Gathergeeks By Bizbash

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 to be in an era of experimentation and growth. In this candid conversation, the group asks the hard questions about what we have learned, how we can form smart strategies based on data and how we can reimagine what’s next.  Sponsored by Grip. Running time: 42:48.

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 into how partnerships of all kinds have impacted their event businesses and shares key learnings on how to collaborate effectively. They give practical tips and takeaways for using partnerships—with both internal and external teams, with brands and artists, with the industry as a whole and even with event guests—as one of the most important principles of our post-COVID era. Sponsored by Hopin.

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 Jägermeister’s events and activations. He also discusses how he leads his team, outlining why he thinks of them as an indie band on the verge of making it and why every activation is just another song on the album. Don’t miss these literal “Cliff Notes” for effective team management and innovation.

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 successfully manage the complex ecosystem at Freeman, the world’s largest event producer. He also divulges details on understanding the needs of audiences, employing segmentation and utilizing data in order to create smart strategies and execute events at the highest level.

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 her time as a development officer for nonprofits. She shares what works in nonprofit events and gala fundraisers now, particularly in terms of design and decor—and why she's on a mission to end the 10-top table format. This episode is a must-listen for anyone hoping to reinvent the traditional gala fundraiser in a post-COVID world.

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 insights into his own observational research. He talks using white space to spread out and escape the prison of the cubicle, feeding people’s desires to connect at events, what should be included in every event strategy and more.

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 19-year-old event company has completely changed as a result of the pandemic, to how he’s designing events for audiences that want to be reached where they are. He also shares why our newfound craving for intimacy is calling for new strategies and the changes he’s seeing in his event and design consulting business. This episode is a must-listen for any event entrepreneur.

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 goals—plus, what that means for hiring managers right now. They also share their thoughts on corporate outsourcing solutions, how employers are attracting talent right now, how technology is changing the game and much more. Sponsored by Hopin. Running time: 34:15.

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 post-COVID event design in dramatic ways. Solaris shares why he thinks technology will continue to be where major investments are made that enable connections both online and in-person—and why the future belongs to the flexible visionaries who want to keep up with the latest tech tools for events of all types. Sponsored by Hopin. Running time 37:00.

Host: David Adler Guests: Brendan Brown, Sohini Mitra In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with Brendan Brown, vice president of strategy for George P. Johnson, and Sohini Mitra, the vice president of experiential at ImpactXM, to tackle the ever-relevant question of engagement at virtual, hybrid and face-to-face events. The group discusses what keeps the attention of attendees at events of all types right now, exploring whether it’s true that attendees pay attention to novelty, and if entertainment is the cost of entry for engagement. The world is changing rapidly, and this episode offers key ways to understand the audience, brand and context of any assignment—and to challenge all your prepandemic assumptions about engagement. Sponsored by Hopin. 

Hosts: David Adler, Lilian Shen Guest: Tom Kehoe In this episode of GatherGeeks, we’re kicking off our “Royal CORT” series, sponsored by CORT Events, which focuses on experience designers. BizBash founder and CEO David Adler and CORT Events’ director of marketing Lilian Shen sit down with powerhouse designer Tom Kehoe, the owner of Kehoe Designs in Chicago, who has completely refreshed his outlook on events over the last two years. Kehoe discusses how his company has survived and thrived through experimentation and core fundamentals; he also shares his design philosophy, insights into his company culture and passion for collaboration, his approach to sustainability, future trends he's excited about and much more. Sponsored by CORT Events. Running time: 36:34.

Host: David Adler Guests: Brittany H. Anderson, Bella Day, Dr. Stuart Levy, Latoya Lewis, Gwen Loeber This special episode of GatherGeeks was recorded live on Nov. 30 at Connect DC, where BizBash chairman and founder David Adler conducted an insightful focus group to find out what's really next in the world of events and meetings. He’s joined by a variety of students, professors and other leaders from George Washington University and the local Washington, D.C. school system. Guests include Dr. Stuart Levy—who has nearly two decades of experience in management, teaching, consulting and research within a range of organizations like PricewaterhouseCoopers Global Hospitality and Leisure Practice—as well as Latoya Lewis, the executive director of EnventU, and Brittany H. Anderson, coordinator of the Academy of Hospitality & Tourism at Frank W. Ballou Senior High School. This discussion offers an in-depth look into how the event world has changed during the pandemic, and the insights and lessons the next gener

Host: David Adler Guest: David Tutera In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with celebrity event designer and lifestyle guru David Tutera. The globally known event expert and television personality shares personal anecdotes, discussing his first-ever job and what he learned for it, how he fell in love with the event industry and more. He also discusses the importance of asking questions, why leading with positivity is crucial, what works and what doesn’t in a post-COVID world and how the industry has changed, and much more. Sponsored by Social Hour. 

