How To Plan Your Show: WHEN vs WHAT

What if the most important part of an unforgettable event isn’t WHAT happens, but WHEN it happens?In this episode of Wake Up, Tradeshows, Amy sits down with EJ Corporan to unpack the research behind how timing, sequence, and human behavior shape what attendees actually remember.EJ breaks down why the beginning, peak, valley, and end of an experience matter, how to create a purposeful “jolt” without just being weird for attention, and why networking needs far more strategy than adding a 30-minute break and an open bar.They also dig into how planners can design around human energy, create stronger moments without spending more money, and rethink an agenda that’s already locked.If you’re building events around logistics, speaker availability, and what fits on the schedule, this conversation will challenge you to start building around memory instead.Because sometimes, WHEN beats WHAT.🎙️ CONNECT WITH EJConnect with EJ Corporan on LinkedIn:EJ Corporan on LinkedInLearn more about Ansera and its research-driven approach to live event strategy and production:Explore Ansera🤝 THIS EPISODE IS SPONSORED BY ION EXHIBITSFrom strategy and design to fabrication and execution, Ion Exhibits helps brands create trade show environments built to make an impact.Explore Ion Exhibits📕 My Book: WAKE UP, TRADE SHOWSReady to rethink the way you approach trade shows beyond the podcast? Grab Wake Up, Trade Shows : The Ultimate Playbook for B2B Event Strategy.Get Wake Up, Trade Shows on Amazon

John Larson, Account Executive at Ion Exhibits, and Staceyann Doria, Founder and CEO of The Event Narrative, join me for the only episode this season with both sides of the table in the room.She pays for the booths. He builds them. Five years working together, and they agree on the thing most exhibitors are afraid of: you do not need every detail figured out before you commit.Here is the moment that stopped the episode. Staceyann, on a show her company kept renewing because somebody in the building was friends with somebody at the show:"I have not sold a single device at this show. And I've given this show now 10 years of a hundred thousand dollars. What are they giving me?"We get into the difference between beautification and strategy, which is where Staceyann says most clients spend all their worry. And John says the quiet part about his own industry out loud, then explains why he showed Staceyann his actual markups, show by show. That's the moment he stopped being a vendor and became a partner.We're talking about when the right answer is to skip the show and walk it instead. How to push back on leadership when you don't have the relationship yet, which Staceyann answers better than anyone I've had on: take your opinion out, lead with facts, give them receipts. Why "we'll get foot traffic" isn't a plan. John's creative frugality. The fifty thousand dollar device that gets shipped to every show and never used. And the costs nobody ever puts on the quote.Because the goal isn't having every answer before you commit.It's knowing which questions can wait, and which ones will cost you the show.Connect with John LarsonAccount Executive | Ion ExhibitsEmail: [email protected] with Staceyann Doria, CMP, CED, HMCCFounder & CEO | The Event NarrativeEmail: [email protected] episode is brought to you by our sponsor, Ion Exhibits.Ion Exhibits is a full-service trade show exhibit partner helping brands bring memorable experiences to life through exhibit strategy, design, fabrication, rentals, logistics, and on-site execution.Learn more about Ion Exhibits: https://www.ionexhibits.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid_pr&utm_campaign=prEmail: [email protected]: 844-212-9545📕 Want more Wake Up Tradeshows?The conversation doesn't stop with the podcast. Wake Up, Tradeshows is the ultimate playbook for event and marketing professionals who are ready to rethink the boring, habitual way trade shows have always been done and build experiences that actually earn attention, create connection, and drive action.Grab your copy here: https://amzn.to/4i40zHzWake Up Tradeshows is the podcast for event and marketing professionals ready to stop doing trade shows because "that's how we've always done it" and start designing experiences with intention.

Nobody wants another cup. Or another water bottle. Or another piece of swag chosen because someone said, “We need something to give away.”In this episode of Wake Up Tradeshows, Amy Mourey sits down with Tina Brackett, Sales Director at The Shamrock Companies, to talk about what makes promotional products actually work.Tina has spent a decade in corporate branding and promotional products helping companies solve everything from inconsistent brand execution and clunky merch ordering to forgettable employee gifts and one-off event swag that never becomes part of a bigger strategy.We get into the difference between giving people stuff and creating something they’ll actually remember, use, talk about, or keep.We’re talking thoughtful personalization, practical giveaways, premium moments, creative alternatives to the standard trade show haul, and why sometimes the best “swag” isn’t traditional swag at all.Because the goal isn’t to put your logo on more things.It’s to create a moment worth remembering.Connect with Tina BrackettSales Director | The Shamrock CompaniesEmail: [email protected] episode is brought to you by our sponsor, Ion Exhibits.Ion Exhibits is a full-service trade show exhibit partner helping brands bring memorable experiences to life through exhibit strategy, design, fabrication, rentals, logistics, and on-site execution.Learn more about Ion Exhibits:https://www.ionexhibits.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=paid_pr&utm_campaign=prEmail: [email protected]: 844-212-9545📕 Want more Wake Up Tradeshows?The conversation doesn’t stop with the podcast. Wake Up, Tradeshows is the book for event and marketing professionals who are ready to rethink the boring, habitual way trade shows have always been done and build experiences that actually earn attention, create connection, and drive action.Grab your copy here:https://amzn.to/4i40zHzWake Up Tradeshows is the podcast for event and marketing professionals ready to stop doing trade shows because “that’s how we’ve always done it” and start designing experiences with intention.

