In this episode of Event Experience by Bizzabo, host Rachel Moore interviews Lauren Sorensen, the Director of Brand Experience at Bizzabo. They discuss the current state of the events industry, the importance of brand in event planning, and how Bizzabo is fostering connections through their events.
Lauren shares insights on avoiding common pitfalls in event planning, emphasizing the need for collaboration and leveraging technology to streamline processes. She also highlights Bizzabo's efforts to create meaningful connections through their Bizzy Building Connections series, aiming to support and connect event professionals in authentic ways.
Here’s what you’ll hear about in this conversation:
[00:00:09] Welcome to Event Experience by Bizzabo, the podcast where we bring the best and brightest event experience leaders together to share stories, tips, and lessons learned from creating some of the world's biggest events.
[00:00:31] Rachel Moore: I'm Rachel Moore, your podcast host. We're bringing the focus close to home as we welcome to the pod, the person behind Bizzabo's event experiences, Lauren Sorensen.
[00:00:42] As the director of brand experience, Lauren offers unique insights about the current state of the events industry, the pitfalls event planners tend to fall into, and how a strong brand is the cornerstone of any successful event experience.
[00:01:06] Rachel Moore: Our guest for this episode gathered experience from political, educational, and even retail apparel industries before landing in this wild world of events we find ourselves in.
[00:01:17] Joining the marketing team at Bizzabo in 2022 today, she is the director of brand experience. And which means she's in charge of all those events. We're going to learn more about this in a second.
[00:01:29] I'm really pleased to welcome finally, Lauren Sorenson to the event experience podcast. Lauren, welcome to my microphones.
[00:01:36] Lauren Sorenson: Hi Rachel. I'm so excited to be here. A long time listener. First time caller. So, should be fun.
[00:01:42] Rachel Moore: I know. And the great part is I'm like, and I know, you know, about the podcast, but I get to still, I get you in the hot seat.
[00:01:48] Um, Let us segue into some get to know you questions, Lauren. Um, we ask these of all of our guests. So, uh, as I, I alluded to this, what are your go to on the ground event day shoes?
[00:01:59] And again, having seen you at events where, you know, it's going to be several hours on your feet. What are you turning to?
[00:02:04] Lauren Sorenson: Honestly, Keds. Um, uh, I don't know. I always think there's like a big sign on my head that says Elder Millennial over my head.
[00:02:12] But I have a ton of different pairs. Um, they're all in different colors. They do a lot of like partnerships with old fun sort of like brands. And, you know, as you probably can see from my shirt, I'm never without color in some way, shape, or form.
[00:02:25] So, if I have to be wearing certain something more businessy, I like kind of having my shoes also show off my personality a little bit more. So.
[00:02:33] Rachel Moore: I can relate. I have several colored pairs of chucks. So, uh, I, I don't know what that says about me. I'm, I'm a Gen X'er and proud. So, but, uh, whatever makes us comfortable is really what matters. So that's all good.
[00:02:44] Uh, Is there anything that you're listening to watching or reading these days that you cannot put down?
[00:02:49] Lauren Sorenson: Well, I wish I could say reading, but that I am, uh, much too ADD for that at the moment. But I am a content person. So this is a bit harder for me. I'm loving The Pit right now. I believe it's on HBO Max. It's a new medical drama with Noah Wyle that is not ER. Um.
[00:03:08] But I will also say I was out earlier this week around Boston and I swear, I saw him walking down the street. So, maybe he's just on my mind. Um, but I will swear in my dog's life that it was definitely him and I. I love the pit. And then, I chickened out and I didn't.
[00:03:22] But I also saw the new Steven Soderbergh movie, um, earlier this week called Black Bag. It's with Michael Fassbender and Cate Blanchett and then they play married spies. Um, I highly recommend it. It was fun.
[00:03:34] But yeah, I have too many podcasts to list. I'm a, I have a dog and so we go for walks every day. And so, I'm always listening to podcasts. So.
