Last year’s “best of” episode became the most downloaded in the history of the show for one reason: it gave event marketers a framework that actually changed how they worked.

2025 took that conversation further.

This special compilation pulls together the ideas Matt and Pablo hammered on all year—the ones that challenged how events are positioned inside organizations, how experiences are executed on the show floor, and why so many teams feel boxed in by budgets that don’t leave room for strategy.

You’ll hear five shifts that defined event marketing in 2025, including:

✅ Why events belong inside go-to-market strategy, not on the sidelines and how that changes how leaders see your work

✅ How story, standards, and execution are becoming the real differentiators in a sea of sameness

✅ The reality of the 41% problem: what it means for budgets, expectations, and how sophisticated teams engineer around it

If you’re tired of fighting the same battles year after year, this episode is your next step forward.

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Connect with Pablo Gonzalez
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pablotheconnector/

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

Event marketers spent 2025 juggling pressure from every angle—proving impact, planning smarter, and building experiences grounded in what audiences actually want.

With time shrinking, expectations rising, and noise everywhere, it became harder to know which strategies genuinely mattered and which ones were just… loud.

This special Best-Of 2025 compilation brings together the episode moments that delivered clarity, direction, and results. These are the insights that resonated the most with event pros throughout the year.

You’ll learn:

✅ The planning and measurement mindset that separates reactive execution from strategic leadership (Ep 157)

✅ How to build event programs around human behavior, not checklists, so engagement feels natural and earned (Ep 158)

✅ A pre-show tactics playbook that boosts attendance and relevance, even in crowded markets—with AI supporting (not replacing) human judgment (Ep 131)

Press play for the perspective and strategy you’ll want in your pocket heading into 2026.

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Episode Links

EP 131 | AI & Events: The Playbook for Pre-Show Tactics & Better Engagement: https://emr.buzzsprout.com/2035112/episodes/16692463

EP 158 | From Event Planning to Event Marketing That Drives Growth: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2035112/episodes/17817006

EP 157 | Plan to Win: How Top Event Marketers Get Ahead for 2026: https://emr.buzzsprout.com/2035112/episodes/17780613

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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

If you’ve ever been handed a booth brief with zero strategy … or chased down sales to follow up on hundreds of “leads” … or been asked to “do more shows next year” with the same budget, you know the pain.

That old model? It’s broken.

But the fix isn’t a bigger booth or a cooler activation. It’s a shift — away from chasing attention and toward driving revenue.

In this episode, Justin Keys (Sr. Manager, Brand Marketing at Georgia-Pacific) joins Matt to break down how event marketers take back their seat at the table with a strategy that aligns sales, qualifies the right audience faster, and turns follow-up into real pipeline.

Here’s how to make that shift stick:

✅ Move from “builder and executor” to strategic revenue partner (and earn that seat early)

✅ Create on-site moments that quickly separate real buyers from booth tourists

✅ Audit your show calendar so you invest only where it pays off

Tune in if you’re done putting on a show and ready to drive the business.

This is your new event strategy.

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Connect with Justin Keys
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinakeys/

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