The Bullet List Show

Join the hosts Keith Johnston of Plannerwire and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News as they chat about sustainability and what progress has been made.

Keith's article can be found here, Don’t Fall for Greenwashing.

You can find out more about Angle here, and more about Valerie on her LinkedIn page.

• UK events company Hyve Group sold to US private equity firm
• Informa Buys Tarsus: Exclusive Interview By Dan Assor With Doug Emslie
• It’s Been A Big Week For Cvent & Reggie Aggarwal

At the recent Confex show in London, I had the pleasure of discussing ChatGPT and AI with 2 of my favourite people - Francesca Balit, event marketer and podcast host of The Events Cast and Merijin Van Buuren, virtual and hybrid platforms expert behind Event Mender.

We talked about whether the event industry should be using ChatGPT for marketing automation and for content generation. There are pro's and con's on both sides of the argument. However, it's still relatively new to the events industry and the debate on why you should use it and how, will go one for some time.

If you enjoyed this episode then please leave a comment, give a like or follow the podcast on your preferred podcast platform. Your feedback is really important to us.

Don't forget you can follow the podcast on Twitter and LinkedIn.

When event professionals attend industry events, for example the upcoming Confex 2023, they can find it difficult to think like an attendee. That's why in this episode, we talk about the things an event professional should keep in mind. We're not sharing anything new, just reminding you of what you already know.

Make sure you listen to the end for a bonus tip!

Are you using TikTok for promoting your meetings and events? Michelle Bergstein of Beat Creative Marketing is back for another episode, and she thinks you should be! Along with our discussion on the benefits of TikTok, we explore the world of filters and templates. Michelle also talks about the benefits of designing your own effects and how they can impact your marketing campaigns. So join us for fact filled episode and find out more about Ollie The Ox!

Good data doesn’t lie. And that’s important when it comes to demonstrating the ROI of events. We discuss this with Luke Bukley, head of sales at VenuIQ. 

Along with the importance of setting goals and what you should be measuring, we also explore what event profs, exhibitors and sponsors should do with the data.

• Treefan Events
• Events Demystified Podcast
• LinkedIn profile

Health and female role models are very important topics that we are looking to explore further. If you would like to be a future guest and explore these topics with us then please get in touch.

More information and links are available on the Bullet List Show Blog

We talk with Ben Gutkovich of Superlinked, a privacy-first social recommendation engine. We discover how to make your event app irresistibly relevant and the best way to understand your users and give them exactly what they want.

We also discuss how virtual events are losing the competition for attendee attention with low attendance and even lower engagement. It's negatively impacting sponsor satisfaction and revenues. No wonder event planners are excited about the return of IRL events!

Where do you start when it comes to great movie soundtracks? There are just so many movies that you watch over and over just for the music! In this episode of the Meeting Planner Music Club, we are joined by our regular guest Stuart Mitchel of Catch The Mice. We share our top pics, memories and more.

Our choices include...

🎶 Charlie's Angels
🎶 Guardians of the Galaxy 1 & 2
🎶 Tank Girl

The live recording of this episode can be found on our YouTube channel. 

I'm sure you have your own opinions on Elon Musk and the plans he has for Twitter, so join us on our Facebook group and tell us what you think.

Podcasts are the topic for this episode of The Bullet List Show podcast. We chat about the things that event industry podcasters are getting right, and what they seem to be getting wrong. We’ve noticed a lot of good and bad things while we were building our latest project – Phizzpod. The event industry’s only site that aggregates podcasts.

There are plenty of things that are being done right. For example, when it comes to a podcasts's home page on the site they are using to host their episodes…

✔ Links to the associated website

✔ Social Media Links

✔ Show notes that are to the point and encourage listening.

We had a lot to say about podcasts, I bet you do too! Let us know what you think in our Facebook Group.

Join Bob Toovey of Event Planner News and Keith Johnston of Plannerwire as they sit down with Stuart Mitchell of Catch the Mice to chat about their Favourite Amazing Women of Rock!! 

Twitter is an important and pervasive social network. It has proved to be an essential tool for event and meeting planners. However, there are things you need to do to get the best out of it. In this episode, originally recorded as part of our 31 days of August, Keith and I share some top tips that you really need to know.

