Wake Up: Attendees and Exhibitors Hate Being Sold To — And It’s Killing Your Event

Let’s cut the nonsense: attendees and exhibitors don’t want your sales pitch. They don’t want your marketing fluff. They don’t care about your “early bird discounts,” your flashy too expensive booth packages, or your overhyped agenda full of buzzwords and ‘industry experts’. Like this experience. They want results.They want value.And if you keep marketing at […]

Harness The Future: How Marketers Become Event Strategists

For event marketers to be able to take their events and their own careers to the next level, they must move beyond tactical execution to strategic decision-making. I believe that mastering event strategy starts with two foundational pillars: knowing the context of your job and truly understanding your customer. These elements will serve as the foundation […]

What Will AI Do to Event Professionals’ Jobs in the Next 18 Months?

According to the IAEE, the event industry in the United States employs approximately seven million professionals., from organizers and marketers to sales teams and operations experts. But with AI advancing at breakneck speed, what will happen to  those jobs in the next 18 months? Are we looking at a mass displacement, or will AI be the […]

The Core Problems Holding Events Back

I’ve spent over 30 years in the events industry, and since launching The Event Mechanic! in 2005, I’ve had the opportunity to identify the patterns that drive event success and the warning signs that signal their decline. I’ve pinpointed the key reasons events fail and, more importantly, what organizers can do to turn things around. […]

Winning Back Lost Exhibitors: Strategies for Event Organizers

Losing exhibitors is an inevitable but painful part of the business and a flag to suggest your event might be on the way out. Whether due to budget constraints, lack of ROI, or a change in strategy, once an exhibitor walks away, bringing them back can be a challenge. However, re-engaging lost exhibitors can be […]

Late Registrations:A Symptom of Weak Events, not a New Norm

In recent years, event organizers have observed a trend of ever later attendee registrations, prompting many to declare this phenomenon as the “new norm” in the business. The reasoning for this center on potential participants’ increasingly busy calendars and the tendency for last-minute decisions on attending events. Sorry I think this nonsense. Late registrations are […]

Developing Market Gravity at Your Event

Creating market gravity—an irresistible pull that always brings your target audience, exhibitors, and sponsors to your event—is no small feat. . It requires personal inspiration, clear vision, relentless focus, and the discipline to execute with precision. I’ve seen firsthand how some events become magnets for their industries, while others struggle to stand out and disappear. Here’s how […]

The Individual’s Role in an AI-Driven Future

Although companies play a critical role in implementing AI, the journey starts with individuals. Professionals in the events business must develop skills that AI cannot replicate easily yet to continue providing value to their employers. These include conceptual creativity, strategic thinking, and the ability to synthesize ideas on their own. Adopting AI tools to complement human capabilities […]