In this episode, David is joined by Marie Hunter, Senior Director and Head of IEEE Global Meetings, Conferences & Events to discuss the podcast and what’s in store for listeners this season. As an event evangelist, Marie talks about her optimism for the future of convening. No matter how people get together, irrespective of the format, live and in-person gatherings are where the magic happens. The types of 'forums' for our conference community to share ideas may change, but at the heart of IEEE events is the passion to advance technology for the benefit of humanity.

David speaks with IEEE Power & Energy Society Executive Director, Tim Licitra, about the 2023 IEEE PES Grid Edge Technologies Conference and Exposition (Grid Edge). Tim educates the IEEE conference organizer community on how his group successfully stood up this first-time conference, from inception, to strategy, to implementation, and their plans for its future. 

In this episode, David interviews Ramakrishna Mukkamala about the Cardiovascular Health Tech Virtual Conference. Coming out of the pandemic in 2022, this Professor in the Departments of Bioengineering and Anesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh (and IEEE EMBS member) decided that online conferences still had a valuable place in the events space. He decided to hold an important online meeting for his Technical Committee on CSPE with some of the best names and brightest minds in the wearable industry, like Google, Apple and Fitbit. The results were very impressive.

Tim Trefzer (VP, Honeycomb Strategies) has led the sustainability and ESG efforts of some of the most iconic and recognizable sports teams, venues, events, and brands in the world, including Mercedes-Benz Stadium, SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff, and the NCAA Men’s Final Four. David interviews Tim and gets his advice for organizers and meeting planners booking locations, while also keeping sustainability front of mind. And, the listeners of this episode will learn the numerous facets to consider when it comes to sustainability, which include not just environmental factors, but also social elements, global economics, the conservation of natural resources, and creating more inclusive experiences for all.

Tucker Miller is an executive coach, leadership consultant, attorney, and Certified Master Facilitator for ELI, a training company that helps organizations improve their workplace culture. Listen to her as she shares her insights on leadership and collaboration, particularly as they pertain to conferences. She also explains the progress she has seen with regards to diversity and inclusion as they relate to events. Organizers of IEEE should heed the advice of this engaging storyteller before they go off and plan their next conference.

Dalma Novak is the Chair of the IEEE Technical Activities Board Committee on Diversity & Inclusion (TAB CDI). Her perspective on embracing our differences, and how to ensure the broad representation of people who make up our communities and contribute to technology development within IEEE, needs to be heard. DE&I is ever important when running a conference, creating your agenda, considering your speaker pool, and building a heterogeneous organizing committee. Tune in for this timely conversation on a very important topic.

The IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) 2023 was held in London, UK from 29 May – 2 June. General Chair, Professor Kaspar Althoefer - a systems engineer on robotics at Queen Mary University of London - sat down with MCE’s very own David Stankiewicz to discuss the conference's highlights of the day sessions, publicity and news coverage, sustainability, satellite conference centers, AI’s impact on the events industry, and of course…robots!