We also mention tools like Canva, Buffer and the image resource site Pixabay. Great resources that can help your tweets get more interest when it comes to using images.

We have not been sponsored for any tools or resources mentioned, all recommendations are based on our experiences and personal preferences.

If your association or conference doesn't have an associated podcast, then it's about time it did! In this episode, originally recorded as part of our 31 Days Of August Challenge, we talk with Mike McAllen of Podcasting 4 Associations. We discuss podcasting and how it can help associations reach their members and even generate new revenue streams.

Don’t forget to come and visit us in our Facebook group, where you can share your thoughts on on this episode

In Episode 22, we talked with Laura Jelinek and Francesca Rodriguez Balit about accessibility for venues and websites. In this episode, we continue to explore accessibility but this time we take a look at virtual events. Helping us to examine this important topic is  returning guest Stas Zaslavsky of Vii Events.

The points discussed include,

• supporting the attendee's experience
• going beyond what your platform already includes
• testing that you are meeting the needs of all attendee's

One very interesting item that is brought up during our conversation, is how the law in Israel forces companies to ensure accessibility needs are met. Could be a model that the rest of the world should follow...

On Thursday 31st May, went live to our Facebook group just to see what it takes when using a third party platform. In our test we used Restream, which makes this sort of thing fairly easy. The test went very well, so well that while we were there, we recorded an episode!

You well be wondering what ‘managed travel’ is and why you need it. In this episode we are joined by Elliot McNamee, director of product marketing at AmTrav.  We discuss what managed travel is and how AmTrav can make life easier  when trying to get attendees booked in to the right place.

We also talk about AmTrav’s latest product, Gather. Their new tool provides expert help and time saving services for anyone booking travel for meetings and events.

Joining us to discuss these questions and how the event industry is  dealing with accessibility, are Laura Jelinek and returning guest, Francesca Rodriguez Balit. We explore the issues facing event planners, venues and website designers.

This is the first in a series of episodes that will look deeper in to accessibility.

Our guest, Merijn van Buuren of Event Mender, shares his top tips on how to select a platform that suits your needs. He also talks about how Event Mender will make life a lot easier for event planners.

What is the current of state social media, with regards to the event industry? In this episode, Tess Vismale from iSocial Execution joins us to discuss the various social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. We also talk about Elon Musk, the benefits of Facebook Groups and our favourite social media platforms.

"Tess Vismale is a creative visionary and the Chief Event Executioner for iSocialExecution, Inc. She is also a proud Tech Evangelist on the DAHLIA+ team. She is the former Senior Event Lead for Atlanta Botanical Gardens, a Tech Evangelist with The Meeting Pool, as well as the Conference Center Manager at Atlanta Technical College, where she served on the President's Leadership Team. Tess is a Certified Meeting Professional (CMP) and Digital Event Strategist (DES)."

We talk with Rob Vass, co-founder of Joi.events about how his platform can make an event planners life a lot easier. Topics include how spreadsheets can be counter productive, best ways to ensure everyone has the latest information and how to simplify the gathering of content from clients and speakers.

In this episode, we chat with Tim Flors, SVP & Chief Customer Officer at Groups360.  Tim talks about the back-story to the platform, what it has to offer  event planners and along with current and future integrations.

Don’t forget to come and visit us in our Facebook group, where you can discuss this episode and share your essential items that you carry in your kit. We would love to hear your suggestions!

In this episode we talk about Event & Association Websites with Francesca Rodriguez Balit of BBR Web Management. Francesca's company is a personal web management boutique for event organisers. We discuss websites, social media and some of the mistakes that can spoil a visitors experience.

Topics in this episode include...

• Website design and redesign mistakes on event & association websites
• Deciding between a stand alone site or one that is integrated in an existing website
• Which features should a website have when it comes to marketing an event or association website?
• Is there a social media platform that's more suited to promoting an event or association website
• Up coming trends in event & association websites

Don’t forget to come and visit us in our Facebook group, where you can discuss this episode and share your thoughts on the topics mentioned. If you would like to take part in a future podcast episode then please get in touch.

In this episode we talk with Lisa Schulteis, an experienced organiser of live and virtual events. She is the founder of Your Event Market Place, the market place for event professionals.

She started working on her new project during the various Covid lockdowns of 2020 and launched the business in 2021. In our conversation we discuss how and why she got started, about the service itself and the various challenges she faced in getting established.