Host: David Adler Guest: Colin Cowie In this episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with event industry icon Colin Cowie to discuss his new book, The Gold Standard: Giving Your Customers What They Didn’t Know They Wanted. Through compelling anecdotal-style stories, Cowie's new book is a must-read to make sure your business stands out in this ever-changing world, diving into ways to up your game to think about the intangibles that separate you from your competition. This episode is a one-man masterclass on doing it right, explaining how Cowie is using event thinking in all aspects of the hospitality, retail and service industries. He and Adler also explore themes of passion, elegance, failure, style, conflict resolution and the power of proactive customer service. Click here to order Cowie's new book.  Sponsored by Ticketbud. Running time 40:00.

In this episode of GatherGeeks, BIzBash founder and chairman David Adler chats with Connor Stewart, the director of social media at mdg, a marketing and public relations agency specializing in audience acquisition for live and online events. Stewart offers case studies of the influencer marketing strategy for B-to-B events like FabTech, a trade show for the welding industry—proving that the practice isn’t just for consumer brands and big-level celebrities. The duo gives an overview of why tapping into paid influencers and micro-influencers is so effective for events, and how to find the right partners for your brand. They also do deep dive into how to execute these new must-use marketing strategies—sharing the processes, tools and measurements needed to justify the expense. Sponsored by Ticketbud. Running time 43:22.

Host: David Adler Guest: Christina Matteucci In this episode of GatherGeeks, we're bringing you another live presentation from BizBash's hybrid conference in Las Vegas. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler introduces Christina Matteucci, executive director of David Beahm Experiences, who discusses how number-twos will lead the post-COVID bounce back. Like celebrity event designer David Beahm, successful entrepreneurs have become veritable superheroes in American culture. However, data suggests that society’s obsession with entrepreneurship as the vehicle for professional recognition could spell disaster for the future of the U.S. workforce in a post-COVID landscape—if the struggle for acknowledgment continues to wipe out the value of collaboration. From unifying the political divide to healing race relations to solving our global climate crisis, solutions for our world’s biggest problems won’t come from one hero—they’ll be the product of many minds working together. The prototype for that alliance begins

Host: David Adler, Cathy Song Novelli Guests: Dahlia El Gazzar, Sara Gorlick, Robert Thompson In this special sponsored edition of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler teams up with Cathy Song Novelli, SVP of marketing and communications at virtual and hybrid events software platform Hubilo, to host an in-depth discussion on the new strategies for events and meetings. The pair chats with Dahlia El Gazzar, an event industry veteran and tech expert; Sara Gorlick, vice president of events at Rakuten Americas; and Robert Thompson, VP of sales at AV Canada. This international group of planners and vendors takes off their gloves to frankly discuss the new purpose for events and how that's changed and evolved in the virtual and hybrid world and again with the rise of the Delta variant. They also dive into the importance of merging content, contact, community, intimacy and activism from all participants, as well as why event organizing is about managing feelings more than anything else. This episode

Host: David Adler Guest: Ronnie Yoked In this episode of GatherGeeks, we're bringing you another live conversation that took place at BizBash's hybrid conference in Las Vegas. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler sits down with Ronnie Yoked, head of experiential for Anheuser-Busch, named one of BizBash’s Most Innovative Brands in Events in 2020. Yoked offers an in-depth look at how the mega brand thinks about marketing and events, including how that strategy has changed during the pandemic, work the team has done to support struggling businesses, ways they’ve parlayed existing programs into digital in addition to creating new ones, and much more. Yoked also discusses her shift in focus from experiential marketing to “experience marketing,” how she measures the success of a virtual program, the shifts she predicts for the future and much more. Sponsored by Ticketbud. Running time: 32:33.

Host: David Adler Guests: Carla Ruben, Joseph Cozza, Thomas Whelan, Kasha Mackelprang, Ezekiel Bronfman In this episode of GatherGeeks, we're bringing you another live conversation that took place at BizBash's hybrid conference in Las Vegas. BizBash founder and chairman David Adler hosts an informative discussion on how the industry is collectively curating new ideas to make meetings and events memorable and safe. He's joined virtually by Creative Edge Catering's Carla Ruben, and in-person by JVC Catering & Event Consulting's Joseph Cozza, Levy Convention Centers' Thomas Whelan, Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa's Kasha Mackelprang, and XED Beverage Company founder Ezekiel Bronfman. The group traces the history of event catering, followed by what's hot now (and how they're accomplishing it with COVID-related restrictions) and what trends will take over in the future.  Sponsored by Ticketbud.

Host: David Adler Guests: Mike Sokoloff, 6Connex & Adam Rosen, University of Southern California In this special sponsored episode of GatherGeeks, BizBash founder and chairman David Adler chats with Mike Sokoloff, director of sales for 6Connex, and Adam Rosen, associate vice president of cultural relations and university events for the University of Southern California (USC). The group digs into the future to understand how the integration of IRL and virtual platforms work in a hybrid world and shares practical, real-life solutions on how to use virtual and live events separately and together, as well as how clients and suppliers can work together to experiment and create experiences that generate a sense of belonging. They also discuss how 6Connex’s platform offers smart strategies for engagement, sponsor integration, multiscreen engagement and more for virtual, live and hybrid events like USC’s commencement ceremonies, which included an immersive and interactive "virtual campus."