[00:03:42] Rachel Moore: Nice. I am definitely gonna, I love Cate Blanchett. So, and Michael Fassbender, I will always watch him anytime he's on any screen. So, that's a win win situation right there.
[00:03:50] I know we were talking a little bit before we started recording. I'm like, natural confluence of people. We should absolutely have your perspectives on here. So, I'm super excited about this.
[00:03:59] Um, as the director of brand experience, I want to hear more about what your world is like in your daytime.
[00:04:04] What, what do you do? What goes on with that?
[00:04:05] Lauren Sorenson: Yeah, so I guess for, in the most simplest terms, I oversee everything brand and everything experience related. So, that is right in the title as advertised. But, I oversee all of Bizzabo's events that includes dinners, third party sponsorships, anytime we show up on site that isn't sort of like a customer event, which I need to kind of say that because obviously, Bizzabo helps and supports people who plan events. But I actually host all of Bizzabo's events.
[00:04:33] But, I also manage all of our brand campaigns and brand forward sort of pieces that come along with Bizzabo and all of our social media, just to add in some fun there.
[00:04:44] So, um, I work directly with our wonderful creative team. And work with them to help sort of define and amplify what our brand message admission is and we kind of work with the rest of the company to make sure that everything that what you think of when you think of Bizzabo is represented well, our colors, our schemes, our messaging, how you kind of think about the personality of Bizzabo shows up across the board from websites, to on site, to the decks that our sales team is showing.
[00:05:11] So, I guess a little bit of everything per usual.
[00:05:14] Rachel Moore: Well, I mean, really just infusing Bizzabo throughout. And I, I would say too, knowing that you work so heavily that Bizzabo works so heavily with brands and agencies that are putting on events, you've got to set the bar. You know, you, you're like, Hey, uh, we can set, set the standard here for how it should be done.
[00:05:29] So, lots on your shoulders to do that. So I'm, that's why I'm super excited to have you here because I think we're going to get a lot of your insights.
[00:05:36] Lauren Sorenson: Before I even get into that, I will say that one of the reasons why I originally joined Bizzabo is because of its brand. Um, I always joke around with all on our co founder and CMO about the fact that if you had found me six months earlier before they had rebranded, if you kind of look across the boards of E.M.S. It's like a lot of blues, a lot of grays, a lot of, a lot of sameness.
[00:06:01] And I think I remember when I first found the job, it was this bright yellow and had this personality behind it, which, you know, and I also believe we have the product to back that up.
[00:06:10] But, kind of seeing that, that it was a forward thinking company and had this design aesthetic, which meant they always had like forward thinking, design thinking, when it came to the product, um, really kind of set the stage of why I wanted to join the company to begin with.
[00:06:24] So, um, it's nice to be able to sit here and help foster it forward.
[00:06:27] Rachel Moore: Well, drawn in by the brand, and now working neck deep in the brand and making sure it's everything it should be. So, I love that that's your progression and, and where we find you today.
[00:06:37] Which again, one reason I'm so excited to have you on here is because, I've had the privilege of seeing you in action at, um, at like event tech live. Where, you know, you are kind of the MC of the booth, and the boothing experience, and being on the show floor and, and manning the booth, and talking to everybody, and connecting, and generating opportunities, but also acquainting people with the biz of a brand, if they're not familiar, reinforcing it if they are. And, just really seeing you in action.
[00:07:04] You know, we'll get to this later in the, in the episode, you know, talking about your experience as an event professional being on the, on the ground many hours in a day, but there's more to complete that circle.
[00:07:15] But, let's kick off first with your perspectives. Tell us in your own words, what is the state of the events industry today, uh, from your perspective?
[00:07:25] Lauren Sorenson: Yeah. I think if I had to distill it down to one word, the word is Hustle. Everyone is hustling right now. I think the event industry is in a really exciting, but still sort of unpredictable place right now.
