Posts in Event Planning Podcast
PP024 | Gerry McColgan | Discovering the World of Event Industry Education

The year’s off to a good start for us on Planner’s Pod! This week we are joined by our good friend James Tosslle the sole proprietor of two complimentary companies that serve important key roles in the events industry.The first one is Entertec, a professional audio company that provides speakers, mixing desks, P. A. systems and everything associated to making people nice and loud in venues and events. Second is a trucking company called J.T. Event Truck which makes sure that the equipment gets there safely and provide the logistics and transport for the events industry.James is quite an entrepreneur and he’s done some pretty staggering stuff over the years. In this episode, he shares us his experiences on how he got into the sound engineering industry at a very early age and how he paved the way for himself to where he is now.

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PP023 | James Tossell | Discover how a small business loan kickstarted this young entrepreneur's sound and trucking business

The year’s off to a good start for us on Planner’s Pod! This week we are joined by our good friend James Tosslle the sole proprietor of two complimentary companies that serve important key roles in the events industry.The first one is Entertec, a professional audio company that provides speakers, mixing desks, P. A. systems and everything associated to making people nice and loud in venues and events. Second is a trucking company called J.T. Event Truck which makes sure that the equipment gets there safely and provide the logistics and transport for the events industry.James is quite an entrepreneur and he’s done some pretty staggering stuff over the years. In this episode, he shares us his experiences on how he got into the sound engineering industry at a very early age and how he paved the way for himself to where he is now.

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PP022 | Nick Ingram | Lifting The Curtain On Bespoke Music For The Events Industry

Hello and welcome to a brand new year with us here on Planner’s Pod! We have lots of new and exciting things in store for all of you and we do hope you stay with us as we unveil them.In this episode, we decided to start things up by having Metropolis’ very own Nick Ingram, our Creative Director, for the first time here on the show. Many of you have been curious and have asked us about how we do things in the company. So, what better way to open this up for discussion than having a team member on board.Here we discuss the ins and outs of how to manage a live-band company, what sort of sticky situations we all get into and how we try to deal with those, as well as how to engage with clients and knowing them on a personal level to give them a unique and wonderful musical experience during their event.

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PP021 | 4D Design | Discover Why Understanding Marketing is Crucial to Event Success in 2016

So far it has been an amazing journey for us this year here on Planner’s Pod! We’ve learned so many things about the Events Industry and heard about so many experiences over the course of the show. For the last episode of 2015, it was our pleasure to be joined this week by Suzanne Malhotra, the Commercial Director of 4D Design.4D Design is a company that Creates Superior Brand Environments™ for clients who wish to explore new and creative ways of pulling together a brand experience. They specialise in the live events, exhibitions and experiential sectors, and have worked with aspirational brands in the aviation, IT & Telecoms, and emerging technologies. Suzanne tells us about the marketing aspect and how important engagement is for a client’s brand during an event.

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PP020 | Smart AV | How To Stand Out In Front Of The CEO Of A Top Event Tech Company

Smart AV is an audio visual and interactive rental specialist that provides high-end audio visual equipment and technical support for exhibitions, conferences and events around the globe. This week, we are joined by Darren Poultney, who gave us the great pleasure of recording this episode of PlannersPod live right in the middle of James’ Kitchen.Darren Poultney is the founder and CEO of Smart AV which has grown to several other companies that deal with audio-visual tech. He started the company about ten years ago, and it just so happens that they’ve recently celebrated this mark. He tells us of the inner dealings on how to run a high-end Events Company, as well as giving us some essential insights on the rapidly growing international industry.

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PP019 | Bespoke Events London | Discover How A World Class Event Design Company Creates The Best Experiences

Bespoke Events London is one of the leading events production and design companies in the UK based— as you might expect, in London. They’ve created spectacular designs installed with precision that boasts over 25 years of experience designing and producing spectacular corporate, private and wedding events.This week we go on location to Bespoke HQ’s creative suite with Creative Director Daniel Morris-Gibbons. From creating a tropical beach in the middle of winter, to hosting E!’s new drama series “The Royals”, Daniel gives us a first hand behind-the-scenes look at how some of their spectacular events come to life.

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PP018 | Medicinema | Discover the Healing Power of Cinema

A movie experience like no other. MediCinema opened its first ever facility at St. Thomas’ Hospital 14 years ago and it has grown into something of an institution, much-loved by patients, staff and volunteers alike. This year they've screened to over 20,000 patients, their relatives and members of staff, giving them the chance to enjoy an uplifting social experience without having to leave the hospital.This week, Toby goes on location at Guy's Hospital in a fun multicolored cinema theater right in the heart of London. Patients get quality care and VIP treatment while they watch the latest blockbuster with their families, carers and nurses. Toby is joined by Kat and Nicks who tell their first hand experience in delivering this unique entertainment to patients throughout the UK.

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PP017 | Dreamflight - Part 2 of 2 | Discover how a yearly event has changed over 5000 lives. Dreamflight has given a plane full of deserving children, a life-changing holiday, every year since 1987!

