Have you ever looked at a big brand’s event partnerships and wondered what actually makes them work... beyond the logos and budgets?

In this episode, Matt is joined again by Jon Wolff and Mandy Glenwright to take you inside how Lenovo thinks about event strategy through the lenses of partnerships, scale, and standing out in crowded environments.

Hear them unpack:

✅ Why most partnerships default to logo placement and what differentiates the ones that feel genuinely collaborative

✅ How Lenovo approaches partner-led events as long-term strategic levers, not one-off collaborations

✅ How large-scale activations (including sponsorships like FIFA) are evaluated for relevance not just reach

If you’ve wondered how big brands avoid becoming bloated, unfocused, or overly tactical with events, this episode offers a grounded, inside look at what intentional event strategy really looks like in practice.

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

Connect with Jon Wolff
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jondwolff/

Connect with Mandy Glenwright
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mandy-glenwright/

Connect with Matt Kleinrock
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-kleinrock-9613b22b/
Company: https://rockwayexhibits.com/

🚨 Register for the show: https://tinyurl.com/EventMarketingRedefined

Events are one of the few channels where sales and marketing can show up together, face-to-face, and create real trust.

And yet, many event programs are still planned and measured like isolated moments. So it’s no surprise they struggle to earn long-term credibility.

In our first live episode of 2026, Matt sits down with MacKenzie Grant (Senior Director of Marketing, Experiences at Enverus) to unpack what changes when events are designed as part of a broader go-to-market strategy—one that supports the full buyer journey, aligns teams, and connects creativity directly to business outcomes.

Rather than focusing on aesthetics or one-off wins, the conversation explores:

✅ How event programs gain momentum when they’re integrated across sales, marketing, and customer teams

✅ Why creativity thrives when accountability is shared, not imposed

✅ Where AI actually helps event teams extend impact (without stripping away trust or human connection)

This isn’t about adding more to your plate. It’s about finally making sense of how events fit into the work you’re already doing.

Join us live to rethink how events support growth—before the next show gets planned the same way as the last one.

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

Connect with MacKenzie Grant
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mackenziemgrant/

Connect with Matt Kleinrock
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-kleinrock-9613b22b/
Company: https://rockwayexhibits.com/

🚨 Register for the show: https://tinyurl.com/EventMarketingRedefined

Some products are easy to show on a show floor. AI isn’t one of them.

When your product is abstract, powerful, and sometimes intimidating, the challenge isn’t just explaining what it does—it’s helping people feel why it matters. That’s where this conversation goes.

In this episode, Matt sits down with Chelsea Sparrow, Go-To-Market Manager at Microsoft, to unpack how her team brings AI tools like Copilot to life at events where demos alone fall flat and trust has to be earned.

Instead of defaulting to laptops and feature walkthroughs, Chelsea shares how Microsoft designs experiences around audience mindset, cultural context, and emotion.

Learn about:

✅ Designing experiences based on who the audience is and what they care about, not a one-size-fits-all playbook

✅ Why story, trust, and cultural relevance matter more than polished demos—especially for AI

✅ How brand partnerships and community voices help tech brands show up without feeling tone-deaf or salesy

If you’re responsible for marketing complex products in a world where skepticism is high, this episode will change how you think about experience design.

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

Connect with Chelsea Sparrow
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chelsea-sparrow/

Connect with Matt Kleinrock
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-kleinrock-9613b22b/
Company: https://rockwayexhibits.com/

🚨 Register for the show: https://tinyurl.com/EventMarketingRedefined