[00:07:40] In person events seem to be thriving. Companies are doubling down on face to face, experiencing virtual and hybrid events are still to have a place, but we're kind of using those more strategically in different ways, not just as a fallback, but like we obviously as Bizzabo, we host in person events, and we have our monthly or bi monthly webinars. So there's a way to kind of bridge those two different, the way that people like to attend events.
[00:08:04] I think at the same time, we're kind of dealing with a lot more pressure to prove ROI, smarter tech, we need better data. Kind of focus on quality over quantity and, you know, budgets are fluctuating. They were tight. They were loose. There's some uncertainty that kind of lies ahead with the current state of the, the markets.
[00:08:23] So, brands are prioritizing more high impact events. So, more community driven experiences and engagement all year round. So, you know, I think we're an adaptable group and it's an adaptable time, which is, you know, the key word for the last five to six years, I guess, anyways.
[00:08:39] Rachel Moore: Oh, for sure. And I, I'm sure everybody listening or watching this podcast as an event planner, they're like, uh, yeah, nodding along. Hustle feels like you really are just kind of picking up what you can, you know, grasp at every day and say, okay, uh, things might've just changed overnight and I need to go in this direction, or the budget changed, or a new trend happened or, you know, just whatever might be hitting the entire industry at large, which is impacted by so many things.
[00:09:04] So, so really just staying fluid. And, and have, and being adaptable, like you said, it is super, super important.
[00:09:11] Lauren Sorenson: No one day is ever the same. Working events, working in marketing, it's, you're always on your toes. I've been doing this for, I don't know, not to age me over almost 20 years now. And it's like, I just wish I had, sometimes I had a job that was like, you show up, you knew you had to check the boxes off, and you're done at 5, and ready to go.
[00:09:32] At the same time, I know I get bored very easily, which is probably the, um, you know, caveat of every single event planner.
[00:09:39] Rachel Moore: Right.
[00:09:40] Lauren Sorenson: So, it was the same every single day. And I was only looking at spreadsheets. I would be saying the opposite thing. Like, I wish I had a job that was more unpredictable and whatever. But, you know, events, I think sometimes say they chose me.
[00:09:52] I kind of come back and go away and come back and go away over my job. But, they always find me. And we kind of just, I always have to keep moving along with the way the market. And we do what we can, we hustle.
[00:10:02] Rachel Moore: Yeah, we do. It's funny you bring that up. I still, like, when I think of the most boring job I ever had, way early in my career, I could type really fast and do data entry.
[00:10:10] So, especially during college days, I did that. I just did you know, go to an eight hour job and do a data entry job, which is boring. It is really boring. Manual key entry. Mm mm.
[00:10:19] Lauren Sorenson: Speaking of keys, I may have a more boring first job right outside of college. I graduated college in 2008 when there were zero jobs. And my first job was opening a gate and handing out keys all day. So, there was, there was no other thing. I still worked at University of Wisconsin, Athletic Department.
[00:10:36] So, there was fun games going on, but I was there from six to two every day, opening the gate and handing out keys to all the workers and then I would sit there and read my book and wait for them to come back and return the keys and that was my job. .
[00:10:51] Rachel Moore: And now, it's way more exciting. You're handing badges to people or swag. But a little more pressure on you to be like, and you're representing a whole brand. Good luck. Have fun.
[00:11:00] Oh my gosh. Well, now I, now I'm going to want all of our listeners to like come on our social media and be like, tell us what was the most boring job you had.
[00:11:06] Cause this ain't it. If you're an event planner, you are not bored. It is very exciting.
[00:11:11] Lauren Sorenson: Never, never.
[00:11:12] Rachel Moore: That's right. And I think, you know, speaking from the position you have at Bizzabo, you know, again, this hub, an event tech platform that can be a hub, and is a hub for so many different brands and agencies that use it to execute their own events.
[00:11:26] You do have a very unique view, being an event planner for a platform that serves event planners. You know, the very people that are watching or listening to this podcast, the people who use the platform, the people in the events that you attend as well, and that you represent Bizzabo at. You're really literally completely immersed in the world of event planning.
