Event Industry News Podcast

Recorded at Stream7 to mark Event Industry News’ 15th anniversary, this episode brings together event producers, staffing experts and broadcasters to share real-world stories and practical insights. Guests discuss Wildfire’s show‑stopping props (yes, hovercrafts), the role of temporary staff and people-first culture, and how production teams add value through problem‑solving and client focus. Conversation covers the technical side — live streaming, connectivity and production checks — alongside softer but crucial topics: wellbeing, inclusivity, teamwork and the power of adaptable, multi‑skilled crews. Listen for practical tips, examples of great on-site professionalism, and resources from Event Industry News and Stream7 for anyone involved in planning and running live events. To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

delighted to record this episode in person at the Stream7 studios in Sheffield. Joining us for the conversation was a brilliant panel of Northern-based event professionals, all members of the fantastic NOWIE community: Emily Woods, Marketing at Stream7 Lia Baron, expert in end-to-end event management Hannah Pugh, Freelance Event Manager and AAA 30Under30 Evie Booth, Events & Marketing Freelancer Together, they shared their journeys into the world of events, what they love most about the industry, and how being part of NOWIE has supported their careers and networking opportunities. We explored the importance of transferable skills, the common ground that connects their different paths, and even had a lively discussion about Sheffield’s legendary Tramlines festival. (And yes, we might have asked the big question - who really knows how to use a ratchet strap?) It’s an insightful, fun, and inspiring episode, and we want to give a huge shout out to NOWIE – we’re proud to be corporate members a

Recorded at Stream7’s Sheffield HQ as part of Event Industry News’ 15th anniversary series, James Dixon sits down with long-time listener and big fan of the podcast, Andy Jeffries. They explore Stream7’s journey from event broadcasting to hybrid solutions, how the team adapted during the pandemic, and their role across live, virtual, and festival productions. The episode dives into working with event platforms, lessons learned from the virtual pivot, the Greenbelt festival project, team growth, and plenty of practical insight into delivering modern AV and streaming for events of every scale. The Stream7 team will be exhibiting at Event Tech Live at Excel, London this November, be sure to meet with them there! To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

In this episode of the Event Industry News podcast, host James Dixon is joined by Matt Pearce, the CEO of Talk2 Media and Events, to delve into the dynamics of the Asia-Pacific Incentives and Meetings Event (AIME 2025). Held in Melbourne, Australia, AIME is recognised as the leading business event in the Asia-Pacific region, drawing in 675 exhibitors from 30 countries and facilitating nearly 20,000 meetings. Exploring the evolution of the event industry with insights into networking, the growing impact of AI, and the shift towards sustainability, this episode demonstrates that AIME is not just a trade show, but a hub of innovation and collaboration in the business events sector.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

In this episode of the Event Industry News Podcast, host James Dixon welcomes Carly Gibbs, recently appointed as the Head of Customer Experience at Olympia Events. Carly shares insights into her new role, discussing her extensive background in the events industry and how it shapes her approach to enhancing guest experiences at the iconic London venue. With exciting developments underway at Olympia, Carly explains the shift towards viewing the venue as a comprehensive cultural destination, complete with new music halls, theaters, dining options, and office spaces. She highlights the importance of understanding and catering to diverse customer demographics to create seamless, memorable journeys for everyone who visits Olympia. Carly emphasises the significance of collaboration among various departments and partners to align with the venue's evolving brand identity and customer expectations. Listen in to discover how Carly plans to integrate both modern and heritage elements to elevate Olympia's unique status wh

Managing director Craig Mathie founded full-service event production agency Project 30 in 2022, after nearly 12 years as MD with Bournemouth 7s Festival.   In conversation with host and friend Adam Parry, Craig gives a detailed background to the thinking, decisions, and numbers that bore Project 30. Not just the want to run his own business but to do things a bit differently, and how that’s paying dividend – Bournemouth 7s, London Marathon and Glastonbury Festival among the Project 30 clients.   A free-flowing conversation, this episode takes in so much - the power of partnership, the currency of authenticity, behaviours the events industry should be challenging or dismantling, and how to choose who to support - by way of examples…   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Event strategist and consultant at ElectraLime Marketing, a company she founded in 2009, Lisa Schulteis is also a director of the North West Event Show. Coming to the sector from working as a neuropsychology technician isn’t the most traditional route, but using those skills to analyse show content for optimal brain function, unlocking the secrets of neuroscience in event design, has proved to be an extraordinary asset. This episode sees Lisa reunited with host Adam Parry, who she has worked with at Event Tech Live and Event Sustainability Live, discussing attention spans and how organisers can get people back in the groove. Across a fascinating 40 minutes, Lisa and Adam look at ‘pattern interrupts’, combating the scrolling impulse, gamification, energising audiences after breaks/lunches, and memory mapping. Listen out for examples of events getting it right on one hand, and bad choices, such as over-stimulation, on the other. It’s all here…   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If

