Event Planning

The Paradox of Growth: The Bigger You Get, the Less You Know I came across something that stuck with me: When companies scale, they gain users — but lose understanding. Not because they stop caring, but because their customer feedback starts living everywhere — support tickets, sales calls, forums, surveys, social media, and app store reviews. That thought really made me pause. I’ve seen this firsthand. When a company is small, every piece of feedback feels personal — every bug report or review has a face behind it. But as you grow, those voices scatter across platforms and departments. Support sees the frustration, sales hears the hesitation, leadership sees the numbers — and somehow, everyone’s looking at the same customers, but no one’s hearing them anymore. That, in my opinion, is the quiet cost of growth. This is the problem Enterpret is solving — by helping teams stay in tune with their customers even as they scale. Here’s how it works: → It collects real-time customer feedback from 55+ channels — support tickets, sales calls, social media (X, Reddit, Instagram, Facebook), app store reviews, community forums, surveys, Slack, and more. → It analyzes all that feedback using AI and tells you exactly what to fix or build next. → It maps everything through a customer knowledge graph that connects feedback, complaints, and requests by channel, user, and payment data. → It even provides a chat interface where you can directly ask questions, and AI agents that flag bugs or issues automatically. That’s why teams like Notion, Perplexity, Canva, Chipotle, and The Farmer’s Dog use it — to make sure customer voices never get lost in the noise. In my view, the real lesson here isn’t about using more tools — it’s about staying close to the people you build for. Here’s how I’d approach it: ✅ Centralize every piece of feedback — even if it’s messy. ✅ Look for patterns instead of isolated complaints. ✅ Use AI systems like Enterpret to uncover the “why” behind what customers say. Because in the end, growth shouldn’t make you deaf. It should make you listen better — just faster. How does your team make sure you’re hearing what customers really mean, not just what they say? #CustomerFeedback #AIProducts #ProductStrategy #VoiceOfCustomer #Enterpret #Leadership

The most exciting project I worked on in 2023 was boosting registrations for an event. Here is what we did: Context: 5 weeks before the event. Message We benchmarked the event against the competition. We diversified the message, in this case, to move from education to networking and entertainment. Early bird canning This event overdid early birds. Our recommendation was to start marketing price increases instead of price reductions. Inverse psychology that, while stimulating FOMO, contributes to the overall perception of the event. Destination Leverage The destination was under-leveraged. We crafted email and social messages to showcase what the destination offered to stimulate last-minute sign-ups. Reg Software In most cases, reg is not optimized. Making sure every single option to sell better is turned on is paramount. We set up remarketing pixels and group codes. Social We coordinated a campaign to get the whole team to share the event on LinkedIn to boost last-minute peer pressure. LinkedIn is often ignored and it has a major impact on last minute conversions. Ambassador tech We recommended using referral platforms such as InGo, Snoball, or GleanIn. These platforms can be very different in their impact, and some integrate better with specific software. We projected a 30% increase in reg based on a proper implementation. Cart abandonment We found hundreds of abandoned carts and created a sales and email strategy to reach this audience. Understanding why they are not committing or proposing a discount code does wonders. Sources We optimized higher sources of conversions. In this case, email. We devised an email campaign with different levers to pull (community, team discount opportunity, destination showcase). This was key to diversifying the message. We turned this around in two weeks. Objective: achieved. Steal these tactics for your event.

Yes, CDN improves latencies by caching things closer to the users, but here's an interesting optimization they do to optimize on latencies... TCP suffers from slow starts, i.e., when a new TCP connection is established, it doesn't immediately operate at full bandwidth. Instead, it begins conservatively with fewer segments and doubles them each round-trip time until it detects congestion. This ramp-up can take several iterations to achieve optimal throughput, which is problematic for latency-sensitive applications. This is a big problem for CDN, because even a few additional round-trips for a massive scale costs a lot. CDNs solve this by maintaining persistent connection pools to origin servers. Rather than establishing fresh connections for each user request, they keep a pool of long-lived connections alive between edge nodes and origins. The clever part is pre-warming during low-traffic periods. CDNs periodically send small amounts of data (like health checks or cache validation requests) over these idle connections. This keeps the TCP congestion window at max and prevents it from shrinking due to inactivity. Here's a simple calculation to quantify the impact. By keeping the congestion window pre-warmed, it is operating at 64KB instead of 4KB. This eliminates the 3-7 round-trip ramp-up delay that would otherwise occur. For a connection with 50ms round-trip time, this saves 150-350ms of latency, and that's pretty significant for something that operates at web scale, literally. Hope you found this interesting, and like always, keep digging deeper.