[00:11:46] So, now I want to ask you, this is always interesting because I think some, you know, from your perspective of just seeing all, I almost feel like you're a little bit like omniscient here where you're like, I can see the whole landscape. Not only do I see our own brand and events, but I see what other people are doing.
[00:12:02] What are some pitfalls that you think event planners are falling into as they execute their events? Whether those be virtual, hybrid, or in person?
[00:12:11] Lauren Sorenson: Well, like I said, I do have a very unique background. I'm a brand person that's what I do. But as like any marketing person will tell you as we just said, you never just do one thing. So, before Bizzabo, I was a brand marketing person at an apparel brand apparel brand called, Life is Good, I might have heard of it.
[00:12:27] We did like, a lot of festivals, concerts, small events, in store events. And ended up kind of being a part of the event planning for that. Um, before that, I worked for an experiential marketing agency. So, I worked a lot of music festivals. And then, like I said, one of my first gigs was working for the athletic department at the University of Wisconsin. Just a caveat, not sure where we're going to be at with March Madness when this goes out, but Go Badgers.
[00:12:51] So like, every single event that I've ever worked has been pretty different. When I was looking at my next role, when I left Life is Good, I thought there was something really special about working for a brand that's main goal was to make event planners lives easier.
[00:13:06] Now, I can't speak for everybody, but I know my biggest pitfall is trying to do everything, everywhere all at once. For everything, for everyone. I recently told a colleague that it should read she tried to do it herself on my tombstone because, it's like, all right, let's do it done. Like what? I'll, I'll just do it. That's it. Don't worry, but we'll get there. We'll get there again.
[00:13:26] Event planners are big do it yourselfers. We're self starters. That's kind of why we do this job. That's why we like the chaotic energy. We like all these things. But, my biggest constant message to myself is who can help make this event better?
[00:13:38] In the past year, I've really made it my mission to think just beyond my role. I'll be on even with my marketing team, but like the whole company and like communities, like connecting more with our sales and customer orgs has allowed me to like, listen to what more people are hearing, understanding what we need to connect more, and getting more out of those events.
[00:13:56] So that way, when I'm planning an event, we're not trying to do everything. Like, I think this person needs this. I think this person needs this. And it kind of can help us streamline all of those things. And kind of really help tell the right story.
[00:14:11] And I think sometimes I've come to the B2C, to the B2B world, B2B wasn't always known for having a story.
[00:14:18] It was something else. And so, being able to have a story, even if you're putting an event together and how you're going to reach those people, um, kind of helps streamline. So you're not trying to do everything, not trying to reach everybody. And it can be a little bit more simplified.
[00:14:32] And then, I also just say being at Bizzabo, um, has really taught me how many great tools there are out there, that you have that even make your life easier. I would say yes, I am drinking my own champagne here and saying that Bizzabo essentially has made my life super easy.
[00:14:48] I didn't even know what an EMS platform was I started. And now, I can't imagine doing without it. And so, being able to sort of take the load off myself and say, hey, what are some tools I can help streamline our, you know, scheduling for speakers, or I need to work through getting, um, the onsite set up or working with my team to say, do we, what kind of like venue is actually going to interest the event planners that we talked to? Which is actually quite hard sometimes when your audience is event planners.
[00:15:22] When planning an event. Like, have they been here already? Have they done all this? Have they signed this up themselves?
[00:15:28] So, you know, kind of getting the feelers out, talking to my community, um, and kind of just leaning on people kind of the best advice they can do to avoid, I guess, any sort of pitfalls in the industry these days.
[00:15:40] Rachel Moore: You know, and, and I, I didn't plan it this way, but I'm going to say it. Just talking about that too. I think it's awesome that, you know, in the position you're in today with Bizzabo, you talk through all those pitfalls, the things you've learned.
[00:15:53] What's great is that, uh, Bizzabo as a company, is actively helping our listeners, our event planner audience, the customers, anyone who's out there doing event planning, avoid those pitfalls.
