The Inspiration Sessions from Elevate Mentoring

Elevate Mentoring

This podcast is part of our monthly series of inspirational talks curated for Elevate by our People and Culture partners Zoe Tuffs from TIMES x10 Coaching, Nic Neal from Nic Neal People and Culture Consultancy and our Learning Partner Matt Bolton-Alarcón of Special Sauce Training.  About Elevate - Elevate is a pioneering free mentoring programme that has been designed with a specific goal in mind – to inspire, inform and empower people within the event industry.  Elevate operates, thanks to the generosity of our partners and supporters. Our partners are: Cvent, Jack Morton Worldwide, Live Union, Powwow Events, Protein STUDIOS (venue partner), PSP, The Production Department, We Are Collider  and CastleBell Ltd, SPECIAL SAUCE TRAINING LTD (training partner), Times Ten Coaching, Nic Neal (people and culture partners). Our sound and mix engineer is Matteo Magariello and our producer is Peter Kerwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Jul 24

    How to create unboring B2B events

    The Inspiration Sessions podcast series has been specially created by the Elevate team, ensuring that the Elevate community receives the most valuable and impactful tools, resources and inspiration. In this episode, Jez Paxman, Live Union’s Strategy Director and one of the agency’s founders, talks about how to create unboring B2B events that connect people more effectively with ideas and with one another. He offers three simple solutions: don’t design a business event, do design an event you’d genuinely like to attend and do sweat the small stuff. His overarching message is that B2B events should stop relying on traditional corporate formulas and instead be shaped around what people actually want: meaningful ideas, human connection, conversation and memorable experiences. Notes and takeaways from this podcast can be downloaded HERE. Elevate operates thanks to the generosity of our global headline partners; Amplify, Seed and Wonder.  Our global partners are Cvent, Identity, First, Illusion, Inconf, Powwow, PSP and The Production Department.  Our partners are ASEMBL Group, CastleBell, Curious Nation and Jimmy Garcia Catering. Our venue partner is White Rabbit Studios, our training partner is Special Sauce Training and our people and culture partners are Zoe Tuffs from TIMES x10 Coaching and Nic Neal.  Together, we’re changing lives, careers and the events industry for the better. Our sound engineer is Matteo Magariello, and our producer is Peter Kerwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    How to create unboring B2B events
  2. Jul 17

    Supercharge your creative thinking

    In today’s world, the ability to think creatively and solve real problems is one of your biggest competitive advantages. Creativity isn’t a rare talent. It’s a skill anyone can build by asking better questions, challenging assumptions, thinking differently about problems and being unapologetically curious. In this talk, led by our Learning Partner, Matt Bolton-Alarcón of Special Sauce Training, we explore how to build creative confidence, generate better ideas and solve problems more effectively. Matt works with teams at some of the world’s leading organisations, including Google, helping them develop their creative problem-solving skills. ​ He was joined by the brilliant Emma Gardner, Executive Design Director at Identity, for a session that includes a practical workshop, panel discussion, Q&A and plenty of inspiration. Helping unpack this sessions theme were our expert panel PJ Bailey, Senior Events Manager, Events & Experiences, EMEA at Google, Kate O’Connor, Strategic Creative Director at Identity and Trini-Maria Katakwe, Spatial Designer and Cultural Strategist. Expect practical tools, fresh thinking and plenty of creative energy. The presentation referred to in this session can be downloaded HERE.  This podcast is recorded at White Rabbit Studios in Shoreditch with a live audience. Elevate operates thanks to the generosity of our global headline partners; Amplify, Seed and Wonder.  Our global partners are Cvent, Identity, First, Illusion, Inconf, Powwow, PSP and The Production Department.  Our partners are ASEMBL Group, CastleBell, Curious Nation and Jimmy Garcia Catering. Our venue partner is White Rabbit Studios, our training partner is Special Sauce Training and our people and culture partners are Zoe Tuffs from TIMES x10 Coaching and Nic Neal.  Together, we’re changing lives, careers and the events industry for the better. Our sound engineer is Matteo Magariello, and our producer is Peter Kerwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Supercharge your creative thinking
  3. Jun 15

    Saying Yes Before You Feel Ready – a five minute talk by Kelly Taws, Founder of Athena Event Solutions

