Events > Forward Jeff Naue

Organizations and associations can leverage podcasts as part of their overall event marketing strategy. Every successful event starts with a great story that entices attendees. When people come to an event, they are committing their time, money, and effort, so they want to know what they are receiving in return. And there’s probably no better way to tell your event’s story than using a podcast. Podcasts are a very efficient and cost-effective option to promote your event content, increase the value for your sponsors or partners, and extend the experience for your attendees.

Last year, M&IW launched its very own branded podcast focused on the meetings and events industry called Events > Forward. It’s increasingly important to be well-informed about current issues facing the meetings and events industry. The M&IW podcast was a longtime dream come true for Jeff Naue, our Special Projects Marketing Lead.

As this marks our 1-year anniversary of the Events > Forward post, we wanted to turn the table. In this special episode, Marie Johnson, CMP, the Director of Marketing and Strategy for M&IW puts Jeff in the hot seat to learn more about how he got started in podcasting, perfected his craft, and what we can expect from him and the Events > Forward podcast in the future.

Tune in to our conversation with Marie Johnson and Jeff Naue to hear more and see if launching a “podcast series” might be a good fit for your next event! Podcasting has been around for well over a decade but it’s probably not the first thing event planners think of when they’re building their marketing plan. Adding podcasts to your promotional mix can be just what your event needs to grow excitement and audiences. Podcast listeners already care about your message — they’ve tuned in specifically to hear what you have to say and help your event reach beyond the walls of the convention center.

For more information visit us at www.meetings-incentives.com or contact our team at marketing@meetings-incentives.com.

An effective 'contest marketing strategy' is a critical driver to the success of your sales incentive campaign. To put it simply, the goal of the campaign is to drive greater returns through the qualification period by communicating to and motivating the contest participants.

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, connects with Anne Zambrano on the very interesting topic of incentive contests and marketing strategies around them. A good contest is always aligned with the growth objectives of the organization or department. So, ultimately the objectives of the campaign are to keep the contest top of mind, “move the middle” as we like to say, and drive performance. Anne Zambrano is the Marketing & Communications Lead for M&IW. In her position, Anne partners with our sales, marketing, and incentive travel teams to develop impactful marketing communications, incentives contests, and sales campaigns for our client programs.

Tune in to our interview with Anne Zambrano to hear why organizations need to develop a 'contest marketing strategy' and the role that marketing campaigns play in delivering investment returns.

For more information: 

We have written several blogs on this topic that can be found at www.meetings-incentives.com. Additionally, our team is always available for a conversation to discover and present a variety of ideas that can impact the marketing and communications of your sales incentive contest. Finally, we are releasing an Incentive Contest Marketing Guidebook in the near future, so make sure you are subscribed to our communications to receive the guidebook when it is released.

As we ready our organizations for the return of in-person events, many in a hybrid environment, we talked with Jessica Menzer a few weeks back on what it takes to build a powerhouse hybrid events team. If you missed that episode, she shared how events of the future will be more dynamic with blended audiences and customized content.

In this interview, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, continues the conversation with Missy Peterson around hybrid events, and more specifically, the role that event technology strategy plays in the design, planning, and production of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events. Missy is the Sr. Director of Event Technology Strategy for M&IW. This role was created in quick response to the pandemic and the need to shift client events from in-person to virtual. In her position, Missy provides consulting, guidance, and training on both virtual and hybrid strategies. However, even before the pandemic, event technology was a hot topic with event planners and the options not always easy to navigate. 

Tune in to our interview with Missy Peterson to learn why, especially now, you need to develop an event technology strategy for all your events. And, what you need to consider as your move forward. Also, if you are interested in working with M&IW, visit meetings-incentives.com.

The initial discovery process for sourcing in-person meetings has changed since pre-pandemic. Having open and honest conversations will lead to a more comprehensive and transparent sourcing process to ensure the personal safety and security of all your participants. 

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, catches up with Kristen Allan, Manager of Hotel Procurement. Kristen joined M&IW in 2019. Her career and background have been centered on hospitality and meeting planning for the past 21 years. She started in convention services, spanning into meeting planning and hotel sourcing and procurement.

This is the second part of this episode when Kristen shares insight about 2022 being referenced as the “come back year” for in-person meetings. She recently conducted a site visit in Orlando and will reveal what she experienced and how that will shape her sourcing process in the future. While momentum is building and confidence growing, we are still in constant change when it comes to sourcing meetings and events. Event stakeholders and planners need to ask more and different questions before determining the best destination and hotel venue for their event. The RFP questions go well beyond confirming if your event is in-person or hybrid.

Tune in for our interview with Kristen Allan to make sure you are armed with the information needed to safely source your next event. Also, if you are interested in working with M&IW, visit meetings-incentives.com.

The initial discovery process for sourcing in-person meetings has changed since pre-pandemic. Event stakeholders and planners need to ask more and different questions before determining the best destination and hotel venue for their event. The RFP questions go well beyond confirming if your event is in-person or hybrid.

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, catches up with Vicki Schmitz, Senior Manager of Procurement, to discuss the changes that event managers and meeting stakeholders should consider as part of their sourcing and contracting process to be sure the goals of the event can be met while also ensuring the personal safety and security for all of their participants.

Back in July of 2020, we did an episode called Before Your Source Your Next Event and interviewed Denise Farrell, Director of Procurement, and Vicki the Senior Manager of Procurement to discuss the changes that event managers and meeting stakeholders should consider as part of their sourcing process. Well, that episode did so great that we decided to do a follow-up episode. This is the first of a two-part episode where I'll first interview Vicki and then be interviewing Kristen Allen, Manager of Procurement.

Tune in to our interview with Vicki Walsh to learn what you need to consider before sourcing your next in-person or hybrid event. Also, if you are interested in working with M&IW, visit meetings-incentives.com.

When the pandemic hit in March of 2020 and in-person gatherings came to halt, M&IW was thrust into the virtual world. Fortunately, they were able to leverage event planning tools and technologies to produce almost 1,000 virtual events for their clients. Around that same time, they launched the Events > Forward Task Force to focus on the safe return of LIVE in-person events and how the pandemic would reshape events in the future. 

Now, with the vaccines rolling out, optimism is returning. M&IW knows they still need to adhere to not only local guidelines but also client meeting and travel policies. They know health and safety will continue to be top of mind even past the pandemic. More importantly, they know the expectations of their clients and event attendees have changed. 

In this episode, our host, Jeff Naue, Special Projects Marketing Lead, talks with Jessica Menzer, a Strategic Account Manager within Global Enterprise Solutions at Meetings & Incentives Worldwide, on how events of the future will be more dynamic with blended online and offline audiences. As the project lead for a new initiative called Events Reminagined, she reminds us that you can't just smash together an in-person format and virtual format and call it a hybrid event. The strategy and approach should be thoughtful to create an impactful and unique experience for both audiences. It is important to consult with event owners and guide them through all of the new options and considerations to design and produce a successful hybrid event.

Before all else, you need to have the right team in place to design and produce a successful hybrid event for your organization. A hybrid team includes many of the individuals from your in-person events planning team, but now you also need to factor in new roles to blend and engage your online and offline audiences. Tune in for our interview with Jessica Menzer to learn what it takes to build a powerhouse hybrid events team. Or, if you are interested in working with M&IW, visit meetings-incentives.com.