Category: Show Notes

You can spend six figures on an event and still walk away with nothing but badge scans and a fuzzy sense of brand presence. But when you treat it as a full-funnel campaign, that’s when the impact starts early and lasts well beyond the event itself.

In this episode, Drew Neisser is joined by Ellina Shinnick (HUB International), Kevin Ruane (Precisely), and Isabelle Papoulias (EliteOps) to explore how teams show up with intention and turn B2B events into focused, cross-functional efforts that build brand, strengthen buyer confidence, and avoid the all-too-common post-event fade.

In this episode:

• Ellina breaks down HUB’s three-part event framework: Sales alignment, rigorous ROI auditing, and one bold theme that ties it all together. 

• Kevin shares how a shift from demand gen to brand-first events, paired with sideline plays and airport branding, led to unexpected revenue wins. 

• Isabelle gives the play-by-play on how startups can show up strong with limited budgets and purposeful sequencing.

Plus: 

• Why pre-event planning is where ROI starts 

• How to audit your event calendar for strategic fit (not just attendance numbers) 

• What actually works for post-event follow-up, and what to skip 

• Why one big creative idea can carry you through a whole year of events

Tune in to steal what works and rethink how events drive brand and pipeline! 

Episode 450 is here—and the Drews are doubling up to help CMOs meet the moment.

With marketers everywhere facing a “do more with less” mandate, Drew interviews… penguin hat-Drew to unveil 10 innovative strategies to boost impact without burning out. From digital twins to synthetic research, from YouTube Shorts to GenAI-engine-optimization, this episode is packed with ideas that CMO Huddles members are already exploring—and you should be too.

Expect tactical inspiration. A little penguin talk. And a lot of alliteration.

Topics include:

• How to build your “digital double”

• Leveraging synthetic research and deep research tools

• The new rules of trust-based buying

• AI-powered content workflows and smarter chatbots

• Why you should care about LLM visibility and video virality

All ten ideas come with expert references—many of whom will be at Super Huddle 2025.

Tune in. Take notes. Then pick 2–3 ideas to test this quarter. You’ll thank yourself later.

Most companies launch a customer advisory board with good intentions. A few emails go out, a meeting gets booked, and then… not much happens. But when CABs are built with the right structure and support, they can drive some serious value for the business and the customer.

In this episode, Drew Neisser talks with Melanie Marcus (Surescripts), Marca Armstrong (Sensera Systems), and Marina Ilishaev (Boardstream AI) about what separates a one-off event from a CAB that earns ongoing attention, input, and trust. From executive alignment to post-meeting follow-through, this conversation is packed with real examples of CABs done right and lessons from the ones that nearly fell flat.

In this episode:

• How Surescripts turned a CAB into a strategic driver over six years 

• How Sensera uses CAB insights to steer product and sales direction 

• Why structure, ownership, and trust matter more than slick agendas

Plus: 

• How to get buy-in from execs, internal teams, and customers 

• Ways to keep CABs active between meetings 

• Metrics that help track engagement and impact

Tune in to learn what it takes to build a CAB your customers want to be part of, and your team can actually learn from! 

Think CMOs don’t belong in the boardroom? Think again. Today’s top marketers are stepping beyond the C-suite, bringing strategic insight, customer obsession, and data-driven decision-making to board-level conversations. But how do you actually make that leap? 

In this episode of Renegade Marketers Unite, Drew Neisser sits down with three marketing leaders who’ve done just that: Denise Vu Broady (Collibra), Peter Finter (KX), and Katrina Klier (Sage Strategy Group). They share how they earned board seats—and how you can too. 

In this episode:

• How Denise mapped her board journey five years in advance 

• Why Peter leads with risk and strategy to earn trust at the top 

• What Katrina looks for in a board-ready résumé (hint: it’s not brand metrics)

Plus: 

• Why nonprofit and advisory roles are the best launchpads 

• When to invest in certifications like NACD and PDA  

• How to talk board ambitions with your CEO (without raising red flags) 

• Why CMOs are more board-ready than they realize

Whether you’re just curious or actively pursuing a seat, this episode is your inside track to the boardroom. 

Inbound and outbound aren’t opposing forces—they’re two sides of the same motion.  

When marketing owns both, it opens the door for tighter execution, faster learning, and better performance. But that kind of momentum doesn’t come from chasing tactics. It comes from reworking how the work actually gets done.

In this episode, Drew Neisser talks with Christina Kyriazi of PhotoShelter about how she rebuilt the company’s go-to-market engine from the inside out. From bringing outbound under marketing, to embedding product marketing early, to using experiments to guide spend, Christina shares how structure and process—not just tactics—made all the difference.

What You’ll Learn: 

✔ Why outbound now rolls up to marketing and how that changed execution 

✔ How product marketing helped define segments, use cases, and “wow” moments 

✔ What “speed to lead” actually looks like and why it’s working 

✔ How underperforming tactics became high-converting plays 

✔ Where AI is helping accelerate research, content, and workflows without replacing the human voice

If you’re reworking how your team goes to market—structure, process, and all—tune in! 

Is your ‘go play with AI’ strategy actually sabotaging adoption across your marketing team?

In this Huddles Quick Take, AI consultant Tahnee Perry reveals the three critical mistakes CMOs make when trying to drive GenAI adoption and shares her proven 4-step formula for building a truly AI-savvy marketing organization.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why “go play with AI” is a recipe for failure and what to do instead 

• How to avoid implementing AI tools without clear strategic goals 

• The importance of addressing fear and uncertainty around AI 

• A 4-step framework for successful AI adoption 

For the full conversation covering Tahnee’s favorite GenAI tools, real-world examples, and how to attribute ROI to AI, visit our YouTube channel (CMO Huddles Hub) or click here: [https://youtu.be/HRRqFTAuHl4?si=sR36YNiniy86-B3u]. 

Plus, surprise guest Liza Adams joins the conversation to share the biggest GenAI unlocks for CMOs and their teams today. 

Coming Soon: Join Tahnee Perry and Lisa Adams for another Bonus Huddle in June where they’ll share how a lean 25-person marketing team transformed into a 45-member human-AI powerhouse. Apply for membership at cmohuddles.com to participate.