Welcome to Backstage Pass, where we chat with those who work behind the scenes to make events happen.
My guest is Jennie Plumlee, who has many years of experience, which includes being a Marketing Director, organising Conference Sponsorships and creating global Webinars. And there’s much more, as you can see on her LinkedIn profile.
She’s currently sharing her expertise with university students, in particular, helping them discover a career in corporate events. Jennie is also sharing some of that knowledge on Instagram.
Jennie found a few minutes in her busy day to have a quick chat with me. I start by asking why corporate events are different.
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EPN is supported by the event industry community, Vividink, Eventflow and There.app. Discover how you can become a patron.
This is a short episode as it’s the last one for 2025. We’re taking a break and we will be back in January 2026.
Our amazing team has taken part in 20 episodes, so a huge thank you to Paul Richardson, Jill Hawkins, Paul Cook and Kristyna O'Oconnell.
As mentioned in this episode...
A huge thank you also goes to our amazing patrons and sponsors, Vividink, Eventflow and There.app for their continued support.
Event Planner News is fueled and supported by the amazing event industry community. It’s because of our patrons and sponsors we keep doing what we do. If you would to offer your support, then please get in touch.
Lastly, a huge thank you to you and all those who took the time to listen. I really look forward to you joining me in 2026 for more great episodes!
This Week In Events dives in to event industry news stories from the last 7 days. This edition, for Friday 28th November, features Paul Richardson, Paul Cook and Bob Toovey.
Stories discussed this week...
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
Discover more episodes of This Week In Events on EPN Journal.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe so you get notified when new episodes are published.
Thank you to our Patron Vividink PR for their continued support. Discover how you can become a patron.
This Week In Events, a weekly series that takes a deeper look at some of the stories and trends from the last 7 days.
This edition, for Friday 1st November, features Paul Richardson of VividInk, Jill Hawkins of Aniseed PR and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News.
This weeks topics include...
We would love to hear your thoughts on the stories discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening!
As mentioned in our last episode, we recorded a special edition of ‘This Week In Events’. The team met on the first day of Event Tech Live at the First Sight Media podcast stage, it was the first time we had recorded an episode face to face. We were also the first podcast to be recorded at the show.
The team featured myself, Paul Richardson, Jill Hawkins and Paul Cook. The topics under discussion included…
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe so you get notified when new episodes are published.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Our lead story this week, why are Eventex Awards getting so much attention? Are they a true reflection of the industry or simply a popularity contest?
We also discuss 20 minute sessions and the associations with almost identical logos and names.
PLUS we have news of where and when the next episode is being recorded!
This edition, for Friday 7th November, features Paul Richardson of VividInk, Paul Cook, storyteller and creator of specialist content consultancy Planet Planit, and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News.
Links to this week's stories...
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe so you get notified when new episodes are published.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Inside Event Education is a new monthly series that features students and academics.
In this first episode, the discussion is about the start of the academic year, the use of AI and what attracts students to event management courses.
Taking part...
Discover some of the excellent dissertations by students on the EM Dissertation Research website.
In this week's episode, we discuss if organisers have any responsibility regarding the content of exhibitor stands, do they need to sure it's legally and morally correct? It seems in China they take it very seriously.
Plus we discuss alcohol at events, inspired by a LinkedIn post by Robert Kenwood.
This episode features Paul Richardson of VividInk, Events Journalist Kristyna O'Connell and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening!
When you think about accessibility, what comes to mind? Wheelchair access, visual or hearing impairment? You might, perhaps, consider neurodiversity?
There’s more to it than that, for example - have you considered accessibility requirements for your event or conference registration website?
To help me discover the challenges and some of the things you need to be aware of, I talked to Stephen Cutchins, Cvent’s senior manager covering accessibility.
Our discussion took place in October at the Cvent Europe Conference held at the Intercontinental London, right next to the O2 in North Greenwich.
The small conference room we were in was just outside the main ballroom, so from time to time you’ll hear music, as the dancers practice for a keynote session.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe so you'll be notified of new episodes.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Top story this week, did the recent AWS outage affect the event industry? Both Cvent and Eventbrite experienced problems, but it appears no one else in the industry did as very little, if anything, has been written about the problems.
Another great topic we discuss, does your branding matter more than ever now that AI is answering your search queries. And the upcoming CHS show gets a mention
This edition features Paul Richardson of VividInk, Jill Hawkins of Aniseed PR and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening!
On the 15th of October, I attended the 2 day Cvent EuropeConference. It seemed bigger than last year’s event, and it feltlike there were many more attendees. This was possibly due to the location, the Intercontinental London right next to the O2 in North Greenwich.
