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Smart Start Radio: Fuel for the Purpose Generation of Meeting Planners
Smart Meetings' award winning podcast tackles issues from Gen Z Digital Dreamers to Millennial Masters and Boomer Bosses, we all have something to learn and teach each other. Smart Start Radio host Eming Piansay leads critical conversations to facilitate elevating experiences. From engagement to entrepreneurship and empathy, this series is dedicated to the continuing education of event professionals looking to get a leg up on the latest trends, along with two hospitality writers on the journey themselves.
Join us in the conversation and check out more from Smart Meetings at www.smartmeetings.com
Episodes
40 episodes
The Power of Showing Up for Each Other
Connection is at the core of the events industry. But what happens when that connection is needed beyond the ballroom?In this episode of Smart Start Radio, host Eming Piansay sits down with Kate Patay, vice president of global e...
Coffee Chat: AI Is Already in the Room
AI is not coming. It is already here.In this Coffee Chat, Eming Piansay breaks down what AI actually looks like in the day-to-day reality of event planning. From registration platforms to spreadsheets, AI is already embedded in the tools...
Coffee Chat: Trust Happens in the Room
What are you really building when you plan an event?In this episode of Smart Start Radio: Coffee Chat, Eming Piansay unpacks a simple but powerful idea inspired by a Smart Meetings article Trust Happens in the Room: in industrie...
Coffee Chat: Before You Move On: Why Reflection Matters More Than You Think
When the event ends, most planners move straight into what’s next. Fix what broke. Prep the next timeline. Keep it moving.But what if the real opportunity is in what worked?In this Coffee Chat, Eming Piansay explores the ...
Behind the Banquet: What Really Happens in Event Catering
Food can make an event memorable, but it can also make it memorable for the wrong reasons.In this episode of Smart Start Radio, Eming Piansay talks with Executive Chef Kaitlyn Weber of Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa about the reality ...
How Global Attention Can Turn Into Meetings Business
When a destination suddenly finds itself in the global spotlight, meeting planners start paying attention. But how does that visibility turn into real opportunities for conventions and events?In this episode of Smart Start Radio, host Em...
Coffee Chat: Smaller, Smarter Events: What Gen Z Is Changing About Meetings
In this Coffee Chat episode of Smart Start Radio, host Eming Piansay takes a closer look at why B2B events are shifting away from larger formats toward smaller, more intentional experiences.Inspired by a recent SmartMeetings.com article,...
Coffee Chat: Designing Events Around Energy, Not Just Agendas
In this Smart Start Radio: Coffee Chat episode, host Eming Piansay breaks down the concept of chronodiversity and explains how understanding human energy patterns could change how planners design event agendas. Inspi...
Emerging Women, Enduring Impact
In honor of International Women’s Day, Smart Start Radio goes beyond surface-level celebration and into what leadership actually looks like in today’s meetings and events industry.Host Eming Piansay sits down with Christine Erickson, sen...
Coffee Chat: Pressure Is the New Demographic
In this week’s Coffee Chat, Eming Piansay, Multimedia Editor at Smart Meetings, breaks down one of the biggest shifts shaping events right now: attendees aren’t behaving by age group or job title anymore, they’re behaving by pressure. Ins...
Coffee Chat - Safety Is a Plan (Not a Promise): Protecting Attendee Trust During Disruption
Headlines can be loud, but reality on the ground is layered. In this Smart Start Radio: Coffee Chat, host Eming Piansay breaks down takeaways from Smart Meetings’ March story “Breaking Through ICE,” by editor-at-large Gary Diedrich, and transla...
Coffee Chat: Planning 2026 With Purpose, Not Panic
If you’ve read one more 2026 forecast and thought, “Okay, cool… but what do I actually do with this?” this episode is for you.In this Coffee Chat, Eming Piansay breaks down three shifts that will realistically impact planners heading int...
Reframing Equity in a Changing Workplace
In this episode of Smart Start Radio, host Eming Piansay examines how diversity, equity and inclusion work is evolving in today’s professional landscape.Eming speaks first with Alexis Braly James, CEO and founder of Const...
Neurodiversity: The Missing Link in Event Design
In this episode of Smart Start Radio, host Eming Piansay sits down with Yush Sztalkoper, founder of NeuroSpark+, to explore how neurodiversity can reshape the way meetings and events are designed.Drawing on ne...
The Art of Event Rap: Turning Keynotes Into Music That Resonates
In this episode of Smart Start Radio, host Eming Piansay steps into the world of Event Rap, the creative powerhouse blending hip hop, storytelling and live performance to transform how audiences experience conferences. Founder Baba Brinkman bre...
The Rise of Wellness in Events: From Burnout to Balance
In this special episode of Smart Start Radio, hosts Eming Piansay and Sara Robertson sit down with Liz Van Voorhis, founder and CEO of FIT COLLECTIVE, and Ashley Brooke James, co-founder of TRILUNA &nbs...
IMEX Unfiltered: Stories, Steps and Surprises from the Show Floor
In this special Smart Start Radio: Coffee Chat, recorded live at IMEX 2025 in Las Vegas, host Eming Piansay explores the energy and insights of the industry’s biggest event.Eming’s first guest is Aviva Kohen from Tourism ...
Breaking Patterns, Building Trust: Communication at Work
In this episode of Smart Start Radio, hosts Eming Piansay and Sara Robertson sit down with leadership coach Megan Akatu to explore the art of clear communication and authentic leadership. From building trust and confidence at ev...
Smart Women, Smarter Careers: Lessons in Leadership and Resilience
In this special Smart Women edition of Smart Start Radio, hosts Eming Piansay and Sara Robertson sit down with two powerhouse leaders in the meetings and events industry—Cherryl Brazier, President of Anchor Collection, an...
Packing Like a Pro: Coffee Chat on FAM Trip Essentials
In this episode of Smart Start Radio’s Coffee Chat, host Eming Piansay is joined by Digital Manager Malik Anderson and new Senior Editor David Lytle for a lively conversation about the art of packing for FAM trips. The team...
Invisible, Intentional, Essential: AV + AI in Events
AV isn’t just cables and microphones—it’s the heartbeat of your event. And AI? It’s your next secret weapon. In this episode of Smart Start Radio, hosts Eming Piansay and Sara Robertson sit down with Amanda Armstrong (Encore) and Anca ...
Coffee Chat - From Grounds to Greatness: How One Cup Can Transform Your Entire Event
Grab your favorite brew and settle in—this episode of Smart Start Radio dives into the unsung power of your event's coffee craft and the importance of customization. Smart Meetings' Digital Content Mana...
Don’t Water Down the Soap: Hospitality with Intention, One Mocktail at a Time
In this episode of Smart Start Radio, hosts Sara Robertson and Eming Piansay sit down with two trailblazers transforming the beverage experience at events: Carl Radke, entrepreneur and co-founder of Loverboy and Soft Bar & C...
Beyond the Brochure: What CVBs Really Do for Planners
In this episode, hosts Eming Piansay and Sara Robertson sit down with two powerhouse destination experts: Kristin Delahunt, VP of Destination Services at Discover Atlanta, and Brynn Johnson, Director of Convention and Group Sales at Yakima Vall...
Coffee Chat - FAM Trip Etiquette 101: Hospitality Starts with You
Ever wonder what really happens on those whirlwind FAM trips planners rave (and rant) about? Let’s just say...someone once brought a plus-one to a site tour. Another showed up in a bikini. To a press conference. 😳In this Coffee ...