[00:16:06] You're taking what you're learning in your own career, in your own experience as, you know, the director of brand experience for Bizzabo, running all these events. Um, but you're also taking it from your perspective of seeing all these event planners, knowing what those pitfalls are.
[00:16:20] And then, Bizzabo not just providing the event tech platform that like you just said, makes your life easier as an event planner. But there's all, I mean, gosh, the blog, the webinars we put on, I'm just thinking about the most recent webinar Bizzabo put on, there were so many good, um, insights from the panelists and that also event planners for, for different companies where they're just saying, here's what I've learned, do this so you don't spend all this, you know, spinning your wheels, trying to do everything everywhere all at once by yourself. And leaning on those, uh, the, the expertise that others have shared.
[00:16:52] So, um, you really are walking the talk, which is super important.
[00:16:56] Lauren Sorenson: It's
[00:16:57] Rachel Moore: We'll be right back with more event experience after the break.
[00:17:02] Ever wished your event badge did more than just display your name? Whether you're an event organizer, exhibitor, or attendee, Bizzabo's Klik Smart Badge transforms the event experience. From interactive networking, to real time attendee insights and lead capture, the Smart Badge is the ultimate game changer. Visit bizzabo.com/klik. That's bizzabo.com/klik to learn more about the next generation of wearable event technology. Bizzabo, your partner for building conferences that captivate.
[00:17:37]
[00:17:38] Rachel Moore: We're back to learn what Lauren Sorensen has on deck for Bizzabo's events this year.
[00:17:43]
[00:17:44] Lauren Sorenson: it's ever changing. Like I've, like I said, I've been doing this for 20 years, and I don't know, I was looking at somebody that we were looking at for like a speaker for an upcoming event, and I saw that she had this background in festivals, and I was like, actually, I think I know this person.
[00:17:57] We were on site at this thing. And it was like, remember that. It was like so random and like, why didn't we have that and like, you kind of think back of like how you used to do things and like how far you've come.
[00:18:09] And that's just like the every day of like, all right, how did we do this yesterday, and how can we do it better tomorrow.
[00:18:14] And, that's sort of like being able to connect with the event prop community, being able to even connect with our, like our own team. And because they every day are talking to our customers and our prospect, kind of talking to them through what pain points and how they're feeling.
[00:18:28] So, I don't know, I feel like I'm lucky that I get to talk to who my target audience is every day, because I get to understand them and I get to empathize because I'm going through it.
[00:18:39] Rachel Moore: I think that's super unique too, because like, I think if any of us have worked, you know, if you've been an event planner for a brand, you may, it may be, you know, a particular product or service or some, some kind of entity that is serving a very, very niche audience, that may not be who you are. You know, doing what you do every day in your role.
[00:18:58] But you, you really do, like you just said, your audience are you. Um, and obviously there's a lot of diversity and, you know, people, different backgrounds and they bring all their own stories and experience to the table. But, there's so many, there's so much commonality there.
[00:19:13] It's kind of, it does fortunately, for in that kind of role, you, you know, where hustle is the keyword, hopefully that alleviates it a little bit to say, okay, well, at least I know who I'm marketing to, and I'm in the midst of them all the time, every day. So, I feel that pulse. And it's right next to me.
[00:19:29] Lauren Sorenson: Yeah. 100%.
[00:19:31] Rachel Moore: Awesome. Um, all right, now I want to get your, um, kind of your insights and, you know, spill the tea here because I, um, we're in the middle of 2025. Gosh, we're not even in the middle. What am I saying? We were just talking about March Madness. Uh, we're still in, we're just wrapping up Q1 when we're recording this.
[00:19:47] Lauren Sorenson: Yeah.
[00:19:49] Rachel Moore: Are there any new developments or even maybe not new, maybe there are some tried and true activities and activations that you know you can rely on.
[00:19:56] What are you expecting yourself to see and do this year when it comes to events?
[00:20:01] Lauren Sorenson: I mean, this isn't going to be, I don't think, think ever anything revolutionary. I think this is kind of what we're all experiencing, but it's like more connection. People are still craving it. We're now five years knock on wood since the pandemic started. And people like, I still work from home, you still work from home. And I value that time.
