We’re doing things a bit differently on this episode of the Event Tech podcast. Rather than covering a “new topic,” we’re checking in with you, our listeners, and readers and evaluating whether we should change anything about the podcast. So whether you’re a new or long-time listener, stay tuned and reach out. This is an engaging episode, and we have many questions for you.
The Origin of the Event Tech Podcast
Brandt begins this episode with a blast from the past. He tells the origin story of the event tech podcast. “A few episodes ago, we talked about the future of event technology. I’ve been thinking lately about what the future of the Event Tech podcast is. For those that haven’t heard the story, the Event Tech podcast existed [before Will and Brandt worked on it]. John Federico started the podcast and wound up getting a job outside of the industry.”
“After Will and I decided to host a podcast, we had a night in Arizona going from bar to bar with a notebook trying to develop a better podcast idea. We kept returning to the Event Tech podcast. So we eventually reached out to John and were able to pick up the podcast with all the original episodes, and as a result, we now have over 200 episodes.”
“It seemed like a good time for reflection,” continues Brandt. “I just wanted to spend a moment thinking about where the podcast goes from here. We always try to ask a question at the end of each episode. So consider this whole episode an ask. What do you want out of the Event Tech podcast?”
“I love it,” says Will. “Email us, reach out individually, and let us know what you want before we start sharing ideas. That way, it’s not just us giving you what we want.”
So go ahead! Pause the episode (stop reading) and reach out. Who knows, maybe you and Will want the same thing?
Finding that Sweet Spot: Episode Topics and Length
First on Brandt’s mind is the size of Event Tech episodes. “I’m a big podcast fan. That’s why I do this; I enjoy the format,” begins Brandt. “I found out that Gilbert Godfried had a podcast. They’re rerunning the best of the episodes, and one of the things they do is shortcuts. They do the main episode and then a short episode.”
“So one of the ideas I have for the show is to do the main episode and then a short episode on something like our favorite toys or our tech tools,” continues Brandt. “It could be anything, something we’re using, something we want. We’ve done entire episodes dedicated to folding phones and stuff like that in the past, so that’s an idea we could do. We did a whole episode on ‘what’s in my bag?’”
Will likes that idea. “Even if we did a ‘what’s in my bag?’, my bag has totally changed in the last two years,” he says. “We’ve played around with length a little over the last three years. We started religiously at an hour. Then we started playing around with 30-minute episodes.”
If you’re a long-time listener to the podcast, Will wants to know, did you listen to the ‘What’s in my bag’ episode? And as a follow-up, do you like that kind of content?
“We can talk about tech for hours, but at some point, does it really matter to you?” asks Will. “I’m curious to know, do you guys care about us personally? Or do you specifically want to focus on the event tech twist that the podcast implies?”
Where are the Event Tech Companies?
The lack of event tech companies on the show is on your mind just as much as it is on ours. Only we know why they aren’t coming onto the podcast.
“Sometimes you bring an event technology company on, and all they want to do is sell,” says Will. “As a host, it’s an easy episode because they’re polished and know how to talk about their service. But as a listener, it just doesn’t add value. So we decided to say, ‘Hey, you can come on our podcast all you want. You can talk about your product all you want. We just want one of your clients too.'”
Will continues: “We don’t press them to find an extremely honest client. They can even help sell the product along the way. We’re just trying to create this experience that’s not just a sales rep talking about features.”
“I like this model. I really do because it lets us have an open-door policy,” adds Brandt. “To any event tech company out there, if you want to be on the show, you just have to produce one person who likes you, which shouldn’t be that hard. We get pitched all the time, and then you never hear from them again because they just want to come on and do a sales pitch. That’s boring. I am really surprised at how often people just disappear.”
“So if you did what we asked earlier in the show, stopped the playback, and sent us a message about having more event tech companies, that’s why we don’t. I agree completely; I would love to have more event tech companies,” concludes Brandt.
If you have a better idea, we want to hear from you! Have you seen this done better on a different show? We’re curious and want to produce valuable content, so we’re open to suggestions.
Should We Add a Host?
Similar to having guest speakers on the show, Brandt is also thinking about how to add more thoughts, opinions, and voices to the show. “Along similar lines, I’d be open to more hosts,” he says. “Many podcasts that I listen to on the tech side have two standard hosts and a third rotating host, not a guest but an actual host. That would be another idea I have for the podcast’s future. There are so many great event tech people out there that I think would just be great event tech minds.”
Final Thoughts
As a final thought on where to take the podcast next, Will wants to know which episodes you like. What have you guys liked? We’ve shared horror stories of things gone wrong and learned from them. We’ve done time travel and teleportation too.
And, of course, it’s possible you think we’re perfect. “If you think we’re perfect and just love what we do, that’s an option too. We’d love to hear from you about that,” says Will. “I think it’s great that Brandt said, ‘Hey, I want to talk about this in front of our audience.’ I love that because far too often, we hit a place of complacency and end up falling into a routine.”
Brandt agrees. “That’s part of what I’ve been feeling. I want to ensure we’re not just coasting on autopilot but giving you what you want. I’m constantly asking, what do you need? What can we do better? How can we make this in a way that’s valuable to people? When we talk about community fatigue, coasting is what contributes to it. If it’s the same every time you go in there, you just start to check out. We don’t want to get to that spot. We always want to be doing better.”
Let’s hear from you now! We’ve shared our ideas. Now it’s time to share yours. Reach us at #eventtechpodcast or email us. What do you want to see?
