Damian Norman, Director Immersive Entertainment & Events at Excel London, invites Shonali down to the UK capital's Royal Docks to discuss Excel's new urban playground and the psychology of immersive experiences, such as Elvis Evolution, Tutankhamun, and Squid Game.

Shonali then chats with Cat Botibol, head of Studio Secret Cinema, the in-house brand experience and event agency at Secret Cinema - the immersive entertainment company that creates interactive theatre experiences, allowing audiences to participate in the worlds of their favourite films, games, and TV shows.

Cat discusses her research into the Power of Collective Awe and reveals how elements of Secret Cinema shows translate into the conference and corporate event sphere.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (www.thepodcastconsultant.com).

Food service and hospitality futurist, Simon Stenning, shares the five 'Fs' of food trends, while Guy Bigwood from the Global Destination Sustainability Movement drops by the podcast booth at IBTM World 2024 to reveal the shocking scale of food waste and what the events industry can do about it.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (www.thepodcastconsultant.com).

Shonali speaks with Nadu Placca Rodriguez, Director of Global Events & Experiences at The Zoo XYZ, about staging events in Africa and her work as the co-founder of the Association of Black Event Professionals.

Nadu is half Ghanaian and has staged events in Nigeria, South Africa, Rwanda, and Kenya. She shares her experiences and offers advice on working with local economies, suppliers and infrastructure.

Nadu also discusses the current state of DE&I against a backdrop of President Trump's opposition and organisations removing dedicated roles.

We then cross over to the show floor of IBTM World 2024 to hear from Janet Karemera, CEO of the Rwanda Convention Bureau. She tells Shonali about 10 years of exhibiting at IBTM and what planners need to know about bringing events and incentives to the region of the Great Rift Valley in East Africa.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (www.thepodcastconsultant.com).

Alistair Turner, author of the IBTM Trends Report and Sammy Connell, head of the conferences and events team at NASUWT - The Teachers’ Union join Shonali in the podcast booth at IBTM World 2024.

Alistair provides a positive outlook on the current state of play of the events industry and introduces a new concept - the democratization of content. It's a trend that's seeing planners find new ways to bring their event agendas to wider audiences through innovation and new ideas.

Sammy backs-up the democratization of content trend by telling Shonali how NASUWT features creches at all its events so that teachers can attend, safe in the knowledge that their children are not only being looked after but they're also benefitting from the childcare programme.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (www.thepodcastconsultant.com).

Joining Shonali for this episode are Claus Raasted, director of the College of Extraordinary Experiences and author of 'The Little Book of Getting Shit Done', and Goc O’Callaghan, Global Experience Lead at Buro Happold.

Claus talks about turning up to events dressed in his Batman suit and what happens behind the doors of Kliczkow Castle in Poland when people join his Hogwarts-style experiential awareness course.

Goc discusses being mentored by the father of the Experience Economy, Joe Pine, and how to evoke the senses when designing memorable experiences.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (www.thepodcastconsultant.com).

For this episode, Shonali chats with inclusion & accessibility consultant, Shani Dhanda and Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson Paralympian, Paralympic icon, campaigner, broadcaster and parliamentarian.

Both guests share their lived experiences of day-to-day life with a disability and offer valuable advice for how planners can better design events with accessibility at the forefront.

Find out how Tanni felt about being carried up the Great Wall of China and why Shani was annoyed with an event organiser in Dubai in this revealing episode of New In Events.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com/)

Season Two of New in Events is here!

In this launch episode, our new host, Shonali Deveraux, chats with Mike Ford from Grateful Lemon about how he turned his burnout mess into his positive message of how we should reframe stress, recover well, and improve our personal and organisational responsibilities.

Throughout Season Two, Shonali will also bring you interviews from the show floor at IBTM World 2024.

For Episode One, she talks with Bo Krüger, the Owner of Moving Minds. They cover the benefits of positive stress and discuss a 'yes and...' mindset.

Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant (https://thepodcastconsultant.com)

IBTM World 2024 is here! Multi-hyphenate Shonali Deveraux tells us why this year's show theme of People, Power, Potential sings to her soul. She talks Mike Fletcher through her journey from event planner to lecturer, mentor and now the new host of New In Events, a podcast from IBTM, Season Two!

We discuss her battle with cancer, forging a path through the meetings and events industry, inspiring others, and how daily gratitude helps her stay positive.

Shonali and Mike will be recording interviews for Season Two in the Media Centre's podcast studio on the show floor throughout IBTM World 2024 in Barcelona so hit follow and new episodes will start dropping in the New Year.