[00:20:19] But being able to get out and connect with people more now in meaningful ways, not just because I have to take the train every day, not just because I have to do whatever.
[00:20:26] But like, I make a point to kind of get out and do more things and people are, I kind of feel that people are also feeling that they want to do it more personal ways, authentic ways. And so everything that we're doing this year is about how can we better connect our event professional community. Not just personally, but to make their lives more fulfilling and learn how we can help make their lives easier.
[00:20:47] So, this year we launched, um, our dinner and cocktail series, that were called Bizzy Building Connections. It's a mix of dinners and bigger cocktail events and you kind of say, why 'Bizzy'? And I will say, because we're busy. Spelled, uh, B I Z Z Y. And so Bizzy is essentially a character that Bizzabo introduced last year as part of our Quit Venting, Start Aventing campaign. Um, which is where my handy dandy water bottle from here.
[00:21:16] Um, But more than that, so the character, um, was Bizzy. And she sort of was a stand in for what we think exemplifies the event planner spirit. You know, they're human centric, a true person that understands that events aren't just about logistics, they're about creating moments, and excitement, and fulfillment, and connection.
[00:21:34] So, we're sort of taking that ethos and we're putting to these together and that's what these events are about. And so, we want to create more moments of connection.
[00:21:42] And I think we're seeing this on a small scale with like more field events, but also, you know, we're, we're launching sort of new networking things at different places and how do people connect on site and finding more ways that are just like, Hey, it's a big keynote or it's a big whatever. But, you know, when you're there on site, we really want to find ways to connect people. And that's what we're doing personally. And that's what also that we're hoping to do more with our product, so.
[00:22:06] Rachel Moore: Nice. Well, I think any event planner listening, if they're going to be out in the events universe. And happen to be able to cross paths with Bizzabo. So, everybody should keep an eye open because you have those opportunities you're fostering, which are super fun.
[00:22:19] Lauren Sorenson: Well, I will say that we're going to be holding an event in New York, in April, on April 23rd. So, when this comes out, please give me a shout. Um, we're going to be in San Francisco in May, and then Chicago in June.
[00:22:33] So, hitting my, hitting my Midwest roots there. Um, and then TBD on the fall. But, really kind of meeting people where, where they are.
[00:22:41] We just recently finished one up in my, I'm currently living in Boston and was sitting across the room at the table. She's like, you know, it's weird, like I know a bunch of these people, but we rarely meet up in Boston. Like, I know so and so because we go to IMAX every year and we sit over there. She's like, we live two towns over, but we've never actually connected in person outside of IMAX.
[00:23:03] And so, kind of helping people build communities within these areas. So, hopefully maybe after our event in Boston, we'll, we'll come back. Or those people will kind of go off and have their own connections.
[00:23:14] And that's kind of what this is about is supporting event professionals, highlighting their, the, you know, the things that they're going through every day, and how we can help better support them. So, that's what these are all about.
[00:23:25] Rachel Moore: That's beautiful. Yeah. It sounds like you're already achieving the mission you're setting out to create those connections. And it's like, yeah, hey, let's, I didn't know that you lived so close and let's, let's make more things happen there, that's amazing.
[00:23:36] All right. I want to bring this back. We talked about, what brought you to Bizzabo and I love, see, it's like we timed it. You just brought up your cup into the thing.
[00:23:44] But, uh, let's marry up branding and events in this next question.
[00:23:49] Can you highlight for us an event or an activation where Bizzabo's branding really walked hand in hand, busy walked hand in hand with the event to achieve success and make the impact y'all wanted.
[00:24:01] Lauren Sorenson: I definitely can, hopefully a lay up question for me, because this is what I'm passionate about. Um, I don't know. I'm not really into that in sports as much. I'm sorry. There's been a lot of March Madness basketball talk.
