The Truth about Podcasting

I am a relative newbie to the world of podcasting.

I generally listen to them rather than talk on one!

But when Jack Saward asked me to join him on The Events Insight Podcast… I had to say yes!

I mean, I like talking, I like people, I love the events industry and I get on with Jack… so there was nothing to lose.

I had no real idea what was involved in putting a podcast together. I do now!

1. You need one or two hosts who are willing to chat to guest about the events industry!

2. You need a website to promote your podcast, guests and the band of volunteers who make the podcast possible - https://www.theeventsinsight.com/

3. You need a creative genius who manages and develops the website https://www.linkedin.com/in/nathaniel-brown15/

4. You need a platform the record the podcast on. We use Squadcast. It records the audio individually, so it makes it easier for our producer to edit down the recording (or normally me!!)

5. You need a patient and creative producer to pull the content together. Without the guys at https://www.linkedin.com/company/wavecast/ we would be stuck! Tommy you are a genius! Thank you for editing down mine and Jacks chatter to 40 mins are intelligent content for our listeners!

6. You need a band of volunteers who give up their time to promote and support the podcast. Thank you Thank you Thank you. We couldn’t do it without you. (all our lovely volunteers, past and present, can be found on the website) - https://www.theeventsinsight.com/

7. Then, we need willing events industry guests. We in a very lucky position that people approach us and ask to be on the podcast… everyone has an interesting story to tell. The challenge that we have in working with everyone’s diaries to find a suitable date and time to record. This is normally in the evening over a glass of wine!!

8. We also need sponsorship. We are eternally grateful to each and every sponsor who has contributed to the podcast. Thank you for letting our voices fill the airwaves!!!

9. And finally… without out band of loyal listeners, we would have given up ages ago. We have over 3,500 followers across our channels and have released over 80 episodes with downloads now coming from 72 different countries!!

The greatest thing about being a part of the podcast is seeing firsthand how wonderful the events industry is; how willing people are to give up their time to talk about their journey, their experiences and also how much industry professionals want to reach out and help each other.

It is a privilege to talk to people from this industry.

A Date with Disney

From my social posts, you may have noticed that I have recently been working out in Orlando, Florida.

Two weeks in the glorious Florida sunshine, working with a fabulous team, on possibly the hardest event of my life. Physically demanding because of the sheer size of the campus, and mentally demanding because of the jet lag, client expectations and the fact I had never been to the site before… so was working blind!!

The event was a big. No, huge!!

This campus wide event covered 3 Disney properties, 4 temporary structures (each a minimum of 2 football pitches long), 1 outdoor causeway and various patios and covered walkways!

I was part of a 50 strong project team all drafted in to make this large-scale event happen.

I was part of the Logistics Team with my primary role being to liaise with the US based furniture vendors to provide presentations and costings for the client to ensure that each space had the look and feel they needed for the event. And managing the delivery schedules, set up and striking of the items across the campus.

Is this role straightforward?

Yes (for a logistics brain)

Is this demanding?

Yes, very.

I am based in the UK and the vendors I was managing were based in the US (East Coast, West Coast and Mid). So the first challenge was finding a balance with home life, work life and time difference, to ensure I was available when I needed to be.

I have never worked on this event before, so had no concept of the event, the venue, the scale and the historical event delivery. Getting to know the team and the event was a priority. Looking at as much information, videos, photos from previous events would help me understand my role (and the event).

One of my skills as a planner is people; I enjoy working with and understanding the people (the team), the stakeholders and the client. This role was very much about people. Finding out what X wants, seeing if Y can provide it, putting a presentation together for X based on Y’s information, then amending, updating the presentation, and presenting new options when required. I was the link between the vendors, the team and the client – and trying to manage, please and deliver what everyone wants when they want was the biggest challenge.

Another challenge was the delivery schedule – understanding the on-site process, the timings, the venue, working with the other vendors who needed access to set up, understanding client expectations. As a team, one mammoth document was created for delivery, set up and striking.

Did I enjoy the event?

Yes. With any event that you take on as a freelancer, there is always an element of the unknown, that is what makes freelancing so exciting! You never know quite what you are going to work, who you will meet and what skills you will need to bring to the project!

Roll on 2024!

Some fun facts for you:

• The maximum capacity of Hollywood Studios is 50,000 people.

• My daily step count over 2 weeks was…. 30,000!!!

• Which means I walked approx. 180 miles!!

• Average cost of a coffee was $7.00.

• I managed the planning, delivery, set up and striking of almost 4,000 individual pieces of furniture.

• I worked with some of THE LOVELIEST people. When you are working so hard on an event, friendships blossom – you need to find your gang who support you when the going gets tough and your feet, legs and calves are burning!!

• Cinderella, Belle, Pocahontas and Jasmine, I can’t thank you enough. Thanks for the LOLS!

Everything is a juggle!

It’s been a while since I have written a blog.

The sole reason is my life has been crazy! Absolutely crazy! Probably like most of you reading this, since the summer (well before that), the event world has gone frantic!! Everyone has woken up and wants everything NOW!!

Event opportunities are plentiful, they are varied and span both national and international locations!

So, there is no reason to complain as I am in demand… doing a job that I love for clients that I respect and enjoy working for.

There’s just one thing to throw in the mix…. Family, or more importantly small children!

My summer was challenging to say the least. I have a small one at Nursery and one slightly larger one at school. who needs entertaining for 6 weeks! So, taking on a new event with both a team and venue not based in the UK, you may thing was crazy. And it probably was!! Most of my calls and meetings were in the afternoon, and with the time difference I was on-line in the evening until late.

So, how did I cope in the summer…?

Well, there are football clubs, grandparents, friends/ coparents, playdate and a strict excel spreadsheet which must be followed!

If there is one thing that I have learnt from the summer, it is that life is always going to be a juggle – there are always going to be clashes, there are always going to be times when you can not be present. The most important thing for me is that I am doing my absolute best to parent and nurture my small ones, and also be the best event professional I can.

Life will always be a juggle, sometimes the clashes and stresses are unavoidable but we react and deal with them the best way we can.

Stay sane and positive!