The Event Connection

Event registration can either be totally fun or a logistical nightmare (IYKYK).

In this episode, Megan and Meaghan share their favorite tips for transforming the conference and event registration process from a point of stress into an exciting first touchpoint for attendees!

By the end of this episode, you'll know how to turn event check-in into an interactive experience, accommodate last-minute registrations, help lines move faster, and stay ahead of the game with event badge printing.

TOPICS COVERED: Event registration tips for planners, how to streamline event check-in, last-minute event registration strategy

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00:00 - Let's get started!

01:49 - Event Registration Positives

04:06 - Event Registration Struggles

06:21 - Event Registration QUICK TIPS!

12:02 - Making Registration INTERACTIVE!

16:45 - Closing Advice & Secrets

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Give us a rating and subscribe for more event planning ideas! 

What makes a Gen Z attendee click? How can you deliver an authentic experience for Millennials? What does it take to truly impress a Gen X-er?

In this special episode, our cross-generational panel: Ethan (Gen Z), Meaghan (Millennial), and Kindra (Gen X) explore how different age groups experience and engage with events. Brooke (Millennial) leads the chat in an honest, goofy, and surprising conversation about what they love (and what they can’t stand) when it comes to event experiences.

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0:00 - Let's get started!

02:45 - Ideal Event Destination

05:11 - Registering in Advance?

07:22 - Getting Caffeinated

09:17 - Frustrating Wait Times

12:15 - Perfect Event Size

15:00 - Favorite Networking Style

17:30 - Event Communication Preference

19:42 - Educational Session Lengths

23:02 - Off to Lunch!

26:32 - Connecting with Peers

30:19 - Late Night Entertainment

34:40 - Dream Keynote Speaker

37:49 - Last Remarks

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😍 GET A SHOUT-OUT: Send a message to [email protected] to tell us which generation you are, plus some of your event-related preferences or hot takes. Your idea could be featured in an upcoming episode!

Give us a rating and subscribe for more event planning ideas! 

Don’t get left behind with same-old agendas. Events in 2026 are all about “EYES LIGHT UP” moments! Brooke and Meaghan share activities, tactics, and strategies they’re obsessed with to help you make every event a must-attend experience, no matter your budget. 🔥🔥🔥

Hear what’s worked for key players in the industry, including Dragon Con, INBOUND, NACE Experience, and more!

TIMESTAMPS 

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00:00 – Let's get started!

02:17 – “Eyes Light Up” moments

04:09 – Meetup Spaces

07:24 – Surprise Moments

12:16 – Philanthropic Activities

12:47 – Prospectus Alternatives

15:34 – City Exploration

24:30 – Engage Away the Venue

28:59 – Unique Activations

36:23 – Encouraging Connections

43:50 – Custom Room Keys

48:46 – Interactive Stations

50:00 – Event Themes

53:39 – Relaxation Lounges

54:23 – Networking Bingo

56:00 – Last Remarks, Good Vibes 💕

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😍 GET A SHOUT-OUT: Send a message to [email protected] to tell us a cool, weird, or fun event activity you’ve experienced. Your idea could be featured in an upcoming episode!

Ethan West, Marketing Communication Intern at pc/nametag, sits down with Kyler Donovan, General Manager of Forward Madison FC, to chat about all things soccer, community, and behind‑the‑scenes magic of sports fan engagement! ⚽🥅

Kyler shares:

Plus, we tackle some fun questions about what makes Breese Stevens Field such a special place for both players and fans! 🥇 Whether you’re a sports events enthusiast, a supporter of Forward Madison, or just curious about how the matchday experience comes together, this episode is packed with insights, stories, and laughs.

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00:00 - Introduction

01:25 - What’s special about Breese Stevens Field?

03:08 - Gameday operations

07:02 - Engaging fans before, during, and after the game

08:37 - Seamless sponsorship engagement

10:30 - Pivoting to accommodate variability

13:42 - Tying merchandising into event engagement

17:00 - Engaging college students in Madison

18:04 - Insight from a successful example

22:23 - Breaking into sports event management

24:55 - Emerging trends in the sports event industry

27:59 - Habits for planning a sports event

29:54 - Go-to snack and drink for Breese Stevens Field

31:21 - Kyler’s dream headliner at Breese Stevens Field

32:38 - Connect with Kyler!

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🎤 CONNECT WITH KYLER DONOVAN: [email protected]

Transform your event's audience from "quiet" to captivated! This week, Meaghan chats with Roger Wolkoff, "The Guy with the Voice," and a professional emcee with 20+ years of experience. Roger shares his top secrets for creating an engaging atmosphere, from effectively warming up a crowd to expertly handling unexpected "uh oh" moments. Tune in for valuable insights on audience interaction, crisis management, and all the insider tips you need to make your next event a blast!

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00:00 - Let's Get Started

01:02 - Welcome, Roger Wolkoff!

04:04 - Find Your Strengths with Personality Assessments

06:59 - Roger's Involvement with National Speakers Association

09:00 - Gaining Experience as an Emcee

11:14 - What is an emcee?

15:05 - Top qualities of great emcees

19:10 - How to "read" the audience

21:08 - Excite and engage your audience

25:03 - Pre- and post-meetings with planners

28:54 - Roger's favorite event he's emceed

30:30 - Pre-show rituals to get amped up!