Don’t forget to come and visit us in our Facebook group, where you can discuss this episode and share your thoughts on the topics mentioned. If you would like to take part in our podcast then please get in touch.

In this episode, we discuss the Metaverse with Stas Zaslavsky Of Vii Events and Stuart Mitchell of Catch The Mice.  We ask questions like, what exactly is the Metaverse and what can you do when you get there? We also talk about the differences between what Facebook thinks the Metaverse is and what everyone else imagines it to be.

Stas is the co-founder and CEO of VII-Events, an All-in-One 3D 360° Metaverse Platform. Stuart has many talents including, director at Catch the MICE Limited, event industry connector, speaker and general dispeller of darkness!

In this episode we talk with Michelle Bruno of Event Tech Brief. We chat about what she's been up to, the great event tech implosion and the current state of event tech. 

"Michelle Bruno is a writer, blogger, and technology journalist. At Bruno Group Signature Services, she develops content and content strategies for technology companies specializing in the live-event industry."

Thanks to Mike Kavanagh for the intro voice over - 

You can find out more about the services Mike provides on his website.

Don’t forget to come and visit us in our Facebook group,  where you can discuss this episode and share your thoughts on the  topics mentioned. If you would like to take part in our podcast then please get in touch.

In this episode, we talk about Facebook and the decline of Page reach. Our conversation is based around a video that was recently published by Michael Stelzner of Social Media Examiner. He details the experiments they carried out to increase reach, and the solution they eventually arrive at.

Don't forget to come and visit us in our Facebook group, where you can discuss this episode and share your top tips for Facebook.

In this episode, our guest is Michelle Bergstein-Fontanez of Beat Creative Marketing. We discuss event marketing and the art of engagement.

Our conversation includes, how to keep engagement going when an event  has to be postponed, how to make best use of Facebook groups and the  resurgence of local TV advertising. Michelle shares plenty of great tips  based on her experience as an event planner and marketeer.

In this episode, we mention the following

• Ocoee Music Festival
• Blip Billboards
• Vibe CTV & OTT Ad platform

Don’t forget to come and visit us in our Facebook group, where you can discuss this episode and share your top tips for marketing.

In this episode, Keith and I discuss the recent PCMA show in Las Vegas where Keith was in attendance. It was held at Caesars Forum and Harrahs Hotel, 10th – 12th January 2022.

Audio goes here

Keith goes through his list of hits and misses for the event, overall  though, his experience of the PCMA was very positive. During our  conversation, we discuss transport to the show (Taxi’s and Uber), the  lack of knives and the music played to attendees. We also chat about  toilets and a slight problem with our episode numbering!

Companies mentioned in this episode include…

• Dahlia+ (check out our recent episode with Dahlia El Gazzar)
• Juno Live
• Hublio
• Allseated
• InEvent

Don’t forget to come and visit us in our Facebook group, where you can discuss this episode and other things related to the event industry.

In this episode, our guest is the fabulous Dahlia El Gazzar from Dahlia Plus Agency.  We have a great conversation about the impact of Covid and how upcoming  events are being affected by Omicron. We also discuss the Metaverse and  much more !

audio code goes here so don’t copy this bit!

The following links were mention in the episode…

• PCMA Convening Leaders
• Trends by Hustle
• Event Tech Live Las Vegas
• Allseated

If you have any views on this episode or want to discuss further the points mentioned then come join us on our Facebook group.

• Learning Toolbox for ePosters Page
• Example Showcase (explore some real ePosters)
• Main website

Thanks to Stuart Mitchel of Catch The Mice for the intro voice over and to Olly for the between segment voice overs.

During this episode, we discussed mental health. If you need any help then Eventwell has plenty of information and many very useful services.

In this episode, we are joined by Stuart Mitchell, who is encouraging  businesses to explore virtual events. You can find out more by checking  out the website Catch The Mice and by following Stuart and his team on Twitter.

• Return of events, Confex 2021 London ExCel and the implecations of any covid infections after.
• England set to introduce vaccine passports for large venue
• Value of UK events sector down by £57 billion due to Covid

For this episode, Stuart Mitchell shares his list on why businesses should be exploring online events.

