Speaking of Events

Creating Meaningful Customer Experiences - Tina Schippers - Speaking of Events - Episode # 040

Today’s guest is a highly skilled event management professional. She has been a member of EventFluence since 2008, and has been part of the event industry for 25 years. Please welcome to the show, the ever talented Tina Schippers! Tina is the Head of Events & Experiences at Allspring Global Investments, and she joins the host Kerri Garbis to talk about how events create deep human connections and how that can lead to increase in sales for your company. 
Takeaways
Events are a major driving force for business development. Change can come from events and so can growth, learning and sales. Events also create a human connection and that will always result in something good.
During COVID, the event space forced everyone to work together and really change the way they had been doing things previously. This actually was better for the event space as it spurred some much needed changes into this industry.
The event space is such a diverse space that covers all sorts of ground. It’s not just party planners, they are marketers, developers and connectors. 
Market conditions are one of the challenges that the event space for financial space is facing. In that space, you need to be agile and able to pivot quickly.
Being a financial services event planner requires that you are inviting the right people to the event and making sure you aren’t spending too much in an economic downturn.
Events are a saturated market. There are so many events everyday so you need to find a way to differentiate yourself and your events from the rest to get people to attend.
Katie’s favorite part of the event process is when the event is wrapping up so she can congratulate her colleagues on a job well done.
 
Quote of the Show
2:42 “Business development begins and ends with events.”
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tina-schippers-94386513/
Website: https://www.allspringglobal.com/
 
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - https://youtu.be/QO5V3GBSQn0
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Marathoning Events - Carrie Furnari - Speaking of Events - Episode # 039

Today’s guest is a veteran marketing professional with over 20 years of experience. She excels at developing global market strategies and managing high performing teams. Please welcome to the show, Carrie Furnari! Carrie is the former Director of Events at JumpCloud, and not only does she have an addiction to running, but she also is passionate about putting on memorable events. Carrie joins the host Kerri Garbis to share her tips on how to create a successful and memorable event.
 
Takeaways
When most people think of events, they think of cocktail parties and a beautiful design, but they don’t see all the hard work that is put into the event beforehand to make everything look seamless. 
There is a level of execution that goes on after the event where you go over what went well and what didn’t so that next year you can run the event as successfully if not more so.
When you are working with speakers, it’s important to refer to a speaker as “they”, rather than “him” or “her”.
There are a mass amount of layoffs occurring in the world, and that doesn’t exclude the event industry.
The best way to take care of an event professional is to make sure that they are taking care of after the event is over. 
Carrie’s favorite moment in the event process is the final production because that is when she gets to see the event come together and have life. 
Even though roadshows are a smaller event, they are actually more challenging due to the limited number of guests and the smaller venues. They require more thought to go into them and more attention to detail than regular events.
 
Quote of the Show
2:23 "[events] are not as glamorous as they look from the planning perspective"
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carriepage23/
Website: https://jumpcloud.com/
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - https://youtu.be/ZrLmHqGTdMo
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Learning Through Global Events - Katy Romdall - Speaking of Events - Episode # 038

Today’s guest understands the importance of giving yourself enough time to put together an event. With over 10 years of event planning, she knows what it takes to make an event special and bring the community together. Please welcome to the show, Katy Romdall! Katy is the Director of Global Events at Duolingo. She joins the host Kerri Garbis to talk about the event planning industry and shares her thoughts on some of the biggest pieces of event planning.
 
Takeaways
Putting on an event isn't as simple as people might assume them to be. To make an event successful and bring the community together requires more thought than putting it together last minute.
If an event seems really well put together and seamless, that means there are a lot of incredible things that are going on behind the scenes and a great team helped to work together to achieve that goal.
When you have people register for an event, it’s important to capture their email and send them reminders that the event is coming up. 
The goal of any event is to provide high quality education and entertainment for people and the best way to achieve this is by having your speakers be properly trained. Other ways to achieve this are by making sure lines aren’t long and the food is good.
There is a misconception that virtual events are going to be cheaper, but this isn’t necessarily true. Especially if you are looking to make it a high quality virtual event.
Katy’s favorite part of the event process is being on set with her tam and filming. 
Something that keeps Katy up at night is figuring out how to put all the aspects of a great event together. She wants to deliver what others are envisioning in their head and oftentimes go above those expectations.
 