Natasha Nicholas has run events in hospitality, healthcare tech, and cannabis tech. Three industries with almost nothing in common — and the same problems showing up in all three.That’s the thing this episode is about. Most of what your industry calls “the way it’s done” was never actually decided. Nobody sat down and chose it. It just never got questioned, and then it got handed to you as a rule.Natasha has had to learn a new industry’s rulebook three times, which means she’s had to figure out — fast — which parts were real constraints and which parts were just inherited habit. That’s a skill almost nobody develops, because almost nobody switches.In this episode:⚡ What actually transfers between industries, and what absolutely doesn’t⚡ Which of the three broke her brain the most⚡ How to tell a genuine constraint from a habit nobody questioned⚡ Turning a business objective into an experience people actually want to be part of⚡ What you can borrow from an industry that looks nothing like yours⚡ The things every industry gets wrong in exactly the same wayIf you’ve ever said “that won’t work in our industry,” this one’s for you.About Natasha: Natasha Nicholas is a B2B event marketer whose career has taken her from hospitality to healthcare tech to cannabis tech, where she currently serves as Director of Events at ACTIVE. A true events person at heart, she loves bringing people together and figuring out how to turn a business objective into an experience people actually want to be part of. Her experience spans trade shows and conferences, owned event series, VIP experiences, sporting events, customer activations, off-sites, and plenty in between. Natasha is based in Providence, Rhode Island, where she’s a mom, wife, and avid New England sports fan when she’s not hopping on a plane or train for the next event.FIND NATASHALinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/natasha-nicholas-65a6b5ba/FIND AMYEverything: https://linktr.ee/AmyEventStrategistPodcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4nfZEqQoqiSfhTy0iXq319YouTube: @AmyEventStrategistInstagram: @amyamymoureyTikTok: @amyeventstrategistWake Up, Tradeshows — real experts, real stories, and the best tools and tricks to solve the chaos!

Heather Bundgaard spent 14 years as the exhibitor writing the checks. Then she switched sides and spent 17 years as the exhibit house cashing them. She's seen both halves of the same handshake, and in this episode she tells you what your builder knows that you don't.The story that stops the episode cold: as a marketing director, Heather had signed off on everything, paid for everything, and closed the budget. Then the post-show invoice arrived. Nobody had told her the first invoice was only an estimate. She went over budget, and she had to walk into her CEO's office and explain why.She doesn't send post-show invoices to her own clients now. And she gives you the exact question to ask before you sign with anybody.In this episode:⚡ Why a beautiful booth is just an open house nobody came to⚡ The client behavior that quietly costs the most money and the stat behind it: 40% of trade show leads go unfulfilled⚡ What's actually driving the number on your quote: timeline, city, quality, freight weight, advance warehouse vs. direct-to-show, and the day of the week⚡ Material handling alone is up 21% since 2022⚡ The post-show invoice trap, and the one question that prevents it⚡ How she turned a $1,200 banner stand order into a $500 one by asking a single question⚡ Why her clients stay 16+ years⚡ Her hill to die on: empty booths, messy booths, and packing down early — right when the people who can sign checks finally walk the floor🎁 LISTENER OFFERS — stay to the end20% off Booth Boss Bootcamp with code AMY10% off at Endeavor Exhibits for anyone shopping for a new trade show boothAbout Heather: 30 years in trade shows, $50M+ in booth budgets managed, with brands including Anthem (Blue Cross Blue Shield), AZEK, US Foods, Invesco, and the American Hospital Association. Former Marketing Director, active exhibit consultant at Endeavor Exhibits, certified AI consultant, and creator of Booth Boss Bootcamp. Featured on CNBC.FIND HEATHERBooth Boss Bootcamp: https://www.boothbossbootcamp.com/YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BoothBossBootcampLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heatherbundgaard/Book: https://aiinthefield.com/Email: [email protected] booth inquiries: [email protected] in this episode: Plaud, an AI note-taking recorder Heather uses to capture and work with conversations.FIND AMY MOUREYEverything: https://linktr.ee/AmyEventStrategistPodcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/4nfZEqQoqiSfhTy0iXq319YouTube: @AmyEventStrategistInstagram: @amyamymoureyTikTok: @amyeventstrategistWake Up, Tradeshows — real experts, real stories, and the best tools and tricks to save or solve tradeshow chaos.

