In this episode of Fresh Takes: Events Unscripted, I chat with Pashara Black, the Director of Event Marketing at Fidelity Charitable. Pashara shares her unique journey from the Peace Corps to the forefront of event marketing, emphasizing the importance of empathy and creativity in creating meaningful connections. We discuss how her experiences have shaped her leadership style and the role of community engagement in her work. Pashara reveals how to balance strategic goals with heartfelt purpose in event design and the transformative power of in-person experiences. Tune in to discover how events can drive social impact while achieving business objectives, and hear Pashara's insights on fostering collaboration and community through impactful gatherings.

The Business of Memorable Exhibits: What Actually Works

Trade shows have never been louder - yet the moments people remember are usually the quiet and intentional ones. In this episode, Jay Menashe unpacks what separates a booth from a real experience.

We explore the shift toward emotion-led design, smarter ROI conversations, the chaos of load-ins, and how AI is shaping the future of experiential marketing. Jay brings two decades of perspective: the wins, the missteps, and the lessons that sharpen teams who want to build events that matter.

If you care about audience engagement, event strategy, or creating experiences people carry with them long after the badge comes off, then this one’s worth a listen.

What if the real power of your event isn’t hiding in your spreadsheets… but in your attendees’ feelings?

In this episode of Fresh Take: Events Unscripted, Jen sits down with the incomparable Liz Lathan - co-founder of Club Ichi, master gatherer, and the undisputed “What-If” queen of experiential marketing. And together, they flip the industry’s favorite question on its head: how do we measure success when the metrics we’ve been using don’t tell the full story?

Liz breaks down her groundbreaking Return on Emotion framework - a research-backed system revealing the five emotional states that predict whether people will do business after an event: hopeful, active, accepted, adventurous, and motivated.

Yes, ROI still matters… but ROE might be the difference between a forgettable program and a career-defining one.

From:

• building community when there’s no rulebook

• reimagining panels that put audiences to sleep

• “secret family reunion” trips that drop attendees into Tuscany

• inflatable-unicorn think tanks on Croatian yachts

• AI hackathons that rethink the future of planning

• and audacious pitches (private-jet dinner party, anyone?)

…Liz invites us into the wild, strategic, deeply human world of events done right.

If you're an event pro who’s tired of vanilla, allergic to performative networking, or just craving a smarter way to connect impact with intention, then this conversation will hit you right in the marketing cortex.

Tap in, take notes, and maybe ask yourself Liz’s favorite question:

“What if we made this unforgettable… on purpose?”

In a world of doom-scrolling and AI noise, how do you design experiences people will choose to spend time on? Creative leader Scott Burns (SVP, Head of Creative, George P. Johnson) joins host Jen Selley to unpack where experiential marketing meets AI innovation - and why human connection is still the ultimate differentiator. He shares practical frameworks for value exchange, smarter pre-/post-event touchpoints, and leading creative teams without killing the “wildness” that makes ideas great. (Highlights reference: “our time is still our most valuable asset… what is the value exchange?”)

You’ll learn

• How to use AI to enhance (not dominate) your event story

• The playbook for value exchange: if you ask for time, give clear return

• Why pre- and post-event comms drive action better than the main show

• Tactics to build community & brand affinity beyond vanity metrics

• Leadership notes: trust, creative “wildness,” and stakeholder alignment

Timestamps

• 03:47 – The attention crisis & why time is the new currency

• 05:33 – Pre & post touchpoints that move audiences to action

• 10:44 – “What’s the value exchange?” (framework you can steal)

• 27:05 – AI/content overload → pull toward real human experiences