Ladies and Gentlemen!   Take you seats and buckle up for a whirlwind tour around the world of events with the amazing Björn Kempe!!   Björn has over 20 years’ experience representing and brokering  major trade fair organisations in Asia – whether Singapore, Shanghai, Bangkok or Hong Kong.. he has seen them all!!   Now that Björn is back in Berlin a big shout out goes to Mash Media’s own Paul Colson who brought the two of us together and resulted in this value packed podcast so listen up!!   Björn spends time with me to not only wax lyrical about Berlin, but also to offer some incisive answers to the following questions:   Q: How has the pandemic acted like a wildfire in the events industry and are we now seeing the sprouting of new green shoots?   Q: To continue the polemic, after a forced break from just fighting fires in many cases, where is the good ship HMS Events Industry navigating towards?   Q: How will your newly released book “The Future of the Events, Exhibitions and Congresses”  – a book compiled by the musings of 26 C -Level authors from around the world -  help us set course?   Q: What role is private equity playing in the shaping of the future landscape of the events industry?   Q: What is a MICE Hedge Fund and an Internationally listed MICE Index?   Listen to the end too, as not only is there a special offer to BAB listeners for his book, which is absolutely essential reading for those in the industry, but he also drops some golden nuggets of advice regarding cultural differences from the West to the East!   Wow!! What can I say apart from thanks again Paul for bringing this powerhouse of knowledge into our sphere of influence!!     Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com    

Today we talk to someone who has over 15 years event experience in Berlin, who I consider to be something of a legend – even though we have amazingly never met before!!   Stuart, like me, is a great fan of Berlin and all it has to offer for major events.     Also like me he arrived to Berlin from London, even at around the same time, and have benefitted enormously from this vibrant and family friendly city.   Listen in as Stuart explains how he is creating new business around the enabling that new technology has brought and how he puts a very positive spin on the future!!   He brings his experience form working in one of Europe’s leading PR agency to the events industry will a view to really working on ROI and increasing the shelf life of events.  He also embraces warmly the idea of collaboration with other event agencies to help them add value to their clients.   Next Convention has been modest in promoting itself but organizes something like 1,500 events a year and focusses very much on bringing innovation into play.   We discuss together the role that meaningful data is starting to play today as the technology allows more accurate tracking and can add value to the event to increase its ROI.   Stay ‘til the end as we also talk about the sustainability and carbon footprint of our industry, which is nowadays no longer an option but a must have – and the cost benefit it brings.   Finally we talk a little about the “Common Good Economy” which is becoming so important to younger people entering the business today before taking a lovely positive spin on where the event industry is going moving forwards before sharing some personal tips of where we can meet next time!     Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com

BABs Episode 7 Merryn Scholz, K.I.T. Group : BERLIN LOVES YOU!

In this episode we return to the core values of BABs and talk to the fabulous Merryn Scholz, General Manager of K.I.T. Group in Berlin – one of Europe’s largest PCOs – about the role she recently played in organizing the “Freedom Dinner” for 3,000 guests on the recently closed Berlin Tegel airfield, as well as talking a little about how congress business is now developing looking to 2022 as confidence in events starts to return.

Listen in and learn how Merryn and her team, supported by Messe Berlin and their event suppliers, were asked to play a game of pure brinkmanship whilst organizing the dinner.  They were up against very tight deadlines, but could not even be sure until the last minute how many guests they were actually allowed to invite!! (which, as most of you know, is pretty crucial to being able to organize the event properly!)

Learn too as how Merryn and her team were faced with the challenge of implementing an outdoor dinner concept on a recently closed airfield, devoid of any infrastructure to speak of and completely at the mercy of wind and weather !

Add to that, the central theme of the event was laying out the tables over an 800 metre stretch of runway to spell out exactly the phrase “BERLIN LOVES YOU” – even though up until the 12th hour they were not even sure how many guests would fill the tables!

Did it work against the odds? Did the weather gods shine down on Merryn and her Team?

Listen in and find out!

Finally, the future for congresses and RFPs gets discussed and Merryn gives her frank take on it all….

One not to miss!!