The Most Expensive People on Your Show Floor — with Lee Ali10,000 badge scans. A Stanley cup. And zero intention of ever doing business with them.That's Lee Ali describing a security company at ISC West that built a gorgeous booth, themed it around a replica of the Louvre, and still failed — because the people in it were talking at attendees instead of finding out who they were.Lee has spent 19 years and 4,000+ projects across 53 countries on one idea: the booth doesn't make the money. The people standing in it do. He says they're responsible for 89% of your success, and that trained booth staff move engagement 30–50%.Then almost nobody trains them.In this episode:🧟 Why every attendee on your show floor is "in a trance" — and the one thing that snaps them out of it🙅 The body language that makes people walk faster: arms crossed, chatting with colleagues, on the laptop, beer in hand💬 The average booth opener vs. the one that works — and why "we've been established since 2009" makes Lee say "nobody gives a shit"⏱️ His counterintuitive training rule: don't talk about your business for the first five minutes🏈 The four distinct job roles on a booth, and why your shyest technical expert should never be at the front🎟️ Why going to a show should be an earned privilege your team qualifies for🎯 Don't sell — facilitate a buying process. Possibly the best advice in the episode🏛️ The Las Vegas story: a brilliant booth concept undone by a spin-the-wheel and one-way presentations📋 The BANTER framework — Budget, Authority, Need, Timing, and the one most people miss: Emotional Relationship. Score 20+ and it's hot. Score under 3 on ER and they're not buying, no matter how good the rest looks📅 Why the follow-up has to be set up at the booth, not in your inbox two weeks laterThe big takeaway: A badge scan is not a lead. And before you design the booth — design the journey and pick your people first.ABOUT LEELee Ali is the Founder and Managing Director of Expo Stars, a global exhibition engagement consultancy, and one of the industry's most respected voices on attendee engagement, booth performance and exhibition ROI. Over nearly two decades he's delivered 4,000+ projects across 53 countries, and he speaks at ExhibitorLIVE, IMEX, IFES World Summit and Event Tech Live. He's a DBT UK Export Champion and the host of The Expo Factor Podcast.CONNECT WITH LEE🌐 Expo Stars: https://www.expostars.com💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leeali5THE EXPO FACTOR PODCAST🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033ADGvKjG0Lgo6zXMmsji🍎 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1896940552📻 Buzzsprout: https://theexpofactor.buzzsprout.com▶️ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ExpoStarsCONNECT WITH AMYAmy Mourey — Event Strategist, founder of EventCoord LLC, and your favorite event strategist.🔗 Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/AmyEventStrategist📱 TikTok: @AmyEventStrategist📸 Instagram: @amyamymoureyWake Up, Tradeshows — the show where we bring energy, creativity, strategy, and actual measurable impact back into the event world.Real experts. Real stories. The tools and tricks that save the budget and solve the chaos.

A Florida retreat. Giant bugs. No pest control clause. No refund.That's the first story Faith Keiser tells and it's the point of this whole episode: what's missing from your venue contract can cost you as much as what's in it.Faith spent 25 years in corporate events before building EventNation, an AI tool that reads hotel and venue contracts and flags the clauses that could cost you. In this episode, she walks through the lines planners skim past and pay for later.In this episode:🪳 What's NOT in the contract: pest control, HVAC, and the stuff you never thought to ask for🥵 Why hotels shut off the AC at 5pm, right before your cocktail hour💸 The $35,000 indemnification mistake a nonprofit volunteer paid out of her own pocket👻 Attrition: paying for rooms nobody slept in and nightly vs. cumulative☕ The $300 tea urn, and the coffee truck trick that fixes it🍸 The new trend of the bar NOT counting toward your F&B minimum📺 Why AV fees are climbing, and how venues box out outside vendors🌪️ Force majeure — why "act of God" clauses are outdated🔍 What to read first if you only have 20 minutes before you signThe big takeaway: a venue contract isn't terms and conditions. It's buying a car. Every line is negotiable, until you sign.ABOUT FAITH:Faith Keiser spent 25 years in corporate events and founded EventNation, which reads hotel and venue contracts, flags risky clauses, drafts the pushback, and returns it as a marked-up PDF ready to send back to the venue. It's used by event planners and procurement teams to keep venue spending under control. She also hosts Event Tech Pod, conversations with the people building the next wave of event tools. Her writing has appeared in Meetings Today and Smart Meetings, and she once reviewed pop music for The Philadelphia Inquirer.CONNECT WITH FAITH🔗 EventNation — free to start, 2 contract scans a month: https://eventnation.com💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/faith-keiser/CONNECT WITH AMYAmy Mourey — Event Strategist, founder of EventCoord LLC, and your favorite event strategist.🔗 Everything in one place: https://linktr.ee/AmyEventStrategist📱 TikTok: @AmyEventStrategist📸 Instagram: @amyamymoureyWake Up, Tradeshows - the show where we bring energy, creativity, strategy, and actual measurable impact back into the event world.Real experts. Real stories. The tools and tricks to save and solve!

