Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast The Event Connection

What can all event planners learn from fan conventions? More than you might think! In this episode, we're talking to the Convention Chairperson for Anime Milwaukee to get the inside scoop on the chaos and fun behind planning a 3-day event for 18,000 attendees.

TIMESTAMPS

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00:00 - Meet Kris Lugo - Convention Chairperson for Anime Milwaukee (AMKE)

03:27 - Kris's personal history with convention and event planning

06:18 - All about AMKE: the history and financial impact

10:11 - The secret to facilitating activities for all personality types

14:35 - How AMKE manages 24-hour programming for attendees

16:52 - Annual themes and how they can excite attendees and vendors

20:38 - Ideas for staying in front of your audience year round

25:56 - How corporate events can use con-like strategies to excite attendees

28:02 - Long live the Polkalator!

32:53 - How badge ribbons can engage attendees and vendors

37:14 - Creating and managing strong relationships with sponsors

39:56 - The pressure of creating a "bigger and better" event each year

42:29 - Words of advice for anyone interested in planning conventions

47:07 - Wrap-up and what's next for AMKE?

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What happens when an event goes sideways? 🤔 Join Brooke and Meaghan as they dissect a real-life event that went viral because of many "oops" moments. You'll come away with seriously valuable event planning lessons you won't want to miss. From website woes to venue missteps, we'll cover how to avoid your own event mishaps and turn chaos into a win. Tune in for expert event organization tips and real-life event disaster recovery strategies.

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0:00 - Let's get started!

02:51 - Festival Background

05:49 - The Website

11:35 - Ticket Tiers

15:45 - The Venue

18:08 - Registration Desk

23:40 - Sponsor Communication

31:04 - Attendee Activities and Engagement

37:18 - The Romance Ball

43:25 - Lessons Learned (Event PR)

44:03 - Ultimate Fallout

46:58 - Attendee Losses

47:28 - Positive Outcomes and Reflections

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Event promotion strategies don't have to be expensive or complicated! This episode explores easy tactics you can use to get the word out about your events, even on a tight budget. You'll come away with practical tips for using social media, email, content, partnerships, and more to quickly boost registrations!

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Get to know The Event Connection Podcast!

01:14 - The Economy, Budgets, Tariffs, etc.

02:00 - Our experience with tight marketing budgets

03:39 - The pressure to "Do more with less"

04:41 - How to research your target audience

09:49 - Promote your event with social media

17:18 - Promote your event with email marketing

27:20 - Promote your event with content marketing

32:04 - Promote your event with sponsors, partnerships

39:58 - Tip: Create urgency and FOMO

44:28 - How to track event promotion data

47:33 - Unconventional (but effective) tactics to try

50:30 - Easy tactics to start doing today!

52:50 - Like, comment, subscribe, and email us!

FREEBIES: Get two cheat sheets ("25+ Free Ways to Promote Your Event" and "Early Bird Event Promotions Cheat Sheet") when you email us at EventConnection@pcnametag.com and mention our "Event Promotion" episode!

Forget your actual horoscope: Brooke, Megan, and Meaghan are once again predicting how the "stars will align" for conferences and events in 2025! 

The Event Connection Podcast is back for episode two, and this week, we're talking about what's "in" and "out" for attendee welcome sessions, event badge design, ticketing strategies, and whether or not it's still cool to have conferences in first tier cities (spoiler: maybe?). 

Join us for another chat about popular event insights, served with a side of humor from the Tag Team.

---- TIMESTAMPS 00:00 - Get to know The Event Connection Podcast! 00:28 - Part II: What's IN and OUT with planners in 2025 01:28 - Trend 1: Presentations/sessions created with AI 04:51 - Trend 2: Branded tchotchkes, gifts, and event swag 07:56 - Trend 3: Reverse trade shows 10:31 - Trend 4: QR codes on event badges 12:50 - Trend 5: Welcome sessions for 1st time attendees 16:05 - Trend 6: Events in first tier cities 19:57 - Trend 7: Structured conference schedules 23:31 - Trend 8: Convention centers vs. non-traditional venues 27:03 - Trend 9: Tiered attendee groups (VIPs, general, etc.) 32:03 - One thing we're excited about for 2025! 32:29 - Meaghan reveals her answer 35:34 - Megan reveals her answer 38:05 - Like, comment, subscribe, and connect with pc/nametag! 

Join us for some wild speculation on event trends in 2025! In the debut episode of "The Event Connection" podcast, we're dishing the deets on the hottest (and weirdest) event topics we could find, including sustainable events, audience engagement, attendee networking, and sponsored restrooms (...HUH?)

Brooke, Megan, and Meaghan spill the tea on what's "hot" and what's "not" in a lighthearted (and slightly unhinged) discussion on which event engagement tactics to keep your eye on this year.

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0:00 - Welcome to the podcast!

00:29 - Meet Brooke, Megan, and Meaghan

02:42 - Event trend speculation...let's go!

03:05 - Trend 1: 40+ Minute Sessions

05:52 - Trend 2: Gamifying, networking, and engagement

08:12 - Trend 3: Panel-style Conference Sessions

10:24 - Trend 4: Unique badge delivery methods

13:25 - Trend 5: Hosting virtual events

17:10 - Trend 6: Sponsored restrooms (yes, seriously)!

20:54 - Trend 7: Business vs. smart casual attire

23:03 - Trend 8: Lunchtime networking activities

26:54 - Trend 9: Badge ribbons for networking

30:31 - Trend 10: Pickleball, healthy activities

33:29 - Trend 11: After-hours entertainment

40:19 - Trend 12: Closing Advice for 2025

44:38 - Like, comment, subscribe, and connect with pc/nametag!