• Virtual – a new weapon in your Events Armoury. Virtual and will run along-side in person events
• Global Audience: Increased audience, increased reach & increased customer base.
• Commercial Saving: Travel – COST and TIME saving. For productivity, this will be the new priority.
• Sustainability – Board members flying to NY for a meeting? Events don’t need to cost the EARTH!
• Work / Life balance. Travel Time away from family, avoiding burn out & taking care of mental health

In this episode, the following websites were mentioned…

• EventWell – the event industry mental health charity
• Intelligo – a flexible web-based platform for delivering virtual experiences online.
• Vii Events – an all-in-one 3D 360° virtual events platform

Thanks again to Stuart Mitchell for taking part. If you have a top tip you would like us to share then please get in touch. Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

• iOS Changes to upend email marketing – Future updates to iOS will restrict tracking of opened emails.
• CES Requiring vaccine to attend – The Consumer Technology Association has announced proof of vaccination is required for in-person attendees of CES 2022.
• Google Tables for Teams – Currently in Google Labs and will be a product next year

• ROI of hybrid events - We discuss the 'return of investment'.
• Better for sponsors - Exposure is not limited to in-person attendees. Exhibitors can be come sponsors and be part of the online experience.
• People are still not travelling! - There are still problems with travelling and hotels are still suffering from staff shortages.
• Recorded content lives longer - Splice up the video in smaller segments for sharing. Segments with big value can be turned in to blog posts. Take the audio from small segments to create podcast episodes.
• Inclusivity - Many attendees can't make a real life event and disability is a huge reason why. Whether you've attended in person or not, everyone can be part of the 'after show' community.

In this episode, the intro voice-over is by Abbie Thoms, our guest from episode 3. The voice-over that comes between segments is by Olly Court. We highly recommend him for any voice over or announcer work.

If you have a top tip you would like us to share then please get in touch. Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast RSS feed so you don’t miss an episode!

When it comes to crafting the perfect website, sometimes things can  be overlooked. In this episode, we share our thoughts on what we  consider to be important. To help the discussion we are joined by a  guest, the award winning website designer and creator, Abbie Thoms of Polyspiral.

• Pop-ups – those awful things that get in the way. An informal Linked survey showed that…
• The T-Mobile hack – let that inspire you to protect your event and client data!

• A fixed footer – make sure it’s informative and stays where it is!
• Social media links – make them big and bold and obvious
• Make sure you have the essential pages – at least an about page & contact page
• Does it work with mobile? – a mobile/responsive design is more important than ever
• Text size, colour and contrast – make sure it’s easy to read and doesn’t strain the eye

• Intrado buys Hubb, as we spin down the hole of consolidation in the industry.
• QR Codes narrowly escape a digital death, they’ve not gone away but they are being talked about again.
• Restream now offers streaming to guests’ channels!

When embarking on a team project, like putting together a podcast  episode, you need to be able to co-ordinate work and make sure you are  all heading in the right direction. For this weeks bullet list, here’s  the top 5 apps we’ve used and tested.

• Rock – If Evernote and Slack had a baby
• Evernote – the gold standard?
• Smartsheet Better than spreadsheets or forms
• Slack – group chat on steriods – essential for team communications though
• Brandy – Probably the easiest way to share a brands images, logo’s and colours.

This week, our intro now has a voice over. So a big thank you to my Mum for letting me record her!

If you have a top tip you would like us to share then please get in touch.

• The Delta Variant / National Association of Manufacturers Announces COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement for Staff – Labor Shortages.
• LinkedIn Ads – Native Video Meeting Option, Facilitating Enhanced Connection in the App.
• Microsoft Acquires Video Streaming Company PEER5 To Improve Teams

This is what this podcast is all about, our favourite top tips. For  this inaugural episode, we discuss our thoughts on getting started with  Twitter.

• Turn up – if you haven’t already, make an account and start tweeting!
• Tweet often – best way to attract new followers and show them you are serious.
• Be consistent – set up a routine and stick to it.
• Use hashtags – use around 3 and make sure they are relevant and in use.
• Mention others – if you are sharing a link or retweeting, credit the original author.

Also mentioned in this episode is Hashtagify, a great way of finding trending hashtags on Twitter, and a tweet from the Royal National Institute for the Blind – explains why you should capitalise words in hashtags.

If you have a top tip you would like us to share then please get in touch.