Podcast Transcript

Transcript by Christian Jamison

Nausheen: You are listening to Plantastic Events Podcast, episode number zero zero one
Hey everyone, welcome to Plantastic Events. 
I'm your host, Nausheen Punjani. 
This is a weekly podcast dedicated to help you plan your events with ease. 
Be sure to subscribe at stoogeapp.com and stay up to date - that's stoogeapp.com, plus you'll receive tons of resources: freebies, guides, and show notes. 
Thank you for joining, and now let's get into the show.
Hey everyone, my name is Nausheen Punjani, and I'm your host for Plantastic Events. 
This is my first ever podcast and I cannot thank you all enough for joining and for supporting me. 
This will be introductory episode describing what is Plantastic podcasts and what it can do for you. 
This podcast will teach you the fundamental of event planning and management for all the professionals out there. 
If you organize live music events, parties, official meetings, or if you just want to learn, this podcast is for you.
What can you expect from me, and what are the core topics we'll talk about in the next few episodes? 
I'll talk about major trends in the event industry, especially around 2018. Security is one of the most, I guess, the biggest hot topic for now. 
There are pressing security requirements that all event professionals need to focus on, and many times, it can also be impacted by the political climate. 
We're going to talk about some of the hot and controversial topics out there. 
Some things most users won't find exciting to talk about, but I think it's crucial to discuss. 
Crowd management can also fall under securities trends, and I think it's especially important for those that focus on live music events.
Many times, it’s hard to predict the number of folks that show up at the door and venue selection just might not meet that need. 
So, just how do you focus on crowd management? 
We'll get into all those details. technology is also evolving, and if you're targeting the younger generation for events, it just might be important to stay up to date with the latest trends out there.
I think event professionals are growing tired of the constant changes and sometimes, they just want something that just needs to be solved, a problem that just needs to be solved, a problem that needs to be addressed.
It’s not always about the latest features and the cool updates.
We’ll follow all of these, track these changes, and keep you in the loop on what works and what doesn’t'.
You know what think needs a technology boost? Vendor booths - I think they're stuck in some sort of time capsule.
It’s hard to keep track of how many customers visit a particular booth or what their experiences were with different types of events out there.
Same issue with sponsors - I feel like you need to know how to give the best insight to you sponsors so you can build a strong, lasting relationship with them, you need to give them the right data.
I come from an analytics background, so I can tell you that its important and very crucial on the type of data you give.
You can also do a lot with social media platforms: even basic things like asking attendees to sign in on Facebook logins and share that data with sponsors, or use hashtags, find out what your user group looks like, what your audience is or who they are, what they need, what are they looking for.
There are many ways out there to get into that information, and well look into all that for you.
This podcast also pushes through basic technological updates, including polling questions for your attendees while the event is going on.
I don't think many people follow through on surveys after they're done, unless they’re upset about storming, they’re not going to follow through on it.
Get them then, get them quick, and make sure you engage them. - just like polling questions, I think that’s the simplest way, but we’ll get into other types as well
We’ll also talk about dealing with remote audiences.
How do you capitalize on an online audience? are there things to do to keep them engaged and not falling asleep on a WebX presentation? 
Sheesh, I've had to deal with that many times and it’s just boring, it’s not exciting; learn to engage with your audience.
Engaging with your audience during an event is critical and don't just leave them on their own.
I think even those that are there, focus on something small, something that meaningful for them.
I think one of them most basic things are picture booths.
You can add a hashtag or tell them if you post this picture on social media or snapchat, have filters for it or have hashtags for it so you can have the buzz that you need.
You can get the shares that you need and you’re offering something meaningful in return.
That’s memories for them, and you get something worth sharing.
That also goes for event photography too, use your photographers wisely, give them a chance to be creative.
Even if you think about a green screen, something so basic, something so simple, work with them and get their advice.
You can be so creative with different types of things, and remember that they have experience, too.
Again, just use them wisely.
We'll have photographers that focus just on event photography, and they'll be here to give you information about that.
I also think its important to talk about storytelling.
I always use motions whenever I talk about anything.
Like, for my first podcast, I feel a buzz, like butterflies in my stomach, and feeling so scared and nervous - but that gives you an emotional reaction to my emotions.
You’ll feel that it’s something relatable.
If you talk about physical emotions to another attendee, they’ll feel what you’re feeling.
I think Disney capitalizes on that the best - they sell joy, happiness, excitement, laughter.
When you're marketing, think about emotions.
We'll also talk about that.
Last minute registrations - that's the most difficult for event planners just because you're not really prepared for that.
You try your best to figure what to do, how to count them up, but you’ll always get those last-minute registrations.
It’s just almost inevitable.
How do you deal with that, how do you learn to maybe event put them in ticket brackets, penalize some of them if they come in later or give some urgency to register early?
These are all topics we're going to talk about in 2018, and so much more.
If you have any suggestions or questions, reach out to us on twitter on Facebook, Instagram, wherever honestly, just let us know and we'll try our best to find resources for you.
If you're an expert and have advice to share, contact me and I’ll be happy to set up time with you as a guest speaker.
Either way, tune to our next episode.
It will be on our social media pages, and we're going to talk about marketing, google analytics, social media marketing, budgeting details, working on a tight budget, and dealing with live music events - all just for you.
Love you guys and thank you so much for listening to me and supporting me. 
Although the event industry includes a lot of stressful work and late meetings and late work - just remember, every event you bring to life creates memories of a lifetime for many people out there.
Did you love this episode of Plantastic events?
We’d love for you to subscribe, rate, and leave a review on iTunes.
Each week we'll give a shoutout to a review of the week, and remember- we have resources available at stoogeapp.com .
Thanks for listening, and goodbye.
produced by stoogeapp.com - music by Justin Madhar