In this episode of Sideways Rain, JR and Kris sit down with Shanondoah Nicholson, a corporate event planner turned full time freelancer and the host of Beyond the BEO. Together, they tackle the “capacity lie,” why hotel capacity numbers often collapse the moment you add real world productionneeds, and how planners can get to a faster yes or no before they sign.

Shanondoah also drops a career resiliency mindset that every event pro needs: keep your bag packed, keep your network active, and make it easy for people to help you when the wind shifts.

You will also hear her lightning round picks, including two must read books for event professionals: The Art of Gathering and Unreasonable Hospitality.

Links and references
Shanondoah’s podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0l3OjPoH7xMGc3GRiPfoav?si=43785f9408f444ad
Shanondoah on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanondoahnicholson/
Book mentioned: The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker: https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gathering-How-Meet-Matters/dp/1594634939/
Book mentioned: Unreasonable Hospitality: https://www.amazon.com/Unreasonable-Hospitality-Remarkable-Giving-People/dp/0593418573/