egyptian" where the mic was cut off. He now exclusively sticks to EDM because you don't have to sing; you just have to fist-bump.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

ㅤ

MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

1. Connect on LinkedIn: Nicole Osibodu
2. Follow on LinkedIn: Club Ichi Company Page
3. Instagram: @WeAreIchi
4. Event: Secret Family Reunion

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Michelle from Orlando asks how to ensure attendee feedback surveys are not a chore. Host Kristin Nagle sits down with Nicole (Kline) Osibodu to discuss why standard forms fail and how to fix them. Nicole explains why gift cards are better suited to dental offices than to events and suggests specific creative prompts to improve data quality. She shares tactics such as asking attendees to "spill the tea" about secrets the organizers missed or creating their own awards for sponsors. The conversation focuses on making questions more engaging, so attendees look forward to answering them next year.

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👤 Guest Bio

Nicole (Kline) Osibodu is the Co-Founder of Club Ichi and The Community Factory. Formerly the President of Haute Dokimazo, she is known for her "Neurosparkly" philosophy and for creating "human-first" events. She champions the "XOXO" credential as a commitment to genuine connection and pioneered the "Secret Family Reunion" un-conference format.

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✅ The Event Question

Michelle from Orlando asks: "How can you make attendee feedback surveys not feel like a chore?"

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Invite attendees to "spill the tea" on secrets or things the organizers missed.
2. Request photo uploads of the most fun moment from the event.
3. Reuse submitted photos for social media content after the event ends.
4. Allow attendees to award prizes to other participants or sponsors.
5. Avoid generic gift cards because events are not dentist offices.
6. Vary your prompts so people are curious about what you'll ask next year.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Kristin asks which reality show Nicole would join tomorrow. Nicole invents a show in which she, Liz Lathan, and Melissa McCarthy travel the world without a script or story arc, figuring it out as they go.

Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

ㅤ

MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

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🔗 Links

1. Jihan Donawa LinkedIn
2. Swoogo on Instagram
3. Swoogo Website

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Charlie from New Jersey asks the big question: how do exhibitors stand out when every booth looks identical? Host Kristin Nagle brings in Jihan Donawa to break down exactly how to stop blending in. Jihan shares why "play" is the missing ingredient on the trade show floor and how to transform a boring 10x10 space into a destination.

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She explains why you must train your staff to stop hiding behind laptops and how to use pre-show attendee lists to fill your schedule before you even arrive. Whether it is a hardware store theme or useful swag like mini toolkits, this episode covers the tactics you need to make your next sponsorship worth the investment.

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👤 Guest Bio

Jihan Donawa is the Senior Growth Marketing Manager at Swoogo. With 18 years in the event industry, she started her career as a registration coordinator and now helps event marketers utilize their data effectively. She is a central figure in community engagement strategies and frequently serves as the Master of Ceremonies for Swoogo's user conferences.

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✅ The Event Question

Charlie from New Jersey asks: "How can sponsors or exhibitors stand out when everyone's booth looks the same?"

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📌 What You’ll Learn

1. Lean into play: Use whimsy and fun to draw attendees in rather than just setting up a standard branded backdrop.
2. Commit to a theme: Design your booth intentionally, such as Swoogo's "hardware store" concept, which visually represented a tool in a planner's toolbox.
3. Work the pre-show list: Do not wait for foot traffic; contact attendees in advance to get your booth on their tentative agendas.
4. Rethink your swag: Invest in items people actually use and keep, such as mini tape measures, toolkits, or paint scratch-off cards.
5. Train your staff: Ensure team members stand up, close their laptops, and actively greet people rather than chatting among themselves.
6. Engage everyone: Pull people in with compliments or conversation, even if they are not the buyer, as you never know who they are connected to.
7. Verify your intent: Adopt the mindset that if the execution isn't a "hell yes" for your budget and brand, it should be a "hell no."

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Q: What are you embarrassingly good at that would never show up on your resume?

A: Jihan is excellent at puzzles, possesses great balance from her time as a Pilates instructor, and admits to being a high-functioning multitasker.