Event Peeps

Hosted by Event Marketer

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Latest episode

Jul 2026

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About the show

Welcome to Event Peeps, the podcast for creators of the brand experience. Listen in as we explore the experiential marketing discipline through the people, the playbooks, the ideas, and the strategies that are inspiring event campaigns and driving growth.

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24 recent

July 30, 202639 min

Designing Theatrical, Immersive Worlds, with Dr. Ilana Gilovich-Stossel

Creative director and experiential storyteller Dr. Ilana Gilovich-Stossel takes us behind the scenes of immersive theater experiences like "Sleep No More" and Hendrick's Gin's "Anotherland," revealing the art and science of turning a brand story into an extraordinary world. She shares her journey to becoming chief storyteller at Emursive Productions, and how she creates environments that seamlessly blend symbolism, mystery, personalization and human connection. Plus, Gilovich-Stossel breaks down the core elements of immersive design for narrative-driven events.

June 18, 202632 min

The Power of Mentorship and Betting on Yourself, with Anna Nicholson of Yahoo

Mentorship has played a big role in Anna Nicholson's career, and now, she's giving back to the next generation, as a mentor in the Experiential in Color Mentorship Program. In this episode, the senior event manager at Yahoo talks about how she's imparting her most-impactful learnings, including the importance of betting on yourself and managing chaos with calmness. Plus, she takes EM inside Yahoo's recent SXSW activation, the AI-powered Yahoo Scout Inn, breaking down the importance of authenticity, community-driven moments and staying agile in a competitive experiential landscape.

March 5, 202631 min

The Work-Life Balance Reset, with Melissa Vilders of SAP

Melissa Vilders, director-events strategy and experience for SAP Global Events, has figured out the work-life balance formula that fits her life and encourages fellow marketers to lean into self-care and "enjoy the boring moments." In this episode, she reveals the key mindset shifts that can create more impactful, inclusive events, without sacrificing one's personal well-being. Plus, Vilders shares practical tips for managing the post-event blues, elevating the attendee experience and fostering a supportive team environment.

August 15, 202529 min

EM Editors Take San Diego Comic-Con 2025

In this special editors-only episode, join Event Marketer's Juanita Chavarro Arias, managing editor, and Kait Shea, senior editor and manager-digital content, as they recap their experiences covering San Diego Comic-Con 2025. Standout moments included dodging machete-wielding clowns in "Twisted Metal" bumper cars, rocking out at Peacefest and reliving school days at "Abbott Elementary." Plus, tune in for insights on Comic-Con's evolution, activation trends, swag must-haves and the value of live actors in engaging pop-culture fans.

April 4, 2025Episode 1733 min

Exploring Digital + Live Platforms, with Justin Breton of Walmart

Justin Breton is all about embracing the unknown and taking a chance on new technologies. As head of brand marketing innovation at Walmart, he oversees content-to-commerce initiatives that engage with customers in meaningful ways and get them thinking differently about Walmart—not just as a retailer, but also as a digital destination. In this episode, Breton shares how the brand has evolved its digital strategy by venturing into shoppable livestreams with Walmart Live and launching activations in gaming platforms Roblox, Spatial and Zepeto. He also offers insights into how brands can explore the intersection of physical and digital as they look to add virtual extensions to marketing campaigns and scale community engagement.

December 20, 2024Episode 1653 min

Inside Canada Olympic House and Air Canada's Paris 2024 Campaign, with Mosaic and Wasserman

In part two of our look back on the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we go inside Canada Olympic House, one of 30-plus hospitality houses organized by National Olympic Committees that popped up in the city to support athletes, their families and friends, brand partners, sponsors and fans. Greg Wamsley, vp-operations and sustainability lead at Mosaic North America, shares insights on the agency's work with the Canadian Olympic Committee to design and produce Canada Olympic House, while Alyson Walker, svp-brands and properties at Wasserman, delves into Air Canada's multifaceted Paris 2024 campaign and activations.

December 4, 2024Episode 1538 min

Looking Back on the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics, with GMR's Jeff Handler and Dennis Jenders

The Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games took the world by storm this summer. We spoke with Jeff Handler, vp-Olympic and Paralympic clients, and Dennis Jenders, executive strategy director, from GMR, an experience agency headquartered in Wisconsin, to share their experiences from being on the ground in Paris during this exciting time. They discuss the city's best-in-class brand activations, their favorite sporting events, and their predictions for the 2026 Winter Olympics and 2028 Summer Olympics.

April 18, 2024Episode 1432 min

Beyond the Music Festival Gates, with Pavan Pardasani of TAO Group

The music festival experience today expands well beyond the gates, where VIP parties accommodate a wide array of celebrities and revelers, brands and partners, looking to capitalize on good vibes. In this episode, we explore the vast and evolving experiential landscape around music festivals with Pavan Pardasani, cmo of TAO Group Hospitality, which activates the exclusive Desert Nights after-hours experience during Coachella, as well as other pop-ups at festivals across the country. Plus, get festival experiential activation tips from Zev Norotsky, founder and ceo of ENTER, our partner on this episode. Grab your best fringe and listen along.

March 28, 202447 min

Cultivating Longevity in Your Team and Career, with Cyndie Wang of HPE

Building a team from scratch is no easy task, but Cyndie Wang took on the challenge when she started with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in 2015. Eight years later, as vp-global sponsorships and brand experience, she is reaping the benefits of establishing a culture of trust, ownership, transparency and authenticity, as her team has remained intact and continues to grow. While Wang, a two-time Women in Events honoree, manages and activates marketing partnerships with HPE's sports and entertainment customers, it wasn't always what she envisioned herself doing. In this episode, she takes us through her career switch from finance to marketing and shares her expertise in b-to-b events, KPIs and tech trends.

February 2, 2024Episode 1242 min

Passion Projects—Helping Others Build Event Careers, with Sara Gorlick of Rakuten

The events industry comes with its own unique set of challenges, but it's always changing, and that's what excites this episode's guest, Sara Gorlick, vp-events at Rakuten. Having discovered a passion for the industry in her first role as an event coordinator, Gorlick has built an almost 20-year career planning conferences and events for wide-ranging audiences around the world. Celebrating the one-year anniversary of "Lucky Boxcutter," her how-to book for aspiring event planners, she reflects on her biggest professional lessons and successes and shares the key insights, measurement tools and trends she's gathered from her career.