Events are critical to a successful business. Instead of serving as entertainment vehicles for clients and employees, holding events has become one of the top 10 most effective business-marketing strategies. That's why Linder Global Events has created Event CEO, a new podcast designed to provide executive insights, tools, and resources needed to transform events into true extensions of a company’s mission with measurable return on investment.
In each episode, Rebecca Linder, founder and C.E.O. of Linder Global Events, hosts conversations with C-suite leaders of Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, and event companies worldwide. The discussions focus on providing proven business strategies, technology, and innovation to help businesses maximize profits, reduce expenses, and better activate sponsors.

Drew Nannis, chief marketing officer of Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA), recognized the value of events in episode nine of Event CEO as "the moment in time where you get to control everything, and therefore, from a marketing perspective, they're critical moments for us." A big part of that for an organization like PHA is bringing together the private sector with non-governmental organizations and advocates, two groups that often don't see eye to eye, in order to work towards achieving their mission of ending childhood obesity. For PHA, a key aspect in the strategy and design of its events is creating a safe space where those necessary conversations can happen. Without the event, that crucial conversation would be fractured and largely influenced by each individual's respective environments.
Considering the value of an event also requires justifying the cost. Often, this translates into sponsorship engagement. Diana Mayhew, president of the National Cherry Blossom Festival (NCBF), has spent 16 years elevating the quality of the festival's sponsorship engagement. As a nonprofit, providing packages that will appeal to sponsors means getting innovative and staying up-to-date on trends. "There has to be some kind of action involved, because if you take an action then you're engaging, and when you engage there's more of a connection and remembrance of who that company is," Mayhew said in episode six of Event CEO. Her team works hard to understand what the goals of their sponsors are and to provide opportunities and activations that achieve those goals in a measurable way.
One of NCBF’s most successful activations at this past year's annual Pink Tie Party was the Hunami experience, recognized as one of the top best ideas by Bizbash. Together, the NCBF team and sponsor, Land Design, replicated a Sake Experience, which is unique to Japan, inside the Ronald Reagan Building.
Linder Global Events’ mission is to educate and inspire C-suite and event executives to produce events that transform their organizations and ultimately transform lives. These conversations are only a few of the insights discussed each week in the Event CEO studios. Listen today to begin creating more experience-based, impactful events. Find us on iTunes and subscribe or visit us on the web at www.Linderglobal.com/podcast.