[00:24:11] But when we were building our sponsorships, we attend IMAX and then event tech live every year. And so, last year, um, myself and Neil Lucy, our fabulous designer on our creative team, sat down and kind of did a relook at a., everything about the space, and then how does it fit into our overarching message that Bizzabo is gonna be talking about at that time.
[00:24:37] I think sometimes they're gonna be a disconnect like "'well, here's our booth. This is what we do every year." But, how is it gonna tie back to with somebody meets us on site was, is it gonna connect to what they're seeing on our website? Is gonna connect to see what they're seeing on our social media? And, does it kind of exemplify what Bizzabo is all about?
[00:24:55] So, we kind of took those, these spaces and kind of thought about them as mini, mini events and of themselves. So, we took each of the spaces and then use color and messaging to identify the areas of the space as people walk through them.
[00:25:08] So, we had a welcome area where everybody walked in and received a klik smart badge, if you haven't experienced that, I highly recommend it, but it is our, our badges that, um, we use onsite and went through like the whole registration process with people. They were able to, you know, digitally sign in, register with, um, our smart badge, and then kind of go around the different areas of the booth.
[00:25:30] So, like the blue area was where you could learn more about the OS. The purple area was more to learn about what Klik was about. The yellow areas was the welcome and the meeting area. And it kind of, so it blended self well to sort of what people experience on site as events, with like way signage and things like that.
[00:25:47] So, all of these colors really represented the Bizzabo brand and our different product offerings. And it's just like a subtle nod for people when they're on site. It's the same as you would plan for like a larger convention. Like, way for this way, this way for that.
[00:26:01] But additionally, we kind of use these two events as an opportunity to really extend our Quit Venting, Start Aventing campaign. So, we carried over a lot of, a lot of the larger brand message that we were expelling out with the videos we were putting out.
[00:26:15] Bizzy and Benty, were characters in, in the booth. They were, uh, alive and well there. We gave out some of our signature, um, Bizzy, mugs.
[00:26:25] So what you kind of saw online, you were seeing in the booth and they were talking to each other, and then, as always, we are very passionately yellow forward.
[00:26:33] Yellow is uplifting, happy, and helpful. And I think that's what we want people to feel when they are coming in contact with Bizzabo. And that's what we want these spaces to be. And that's kind of what we did.
[00:26:46] So, it's like really thinking about I don't know, what does your brand mean? What does it stand for? What is the product you're trying to do? And like, how do those things all come together and connect?
[00:26:55] Rachel Moore: I love that you put the prep work in there with your designer, um, to really say, let's be thoughtful about thinking how, how this is going to manifest for someone actually coming into your space, into your mini event.
[00:27:05] But, goodness, uh, I think so many of us do react strongly, you know, to visuals and to colors and, and incorporating those and, and, and it comes back to, again, I'm just going to hearken back to something we were hearing in our webinar we just did, what was it? Return on experience, um, on emotion and, and really letting, you know, it's, what does that Maya Angelou quote? You'll people always remember how you made them feel.
[00:27:29] And so you're, you're really tapping into that and saying, well, we're going to help you accomplish some things, but what's going to help you feel a certain way about it. And, and it's all about brand.
[00:27:37] Lauren Sorenson: Yes, and I will be passionate about that like as much as until the day I die, I guess. I think, I struggle back and forth kind of working with companies that are like, I love data, I'm very left brain, right brain. I love how this is but brand and sort of that feeling is very hard to measure.
[00:27:54] And sometimes that, because of that, you know, recently it's gotten kind of a little bit shoved aside and then you kind of see companies like Nike and Airbnb kind of turning around and reinvesting in brand after they kind of took a turn. And like, seeing that go up because you do want to, you do want to buy something that makes you feel good or have a connection to and things like that.
[00:28:14] And like, again, these personal connections. Not to, you know, again, toot my own horn, but at the, the Boston event, I was sitting across the table from, we were having a casual conversation, and I am from a town called Sheboygan, Wisconsin. It's a funny name. It has always followed me everywhere. My friends that I went to college with still call me Sheboygan, like it's just, um, just the way it is.