Duncan Strain started Silent Noize 16 years ago. A gamechanger. In this episode, Duncan talks host Adam Parry through the journey from promoting Birmingham club nights to hearing about headphones for events from his business partner, launching Silent Noize and the circumstances/breakthroughs that led to the Silent Seminars offshoot some 10 years later. Duncan, and Adam, remember the impact of introducing headphones to an early edition of Event Tech Live, at the Old Truman Brewery, and how the idea has become almost ubiquitous across the model since – at home and, increasingly, abroad. The conversation takes in Goa beaches, Silent Seminars providing for silent yoga and meditation too, event wellness rooms, immersive experiences, cinemas, the spoils of headphones for students and staying in front of wireless earbuds. It covers new partnerships, the challenges running/expanding Silent Seminars, picking the right people, the enormity of the US market, and beyond.   To keep up to date with all the news

A part of the event industry for as long as he can remember, in some form or other, latterly Chris Carver is co-founder and CEO at Florida-based content/speaker management platform Sessionboard.   Beyond the traditional background detail, Chris’s work with non-profits, the Covid tipping point et al, this episode is a fascinating focus on Sessionboard’s latest element, AI Evaluations.   With questions from host Adam Parry, Chris highlights the artificial intelligence impact on evaluating content workflow and indexing, why he’s introducing AI Evaluations now and how it will/can/is saving organisers’ time.   AI is a revolution in efficiency and accuracy, and in the context of such a finite element of the live event model this conversation combats conspiracists too, Chris stressing, ‘It’s about supporting people not replacing them’. He goes on to highlight safeguards and checks in the Evaluations template, input from the customer advisory group and feedback from the testing phase - getting the views of the many n

In among the event tech-world for 20 years, working with the likes of Cvent and SwapCard, Kevin Singh launched data integration platform RunMerge little over four months ago. Prompted by host Adam Parry, Kevin, who’s picked a luxuriant backdrop, details his career history before focusing on the here and now. This episode is about the triggers that spurred Kevin and company to develop a solution to the industry’s ‘biggest pain point’, data integration. Getting systems, which can be rooted in their own language, to talk to each other via RunMerge, a behind the scenes translation model. The conversation pushes the platform’s bridge between people/relationships and tech. It details multi-tenant architecture, and how RunMerge can migrate to client clouds for super security, custom connectors, and who are the early adopters… To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

With 40 per cent of an organiser’s time spent ‘chasing exhibitors’ according to a recent Bizzabo study, this episode is about what’s broken, what exhibitors want, and the impact/potential impact of smart technology.    Client director at Ascender Design, Christian Skelton, went on to co-found exhibitor management platform Eventflow in 2022, winning Best Technology Startup at the Event Tech Awards 12 months later. Adam Parry puts the questions, so there is a whole lot of apt experience on both side of the Teams table   In a non-stop 50 minutes the conversation looks at flaws in the onboarding process and the ensuing challenges for exhibitors, why some organisers neglect the problem, black holes, and ways to better management.   Adam and Christian go on to discuss insurance, AI, a world without forms, the Eventflow solution, and much more besides…   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Mark Hamilton, strategic, tactical and operational advisor with over 50 years’ experience in security, Paul McCartney among his long-term clients, and equally independent crowd, security, event and fire safety consultant, Steve Allen, have teamed up to develop and deliver the new Showstop Procedure course. Principal consultant with Crowdsafety.org since 2014, Steve toured with any number of big acts, Led Zeppelin, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Beastie Boys among them, and came up with a formal showstop procedure while working with Oasis in the 1990s. It’s something he’s instigated 32 times around the world, “Never a problem. No injuries, no deaths, no problems with the promoters, the artists, and happy fans who go home safely”. In this episode, host Adam Parry steers the guests through a discussion thick with their experiences and expertise, encompassing reasons for a showstop, preparation for that potential on an event site, training/getting the procedure right, and the dangers of indecision. An inspiring 20 min

In and around events since the 1970s Steve Heap needs little introduction. Saying that, there’s a whole lot of it in the shape of his forthcoming book: You Call That a Career? The Memoirs of a Festival Organiser…   In the context of this episode, Steve is a founder member and current Chair of the Events Industry Forum (EIF), which took over The Purple Guide from the HSE some 12 years ago. Steve talks host Adam Parry through its evolution from ‘The Guide to Health & Safety at Pop Concerts and Similar Events’ to its current digital incarnation, before the conversation moves on to the Grant Scheme.   Raising money via subscriptions to the Guide, The Purple Grant Scheme has funded 24 diverse outdoor projects with more than £318k.   The EIF doesn’t let the pot get too big, putting the money to use quickly and Steve details the types of events it backs, extolling the virtues of transparency and how attitude is everything.   The conversation goes on to take in mental health, sustainability, young people, and fut

