Host Anca Platon Trifan interviews Mohammed Younas, founder and CEO of vFairs, on the Events Demystified Podcast (CEO Edition) about building reliable event technology under pressure. Younas explains vFairs as an end-to-end platform for in-person, hybrid, and virtual events, created after he built software to run his own events when a vendor charged $25,000 per event with poor support. He shares how a Fortune 500 early customer and word-of-mouth drove growth, and how COVID brought rapid scaling while refusing to compromise on quality, including refunding contracts when requirements couldn’t be met. Key themes include ownership, honesty, empathy for event planners, “hospitality” mindset, and “eating your own dog food.” He discusses customer-driven roadmaps, AI for support, setup acceleration, personalization, matchmaking, and agenda recommendations, and closes with staying fit through family, friends, and sport, plus connecting on LinkedIn.

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👉 Episode Notes: ⁠⁠https://eventsdemystified.com/⁠⁠

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Sponsored and Produced by ⁠⁠Tree-Fan Events Production LLC⁠

Connect with your Podcast Host at the links below:

⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Book Anca to Speak at Your Event⁠⁠

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Original Podcast Music written by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fable Score Music. ⁠⁠

⁠⁠“Events: demystified” Podcast ⁠⁠is brought to you by ⁠⁠Tree-Fan Events⁠⁠, a leading woman-owned boutique event planning and production agency offering a comprehensive approach to event management and production, with a focus on enhancing the attendee experience with the #FIT4EVENTS™ framework for a holistic event cycle in order to create memorable events. 👉 Leave us a comment about how you think AV and AI will shape the future of events, and share this episode with others in the industry

#eventsdemystifiedpodcast #demystifiedpodcast #eventsdemystified #events #demystified #podcast #womeninAV #eventprofs #eventsdemystified #AItools #Leadership #HolisticWellbeing #PodcastEpisode #AIinevents #fit4events #eventsdemystifiedpodcast #eventsdemystified #eventinsights #videoproduction

In this CEO edition of the Events Demystified Podcast, host interviews Debbie Garcia, CEO of Virsitour, about how the pandemic wiped out her commission-based planning income and pushed her to build the tool she needed for virtual sourcing.

Debbie shares her winding path from media production in New York and Nashville into events, the lack of systems and “tribal knowledge” in planning, and how Virsitour centralizes visuals and sourcing for hotels, venues, services, and destinations so planners can make informed decisions before sending RFPs.

She discusses bootstrapping the platform while running an agency, the costs of outdated processes in time, money, and missed life moments, and leadership lessons on resilience, boundaries, burnout, trusting experts, and building personal routines like meditation, calendar discipline, and focusing on top priorities.

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👉 Episode Notes: ⁠⁠https://eventsdemystified.com/⁠⁠

👉 Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share! Your support helps us continue to deliver insightful and engaging content.

Sponsored and Produced by ⁠⁠Tree-Fan Events Production LLC⁠

Connect with your Podcast Host at the links below:

⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Book Anca to Speak at Your Event⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-------------------------------------------------------------

Original Podcast Music written by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fable Score Music. ⁠⁠

⁠⁠“Events: demystified” Podcast ⁠⁠is brought to you by ⁠⁠Tree-Fan Events⁠⁠, a leading woman-owned boutique event planning and production agency offering a comprehensive approach to event management and production, with a focus on enhancing the attendee experience with the #FIT4EVENTS™ framework for a holistic event cycle in order to create memorable events. 👉 Leave us a comment about how you think AV and AI will shape the future of events, and share this episode with others in the industry

#eventsdemystifiedpodcast #demystifiedpodcast #eventsdemystified #events #demystified #podcast #womeninAV #eventprofs #eventsdemystified #AItools #Leadership #HolisticWellbeing #PodcastEpisode #AIinevents #fit4events #eventsdemystifiedpodcast #eventsdemystified #eventinsights #videoproduction

At the Northwest Event Show, podcast hosts Anca Platon Trifan (Events Demystified) and David T. Stevens (Return on Wellness) discuss AI, cognitive load, and performance in events with Wendy Turner-Williams (AI/data/tech executive with experience at Tableau, Salesforce, and Microsoft) and Lisa Schulteis (Electrify Marketing founder and neuroscience-based event strategist).