Quote of the Show
3:55 “A successful event is one that is not just sort of thrown together last minute.”
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katyromdall/
Website: https://www.duolingo.com/
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - https://youtu.be/3iLEdLqPH_A
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Bringing Together Creative Experiences - Ashley Grandis - Speaking of Events - Episode # 037

Today’s guest thrives off engaging and connecting with audiences, and probably knows more about animals than other event professionals. She is a results driven professional with a natural hunger to test and optimize success. Please welcome to the show, Ashley Grandis! Ashley is the Manager, Global Events at Cybereason and she joins the host Kerri Garbis to share her tips on professional event planning. 
 
Takeaways
Events allow for a marketing team to really connect with the people that they are trying to turn into potential customers. It brings the conversation deeper than just what the company can offer and is more likely to help close a deal.
When you are planning an event, you want to think of a speaker that would best fit for the event you are working on.
Whether the event is live or virtual, technology might not always cooperate the way you want it to. It's best to be prepared and have a backup plan just in case the technology goes wrong. 
Ashley takes a lot of pride in her line of work, which makes it hard for her to let things go. That is one of the things that keeps her up at night.
Originally, Ashley was very interested in being a paleontologist but after seeing a horse go through surgery, she realized that wasn’t her true passion and that she wanted to be in a line of work that involved being close with people. 
Events allow for a person to bring together all sorts of creative experiences (axe throwing, happy hour, nascar etc) and mix it with marketing to attract people to your company. 
Marketing is a valuable part across all departments of a company. It’s important to get to know the marketer within your company and see what you can do to help them.
 
Quote of the Show
3:35 “It's really enjoyable to be able to have these events where our sales teams are able to build relationships that go above and beyond just talking about technology.”
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashley-grandis/
Website: https://www.cybereason.com/
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - https://youtu.be/PRrLw9L-6Fk
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Understanding Events - Karen Snowden Yee - Speaking of Events - Episode # 036

Today’s guest has spent more than 25 years navigating in Global C-Suite experiential keynote presentations. She has produced global event productions in China, Spain, Taiwan, among other places. Welcome to Speaking of Events Karen Yee! Karen is the former Director of Global Conferences at Gartner. She joins the host Kerri Garbis to share some of her insight into the professional event industry.
 
Takeaways
When a client thinks about an event, they might not understand the differences between certain terms and confuse certain things. To help clarify, an event is not an experience and it is not a conference or a tradeshow, they are all different. 
An event is where you go somewhere to hear someone speak on a certain topic, experience should be something that is immersive and a conference is a week long and could span multiple blocks of a city.
The challenge that event producers face is trying to work speaker training into the budget ahead of time. If you don’t have speaker training, then your event won’t go as smooth as you are hoping it will. 
Having time to rehearse your event is a key component for making sure that it is well organized. Otherwise there is a gap that is created between those working backstage and then the event will seem unorganized and chaotic. 
When it comes to speakers, you want to make sure you don’t disrespect them but you also don’t treat them as loftier or better than any other part of the event process. At the end of the day, they are people too.
Coming out of the pandemic, events had to be redefined in a sense because much everything had changed due to different guidelines. 
Karen’s favorite part of the event process is when it is finally taken to stage and it goes live. 
 
Quote of the Show
3:51 “Events are not experiences and not conferences.” 
 
Links
Twitter: https://twitter.com/7ftinside
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-snowden-yee-/
Website: https://www.gartner.com/en
Digital Blue: https://www.digitalblue.co/
 
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - https://youtu.be/TcKMuJnvk7g
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

The Speaker Journey - Peter Gentile - Speaking of Events - Episode # 035

Today’s guest helps to elevate brands through unique events that stand apart from the rest. He has worked with all sorts of companies, from Fortune 500 to emerging startups. Peter Gentile is the Vice President of Sales at OVATION, INC. Not to be confused with Ovation Communication, LLC, the company that is run by our very own host Kerri Garbis. Peter joins Kerri to talk about what he has learned from the professional event industry and share some of his tips with the listeners today!
 