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Wow listeners! Do we have an amazing treat for you today… Thanks to the infinite charm and wide-reaching network (and somewhat sordid past!) of your host Mark Felstead, we are talking today to Jacquie Hughes – mother of 5 and for the last 2 weeks the most celebrated mother in the UK!! The video of her and her family cheering on Tom Dean to his first Olympic Gold in Tokyo went viral and has now over 20M views!!   Jacquie talks to me about the chaos and joy of the moment of Tom’s success and the back story that led up to her new found, but immensely deserved, media fame.   Listen too to the end as the man himself, Tom Dean, also makes a little cameo appearance to speak about his mother.   Jacquie is no stranger to media and TV having already a great track record herself as TV producer and journalist but nothing could quite prepare her (and Tom) for the media storm around Tom’s performances in Tokyo.   Imagine her frustration after years of devotion and dedication to Tom and his siblings (all accomplished athletes) – getting up early every day, attending competitions the length and breadth of the country - and then when it comes to the BIG ONE – not even being allowed to be there!!   But Jacqui decided she could not just let the moment go by and, also to have something to show Tom on his return, she did her best to re-create the poolside arena atmosphere in her own back garden in Maidenhead.  Yes, there was careful planning behind the Watch Party, but no-one could have imagined how it would end!!!   The images of Jacquie with her family and friends celebrating Tom’s win not only went viral, they were used by the BBC as one of the defining images of the games, and they were even shown as part of the closing ceremony in Tokyo (apologies here to athletes)!!   She took hosting virtual events to the next level!!  In her own words, “Events are the bringing together of people for a common cause, and alongside all the technology, it is the human story that people want to see and experience.”   What made it so moving of course, was its authenticity – the images were captured on a phone’s camera! And no, she was not even aware she was being filmed.   And for the future…   Jacquie has been asked so many times about how she raised her son to be an Olympic champion and what were the elements that went into his success, that she hopes very soon to publish her own podcast to share with parents the nuggets of knowledge and experience. Especially relevant in these times of post-lockdown lethargy to help parents motivate their children and to get them involved in sport. “Swimming is such an enrichment to your upbringing, even if you don’t harbour thoughts of raising an Olympic athlete.”   And listeners! You heard it here first!! Jacquie will launch very soon her own podcast called “Raising Gold!”—The story behind raising an Olympic Double Gold medalist and how she can help others raise their children to a Gold Standard!!    Looking forward very much to that!!   Finally, the stars are aligning that Jacquie and Tom may be making a guest appearance at the International Confex show in Excel in September…. So look forward to seeing you there!!   Links   Jacquie Hughes https://www.linkedin.com/in/jacquiehughes/ www.raising-gold.com   Mark Felstead https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-charles-felstead-3303b9a/ www.weloveourheart.com   International Confex https://www.international-confex.com     Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com  

What a treat we have listeners!! An absolute highlight!!  Today we are talking to Christina Aue who is the Managing Director of none other than Berlin’s TV Tower – one of the true icons of the city!   It is not only a tremendous tourist attraction—whether with its 360° views of the city either from 203m up on the viewing platform or from its fabulous revolving restaurant 207m in the sky—but also a unique event location and, increasingly, a unique stage to promote the cultural and artistic diversity of the city.   Christine is no stranger to historic monuments, having previously run the Cecilienhof Palace in Potsdam, famous as the place where the allies met at the end WWII to negotiate the future of a war-torn Germany, and hosting the G7 conferences as well as her Majesty the Queen herself!   But she is also extremely aware of the historical and cultural role the TV Tower of Berlin has played in the city’s development over the last decades and over her 145 years here she has overseen many developments and changes not least to the city itself form her birds eye viewpoint!!   Listen in to find out more about how she is re-aligning the TV Tower to offer artists, photographers, DJs and musicians a much needed place to perform and exhibit as a way of giving something back to the Berlin public.    Also Christina is herself very active on an international stage, as the Berlin TV Tower is not only part of the Magnacity Group, with towers in Paris (Montpernasse) Chicago (previously called the John Hancock Building) and Rotterdam, but also an Executive Director of the World Federation of Great Towers, a collaboration of 51 towers from around the globe, which gives her excellent access to best practices in place worldwide.   Join us in learning more about one of the most respected and admired icons of the city which not only offers unparalleled views but also some very unique event experiences.   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com  

A slightly longer episode this time as Mark takes the opportunity to jump on shank’s pony and visit some of his favourite Berlin hotels and venues to get a VoxPox first hand report of how great it is that Berlin is now opening up, guests can once again check into hotels, cafes and restaurants are open and events can once again take place – so stick around for the second half of the episode to get some real feel good feeling!   But first we talk to Christian Lehnert, one of Berlin’s most experienced event planners with a strong palmares of exclusive automotive events over the last 2 decades and who now very much concentrates on what exactly it means to make an event sustainable.   We look closely together at all aspects of the supply and command chain to see where concrete measures can be implemented.   He shares with us some real gems about how to plan events in the most sustainable way and how to avoid some of the common mistakes being made.   He explains that what is definitely needed is a top-down approach and much more education.  We learn about the avoidance of food wastage e.g., a seldom talked about culprit when making events sustainable and that together with the correct hygiene concepts and measures are very much what his  focus now is in his company bettrlive.   Finally, Chris and I put on our rose tinted glasses and talk about what the hybrid events of the future will look like and try to see it as a great opportunity for the events industry….   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com    

