This week Karen and Jack were joined by Stephen, the visionary Founder of Clearwater Events. With a hands-on approach to event planning, client development, and legacy building, Stephen is committed to delivering excellence through diversity, equality, and innovation. His mission? To create unforgettable experiences with impeccable customer service, brilliant creativity, and cutting-edge technology.

Stephen's journey has been impressive. As Senior Account Director at MCI Events, he was instrumental in nurturing client relationships and developing impactful event programs tailored to client needs.

Previously, as Head of Events for North America at American Express Meetings & Events, Stephen led a team of 80 event professionals, driving their growth and ensuring they delivered creative, targeted event solutions that consistently exceeded client expectations. His career has taken him from Singapore and Hong Kong to North America, managing a wide range of global and local clients.

Outside of the event world, Stephen is passionate about aviation, collects model planes, and finds his true happiness on the slopes with a pair of skis.

Keep a track of all that's going on with the Podcast via;

www.theeventsinsight.com/
www.linkedin.com/company/the-events-insight-podcast/
www.instagram.com/the_eventsin/

See more about our Season Sponsor RedBox Events via;

https://www.redboxevents.com/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor The Hospitality Partnership via;

https://www.hospitality-partnership.com/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is Fuchsia Exhibition & Conference Services;

https://www.fuchsia-exhibition-services.com/

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Music Credits go to;

Artist: Cathrine Rannus
Title: The Events Insight Theme Music

Music from #Uppbeat:
Forever - Sega Williams
https://uppbeat.io/t/sega-williams/forever
License code: 7F5KY293FYDFNVEV

Fly Away - Mountaineer
https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/fly-away
License code: EKN0IYNUKGUXMCTW

Clarity - Zoo
https://uppbeat.io/t/zoo/clarity
License code: GL25RXVDXIBQWSWL

Makenzie Stokel is the Co-Founder of EVA, an innovative platform that automates the process of booking entertainment for events.

Makenzie has been a young leader in the events and entertainment industries since starting EVA while attending Belmont University. With degrees in Music Business and Entrepreneurship, she is passionate about creating paid performance opportunities for up and coming artists.

She has been recognized as a leader in the Austin community on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list and at the Austin Under 40 Awards.

She currently serves on the boards of ILEA (International Live Events Association) and STEP (Society of Talent and Entertainment Professionals).

During the chat with Karen and Jack you get to understand where that passion and drive came from. You will also here how the business has evolved over the years when faced with both challenges and opportunities.

Keep a track of all that's going on with the Podcast via;

www.theeventsinsight.com/
www.linkedin.com/company/the-events-insight-podcast/
www.instagram.com/the_eventsin/

See more about our Season Sponsor RedBox Events via;

https://www.redboxevents.com/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor The Hospitality Partnership via;

https://www.hospitality-partnership.com/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is Fuchsia Exhibition & Conference Services;

https://www.fuchsia-exhibition-services.com/

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Music Credits go to;

Artist: Cathrine Rannus
Title: The Events Insight Theme Music

Music from #Uppbeat:
Forever - Sega Williams
https://uppbeat.io/t/sega-williams/forever
License code: 7F5KY293FYDFNVEV

Fly Away - Mountaineer
https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/fly-away
License code: EKN0IYNUKGUXMCTW

Clarity - Zoo
https://uppbeat.io/t/zoo/clarity
License code: GL25RXVDXIBQWSWL

Martin has masterminded some of the world’s most significant major events including the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Opening and Closing Ceremonies, Hull UK City of Culture 2017, Unboxed; Creativity in the UK and most recently the ceremonies and cultural programmes for Birmingham Commonwealth Games 2022 and Eurovision in Liverpool on behalf of Ukraine. In January 2024 he was appointed Vice President of Global Live events at Tait, leading producing for the international renowned entertainment company.

He was an advisor to the Japan 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Dubai Expo 2020. In 2018 He was made CBE in The Queen's New Year Honours List. Eurovision has received two Royal Television Society and BAFTA awards.

In this epsiode Martin is generous with his time as he shares examples of how his journey has given him so many experiences that have shaped the person he is today.