One of the reasons I was there was to speak to Jake Dennett about his session that was due on the second day.
"The Agile Event Planner, Staying Ahead in the Ever-Evolving World of Events"
We discussed the session and some of the issues that event planners are currently experiencing.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe so you'll be notified of new episodes.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Julia Danmeri speaks multiple languages, she has done since an early age. It has proved to be a very useful skill that has been invaluable during her 20 years of international event ops.
But now she is embarking on a new challenge that uses her multilingual abilities, and leans on her network of translators. While there is a movement towards AI translations, there are many times when a human is needed.
We start our conversation with her move away from South London, and on to learning and speaking different language.
You can connect with Julia on LinkedIn, and discover more about her new company, TranslateAble, here.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe so you'll be notified of new episodes.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Bob Toovey of Event Planner News and Paul Cook at Planet Planit, spent two days at the recent Cvent Europe 2025 Conference in London.
To help explore our thoughts and experiences on this big newsworthy event, we asked Jill Hawkins of Aniseed PR to act as host.
We do make reference to Paul and Bob being part of a boy band, you can see what we were talking about via Adam Baggs on LinkedIn.
As a reminder, on the 19th October, Bob Toovey is taking part in a fundraiser for Hospitality Action - Walk For Wellbeing. It's on the 19th of October, please consider making a donation for this worthy cause.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening!
In this week's episode, we discuss the idea that there are too many Industry Events, how an automated PR tool is bombarding UK media with AI-generated content, and the ATPI launch of their trainee programme aiming to tackle industry talent shortage.
This episode features Paul Richardson of VividInk, Events Journalist Kristyna O'Connell and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News.
Links to this week's stories...
On October the 19th, Bob Toovey is taking part in the fundraiser for Hospitality Action's Walk For Wellbeing. Please consider making a donation for this worthy cause.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening!
In this episode, we take dive in to the top news stories from the last 7 days.
We take a look at the figures unveiled at the recent Labour Party Conference in ACC Liverpool, where the EIA joined politicians, industry and association members. Plus, how did the Isle of Wight festival increases profits despite fall in attendance, and the launch of the Power Of Events Schools Engagement Program for London.
We also take a moment to remember Ian "Irv" Irving who passed away earlier this year.
This edition, for Friday 3rd October, features Paul Richardson of VividInk, Jill Hawkins of Aniseed PR and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News.
The links to this weeks stories
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening!
Hospitality Action recently published a report based on it’s yearly industry-wide wellbeing survey. The aim of the ‘Taking The Temperature’ survey, is to reveal insights about mental health, support systems, and the daily challenges faced by people at every level of hospitality.
I talked with Jeremy Gibson, Marketing & Operations Director at Hospitality Action. We discuss the insights and issue raised by the survey.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the issues discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe so you'll be notified of new episodes.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
We have questions! Such as, have event awards become exclusive? Why have event planners become too overwhelmed to innovate? And just who exactly is the APPG and what do they do?
Jill Hawkins of Aniseed PR, Paul Cook, storyteller and creator of specialist content consultancy Planet Planit, and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News discuss these questions, which are based on topics and news stories that caught their attention over the last 7 days.
Stories mentioned this week include...
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening
In this edition, for Friday 19th September, Jill Hawkins of Aniseed PR and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News discuss the first Accessible Events Show, three London venues upgrading their spaces and the results from the M&IT Awards survey.
Links to the stories mentioned...
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening
In this edition, for Friday 12th September, the talk is about analytics, metrics & meaningful event data, the updated guide from MIA regarding Martyn's Law, and the first ever event industry show that's all about accessibility.
The team this week features Paul Cook, storyteller and creator of specialist content consultancy Planet Planit, Events Journalist Kristyna O'Connell and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News.
Links to this weeks stories
As mentioned in this episode, here's the link to the Accessible Events Show.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening!
We're back talking about venues again, along with news of The Power Of Events and their expansion of their UK schools program, plus do we know what attendees really want from events and conferences?
This edition, for Friday 5th September, features Paul Richardson of VividInk, Events Journalist Kristyna O'Connell and Bob Toovey of Event Planner News.
Links to this weeks stories...
We would love to hear your thoughts on the topics discussed, so please leave a comment.
If you enjoyed this episode then please share it with friends and colleagues, and don't forget to subscribe where you prefer to listen to podcasts.
EPN is supported by the event industry community, discover how you can become a patron.
Thanks for listening!