Event Industry News Podcast

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 not the few…   A fascinating, truly educational 45-minutes then about the hottest tech topic.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free [https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe] here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform].

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 [https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe] here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform].

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 [https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe] here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform].

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 minutes. Don’t miss it. To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free [https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe] here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform].

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 future funding projects. A truly insightful 30 minutes.   To keep up to date with all the news, subscribe for free [https://www.eventindustrynews.com/subscribe] here. If you would like to take part in a podcast, then please complete our submission form [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHuHX4O0pwWoDNuWpWcllbDnYtDYrdCrxZ96b6bb49qclGoA/viewform].