Continuing on from PP016, in this episode we discover what happens during the dream flight holiday. It all starts by organizing coaches from all parts of the UK to arrive at The Hilton T5 hotel at Heathrow Airport in London. In this mini episode Patricia and Sally give us a mind-blowing blow-by-blow account of what happens during the Dreamflight trip.

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PP016 | Dreamflight Part 1 of 2 | Discover how a yearly event has changed over 5000 lives. Dreamflight has given a plane full of deserving children, a life-changing holiday, every year since 1987!

In 1987 there was no Internet… But that didn’t stop full time British Airways, Airhostess, Patricia Pearce from using her typewriter, and unstoppable entrepreneurial spirit, to raise money for a life-changing holiday. Taking deserving children from across the UK, hiring an airplane, finding specialist doctors and medical staff, recruiting volunteers, booking hotels and activities…. Not to mention finding and preparing the 280 (yes 280) children to take the trip… to Orlando, USA! Since then, Dreamflight has taken off every year, ‘Changing Lives’ of over 5000 deserving children so far...

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PP015 | Pippa Crossman | Berkeley Castle | How to Design Bespoke Events at Venues of Historical Importance

Pippa Crossman is the Weddings and Events Planner at Berkeley Castle. Together with her team, she produces various events each year at a venue that has been family home to the Berkeley’s for 900 years! The most remarkable thing about the Castle is that for nine centuries, the building, the Berkeley family, the archives (which go back to the 12th Century), the contents, the estate and the town have all survived together. Its place in history is significant, not just because it is still intact, but because the Berkeley family and their home have played an important part in the power struggles of so many centuries. In this episode Pippa talks to Toby about the challenges she faces putting on an event in one of the most beautifully preserved, living pieces of history in the world.

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PP014 | Victoria Penrose | Discover What It Takes To Be A Professional Make-Up Artist

Victoria Penrose is a professional make-up artist and graduate of the London College of Fashion. She has worked in a wide variety of jobs from TV to Commercial but mainly focuses on editorial and fashion. A confident, dedicated and respected makeup artist and hair stylist with a clean and inventive approach. She has a broad knowledge of the history of fashion and takes influences from the past and is dedicated to following current trends. In this interview she talks about what happens behind the scenes and how she got to be trusted with some of the most well known faces around.

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PP013 | Bizzabo Event Success Software | How To Save Time & Increase Revenue

Rachel Ruggieri came from a corporate event background and now works as the Customer Success Director at Bizzabo... In this episode she explains to James how Bizzabo event software can and has changed the lives of event professionals. Bizzabo brings together cutting edge technology, innovative spirit and events background to lead the meetings industry to new frontiers. It’s an intuitive piece of software that will run on pretty much anything with an internet connection. A serious tool, for serious professionals. Check it out!

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PP010 | Steve Butcher | Chilfest | Music Festival Event Planning

When Steve Butcher isn’t busy looking after Universal Event Production, delivering audio and visual hire to blue chip companies such as Nike, he is the promoter & event director for Chillfest. Chilfest 2015 will take place on Friday 10 & Saturday 11 July bringing two days of the very best sounds from the 1980s to the leafy rural setting of Tring. The story of Chilfest so far will give you a deep, no holds barred, insight into what it really takes to put on a festival of scale.

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PP009 | Steff Easom | Avalon Corporate Entertainment | Comedy Booker

Steff Easom is a corporate booker at Avalon Corporate Entertainment, a specialist division of Avalon Management and ARG Talent Agency. Avalon provides extraordinary creative talent for all types of corporate, private, media and commercial events. Avalon exclusively manage both high profile names and emerging stars from the worlds of comedy, film and television.

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PP008 | Cate Richards | Team Bonding | Corporate Team Building

Cate Richards moved away from a corporate career to start her own businesses in April 2005, leaving behind an 18 year career in Market Research, Consumer Insights and Advertising Strategy / Planning. Since then she has built a large and successful Team Building business (working with the corporate market) that operates in Sydney, Melbourne and soon Brisbane.

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PP007 | Claire McDonald | Sian Events | Destination Event Management

Claire McDonald is a director at SIAN Group, a global live communications and destination management company. SIAN arranges boutique events from its bases in Dubai and London. In this episode you will find out about Claire’s incredible combination of scientific and creative thinking, making SIAN a top prospect for anyone wanting to create a world-class event.

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PP006 | Sandy Moretta | UKAWP - UK Alliance Wedding Planners

Sandy launched her event planning business in 2003. Tern Events has a reputation for excellent organisation, creativity and attention to detail, which provide a good recipe for elegant, smooth running events. Sandy is also one half of the UK Alliance Of Wedding Planners (UKAWP) founded for one purpose: to promote professionalism in wedding planning. UKAWP invests in training and professional development that generates sustainable growth.

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PP005 | Steve Hill | Atmotion Video Production | Event Videography

Steve Hill and Paul Richman are founders of the acclaimed video company ‘At Motion’. Their London based video production company specialises in private and corporate events across the UK and around the world. In this episode, James talks to Steve about how he took his skills from the TV and Film industry to create a stand out business that enables him to have the life he wants.

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