Better Events Conference
Thursday, November 19th & Thursday, December 17th
A conference for event pros, by event pros.
Thursday, November 19th & Thursday, December 17th
We're back for the fourth annual Better Events Conference hosted by the Better Events Podcast (Mary Davidson & Logan Clements). Join us virtually on Thursday, November 19th and Thursday, December 17th in person in Seattle at the Hotel Theodore Downtown Seattle.
Each year, we explore a new facet of what it means to grow, lead, and create better events together - without hierarchy, gatekeeping or death-by-Powerpoint. We’re focused on recognizing the power of the event pros in the room and creating opportunities for connection instead of lectures.
Our promise to you is that you will leave with one new tip, trick or perspective that you can immediately apply to your role or event and you will meet three new people in the events community.
Thursday, November 19th - Virtual Conference - Swapcard/Zoom
Back by popular demand, this event is 100% virtual, allowing us to all gather, no matter the distance! We'll be ditching the PowerPoint and lectures (as much as possible) and instead focusing on conversation starters, interactive workshops, Liberating Structures sessions and more. Live content will take place from 9:30AM-2:45PM PST.
(50% of the sessions will be recorded and available for attendees post-event)
Thursday, December 17th - In-Person Workshop - Seattle, WA
Our in-person day features interactive workshops and small group work. The focus for the day is that you'll leave with one new system, idea, or perspective that you can apply to your next event or your career. Thank you to our venue sponsor, Hotel Theodore Downtown Seattle. The agenda is from 9AM-5:30PM PST and is live on the Swapcard website, checkout specific session details there.
Reminder: this is highly interactive and NOT like you're typical conference so come ready to participate. It is 100% in-person and the sessions will not be offered virtually or recorded.
2025 Photo Credit: Nick Klein Photography
2024 Photo Credit: VeroFoto Photography
The Better Events Conference is an opportunity for you to reconnect with yourself and your goals, meet other listeners, and help us all create, host, and attend better events. It’ll be two days of coming together with fellow event professionals for connection, community, and learning along the way.
This is NOT your standard conference so come ready to discuss what event challenges and wins you're working on. Let's get together as an event community to learn how we all can create, host, and attend better events!
Thanks,
Logan & Mary
You’ll join fellow event planners, producers, and vendors to:
Explore different ways you can grow in the event industry
Connect with new event professionals and strengthen your sense of community
Make time for YOU and your personal goals
Get ready to create Better Events in 2027!
Apply to join our Pre-Con CEO Day
Thursday, December 16th, 2:00-5:30PM
Hotel Theodore Seattle
New this year, we have a small-group CEO Day add-on that is designed for experienced event business owners and solopreneurs who are actively building and operating their businesses.
This Pre-Conference add-on is only available to those that have already purchased their All-Access Better Events Conference ticket. If you have not yet done so, please do that first and then apply here for the add-on.
If your application is approved, you’ll receive a link to officially reserve and pay for your seat at an additional cost of $99. Thank you for your interest in the CEO Day add-on!
Conference Agenda
We’re continuing to curate our amazing lineup of speakers and will be releasing more information each week on our social media (LinkedIn and Instagram) but here’s a sneak peek at our agenda for the two days of the conference!
All times are listed in Pacific Coast Time and are subject to change!
Thursday, November 19th - Virtual Day
We're thrilled to have you join us for our virtual day. This day will be 100% virtual, from 9:00AM-2:45PM PST and feature:
Timing - 9:00AM - 5:00PM Pacific Time
9:00AM - Morning DJ Jam Session
9:30 - 10:55AM: Welcome, Conversation Starters, and Lightning Talks
10:55 - 11:15AM: Break
11:15AM-12:10PM: Career & Events Breakouts (2 Rounds)
12:10 - 12:45PM: Live Podcast Recording (Listen along but take us on a walk/get out of your office!)
12:45-1:05PM: Break
1:05 - 1:35PM - What We learned the Hard Way - Small Group Discussions
1:45PM - 2:45PM: Group Consulting (Better Events Exchange) and Closing
Ticketholders will have access to all the recorded sessions until June 30th, 2027. About 20-30% of the sessions will be recorded and available for replay post-event.
Thursday, December 17th - In-Person, Seattle
We continue to split up the two conference days so we can focus more on personalizing each experience. For the in-person day on Thursday, December 17th, we have some fun ideas and gamechanging sessions up our sleeves.
Location - Hotel Theodore Downtown Seattle
Timing - 9:00AM - 5:50PM Pacific Time
9:00AM - Check-in Opens
9:30 - 11:20M: Welcome & Conversation Starters, Keynote and Small Group Discussions
11:20 - 11:50AM: Coworking Break
11:50AM-12:40PM: Group Consulting (Workshop)
12:40-2:25PM: Break for Lunch
Note: Lunch is not provided as we work to keep this conference accessible to as many people as possible.
2:25 - 3:30PM: Shift & Share
3:30 - 3:55PM: Break
3:50 - 4:40PM: Crafting the Conversation
4:40 - 5:00PM: Break
5:00 - 5:50PM: The Call List
6:00 - 7:30PM: Happy Hour at the Mayflower Hotel(optional)
After our formal programming concludes at 5:50pm, we will be gathering for a happy hour afterward if you'd like to continue to join us.
The focus of the conference is to leverage the knowledge in the room, with most sessions driven by peer-to-peer discussions and facilitated workshops. Come prepared to move around, meet fellow attendees, and walk away with at least one game-changing tip, trick, or new application for your next event or role in the industry.
Please note, only the All-Access ticket gets you access to the in-person day in Seattle. While the virtual ticket only gives you access to the November date, 100% in-person in December.