Today we talk to Bernard Wolf, the creator and presenter of the very popular  “Ideenfrühstück “ (ideas breakfast) which has been a regular series of great ideas to start your day with some creative input.   But Bernard has much more to offer than just that.   He moved from being a magician and entertainer to stand-up comedy and from there to the slightly better behaved audiences of corporate events!   He now, like many of us, spends most of his presenting time online as a professional and at the end of the podcast he shares his personal Top 5 Tips for presenting online so stick around!   He is also the master of the visual gag (OK so this is a podcast!) and talks about the relevance of imaging and how to fool your brain’s own perception. His party trick is talking backwards and even eating a banana backwards! Unfortunately it is not possible to show it in the podcast!   We then take a conversational wander through the different ‘hoods of Berlin and their appropriate dress codes before returning to the script and looking at what characteristics can indicate one’s willingness to adapt.   Finally, we look at Bernard’s own Top 5 tips for presenting professionally on line!! Well worth a listen!   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com  

Talking about diversity with a very diverse group of people!   Today to celebrate World Diversity Day on May 18th we have a special podcast with three of the Berlin’s leading supporters of diversity and all its glorious colours.     This is certainly one of the most powerful episodes so far, as although the image of diversity is seemingly bright for Berlin, there is a dark cloud threatening the rainbow so listen up!   My three guests are Irene Wolters from the AXICA, Gregor Blach CEO from We-Do communication agency and Philip Ibrahim, MD of The Student Hotel Berlin.   Brief introductions:  Irene dreams of travelling the world but has found her home in Berlin, Gregor is a Frankfurter (with a mix of rusty Scottish!) whose heart is now in Berlin and Philip a Berliner who represents the second most ethnic group in the city – the Swabians!!   Gregor has also been voted one of the top 100 “out” CEO executives in Germany and Philip was one of the co-founders back as long ago as 2008 of the “Pink Pillow” hotel initiative to promote a group of Berlin’s hotels to the LBGIQ community – still one of the most unique movements of its kind.   “Berlin, good so far but could do better…” is the outcome of the talk as we take a warts-and -all walk around the city.   Gregor suggests we should literally do that, but by taking the challenge of wearing a Jewish Kippah or holding hands with someone of the same sex to get a true picture.   The passion for the subject floods from the speakers as we talk about the economic benefits of diversity, the diversity charter  and the SIX DIMENSIONS OF DIVERSITY ….   Finally, we lighten the discussions with a lobster’s tale and a light hearted competition!   Please accept my apologies for the less than perfect audio, but I could not resist the chance of doing the recording live in the hotel’s café and wallow in the sound of chat, background music  and coffees being made and served…oh those halcyon days…   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com  

As Analena Baerbrock from the Green Party leads the polls at the moment as a candidate to be the next German chancellor in the upcoming September elections, now is an excellent time to talk to two of the city’s leading exponents in sustainability for events.   Enter Alex Beck from the AXICA and Luisa Mentz from the Berlin Convention Bureau in this lively discussion about the current innovation in sustainability.   They both share a common goal – their passion for sustainability in the city and the hosting of sustainable events.   Listen up as Luisa from Berlin Convention Bureau shares her vision of Berlin as one of the world’s leading sustainable cities in the next 10 years.   “Sustainability is the New Normal for events” – but then she queries where do you start and where do you stop?!   Luisa talks in excited terms about the new platform for planners which encourages sustainable events and also the newly announced congress funds which purport to support events hosted in the city – initially only for 2021, but there is hope of an extension.   Alex from the AXICA holds her own as she explains that not only can you trace the meat and two veg on your plate back to its source, but also the plate itself!  The MO for the AXICA is  “No premium without sustainability” as well as the expansion in their off-site catering services,“Hof Lieferant”    Finally, both women share their very personal secrets!!   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com  

Berlin, the final frontier This is the podcast of the digital agency Futurehain Their 10 year mission: To explore digital event formats To seek out new ideas and innovations To boldly go where no agency has gone before!!   (Apologies to Captain James T. Kirk)   Guys! This episode is about to reach parts of your mind other podcasts simply fail to reach. I am talking to two of the smartest guys in the event industry as we take quantum leaps in our discussion from the falling of the Berlin Wall to the Mars Explorer and back again for tea!!   Futurehain is an agency dedicated to creating and structuring events, whether digital or physical, that bring together the top scientific minds and themes to the creative maelstrom that is Berlin.   Listen in as they raise the intellectual bar, putting Berlin as the “Wild West” of the start-up scene.  We look at the three columns of innovation: Explorer, Pioneer and Settler and its relevance to the Berlin as a hub of innovation. Hear them skip seamlessly from organizing events to Nikolai Tesla, from meeting design to quantum technology and know what to do if you suddenly find yourself to be the smartest person in the room!!   Fill your brains with oxygen and your blood with caffeine and join us for a mind expanding finale to this series of Berlin’s Awakening Beauties!!   Subscribe Apple | Google | Spotify | Stitcher | iHeart   A Podcast Company - is the leading podcast production company for brands, organizations, institutions, individuals, and entrepreneurs. Our team sets you up with the right equipment, training, and guidance to ensure you sound amazing. - https://www.apodcastcompany.com and www.podcastsyndicator.com