They argue events are often designed for logistics and run-of-show rather than the brain, leading to fatigue, poor retention, and low post-event action.

The panel recommends using data and real-time audience feedback to communicate impact to executives, treating events like marketing campaigns, and recognizing “invisible labor” in event work that AI can’t replace.

Practical fixes include intentional white space for decompression, memory-building resets (e.g., “Forgetting Curve” journaling), and a “less is more” approach. They warn that fast-moving tools like “digital doubles” and AI agents will accelerate change, requiring human judgment.00:00 Welcome and Setup01:23 Meet the Panel03:18 Why Cognitive Load Matters05:45 Design for the Brain07:02 Executive View and AI08:01 Fixing C Suite Blind Spots10:58 Agenda Fatigue and Focus12:24 Wellness and Retention16:00 Invisible Labor and Feedback18:31 Decompression and Data21:39 Judgment Over Speed23:26 Key Takeaways and Whats Next24:50 Digital Doubles Are Coming26:41 Connect and Closing

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👉 Episode Notes: ⁠⁠https://eventsdemystified.com/⁠⁠

👉 Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share! Your support helps us continue to deliver insightful and engaging content.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-------------------------------------------------------------

Sponsored and Produced by ⁠⁠Tree-Fan Events Production LLC⁠

Connect with your Podcast Host at the links below:

⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠ | ⁠⁠Book Anca to Speak at Your Event⁠⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-------------------------------------------------------------

⁠⁠“Events: demystified” Podcast ⁠⁠is brought to you by ⁠⁠Tree-Fan Events⁠⁠, a leading woman-owned boutique event planning and production agency offering a comprehensive approach to event management and production, with a focus on enhancing the attendee experience with the #FIT4EVENTS™ framework for a holistic event cycle in order to create memorable events.

👉 Leave us a comment about how you think AV and AI will shape the future of events, and share this episode with others in the industry

#eventsdemystifiedpodcast #demystifiedpodcast #eventsdemystified #events #demystified #podcast #womeninAV #eventprofs #eventsdemystified #AItools #Leadership #HolisticWellbeing #PodcastEpisode #AIinevents #fit4events #eventsdemystifiedpodcast #eventsdemystified #eventinsights #videoproduction

Host Anca Platon Trifan interviews Joe DiDonato, President of ESource AI University, about the real weight of leadership and how AI changes decision-making, judgment, and responsibility.

Joe shares his background growing education businesses at Oracle and PeopleSoft, then explains how prompt engineering, personas, and “entourage”/agentic workflows can extend individual and organizational capability while requiring verification and guardrails.

They discuss digital twins and a planned panel demo using human and digital personas, plus ethical and governance pressures as AI accelerates. Joe argues AI will shift jobs rather than simply eliminate them, citing microlearning in L&D, logistics gains, and enterprise efficiency examples, while warning companies can’t treat AI as a simple tool like Copilot.

He describes a failed attempt to scale AI tutoring due to students seeking shortcuts, and recommends structured AI education via ESource and the AI Learning Alliance.

👉 Like and share this video to spread the knowledge.

👉 Episode Notes: ⁠https://eventsdemystified.com/⁠

👉 Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share! Your support helps us continue to deliver insightful and engaging content.

Sponsored and Produced by ⁠Tree-Fan Events Production LLC

Connect with your Podcast Host at the links below:

⁠LinkedIn⁠ | ⁠Instagram⁠ | ⁠Book Anca to Speak at Your Event⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-------------------------------------------------------------

Original Podcast Music written by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fable Score Music. ⁠⁠

⁠⁠“Events: demystified” Podcast ⁠⁠is brought to you by ⁠⁠Tree-Fan Events⁠⁠, a leading woman-owned boutique event planning and production agency offering a comprehensive approach to event management and production, with a focus on enhancing the attendee experience with the #FIT4EVENTS™ framework for a holistic event cycle in order to create memorable events. 👉 Leave us a comment about how you think AV and AI will shape the future of events, and share this episode with others in the industry

#eventsdemystifiedpodcast #demystifiedpodcast #eventsdemystified #events #demystified #podcast #womeninAV #eventprofs #eventsdemystified #AItools #Leadership #HolisticWellbeing #PodcastEpisode #AIinevents #fit4events #eventsdemystifiedpodcast #eventsdemystified #eventinsights #videoproduction

Host Anca Platon Trifan interviews Wendy Porter, founder and chief event strategist at Wendy Porter Events, about designing live events that deliver measurable business outcomes.