Takeaways:
Events allow for a better opportunity for human connection. It’s not always about someone standing on a stage and talking for hours, but rather it could be smaller incremental presentations or smaller groups.
You can see a tremendous amount of revenue growth from having meetings where you invite potential or current customers to see how your product works. 
When setting up an event, you have to not only think about the attendee journey but also the speaker journey and how to have the speaker be part of your content story.
When working with speakers, you want to make sure you are being very clear and detailed with them about what they will have at their disposal (ie, the size of the projector they might be using and the format of it)
You want to make sure that no matter what, the speaker you are using for an event goes through the rehearsal process and checks out the slide deck that you prepare for them. You don’t want them to be caught off guard by not preparing. 
Putting in the extra effort to an event can make all the difference in how the event will turn out. It might cost extra money, but it makes the event run more smoothly and be a better experience for all in attendance. 
There are expenses that have come up exponentially around events. Things such as travel, access to technology and the cost of technicians in the marketplace have gone up which makes it harder to find the right and best people.
 
Quote of the Show:
6:20 “The collective idea about events is it's an opportunity to gather together to do something important.” - Peter Gentile 
 
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pgentile/
Website: https://ovationevents.com/
 
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - https://youtu.be/OpV7XUZM-Mw
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Data Doesn’t Lie - Tara Salvatelli - Speaking of Events - Episode # 034

Data Doesn’t Lie - Tara Salvatelli - Speaking of Events - Episode # 034
 
Preparation for any event is key in making sure the event goes off without a hitch. Today’s guest is an expert in doing just that. Tara Salvatelli is the Director of Global Events at N-able. Being an event coordinator can be a stressful job but Tara knows the hard work and preparation that goes into making it run smoothly. Tara joins the host Kerri Garbis to share some of her insight on the event planning industry.
 
Takeaways
The general public doesn’t fully understand what goes into event planning. They think it’s just a party with balloons, magicians, and food. But really there is a lot more that goes into it and event coordinator is often ranked as one of the top 5 most stressful jobs. 
A big challenge in the industry is that you aren’t able to control technology. Technology can go wrong, so it’s best to plan for something to go wrong and have a backup option.
Thinking on your feet is an incredibly important part of this job. In the moment, something could go out of control so you need to be able to think quickly and react swiftly to make sure that the situation doesn’t get worse. 
When it comes to working with keynote speakers, it’s important to make sure that they are ready and prepared for the speech they are about to give. That includes making sure they are well-rested and ready to give an A+ speech. 
To make an event successful, look at the data that is given to you by the room of people in attendance. You want to make sure that they are engaged with the speaker and that they are actually staying in the room.
There are unknowns in the event planning industry that you can’t prepare for, like a musician knocking down important cords that you need. When it comes to situations like these, you want to try and anticipate these things happening beforehand and make sure no accidents happen to the best of your ability.
Everyone in the event space can learn from each other. Someone can come up with a new idea that helps to move the industry forward, and you can build off of that idea. 
 
Quote of the Show
“My wish is that everyone could plan some type of event and then be able to have a little bit of a better understanding as to what's involved in event planning.” - Tara Salvatelli
 
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tara-salvatelli-cmm-1073008/
Website: https://www.n-able.com/
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - 
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Improving Your Speakers - Kerri Garbis - Speaking of Events - Episode # 033

Welcome to season 2 of Speaking of Events! There is no better way to celebrate the new season than to have the host herself open it up. Kerri Garbis is not only the host of Speaking of Events, but she is the Founder and CEO of Ovation, the go-to resource for professional presence and speaker development training. Join in as Kerri shares her biggest tips for improving your speakers.
 