I’ve changed my mind about trade shows. 6 months ago, I talked about how ineffective they were as a marketing tactic. - Booths cost £1000s - No one gets new business. - You get ignored by attendees. - Everyone is just pitching at you. - There are 100s of competitors there. - You get drowned out by other vendors. They’re a massive waste of time. Or at least that’s what I thought… Then I got sent the photos (below) from one of our clients’ booths at a recent trade show. That’s when I realised trade shows aren’t the issue. ↳ It’s how companies approach them that’s broken. The key: Create a campaign around your booth. Here’s the playbook for getting noticed at trade shows: 1/ Don’t Make Yourself The Attraction Our client hired Kaleb from Clarkson’s Farm to be at their booth. Crowds flocked for a chat, photo, or simply to see what all the fuss was about. They came for Kaleb. ↳ But then they’d chat to our client. —— 2/ Turning a Booth Into an Experience They ditched the usual trade show freebies and brought in a VR welding setup. Kaleb set a time. ↳ People tried to beat it. ↳ If they did they won a prize. This meant visitors weren’t just walking by—they were staying, engaging, and talking about it. —— 3/ Force Them To Remember You Here’s where it got clever: Our client offered a hefty reward for the person who won the VR welding game. But they wouldn’t find out if they won until the end of the day. That meant the last booth people went to was there. ↳ Keeping them top of mind on the way home. —— Don’t get me wrong, most trade shows are a waste of money. But if you go into them: - With a clear strategy. - An approach to get noticed. - A campaign around your booth. They can really make an impact. Definitely going to be doing more of this with clients. P.S. Follow me to learn how to get your company noticed Niall Ratcliffe 📚

I managed teams in India for years. Then I got APAC. Nothing worked. Same frameworks. Same playbooks. Same communication style. Different results. Mostly bad ones. I was running meetings the way I ran them in India. Direct. Fast. Agenda-driven. In some countries, it landed well. In others, I could feel the room go cold. Back then, someone gave me advice I didn't fully appreciate at the time: "Slow down. Understand how people here think. Business will follow." So I started paying attention. Asking questions. Watching what worked and what didn't. Today, I manage a team across 7 offices. We speak 11 languages. We serve customers in 12+ countries. Here's what I've learned about working across APAC: - In Japan, silence often means agreement. Precision matters more than speed. Never surprise anyone in a meeting. - In Korea, context is everything. Explain the "why" before the "what." Hierarchy shapes how feedback flows. - In Vietnam, people are direct. Candid. They'll tell you what's broken if you ask. - In Indonesia, harmony matters. Pushback is subtle. You have to read between the lines. - In Singapore, time is currency. Get to the point. Skip the preamble. - In India, silence in a meeting often means disagreement. Or confusion. Rarely agreement. Same region. Wildly different operating systems. The mistake I made early on? Assuming one style fits all. It doesn't. Cultural fluency isn't about being "sensitive." It's about being effective. What's one cultural nuance that took you time to understand?

The shape of things to come—from shrinking packaging to expanding possibilities. Packaging, like a chameleon, continually evolves to meet the demands of brand owners and consumers. Every year, countless innovations quietly refine materials and processes, often escaping notice—these subtle improvements, hidden within materials and processes, represent genuine progress within the industry. Sustainability has undeniably taken the spotlight, spurring innovation as consumers, regulators, and brands increasingly acknowledge the environmental impact of packaging waste. Innovation across the board aims to do more with less—less material, less energy, less water. It's about making packaging easier to recycle, reuse, and biodegrade. We're all on a perpetual hunt for that elusive silver bullet solution, striving for the perfect balance between functionality and environmental responsibility. This spurred Swedish research leader Innventia to team up with Anna Glansén and Hanna Billqvist from "Tomorrow Machine" to develop an intriguing solution for freeze-dried food. At the core of their creation lies a patented cellulose-based composite material, combining plastic's versatility with eco-friendliness. Its compressibility is fascinating and promises cost-efficient shipping and reduced environmental footprint. Pour warm liquid into the packaging, and things really start to get interesting... Watch as the pack springs to life, shaping into a handy serving bowl, ready for your meal—this is more than science and design; it's a perfect blend of innovation and sustainability, elevating your dining experience while reducing waste. Beyond science and design, it's a vivid reminder that innovation knows no boundaries. It's all about breaking free from the ordinary and forging unexpected connections. Living proof that magic happens when science and design come together. As for what lies ahead in the exciting world of sustainable design and packaging innovation, the answers are yet to be discovered. But one thing is clear—the journey ahead is full of untapped creativity and endless possibilities. What's your take on this format—gimmick, or potential gamechanger? #packagingdesign #productdesign #sustainablepackaging #sustainability #sustainabledesign 📷Anna Glansén/Hanna Billqvist

I've been asked a lot recently on podcasts how to evaluate and think about large sponsorships. At ClickUp, we had a strategic partnership with the San Diego Padres that was extremely beneficial from an activation perspective. Here are some key points on how it worked/ was structured: 1. Embedded Partnership: It was important for us to be as integrated into their ecosystem as they were in ours. Our agreement included them using ClickUp as their primary work management tool across several departments. This integration was beneficial in many ways, helping them to speak our language when building out assets and discussing different aspects of our sponsorship. 2. High-Quality Content: We brought our team on board and ensured we had almost unlimited access to tell their story alongside ours. Baseball has a rich history and underwent significant transformations during the pandemic and when everything reopened. We were alongside them for that journey and wanted to tell that story through high-quality content. 3. Fluidity: I dislike rigid agreements. Life and business are dynamic, and our agreements should reflect that. We structured our partnership to be as fluid as possible, allowing us to add assets ad-hoc and make real-time changes. This created a true two-way partnership where both parties were continually thinking about how to further utilize each other. In many ways, it was one of the best partnerships/sponsorships I've done in my career (and I've done a lot). When evaluating potential sponsorships, beyond market fit and target demographics, consider the type of relationship you want with your partners. Look for organizations that align with that vision—it will pay dividends.