Porter shares her path from marketing at UnitedHealthcare, starting with an unexpected trade show assignment that grew into major sponsorships and leadership conferences, to launching her firm after a corporate downsizing, now approaching 10 years.

She explains her CEO approach of supporting a subcontractor-based team and building thought leadership, and outlines her Ruby Ribbon Experience Strategy and the THREAD Framework (Touchpoints, Human-centric design, ROI, Experience, Audience, Data) to create intentional, connected, data-captured event journeys.

They discuss fractional “head of events” leadership, shifting organizational mindset from events as expense to investment, and her advocacy through the Live Events Coalition, including congressional outreach, NAICS code reform, job classification work, talent pipeline curriculum, and tariff concerns.

👉 Like and share this video to spread the knowledge.

👉 Episode Notes: https://eventsdemystified.com/

👉 Don't forget to subscribe, like, and share! Your support helps us continue to deliver insightful and engaging content.

Sponsored and Produced by Tree-Fan Events Production LLC.

Connect with your Podcast Host at the links below:

LinkedIn | Instagram | Book Anca to Speak at Your Event

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Original Podcast Music written by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Fable Score Music. ⁠⁠

⁠⁠“Events: demystified” Podcast ⁠⁠is brought to you by ⁠⁠Tree-Fan Events⁠⁠, a leading woman-owned boutique event planning and production agency offering a comprehensive approach to event management and production, with a focus on enhancing the attendee experience with the #FIT4EVENTS™ framework for a holistic event cycle in order to create memorable events. 👉 Leave us a comment about how you think AV and AI will shape the future of events, and share this episode with others in the industry!

On her 44th birthday, host Anca Platon Trifan reflects on what she’s truly celebrating after a quarter where AV production, speaking, podcasting, and AI consulting all went according to plan, shifting the challenge from creating momentum to holding it without breaking. 👉 Episode Notes: https://eventsdemystified.com/

In this Built From Within episode of Events Demystified, she highlights the “invisible work” that makes visible wins possible, describes delivering a long-earned keynote at Go West in Canada, and shares a late-February AI workshop lesson: deep expertise isn’t the same as teaching, and bridging different readiness levels matters. March reaffirmed her identity as an operator while producing and show calling a major private leadership event in New York. She explains how AI tools and agents exposed overload and inspired her AI Tasks Manager Pro, now open in a founding-circle beta. She also connects Ironman swim training and “productive failure” research to learning, and closes with priorities around systems, attention, family presence, and peace.

Produced by Tree-Fan Events Production LLC

Explore more episodes:
• Built from Lived Pain: Reinventing Event Operations with AI (Huong Nguyen)
https://youtu.be/WxenAZNHT2k

• Let Go to Grow: A CEO’s Lesson in Leadership (Lisa Gregory)
https://youtu.be/TC7gFum02T4

• The CEO Who Will Not Sugarcoat Success (Cindy Y. Lo)
https://youtu.be/2xCH0dE8TT8

Book Anca for speaking or consulting:
https://ancaplatontrifan.me/booking-page/

Follow for more on AI, events, and leadership:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ancatrifan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anca.platon.trifan/

Original podcast music by Fable Score Music

Tree-Fan Events is a woman-owned boutique event production agency focused on delivering high-impact experiences through the FIT4EVENTS™ framework.