[00:28:39] And she was talking there. She's like, you know, we're not in the, you know, we're probably in the market down the road. We're still kind of feeling the effects of what the market's going to be. So, it's not something we can pull the trigger on yet. But I, you know, she's like, I know that I will remember six months from now, the girl from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. And the conversation that we had, and I will reach out to her again and it's like, you're, if you're memorable, and, that's make something have a feeling is memorable when you're like, if she's coming back, searching around, like TMS and she sees Bizzabo pop up, it's going to be like, Hey, that's, that's great. And we kind of think about that a lot in terms of our, our marketing.
[00:29:17] Does it make you feel something? Does it make you laugh? Does it make you empathize? Does it make you, you know, connect? And so, that's what we try to do with all of our things. And that's what I hope good marketing can help us do.
[00:29:27] Rachel Moore: I think, uh, everybody, stamp of approval, yes, agreed. And you're right. It's that memorability and you, you never know what's going to make you or your brand sticky in someone's mind.
[00:29:36] But, but hey, throw everything at it and do what you can and yeah, it matters how people are going to feel about it because that will help you kind of stay on their radar.
[00:29:45] Um, easiest question of all, where can our listeners find and follow you online?
[00:29:49] Lauren Sorenson: Well, you can find me, um, at Lauren Sorensen on LinkedIn, if you're, if you're so inclined, I'm not a voracious poster cause I'm usually posting for Bizzabo and a few other things, but I do try.
[00:30:02] Um, if you want to follow me on Instagram, I'm laurashsor. Um, it's mostly food and pottery and my dog, Ted. So, you know, just a lot of fun going on over there.
[00:30:10] But other than that, that's, that's me. I'm pretty, um, as I told Rachel at the beginning of this, I'm not actually very good about talking about myself, so I don't have a lot of public forums you can find me on, but if you reach out and you want to chat more about branding and marketing and events, I'm always happy to chat.
[00:30:35] Rachel Moore: Lauren's skill up advice for all of us is to bring our best Alice in Wonderland attitudes to our work.
[00:30:41] Lauren Sorenson: Be curious. I think that is my biggest, again, like what I was saying, everything is always changing. Always adapting kind of what is new and what's out there. Um, one of my first jobs that I had, um, in grad school was working for an experiential agency. And they represented Maybelline and Garnier. And if you don't know, they do like big festival events. Like, Garnier does big like shower on site things at Bonnaroo and things like that.
[00:31:07] And so, my job every week was to kind of scan the market and see what other companies and competitors were doing. And to report back to the team to just like, this is what's out there. This is what's happening.
[00:31:18] And I think that really helped me set the stage of like constantly being curious what other people are doing.
[00:31:24] And not in like a, ooh, maybe we can make that sort of way. But still kind of looking at the market, even completely different industries and saying a good idea is a good idea. You just have to know how to make it yours and make it make sense for your brand.
[00:31:38] And if you're kind of always seeing what's out there, you're hopefully never be bored and never be boring.
[00:31:43] Plus, I just love kind of learning what everybody else is doing. Um, in the past lives, I've invited, um, our in house counsel or head of finance to brainstorms.
[00:31:51] Um, when we were launching new campaigns or launching new things, because you learn so much from like other people's perspectives. Asking questions from other people and trying to get into other people's shoes.
[00:32:03] It's then so much easier than you think to say, do my consumers, what do they need for my product and how are we helping and serving them? Cause you're scanning the market and kind of seeing what's out there and, you know, making the right choices for your company.
[00:32:15] Thanks again to Lauren Sorensen for joining us on Event Experience and thank you for listening. If you're enjoying the show, we'd love to hear about it.
[00:32:24] Connect with us on social and subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you're listening. Also, don't forget to share the show with your colleagues and friends.
[00:32:32] You can find transcripts of each episode and key takeaways on bizzabo.com/podcast.
[00:32:39] On behalf of the team, thank you. We'll gather again soon for a new episode of Event Experience. [00:32:45]
