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.

00:00 Birthday Reflection04:10 Invisible Work Matters09:04 Consistency Pays Off12:38 Teaching AI Bridges16:44 Back to Operator Roots21:42 AI Tools as Mirror25:35 Launching Task Manager27:51 Ironman Productive Failure34:01 Lessons at Forty Four39:26 Closing and Invitation

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.