Takeaways
There are 5 key areas to focus on that will help to improve any speakers you decide to use: Create a “mistakes are good” culture with your speakers, give them options and milestones, get the speakers to rehearse with accountability, content development and rehearsal starts and then the deck gets built, and as the event professional take the speaker training off your plate.
Everybody makes mistakes. It’s impossible to get somebody to be absolutely perfect so give them the breathing room to be comfortable to make mistakes.
Giving people options or structural parameters doesn’t confine them, it actually frees them. If you give your speakers the key details about what they need to do when getting ready, that will actually help them plan their talk better. 
73% of the population suffers from the fear of public speaking, and 90% of the people who have that fear comes from a lack of preparation. That is why it is so important for speakers be prepared and practice their speech outloud with others. 
The deck is the visuals, and would be considered as the backup signer to the main role of the star, the actual speaker. If you build the deck before the rest of the content development, then you are beholden to whatever is on the deck, rather than the actual content.
Event professionals have a lot of different things going on all at once, so to help you focus on the overall event it’s worth your time to have a company like Ovation train your speakers. 
If Kerri could be any superhero, she would want to be the Flash.
 
Quote of the Show
“Giving people options or structure or parameters doesn't confine them. It actually frees them.” - Kerri Garbis
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kerrigarbis/
Website: https://www.getovation.com/
 
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube -
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Working With a Professional - Kati O’Brien - Speaking of Events - Episode # 032

Today’s guest loves to create a vision and bring it to life. Kati O’Brien is the Director of Implementation and Training at SkedgeAlert. She sees the importance of event planning and how wonderful an event can be when it’s done with a planning professional. Kati joins the host Kerri Garbis to talk about her experience in the event industry.
 
Takeaways
Event planning professionals go through extensive training to be where they are today and use that training to help corporate companies put on amazing events. When companies try and do it on their own they end up struggling and not producing as good of an event.
Kati enjoys putting all the pieces together for an event and getting it ready for the public to take part in the process. 
If Kati could change one thing about the event industry it would be that she would get rid of name tags. 
In her previous jobs, Kati was a headhunter and that taught her valuable skills for her next job and how to value people in a company. 
Kati spent time working at trade shows and she fell in love with those events she found that she has a passion for planning events. 
The day the event goes live is Kati’s favorite part of the event process.
When dealing with an event professional, it’s important to use your manners and treat them with respect. 
 
Quote of the Show
3:52 “Event planning is a profession and it's not something that you just pick up on a whim.”
 
Links
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katiobrien/
Website: https://www.skedgealert.com/
 
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - https://youtu.be/-ZnPLJ-NQAI 
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/

Arrow Heading Special Events - Jacquelyn Carroll - Speaking of Events - Episode # 031

Today’s guest has seen more than her fair share of professional football games. Jacquelyn Carroll is the Corporate Events Manager with the Kansas City Chiefs. Jacquelyn is passionate about sports and providing guests to all the events at Arrowhead Stadium with an unforgettable experience. Jacquelyn joins the host Kerri Garbis to share some of her tips on professional event planning. 
 
Takeaways
Behind every great event is a person with an idea and that is idea is made with good intentions about creating lasting memories. Events at the end of the day are a human experience. 
In the event space now, the teams are much larger than they were before covid because there is more work that needs to go around.
Jacquelyn spent time in South Korea helping to set up the Winter Olympics in Pyongyang. 
In a lot of events, you get emotionally invested in the outcome and you will hold onto the memories from those events for a lifetime.
Part of being a great event coordinator is being very detail-oriented, customer friendly, and having the ability to think on your toes.  
In the event space, you have to be proactive versus reactive. Nothing will ever go to plan so you need to think ahead and plan for the worst and try to avoid it coming true.
Jacquelyn’s favorite part of the event process is when people walk into the event space and light up seeing all the amazing work that has been done.
 
Quote of the Show
4:47 “I wish more people knew that behind every great event is a person with an idea.”
 
Links:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquelyn-luedtke-/
Website: https://www.chiefs.com/
 
Ways to Tune In:
Amazon Music - https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/a158d222-4beb-4c72-9569-0916e79a80f4/speaking-of-events
Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/speaking-of-events/id1611059542
Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/699re9JSEnwNXnrNLGLUkz
Google Play - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuc3BlYWtpbmdvZmV2ZW50cy5jb20vZmVlZC54bWw?sa=X&ved=0CAMQ4aUDahcKEwiI6PWe2o73AhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ&hl=en
YouTube - https://youtu.be/0cYihFdZ3FI
 
Speaking of Events is produced by Ringmaster, on a mission to create connections through B2B podcasts. Learn more at https://ringmaster.com/