Top 5 Trade Show Swag Items | Henry & Jimmy's 10-Year-Old Picks vs. Their 45-Year-Old PicksThe most honest focus group in the trade show industry is here. This week, Amy hands Jimmy & Henry of The Maley Way 10 promotional products to react to for the very first time. They crown their Top 5 trade show swag picks for 2027… then the mustaches go on, and two "45-year-old trade show attendees" re-rank the whole list.Maybe you're wondering… why Jimmy & Henry? These two went viral on TikTok reviewing their Top 5 School Lunch Items (2.7M views) and Top 3 Worst Chores (2.3M views). Ranking things is literally their format. So when it came time to rank 2027's trade show swag, there was only one focus group for the job.⚠️ Fair warning: this episode is WAY more fun to WATCH. There are unboxings. There are mustaches. There is foot talent (don't ask — just watch). Catch the full video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/_EBubISfaW8?si=HfmfpEYA32bIgB2x Huge thank you to our sponsor OneHum Branded Solutions for raiding the 2027 swag closet with us and coordinating all 10 products. If your booth needs swag people actually keep: https://onehum.comThe takeaway is real, though: trade show swag doesn't have to be complicated — but it should make someone FEEL, DO, REMEMBER, or TALK ABOUT something after you hand it to them.FOLLOW JIMMY & HENRY — THE MALEY WAYTikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@themaleywayInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/themaleyway/Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-maley-way/id1810073464Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2mZ8Iy6GazMfD53Q6thMJJALL MY LINKS (book, toolkit, work with me): https://linktr.ee/AmyEventStrategist

What happens when a veteran with zero professional event-planning experience decides to host his first-ever charity golf outing?He sells it out in about a month. 👀In this episode of Wake Up Tradeshows, Amy sits down with longtime friend, veteran, sales professional, and first-time golf outing organizer Madison Talamantes to unpack exactly how his team brought together 112 golfers, raised five figures for a veterans organization, and created an experience the golf course called the largest event they had ever hosted.But this episode isn’t just about a successful golf tournament.We’re breaking down the strategy behind it:⛳ How sponsorships helped fund veteran participation AND fill the field💰 Why a great sponsor package needs to connect dollars directly to the mission🍳 How food, mini-games, and “the vibes” became intentional attendee experience strategy🤝 Why your vendors should win from your event too📋 The difference between having volunteers and having true owners🗣️ Why clear communication may have been the most important strategy of the entire event🔄 What Madison would completely change before year twoAnd perhaps the biggest lesson of all: selling out isn’t the finish line.A successful fundraiser isn’t only about how much money you raise today. It’s whether attendees, sponsors, vendors, and partners understand the impact they helped create and want to be part of it again next year.If you’ve ever considered hosting a golf outing, fundraiser, charity event, or simply wondered what separates an event people attend from one they genuinely want to return to, this episode is your first-timer’s playbook.Stay tuned for Madison's downloadable playbook.🎙️ Hosted by Amy Mourey — Your Favorite Event StrategistEvery event detail is an opportunity.

Planning an event in a city—or country—you've never visited can feel like being handed a six-figure puzzle with no picture on the box.In this episode of Wake Up Tradeshows, Amy Mourey breaks down how to confidently source venues, AV, catering, staffing, photography, printing, swag, and shipping without ever stepping into the space yourself. From live video walkthroughs and itemized proposals to navigating international customs, language barriers, and vendor red flags, Amy shares the system that replaces blind trust with real proof.You'll learn her Vendor Vet Framework (Why, Ask, and Proof)—a practical approach to defining your scope, comparing vendors fairly, and verifying they can deliver before you sign a contract. Amy also explains how venue and production needs change for groups of 50, 100, or 200 people, and why vague requests—not distance—are often the biggest risk to a successful event.If you're planning an event from afar and want plug-and-play templates to make the process easier, Amy also introduces the Book It Blind Toolkit—a practical resource filled with vendor vetting worksheets, sourcing templates, budget builders, run-of-show documents, gifting strategy tools, and more to help you confidently plan events anywhere in the world.Because you don't need a passport, a miracle, or a friend who happens to live in Lyon.You need a system.