Keep a track of all that's going on with the Podcast via;

www.theeventsinsight.com/
www.linkedin.com/company/the-events-insight-podcast/
www.instagram.com/the_eventsin/

See more about our Season Sponsor RedBox Events via;

https://www.redboxevents.com/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor The Hospitality Partnership via;

https://www.hospitality-partnership.com/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is Fuchsia Exhibition & Conference Services;

https://www.fuchsia-exhibition-services.com/

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Music Credits go to;

Artist: Cathrine Rannus
Title: The Events Insight Theme Music

Music from #Uppbeat:
Forever - Sega Williams
https://uppbeat.io/t/sega-williams/forever
License code: 7F5KY293FYDFNVEV

Fly Away - Mountaineer
https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/fly-away
License code: EKN0IYNUKGUXMCTW

Clarity - Zoo
https://uppbeat.io/t/zoo/clarity
License code: GL25RXVDXIBQWSWL

Rosie Ellis is the Co-founder and Managing Director of EPH Creative (formerly Event Prop Hire), one of the UK’s largest providers of event theming & rental products. Originally trained in Prop Making (Entertainment Design Crafts) at Cleveland College of Art & Design, she started the company along with her business partner back in in 2003.

She is passionate about all things Creative –and loves the challenge of finding solutions every day, and creating something new. Collaboration with colleagues keeps Rosie motivated every day and makes going to work an absolute joy.

When Rosie isn’t working, Rosie can usually be found attempting to parent four children, or watching something good on Netflix!

Make sure you listen and let your imagination go free as you hear about some of the magical environments Rosie and her team have created.

Keep a track of all that's going on with the Podcast via;

www.theeventsinsight.com/
www.linkedin.com/company/the-events-insight-podcast/
www.instagram.com/the_eventsin/

See more about our Season Sponsor RedBox Events via;

https://www.redboxevents.com/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor The Hospitality Partnership via;

https://www.hospitality-partnership.com/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is Fuchsia Exhibition & Conference Services;

https://www.fuchsia-exhibition-services.com/

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Music Credits go to;

Artist: Cathrine Rannus
Title: The Events Insight Theme Music

Music from #Uppbeat:
Forever - Sega Williams
https://uppbeat.io/t/sega-williams/forever
License code: 7F5KY293FYDFNVEV

Fly Away - Mountaineer
https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/fly-away
License code: EKN0IYNUKGUXMCTW

Clarity - Zoo
https://uppbeat.io/t/zoo/clarity
License code: GL25RXVDXIBQWSWL

Liz is co-founder of The Community Factory and an attendee engagement expert who specializes in Spontaneous Think Tanks for B2B organizations.

The Community Factory is committed to transforming the event industry by fostering innovative ways to engage and connect. With a rich history in delivering engaging events and networking and connection opportunities, The Community Factory continues to be at the forefront of the event engagement revolution.

After a decades-long career in corporate managing global event teams, she now focuses on helping companies create community at their events and keep them going all year long. She is also the founder of Club Ichi, a community for B2B event marketers.

Liz is a 20+ year veteran of corporate event marketing life, She ran the global event team for Dell and created Dell World in 2011. She ran the global event team for IBM's Analytics & Hybrid Cloud division. She is one of the founders of experiential agency Haute, and part of the ownership team at Haute Spot music venue in Cedar Park, Texas. She is a writer, investor, speaker, and frequent traveller.

You're going to love the content she shares with us during this episode!

Keep a track of all that's going on with the Podcast via;

www.theeventsinsight.com/
www.linkedin.com/company/the-events-insight-podcast/
www.instagram.com/the_eventsin/

See more about our Season Sponsor RedBox Events via;

https://www.redboxevents.com/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor The Hospitality Partnership via;

https://www.hospitality-partnership.com/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is Fuchsia Exhibition & Conference Services;

https://www.fuchsia-exhibition-services.com/

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Music Credits go to;

Artist: Cathrine Rannus
Title: The Events Insight Theme Music

Music from #Uppbeat:
Forever - Sega Williams
https://uppbeat.io/t/sega-williams/forever
License code: 7F5KY293FYDFNVEV

Fly Away - Mountaineer
https://uppbeat.io/t/mountaineer/fly-away
License code: EKN0IYNUKGUXMCTW

Clarity - Zoo
https://uppbeat.io/t/zoo/clarity
License code: GL25RXVDXIBQWSWL

And it’s a wrap folks!

Can you believe it, Season 12 is over?