With a background in managing 10,000 plus events, for the last three and a half years Utah-based Rodney Hart has been at next generation marketing platform RainFocus, where he’s vice president, events. Experienced in mechanics/checks and balances across the trade show model, and beyond, Rodney is the perfect guest. Hosted by Adam Parry, this episode starts quickly and keeps the pace. From answers to the post-COVID ‘what’s in it for me’ mindset the conversation goes on to look at shaping content for smaller audiences, ‘micro-strategies’. With first-hand experience, Adam and Rodney look at ROI and economies of scale, efficiency comparisons - the price per head for micro-events can be expensive – the spoils of in-person shows, easy to make mistakes when you’re organising micro-events, and will they become the new norm? Or remain a niche?   It’s all here… To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Karen Saragoussi, owner of branded apparel/merch company TeamTogs, follows up her 2024 appearance on the podcast, accompanied by business development and sustainability manager Katie Noonan.   Karen reiterates the impact of her time as an event producer, how it shapes TeamTogs’ create, supply and ‘take the pain away’ process. She goes on to highlight the power of face-to-face events and the role branding/uniforms can play in creating a lasting impression. Sustainability is the hook to this episode, and Katie talks host James Dickson through the drivers behind the BPMA’s StepForward Pledge, which TeamTogs subscribes to, fostering similar ambitions across the supply chain, balancing the cost/quality/sustainability equation, and much more besides.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Behind the recently published article: Tariffs – now what for trade shows, this episode’s guest, media and events entrepreneur Dr Baris Onay, is a bit of a coup. Referencing the impact of international sanctions on Russia in 2014 from first-hand experience, Baris looks at what to expect, and what might actually happen, as a result of the restless canon of US tariffs.  Hosted by Adam Parry, Baris moves from the “cataclysmic potential” for people selling goods to the States, and the China question, to strategy advice for US and non-US organisers. While these sanctions are clearly not nailed on, Baris highlights the crucial role for one-to-one buyers’ programmes, content, and technology, meantime. Dr Baris Onay’s take on the tariff’s is clued up, on point, and this is an invaluable conversation for the events industry.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form.

Ten years ago, recognising the narrow horizons of his sales job, Big Event Media founder Vincent Roazzi Jr started exploring New York City through the lens of a new camera, going on to take gig pictures for music events startup Sofar Sounds.   Accepting an offer to serve as photographer for a friend’s project in Bhutan, Vincent found his chops, or his shots, on that eastern edge of the Himalayas. So much so that, returning to the States some 12 months later, he launched Big Event Media.   Talking from the company’s headquarters in Austin, Texas, this episode sees Vincent detailing the modern world of professional photography, how he and his team shoot conference/trade show/live event pictures and videos beyond the reach of the madding iPhoners.   With questions from host James Dickson, Vincent discusses the DSLR generation, how camera phones mean everyone knows more about photography, and how understanding, and getting, the angles is the great separator.   An engaging interviewee, Vincent gives his take on cr

This special edition of the Event Industry News podcast sees editor Adam Parry in conversation with Enrico Gallorini, co-founder and CEO of GRS – a global research and strategy company based in Dubai. Alongside the business, Enrico has written a book: ‘In Person, a journey through the unstoppable evolution of events’, and that’s the topic here.  Asked about his inspirations, Enrico highlights chats he’s had with people across the industry and how the perennial ‘future of the sector’ question is rooted in the past and the present. Adam and Enrico talk about the forgetting curve, the broad benefits of a book over scrolling for information, and what core historical elements of events have been lost to time. Could they, should they, come back? Asked for his most impactful event ‘moment’, Enrico details the gamut of emotion he felt watching U2 at The Sphere in Las Vegas, going on to amplify the value of shared experience, the ritual and spirituality, the sense of belonging, in events. From gatherings around open f

Nathan Reed runs experiential events company MEGA, which he founded 15 years ago. Behind rolling successes like The Rock Orchestra, Illuminated Orchestra and Incredible Silent Discos, his story is equal parts passion, conviction, commitment and delivery.   Bitten by the events bug in his youth, Nathan switched away from drumming to found a small festival in his home town. From there, things went MEGA.   Nathan explains the journey from raves to his first touring brand, Big Freshers Icebeaker, and how MEGA moved onto food and drink shows, like the Great British Gin Festival and Rum & Reggae. Those, in turn, were stepping stones to bigger gigs across the country and internationally.   Nathan Reed highlights the strength in volume, the company went from 20 events a year to 200, and in managing as much as possible in-house, arrangements to production to marketing, and the value of a rigorous ‘testing phase’.   From the spoils of rolling tours to staying focused and staying on time, to shaping the Rock Orchest

Brian Gates, senior vice president of market strategy and GTM at next-generation event platform RainFocus, is James Dickson’s guest for the first Event Industry News podcast of 2025.   Founded in 2013, RainFocus made a fast mark on heavyweight shows like Oracle CloudWorld, VMworld, Cisco Live, and it’s gone on to have similar impact for the smallest events.   Speaking live from Utah, Brian, who joined RainFocus nearly 10 years ago, details the company’s journey from a data focus to all-encompassing event management.   Brian looks at the platform’s effect on marketing, highlighting key points in the customer journey, who’s engaging and how, and refining the pathways/campaigns as a result. He goes on to discuss evolving the onboarding process, accommodating shrinking budgets, best practices, integrating tech stacks, leveraging data and, particularly poignantly, the AI potential.