Event Marketing

Master Strategic Partnerships: Hot Takes from Event Planner Expo NYC

This past week at the Event Planner Expo was an inspiring experience, as industry leaders from around the world came together to share their expertise and build lasting relationships. One of the highlights was our very own founder, Duncan Abdelnour, participating in the Strategic Partnerships panel, which offered some valuable insights to implement in your events business starting today.

Here are the top takeaways that stood out:

 1. Your Clients Are Your Partners

The conversation kicked off with a reminder that true partnerships are about collaboration. It’s not just a vendor-client relationship; it’s about working with your clients to achieve shared goals. Treating clients as partners leads to stronger relationships, better project outcomes, and mutual growth.

 2. Vibe Check Your Partners

A major focus of the discussion was the importance of aligning values and culture. Kelle Colemen shared that, Vibe checking those you work with helps ensure that you’re on the same page, which can lead to repeat business and referrals. When partners have shared values and chemistry, the collaboration becomes seamless and productive.

 3. Focus on Return on Relationships (ROR)

It’s not just about ROI (Return on Investment) anymore—ROR (Return on Relationships) is just as important according to Josh Nachman. Building long-term, authentic relationships can drive success in ways that go beyond financial returns. These relationships lead to deeper trust, better opportunities, and stronger industry connections.

The panel featured insights from some amazing industry leaders, including Cheryl Gentry of Glow Global Events, Josh Nachman, Executive VP of Zagwear, Kelle Coleman, Head of Marketing and Growth at Vibe, and Gary Pagano, former VP of Paramount. Their collective wisdom helped spotlight what it means to foster and leverage strategic partnerships for success.

We were also proud to partner with EMRG Media to provide badge printing for the week, enhancing the event experience for all attendees. Check us out for your future event.

Looking ahead, we’re excited to take these learnings into our future projects and can’t wait for next year’s event! Stay tuned for more exciting collaborations and partnerships!

Translucent Figure

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