Archives: Podcasts

We’re excited to welcome Marco Giberti, the Founder and CEO of Vesuvio Adventures, as today’s guest. Marco is well known within the events industry for his thought-provoking LinkedIn posts. He is incredibly smart, has a wealth of experience, and operates at the intersection of technology and events, making him the perfect person to discuss AI, private equity, and the industry's future. Stay tuned for more! Marco’s Journey Marco started in advertising and marketing, creating a small agency while he was in college. One customer was an Apple distributor in Argentina, which led Marco to pitch Apple and eventually be hired to run marketing for Latin America. After three years, he left Apple to start his own events company. His first show was Windows Expo, followed by partnerships with Comdex and other technology shows. He eventually built a business with 45–50 trade shows and conferences annually and sold it to Reed..

We’re delighted to have Jayson Gaignard back on the Business of Meetings podcast today. Jayson is the founder of MMT and the author of Community Made: The Truth About Success and the Relationships That Create It. Eric had the privilege of reading Jayson’s book, which includes many of the lessons he learned about relationships, community, and success. Stay tuned for more! Jayson’s Journey Jayson dropped out of high school and started a service-based business before pivoting to online e-commerce, which he grew to about $7 million a year over four years with no outside investments. After seven years, he realized he didn't need to impress anyone, so he scaled it down to zero. In August 2012, things beyond his control left him in debt. So he began hosting dinners that brought fascinating people together, which eventually led to MMT and building communities. In 2023, he started putting his lessons in writing, which led to..

Today, we’re thrilled to welcome Muhammad Younas, the founder and CEO of vFairs. Muhammad is a true North American tech entrepreneur. He developed the award-winning event technology platform, vFairs, which has powered over 50,000 and reached more than 100 million attendees worldwide. Stay tuned to hear about Muhammad’s entrepreneurial journey and the invaluable insights he shares today. Mohammad’s Journey Mohammad started at IBM before moving into a role involving virtual events. Frustrated by the limited technology and support available, he built his own platform and used it to run more than 100 events. When an exhibitor asked to use his technology, he saw the opportunity to license it, and vFairs was born. COVID COVID created hockey stick growth for vFairs because the company already had hundreds of customers, case studies, testimonials, and references. Customers also helped shape what came next, asking for..

Most event professionals can tell you exactly what will happen on stage at any given time. Yet far fewer can tell you exactly what would happen if someone collapsed in the ballroom. Stay tuned as Eric tackles emergency preparedness and security. Emergency Preparedness A 70-page emergency manual that nobody has opened in two years is documentation, not a system. Emergency preparedness starts with the people responsible for responding, not with a binder, processes, or SOPs. Everyone needs to know their role and be ready to act when an emergency happens. Know Who Does What You need to know who makes the decision, who communicates, who executes, and who takes over if someone is unavailable. If you can answer those four questions, you have a true emergency preparedness plan you can act on immediately if something happens. Medical Emergencies For a medical emergency, decide who calls the emergency services, who contacts..

Today, Eric explores the value event professionals bring to the table and why that matters more than ever in the age of AI. Stay tuned to learn what you need to know about the client before designing an event, questions you need to ask to position yourself as a strategic partner, and how to maintain your competitive advantage. Ask Better Questions When a client gives you a brief, resist the urge to immediately start discussing destinations, rooms, budgets, activities, speakers, themes, or technology. Start by understanding what the client is trying to accomplish, where the face-to-face meeting fits into their strategy, and what people should know, feel, believe, or do differently afterward. Strategic Partner You can either work with a client as an order taker who executes what they ask for, or as a strategic partner who helps determine what they actually need. If your value lies only in execution and logistics, you..

Today, Eric explores the role of failure on the road to success. Stay tuned as he clarifies why failure is part of the entrepreneurial journey, what you can learn if something goes wrong, and how you can keep moving forward. Failure When you build a business and take risks, things do not always work as planned. Failing is the price all entrepreneurs must pay to embark on their journey toward success.   Failing Does Not Make You a Failure If your business fails, it does not make you a failure. When something goes wrong, you need to separate what happened in your business from your personal identity, and focus instead on what you can learn from it. Learning It’s essential to learn from every mistake you make. There is always something valuable to learn from costly mistakes that can help you prevent an even bigger one in the future. Grit Having grit does not mean you must keep going with something..

Summer is the perfect time for catching up on your reading. Today, Eric discusses seven books he read recently that have left a lasting impression on him. Stay tuned as he shares why these books stood out to him, what he learned from each one, and why he feels they are worth adding to your reading list. It's All About Relationships: Mastering the Art of Relational Leadership – Eddie Arriola Eric started reading this book because he knows Eddie Arriola and wanted to support him, but he found it truly fascinating. Drawing on Eddie's experience of starting a bank from scratch, building an amazing culture, and later selling the business, the book is filled with leadership lessons, anecdotes, and stories. Whether you’re in business or not, Eric highly recommends this book. How Big Things Get Done – Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner The stories in this book are so captivating that Eric read it like a novel. The book..

Today, Eric explores why some of the world's largest investment firms are investing billions of dollars in the meetings and events industry and explains what they are seeing that many small business owners may not yet recognize. Stay tuned to discover how to build a business that captures the value investors seek. Private Equity Private equity is not buying event companies because they love events. They are investing in predictable cash flow, valuable customer communities, scalable business models, recurring revenue, EBITDA, market leadership, customer data, pricing power, growth opportunities, and businesses that can run without the founder. Looking at your business through this lens helps you understand what truly creates long-term value. Face-to-Face Meetings As AI continues to grow, face-to-face meetings are becoming even more valuable. People still buy from people, and trust is built through human relationships...

Today, Eric explores one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding AI. Stay tuned as he explains why AI will not build your business, and why building a successful business remains entirely your responsibility as an entrepreneur or business owner. Your Vision AI can help you brainstorm, improve your wording, and challenge your thinking, but it cannot define your vision. Only you can decide what kind of company you want to build, what type of freedom you want, and where you want your business to go. Trust As information becomes cheaper, trust becomes more valuable than ever. AI can write proposals, research prospects, and prepare you for meetings, but it cannot build trust, read body language, handle objections, or make someone feel understood. Accountability AI cannot hold you accountable. It can tell you what to do, but it cannot make you do it. It cannot make sales calls, follow up, delegate more, or have..

We are excited to welcome entrepreneur Kimberly Hardcastle, another icon in our industry, as today’s guest. Kimberly is the Chief Strategist at Freeman and one of the industry's most respected leaders in event marketing and strategy.  Kimberly is a speaker, a writer for the PCMA Convention, and a leader recognized by IAEE with the Educator of the Year and Woman of Achievement awards. Stay tuned for Kimberly’s practical insights on leadership, personalization, trust, AI, and the direction the meetings and events industry is headed. Kimberly's Journey Kimberly originally studied Spanish with an emphasis in business, planning to facilitate international trade. After her husband’s military career took them to Maine and Scotland, she focused on marketing and eventually joined MDG, a marketing agency specializing in trade shows. When the founder began planning for retirement, Kimberly purchased the business, grew it..