Courtney Stanley made a bold shift in her career at the end of 2019 and early 2020. She decided to pursue the path of entrepreneurship. She is a keynote speaker, event emcee, podcaster, and coach. Her humility is personable, and her approach is empowering. “It’s important to remember that you’re really only seeing the tip of the iceberg when you see people on stage, hear them on a podcast. You’ve missed the struggle to get there,” said Stanley.

While the pandemic may have put a pause on travel over the last two years, things are gearing back up, with different industries hosting a splurge of in-person, hybrid, and virtual events. ImpactXM is proud to be servicing over 25 clients at the ICSC Las Vegas event from May 22-24th. In the meantime, hosts Lorre Crisswell and Holly Zalenski reflect on ImpactXM’s 15th Anniversary Rethink conference last year, with special guest and now Vice President of Account Management Sohini Mitra leading the way on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace.

Loree Crisswell, Holly Zalenski and Impact XM VP Executive Creative Director Erik McKinney breakdown how to produce effective marketing experiences.

Crépes Á Latte shares recipe for navigating through the pandemic and the current trends driving the events market today.

The hospitality industry revolves around interpersonal interactions—or so it seemed. Marti Winer, Vice President of MGM Resort Events Production, spoke with Experiential Experts hosts Lorre Crisswell and Holly Zalenski about how the industry has changed since the pandemic. One significant business change is slower decision-making, partly due to the need for flexibility. For example, businesses may not be able to commit to the number of people attending an event or decide whether there will be a virtual option until right before the event. Thus, flexibility is key for the industry. Customers have mixed, heightened emotions, so the hospitality workers need to meet them at their level. “Everybody’s answer is the right one for them. And we need to accommodate that,” Winer emphasized. She added that everyone had a remote and the option to change the media around them throughout the pandemic, which is not the case with live content. “The whole shared experience of watching something simultaneously and participating in the rise and fall of emotion, or learning, etcetera, is on that we will really have to take into account in that customer experience as we start to really curate and orchestrate what upcoming events look like.” The pandemic did result in positive changes for hospitality as well. Ubiquitous content access created thought and geographic diversity. Additionally, the pandemic revealed that current workers persevered and showed they have true dedication and passion for the industry.

For this first episode of Experiential Experts, hosts Lorre Crisswell and Holly Zalenski spoke with Aimee McGranahan, whose mission is to support shadow warriors and their families. The foundation she works for supports these families through various fundraising events they host.

There’s a lot to be said for engineering a truly global brand. The word “global,” itself, is a buzzword many use to attempt to quantify a brand’s international presence – but what does it really mean, and why is it so critical to take your brand global during a global pandemic and beyond? To answer that question, host Daniel Litwin invited Lorre Crisswell, Vice President and Group Account Director for Impact XM, to this episode of Impact XM TV. The benefits of “going global,” Crisswell said, are numerous. “First and foremost, there is new revenue potential and the ability to allow for economies of scale and production and packaging, which can lower your overall marketing cost while leveraging power and scope,” she said. Resources can also be shifted to focus on markets that exhibit the biggest potential at any given time, leading to more agility and growth. Experiential marketing will also play a large role in empowering brands to go global, especially in a digital-first era where you can reach audiences around the world from you nearly as easily as those down the street. However, there are still challenges and pitfalls to avoid, such as culture barriers and legal ramifications. “It’s important to fully understand the market before jumping in headfirst,” Crisswell said. “Something as simple as sending the wrong email can potentially offend a prospective customer in one country while coming across positively to an individual in another.”