Lunch is not included (but we will break for lunch) to help keep this event accessible to as many people as possible.
Thank you to our venue sponsor, Hotel Theodore Downtown Seattle
Our Pre-Con CEO Day on December 16th will also be hosted at the Hotel Theodore. If you’re looking for the shortest commute to the conference, book your room at their special corporate rate.
Meet your 2026 Speakers
More speaker announcements coming weekly!
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Mary Davidson
EP EVENTS LLC
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Logan Clements
LOGAN STRATEGY GROUP
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DJ Heat
Washington DC
Feedback from Past Conference Attendees
"I loved the opportunity to make new connections with colleagues across the event industry, share experiences, and gain valuable insights and perspectives on current trends and lessons learned. The interactive format was engaging and energizing, leaving me feeling inspired heading into 2026."
Bernadette, 2025 attendee
"This was my first virtual conference, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but you really set the bar high. From kicking things off with DJ Heat (so fun!), to the mix of session formats, to the thoughtful use of breakout rooms, everything felt so well-planned, engaging, and smoothly facilitated." - Hilary, 2025 Attendee
"It was an incredible opportunity to meet so many awesome people who were so supportive of everyone's journeys. I found my community at this conference.”
Lori, attendee
Loved the virutal platform. Swapcard was so easy to use. I loved the energy from everyone attending! I LOVED the morning DJ session. The cadence of everything worked really well! The length of the workshops was perfect and enough time in between.
Veronica
"Loved getting to be surrounded by other event pros. Everyone is lifting one another up. Really community focused."
JoAnna, 2025 Attendee
Thank you to all of our 2026 Conference Partners
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Event Pro Suite
One Platform to run your Event Planning Business.
Manage clients, events, contracts, payments, scheduling, marketing, and more all from one connected platform built around the way event professionals work. This tool is powered by friend of the pod and expert event planner, Jackie Baker.
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Hotel Theodore Seattle Downtown
Hotel Theodore is a downtown Seattle hotel that blends the city’s rich history with a distinctly modern, design-forward experience. As part of the Tapestry by Hilton family, the hotel offers a stylish and convenient home base near the Seattle Convention Center, Pike Place Market, the Link light rail, and many of Seattle’s top attractions.
Book your room at their special corporate rate using this booking link.
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EP Events LLC
Mary’s company, EP Events, specializes in event planning and management for nonprofit events, community events, and corporate events. Purposeful events are our jam!
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Logan Strategy Group
Showcaller & Event Producer
Logan’s company and freelance event producer and showcaller with a passion for creating engaging and memorable live events, navigating the technical production and managing client relationships. Anything that has a stage and a microphone and helping clients simplify the event production and A/V side of their event.
We LOVE on our partners and expect our audience to do the same. Are you interested in partnering with the conference as a service provider or brand? Email us for info.
FAQs
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Anyone in the event industry! This includes experienced event planners and producers looking to level up, new planners trying to break into the industry, and event vendors, suppliers, and partners looking to connect with planners.
No matter if you’re an in-house planner, independent, freelancer, or work for an agency, there will be content for you!
And as we always say on the podcast, community over competition and we’re dedicated to every attendee walking away with three new connections after the conference and some learning along the way.
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Over the past six seasons of the podcast we’ve reached thousands of you and have always wanted to bring our community together. Our goal is to facilitate discussions, not talk at you. Too often we’re busy executing events for others and don’t take enough time for ourselves.
The Better Events Conference is an opportunity for you to reconnect with yourself, invest in your education, grow your community in the event industry and help us all create, host, and attend better events.
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This year's conference is on Thursday, November 19th (virtually) and Thursday, December 17th (in-person in Seattle). The All-Access ticket will give you access to both days of the conference while the Virtual ticket will give you access to November 19th only. Buy your tickets now!
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Similar to previous years, one day is 100% virtual and one day is 100% virtual. The content each day will be different but follow an interactive theme.
Thursday, November 19th will be virtual on Swapcard from 9AM-2PM PST.
On Thursday, December 17th, we’ll be in-person in Seattle. We won't be recording this content, so you'll need to be there in person to experience it.
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Ticket sales are live now! Click here to buy tickets now.
We're offering two types of tickets: All-Access and Virtual Day.
We are also happy to create a group ticket offer for you if you're looking to purchase multiple tickets in one transaction. Send us an email at bettereventspod@gmail.com and we can put together an invoice.
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While we will still have a break for lunch (and additional time to get outside the room), the cost of lunch is not provided.
As event pros, we’re all tired of ‘event chicken’ and understand how expensive catering can make an event. In order to keep this conference as accessible to as many people as possible and reduce any food waste, we’ve opted to not provide a meal this year. We will be providing you with a list of local recommendations and the opportunity to go out to lunch in small groups.
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We’ve curated our sessions for both the in-person and virtual days of the conference.
If you'd like to be considered as a speaker, send us an email at bettereventspod@gmail.com with “BEP Con Speaker Pitch” in the email subject line.
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Yes, we’re currently looking for aligned businesses, big and small to partner with us on this year’s conference. Email us at bettereventspod@gmail.com to learn more!
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We're here to help! Keep an eye on your email and this FAQ section for updates. For urgent questions about registration, Logan & Mary are here to support you at bettereventspod@gmail.com.
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We’re thrilled to be at the Hotel Theodore for the day on Thursday, December 17th. Our pre-con CEO Day on December 16th will also be hosted at the Hotel Theodore. If you’re looking for the shortest commute to the conference, book your room at their special corporate rate using this booking link.