And what a cross section of events industry professional Jack and Karen have spoken to, from a Health & Safety expert working out in Dubai to a successful festival organised based in the UK, with the odd event sporting professional thrown in the mix!

The season really has been a rollercoaster of emotions!

For the Wrap Session, we ask our lovely listeners to get in touch and join us for a chat about the guests! Informed, fun and entertaining would be the best way to describe our two lovely listeners.

First of all we have Katie Goldsmith

https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-goldsmith-308119216/

Katie is the Marketing Executive for StandOut Magazine and Event Buyers Live. She has only been actively working in the events industry for 7 months, and is so far loving every second of it!! Katie has always been a festival goer, it all started with her parents taking her to a variety of different festivals throughout her childhood to present day.

Our second listeners is Emma Couldridge

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-couldridge-7707361b9/

Emma is a final year BA Events Management student at the University of Northampton. Her passions have always laid within the theatre and performance world, and it is her dream to join her two worlds together by working as an Events Coordinator at a theatre.

Thanks for all your continued support of the podcast.

We do appreciate all your messages, calls and suggestions for the podcast.

Enjoy the Wrap, and get ready for Season 13!


Keep a track of all that's going on with the Podcast via;

www.theeventsinsight.com/
www.linkedin.com/company/the-events-insight-podcast/
www.instagram.com/the_eventsin/

See more about our Season Sponsor EFS Europe via;

https://www.efseurope.co.uk/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor Northampton University via;

https://www.northampton.ac.uk/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is Yellow Glove Productions;

https://yellow-glove.co.uk/

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Scrap all your preconceptions about Health & Safety professionals. Eddie is nothing like you imagine them to be!

Eddie was in the construction industry for 20+ years, but when his knees gave up (his words), he decided that he needed a change. And that change was Health & Safety. With a long career in the construction industry, Eddie was used to dealing with all kinds of people and working on active and challenging sites… all skills needed for Health & Safety.

Since entering the world of Health & Safety. Eddie hasn’t stopped working. He has been lucky enough to work on Expo 2020 Dubai, Commonwealth Games Birmingham 2022, FIFA Fan Festival in Doha, Wrestling AEW Wembley Stadium, Manchester Gay Pride 2023 and so many more.

Eddie is all about the team – understanding the onsite client team and supporting them. And most importantly building rapport with the supplier, contractor or exhibitor, sometimes these can be the trickiest to handle.

We guarantee you will want Eddie on your next event!

Keep a track of all that's going on with the Podcast via;

www.theeventsinsight.com/
www.linkedin.com/company/the-events-insight-podcast/
www.instagram.com/the_eventsin/

See more about our Season Sponsor EFS Europe via;

https://www.efseurope.co.uk/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor Northampton University via;

https://www.northampton.ac.uk/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is Yellow Glove Productions;

https://yellow-glove.co.uk/

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/

Natasha Butt boasts an extensive career spanning nearly two decades in the dynamic field of recruitment, with a specialised focus on the events industry for the past 8 years. Throughout her professional journey, she has collaborated with exhibition/conference organisers, suppliers, and venues on a global scale, contributing valuable insights to the ever-evolving landscape.

As the Co-Founder of Expocast and, most recently, the Founder of ConfexPro, Natasha has been a trailblazer in the realm of UK Inhouse Talent Acquisition Consultancy and Senior Executive Search. Her innovative approach and commitment to excellence have set her apart, fostering successful partnerships and delivering top-tier talent solutions.

Beyond her professional pursuits, Natasha gracefully navigates the rewarding role of being a dedicated mother to her four children. In addition to this, she effortlessly juggles the care of two dogs and two bunnies, adding an extra layer of joy and responsibility to her vibrant life. Known for her multitasking prowess, Natasha is also your go-to person for delightful birthday baking on demand!

Keep a track of all that's going on with the Podcast via;

www.theeventsinsight.com/
www.linkedin.com/company/the-events-insight-podcast/
www.instagram.com/the_eventsin/

See more about our Season Sponsor EFS Europe via;

https://www.efseurope.co.uk/

Find out more about our Shoutout Sponsor Northampton University via;

https://www.northampton.ac.uk/

Our Season Quickfire round Sponsor is Yellow Glove Productions;

https://yellow-glove.co.uk/

Our partnership with Standout Magazine is also worth following;

https://standoutmagazine.co.uk/