In this episode of 'Events: Demystified,' host Anca Trifan sits down with Lisa Gregory, CEO and founder of Gregory Event Service. 👉 Episode Notes: https://eventsdemystified.com/

Lisa shares her journey of building a successful event design and production company from the ground up, balancing creativity with operational challenges. Learn how Lisa navigated pivotal moments, including overcoming burnout, the importance of letting go to grow, and leading through personal and professional challenges, such as a battle with breast cancer. Discover valuable insights on company culture, remote team management, maintaining health and wellness, and fostering resilience in leadership.

00:00 Introduction to the CEO Journey

01:08 Meet Lisa Gregory: CEO and Founder

02:23 Lisa's Entrepreneurial Roots

02:55 Starting Gregory Event Services

04:10 The Challenges and Triumphs of Entrepreneurship

05:00 Defining the Role of a CEO

08:28 Building a Remote and Global Team

10:47 The Early Days of Event Planning

12:16 Rebuilding and Growing the Business

20:27 Leadership Lessons and Personal Growth

27:35 Post C-Section Reflections

28:12 Recovering and Embracing Relaxation

29:14 Leading Through Chaos

29:43 Growth Mindset in Leadership

31:23 Aligning and Mentoring Teams

32:56 Living in the Present

34:21 The Importance of Relationships

35:20 Tracking Accomplishments

38:56 Personal and Professional Balance

44:57 Health and Wellness Routines

52:04 Final Reflections and Advice

Produced by Tree-Fan Events Production LLC

Explore more episodes:
• Built from Lived Pain: Reinventing Event Operations with AI (Huong Nguyen)
https://youtu.be/WxenAZNHT2k

• The CEO Who Will Not Sugarcoat Success (Cindy Y. Lo)
https://youtu.be/2xCH0dE8TT8

Book Anca for speaking or consulting:
https://ancaplatontrifan.me/booking-page/

Follow for more on AI, events, and leadership:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ancatrifan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/anca.platon.trifan/

Original podcast music by Fable Score Music. Tree-Fan Events is a woman-owned boutique event production agency focused on delivering high-impact experiences through the FIT4EVENTS™ framework.

Host Anca Platon Trifan records a live Events Demystified panel with Niesa Silzer (Details Convention & Event Management), Epiphany Bourque (TK Events), and Dustin Westling (OneWest Event Design & Production) on human-first systems and leadership in event work.

👉 Episode Notes: https://eventsdemystified.com/

They discuss where teams feel most stretched—especially decision fatigue, fast pace, and constant context switching—and argue that added complexity often increases risk without improving outcomes, urging a return to event purpose and audience needs. Polls highlight common slowdowns (stakeholder sign-off, budget changes, vendor coordination) and the need for clear decision ownership, better workflows before tools, cleaner data, and fewer disconnected platforms. The panel emphasizes coaching decision frameworks, mentorship plus education and hands-on learning, and prioritizing human judgment and conflict resolution that systems can’t replace. They also address tool overload and sustainability, calling for efficiency, modeling boundaries, and ending “busy” as a badge of honor.

00:00 Welcome and Nerves00:29 Podcast and Panel Intro02:19 Meet the Leaders03:51 Poll One Decision Fatigue08:11 Simplify Event Complexity10:56 Poll Two Friction Points13:27 Human Judgment and Systems16:56 Building Experience Pathways23:01 Tools Data and Integration28:17 Poll What Must Change31:40 Future Proof Skills33:22 Fit for Events Sustainability37:11 Quickfire and Wrap Up

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👉 Sponsored and Produced by Tree-Fan Events Production LLC. Let’s change the way we plan, produce, and experience events together.

Connect with Your Host, Anca Platon Trifan

https://ancaplatontrifan.me/booking-page/

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ancatrifan/

Instagram (Personal):

https://www.instagram.com/anca.platon.trifan/

Instagram (Podcast):

https://www.instagram.com/eventsdemystifiedpodcast/

Original Podcast Music written and produced by Fable Score Music.

“Events: Demystified” Podcast is brought to you by Tree-Fan Events, a leading woman-owned boutique event planning and production agency offering a comprehensive approach to event management and production, enhancing the attendee experience through the #FIT4EVENTS™ framework for a holistic event cycle.