Much for brands to learn from Singapore. To manage brand legacy alongside technology and advancement, brands must strike a careful balance between preservation and progress. Singapore has become a model of modernity without losing its uniqueness. It blends futuristic architecture, smart infrastructure, and a global business environment with deep-rooted cultural heritage, local traditions, and multicultural harmony. Sleek skyscrapers rise beside historic shophouses; hawker centres thrive next to Michelin-starred restaurants. It’s a city where innovation meets identity—where cutting-edge urban planning coexists with festivals like Deepavali and Chinese New Year. Define Non-Negotiable Brand Values and Identify what must never change. These values form the emotional core of the brand that tech innovation must serve, not disrupt. Evolve the Expression, Not the Essence. Modernize without alienating loyal users. Retain symbolic or nostalgic cues that remind audiences of the brand’s roots. Integrate Innovation with Storytelling. Frame new technologies (AI, AR, VR etc.) as extensions of the brand’s purpose, not departures from it. Maintain Consistent Brand Voice Across Platforms. As tech enables channels, ensure tone, visuals, and personality stay coherent. Use Flagship Experiences to Reinforce Both. Design physical or digital spaces to reflect both legacy and future-forward thinking. And most crucially - Listen and Adapt. Leverage data and community feedback to innovate with empathy, not in isolation. In short, the brand legacy is the soul, and technology is the tool—they must evolve together, not at the cost of each other. By preserving green spaces, promoting multilingualism, and respecting its past while embracing the future, Singapore proves that progress doesn’t have to erase character—it can enhance it. #Singapore #culture #legacy #brand #innovation #essence #brandpositioning #transformation

Most event planners are trained to manage logistics. Timelines. Floor plans. Vendor calls. Décor decisions. Those things matter. I built my career doing them. But if you’re looking to grow your business (or career) and are paying attention to where this industry is going, the next five years are going to require a different skill set. Here’s what I see coming. Experience design: Clients want events that feel intentional. Not just well run. They want moments that people remember and talk about later. Audience psychology: Why do people engage in one session and mentally check out in another? If you understand what drives attention and participation, you design very different events. Community building: The best events are no longer one moment on a calendar. They create connection that continues after the event ends. Strategic storytelling inside events: Every event is saying something about a brand, a mission, or an idea. Great planners know how to shape that message throughout the entire experience. Monetization strategy: Conferences are becoming business platforms. Sponsorships, partnerships, and revenue opportunities are part of the conversation now. This is where the profession is heading. Event planners are not just organizers. You’re shaping how people connect, learn, and do business. And that role is far more powerful than most people realize. Curious what you think. What skills do you believe event planners will need in the next five years? #eventplanning #skillset #eventprofs #businesscoach #eventmanagement

Event Strategy vs. Event Plan Let’s be clear on the difference. An Event Plan is: - Dates, venues, and budgets. - The run-of-show minute by minute. - Speaker outreach, swag orders, catering counts. - Tech stacks and ticketing links. - The checklist that keeps you on time and on budget. Nail the plan and you execute. Your event strategy will never work if you can’t execute. An Event Strategy is: - Purpose: why the event program matters to the business and the audience. - Audience journey: who you invite, where they sit in the funnel, how you’ll move them forward. - Behavior change: the trust, loyalty, or pipeline progression you expect after the show. - Core formats: the few repeatable experiences your brand builds a reputation on for (flagship, field, virtual). - Measurement: attendee lift, downstream revenue, partner amplification. Probably can’t do this without Marketing Ops. - Tool fit: process first, platform second. You need a partner, not duct tape. - Team cadence: sales, product, brand, and ops aligned from brief to debrief. Your event program is ultimately a form of PR. It will shape how you're perceived in the market. And that’s how it should be approached. When we onboard new customers at Accelevents They always fall in 1 of 2 camps. Either: 1. Show me how to build out my next event. Or 2. Teach me how to roll this out across my company. The “event strategy” led teams always focus on the latter. They know they can run the event. What they care about is how they can scale the program. **Note** you need management to buy into the strategy. You need a C-suite that understands the compounding impact of a strategic event program. When events are reduced to lead quotas, quality erodes. Trust erodes. Brand equity erodes. Strategy prevents that slide. Do you feel like you have room to execute an event strategy? Or are you being tasked with random acts of managing events?