    This recording is part of our open mic series of 5 minute talks that take place at the end of our Inspiration Sessions. This fantastic talk by Kelly Taws Founder of Athena Event Solutions lasts exactly 3 minutes and 22 seconds! Her talk is entitled ‘Saying Yes Before You Feel Ready’. As Kelly puts it: “Sometimes the best thing you can do is say yes, show up and trust that your confidence will catch up with you.” Kelly was introduced by Amina Hassam, an assistant producer from the film and TV industry who is now building her career in events as a freelance event producer.  This podcast is recorded at White Rabbit Studios in Shoreditch with a live audience. Elevate operates thanks to the generosity of our global headline partners; Amplify, Seed and Wonder.  Our global partners are Cvent, Identity, First, Illusion, Inconf, Powwow, PSP and The Production Department.  Our partners are ASEMBL Group, CastleBell, Curious Nation and Jimmy Garcia Catering. Our venue partner is White Rabbit Studios, our training partner is Special Sauce Training and our people and culture partners are Zoe Tuffs from TIMES x10 Coaching and Nic Neal.  Together, we’re changing lives, careers and the events industry for the better. Our sound engineer is Matteo Magariello, and our producer is Peter Kerwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Saying Yes Before You Feel Ready – a five minute talk by Kelly Taws, Founder of Athena Event Solutions
  4. Jun 13

    Own your growth: The career levers that move you forward

    This is our first live and in person inspiration session for 2026 specially created by the Elevate team, ensuring that the Elevate community receives the most valuable and impactful tools, resources, and inspiration.  In this talk Zoe Tuffs from Times 10 Coaching and people and culture consultant Nic Neal explore how, even when growth feels outside of our control, there is still plenty we can own to move closer to our goals. What really brings the session to life are the brilliant industry stories shared by Jen Bonassera, Senior Events Director at Condé Nast, Sarah Godden, Head of Events at Wonderland Agency and Mwathi Muri-Gakonga, Founder, Creative Freelancer, Student and member of the Elevate NewGen leadership team. The presentation referred to in this session can be downloaded HERE.    This podcast is recorded at White Rabbit Studios in Shoreditch with a live audience. Elevate operates thanks to the generosity of our global headline partners; Amplify, Seed and Wonder.  Our global partners are Cvent, Identity, First, Illusion, Inconf, Powwow, PSP and The Production Department.  Our partners are ASEMBL Group, CastleBell, Curious Nation and Jimmy Garcia Catering. Our venue partner is White Rabbit Studios, our training partner is Special Sauce Training and our people and culture partners are Zoe Tuffs from TIMES x10 Coaching and Nic Neal.  Together, we’re changing lives, careers and the events industry for the better. Our sound engineer is Matteo Magariello, and our producer is Peter Kerwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Own your growth: The career levers that move you forward
  5. 09/07/2025

    Confident connections: Networking that opens doors

    This is our fifth live-and-in-person Inspiration Session for 2025, specially curated by the Elevate team ensuring that the Elevate community receives the most valuable and impactful tools, resources and inspiration.  Networking can feel daunting at any stage of your career, but at its heart it’s about building meaningful connections. With the right mindset and strategies, it can be enjoyable and rewarding. In this talk Max Fellows, the Founder of Allpoints and Co-founder of Elevate, will share practical tips and strategies for navigating the entire networking process with confidence, authenticity and less awkwardness. There is something for everyone in this talk no matter how senior you are. The presentation referred in this session can be downloaded from the show notes HERE. This podcast was recorded at Protein Studios in Shoreditch with a live audience.  This project is powered by our Partners; Cvent, Jack Morton, Live Union, Powwow, PSP, The Production Department,, We Are Collider and CastleBell Ltd. Our Training Partner is Matt Bolton-Alarcón from Special Sauce Training, our People and Culture Partners are Zoe Tuffs from TIMES x10 Coaching and people and culture strategy consultant Nic Neal. Our Venue Partner is Protein Studios. Together, we're changing lives, careers and the events industry for the better. Our sound and mix engineer is Matteo Magariello and our producer is Peter Kerwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Confident connections: Networking that opens doors

About

This podcast is part of our monthly series of inspirational talks curated for Elevate by our People and Culture partners Zoe Tuffs from TIMES x10 Coaching, Nic Neal from Nic Neal People and Culture Consultancy and our Learning Partner Matt Bolton-Alarcón of Special Sauce Training.  About Elevate - Elevate is a pioneering free mentoring programme that has been designed with a specific goal in mind – to inspire, inform and empower people within the event industry.  Elevate operates, thanks to the generosity of our partners and supporters. Our partners are: Cvent, Jack Morton Worldwide, Live Union, Powwow Events, Protein STUDIOS (venue partner), PSP, The Production Department, We Are Collider  and CastleBell Ltd, SPECIAL SAUCE TRAINING LTD (training partner), Times Ten Coaching, Nic Neal (people and culture partners). Our sound and mix engineer is Matteo Magariello and our producer is Peter Kerwood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.