Meeting Minds

Erica Maurer, partner at EMRG Media, joins the podcast this week to talk about building connection in a virtual world. As a leader of this full-service marketing company, Erica knows the ins and outs of events, and how to create a space that builds trust, empathy, and collaboration. We dive into the virtual world and brainstorm ways to host events that serve your company culture.  

Karen Groppe, the Senior Director of Strategic Communication at HIMSS joins the show this week for a great episode of Meeting Minds! Can you imagine planning an event for the President of the United States? And, even crazier, you imagine cancelling it? This week, Karen tells us what it felt like to coordinate an event the President planned to attend! 

We sit down to discuss this topic, as well as the value of integrated teamwork and communication when planning a large-scale event. Make sure you listen to this episode!

We sit down with the legendary Lee Cockerell, the former Executive VP of Walt Disney World, to discuss his business methodologies, discipline, and a tattooed Cinderella! 

Lee has held management positions with Hilton for 8 years, Marriott for 17 years, and the Walt Disney Company for 16 years. He is the author of four books: Creating Magic, The Customer Rules, Time Management Magic and Career Magic. Make sure you listen to this one!


https://www.cockerellacademy.com/

This week on Meeting Minds we welcome the Head of Global Event Operations at Indeed, Gina DeVito! We talk about how their events team navigated the pandemic, what's changed, and reflect on what we've learned in the past year. 

Do you love a good cocktail? This week we welcome the former VP of Event Marketing at Patron to the show, Pam Dzierzanowski. We talk about creating memorable experiences, prosecco in a can, and adapting brand activations to the virtual space. Make sure you check out this weeks episode of Meeting Minds!

This week we welcome founder and CEO of Studio Z Photo Booths, Zach Schiffman! Are you wondering how to increase attendee engagement and provide entertainment? Then this is the episode for you! We cover brand activations, QR codes, and bringing value to a hybrid event!

This week on Meeting Minds we dive into the world of Esports! We speak with event producer and founder of Shoutcaster Ltd, Rebecca de Freitas, who recently completed a Masters thesis on Esports. We discuss the future of events from an Esports perspective, and explain why all event professionals should care about this industry.  Learn how you can use this technology to your advantage to engage your audience effectively! 

Learn More Here:

The Pineapple Public 

(Instagram) 

SHOUTCASTER_Ltd 

(LinkedIn, Apple Podcasts)

"Gen Z + Esports: Digitizing the Live Event Brand" 

(Academic Journal Publishing here)

This week we welcome event lighting expert, Pierre Marleau! With more than 20+ years in the industry, Pierre has produced lighting for Broadway's Phantom of the Opera, Showboat, and even Cirque Du Soleil. We talk about the value of great light design, why light production deserves space in your budget, and how bad lighting can make us all look like dinosaurs! You won't want to miss this episode!

Learn more below!
http://www.orangefrogproductions.ca/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pierre-marleau-61788410/

This week we are joined by former co-CEO of Chipotle Mexican Grill, Monty Moran! We talk about love, leadership, curiosity, and how to build a culture of success. This episode will blow your mind!

Learn more about Monty here:
https://montyfmoran.com/
http://loveisfree.com/

*This episode was recorded remotely, please excuse any audio errors.*

One of our favorite guests is back this week! David Horsager joins us to talk about  building trust in a pandemic,  how leaders communicate during times of change, and his new book, Trusted Leader.