31:34 - Handling "UH OH" event moments

34:20 - A hilarious event story

35:59 - Favorite part of emceeing

37:02 - Difficult parts of being an emcee 3

8:22 - Surprising parts of being an emcee

39:42 - Tips for bringing excitement to events

40:42 - Connect with and hire Roger!

41:28 - Join your local National Speakers Association chapter

📖 FREE FOR LISTENERS: "Leveraging an Emcee for Event Success: A Guide for Event Planners." Get yours by sending an email to [email protected] and asking for your copy!

What can all event planners learn from fan conventions? More than you might think! In this episode, we're talking to the Convention Chairperson for Anime Milwaukee to get the inside scoop on the chaos and fun behind planning a 3-day event for 18,000 attendees.

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00:00 - Meet Kris Lugo - Convention Chairperson for Anime Milwaukee (AMKE)

03:27 - Kris's personal history with convention and event planning

06:18 - All about AMKE: the history and financial impact

10:11 - The secret to facilitating activities for all personality types

14:35 - How AMKE manages 24-hour programming for attendees

16:52 - Annual themes and how they can excite attendees and vendors

20:38 - Ideas for staying in front of your audience year round

25:56 - How corporate events can use con-like strategies to excite attendees

28:02 - Long live the Polkalator!

32:53 - How badge ribbons can engage attendees and vendors

37:14 - Creating and managing strong relationships with sponsors

39:56 - The pressure of creating a "bigger and better" event each year

42:29 - Words of advice for anyone interested in planning conventions

47:07 - Wrap-up and what's next for AMKE?

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Subscribe, and connect with pc/nametag! 🎉 Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]! 

What happens when an event goes sideways? 🤔 Join Brooke and Meaghan as they dissect a real-life event that went viral because of many "oops" moments. You'll come away with seriously valuable event planning lessons you won't want to miss. From website woes to venue missteps, we'll cover how to avoid your own event mishaps and turn chaos into a win. Tune in for expert event organization tips and real-life event disaster recovery strategies.

TIMESTAMPS

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0:00 - Let's get started!

02:51 - Festival Background

05:49 - The Website

11:35 - Ticket Tiers

15:45 - The Venue

18:08 - Registration Desk

23:40 - Sponsor Communication

31:04 - Attendee Activities and Engagement

37:18 - The Romance Ball

43:25 - Lessons Learned (Event PR)

44:03 - Ultimate Fallout

46:58 - Attendee Losses

47:28 - Positive Outcomes and Reflections

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Subscribe, and connect with pc/nametag! 🎉 Get in touch by emailing us at [email protected]! 

Event promotion strategies don't have to be expensive or complicated! This episode explores easy tactics you can use to get the word out about your events, even on a tight budget. You'll come away with practical tips for using social media, email, content, partnerships, and more to quickly boost registrations!

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Get to know The Event Connection Podcast!

01:14 - The Economy, Budgets, Tariffs, etc.

02:00 - Our experience with tight marketing budgets

03:39 - The pressure to "Do more with less"

04:41 - How to research your target audience

09:49 - Promote your event with social media

17:18 - Promote your event with email marketing

27:20 - Promote your event with content marketing

32:04 - Promote your event with sponsors, partnerships

39:58 - Tip: Create urgency and FOMO

44:28 - How to track event promotion data

47:33 - Unconventional (but effective) tactics to try

50:30 - Easy tactics to start doing today!

52:50 - Like, comment, subscribe, and email us!

FREEBIES: Get two cheat sheets ("25+ Free Ways to Promote Your Event" and "Early Bird Event Promotions Cheat Sheet") when you email us at [email protected] and mention our "Event Promotion" episode!

Forget your actual horoscope: Brooke, Megan, and Meaghan are once again predicting how the "stars will align" for conferences and events in 2025! 

The Event Connection Podcast is back for episode two, and this week, we're talking about what's "in" and "out" for attendee welcome sessions, event badge design, ticketing strategies, and whether or not it's still cool to have conferences in first tier cities (spoiler: maybe?). 

Join us for another chat about popular event insights, served with a side of humor from the Tag Team.

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Join us for some wild speculation on event trends in 2025! In the debut episode of "The Event Connection" podcast, we're dishing the deets on the hottest (and weirdest) event topics we could find, including sustainable events, audience engagement, attendee networking, and sponsored restrooms (...HUH?)

Brooke, Megan, and Meaghan spill the tea on what's "hot" and what's "not" in a lighthearted (and slightly unhinged) discussion on which event engagement tactics to keep your eye on this year.

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TIMESTAMPS

0:00 - Welcome to the podcast!

00:29 - Meet Brooke, Megan, and Meaghan

02:42 - Event trend speculation...let's go!

03:05 - Trend 1: 40+ Minute Sessions

05:52 - Trend 2: Gamifying, networking, and engagement

08:12 - Trend 3: Panel-style Conference Sessions

10:24 - Trend 4: Unique badge delivery methods

13:25 - Trend 5: Hosting virtual events

17:10 - Trend 6: Sponsored restrooms (yes, seriously)!

20:54 - Trend 7: Business vs. smart casual attire

23:03 - Trend 8: Lunchtime networking activities

26:54 - Trend 9: Badge ribbons for networking

30:31 - Trend 10: Pickleball, healthy activities

33:29 - Trend 11: After-hours entertainment

40:19 - Trend 12: Closing Advice for 2025

44:38 - Like, comment, subscribe, and connect with pc/nametag!