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Hello {{ First Name | Spark reader }},

I’ve been reflecting a lot on the rise of video podcasts lately. You can hardly scroll on any of the major apps without seeing a flurry of podcast clips. I’m delighted that for today’s Spark, we have an absolute expert in this area, Russell Goldsmith.

I’ve had the pleasure of working with Russell on several projects and have long admired the business and team he’s built. He’s really unlocked something with turning podcasts into a strategic tool for events, and I’m delighted he’s sharing his secrets with us today.

Enjoy,

—Joel

Russell Goldsmith, Audere Communications

Walk any exhibition floor, and you’ll see the same choreography play out: branded booths, branded pens, branded stress balls, and a sales team trying to catch the eye of people who are already late for their next meeting.

Events promise access, but the reality is more chaotic. The people you really want to meet, the CEOs, the CMOs, the founders, the investors, the keynote speakers, aren’t wandering the aisles. They’re backstage, on stage, or in private meeting rooms. They’re not stopping for a demo. They’re not scanning QR codes. They’re not taking your tote bag.

And yet, these are the people brands spend tens of thousands of pounds to get in front of.

There’s a growing shift happening in how smart brands approach events. They’re realising that the most valuable thing they can do isn’t hand out swag or run a prize draw: it’s to create a reason for senior leaders to come to them.

That’s where event podcasting comes in, not as a gimmick, but as a strategic engine for access, content, and commercial impact.

Brands often measure event success in surface-level metrics: booth traffic, badge scans, and LinkedIn impressions. But the real value of an event is, and always has been, the conversations you have.

The problem is that most exhibitors never get to have the conversations that matter.

Event podcasting flips that dynamic. Instead of hoping the right people walk past your booth, you invite them to it, not for a sales pitch, but for a conversation that positions them as a thought leader.

And here’s the thing: senior people say yes to podcast interviews. It’s flattering, it’s purposeful, it’s content they can share — and it’s a platform, not a pitch.

As Keiti Kirt, Marketing Specialist at LHV Bank said after partnering with Audere’s c-suite podcast at Money20/20:

That’s the power of a microphone. It opens doors that cold outreach never could.

There are three reasons podcasting has become such a powerful tool for brands at events.

Done well, event podcasting is a structured, end-to-end process. It’s not “turn up with a mic and hope for the best,” but a strategic operation.

Pre-event: the groundwork

You need to be:

By the time the event begins, you already have a pipeline of high-value conversations scheduled.

During the event: the momentum

This is where the booth transforms. The interviews create a constant flow of activity: guests arriving, teams engaging and people gathering. Your brand becomes the centre of gravity.

And crucially: after each interview, your sales team gets a warm introduction to a senior decision-maker. No cold outreach or awkward pitches, just a natural handover.

Post-event: the amplification

This is where the ROI really compounds.

The content lives on:

That’s the long tail of event podcasting.

This isn’t theory — it’s happening at scale. And these aren’t “nice to have” conversations; they’re actually targeted, strategic, senior-level engagements.

Event podcasting sits at the intersection of three things every brand wants:

Access: You get face time with senior leaders who would otherwise be unreachable.

Content: You walk away with a library of high-quality assets.

Commercial opportunity: Every interview is a warm introduction. Every clip is a brand impression. Every episode is a credibility builder.

It’s the rare tactic that delivers both short-term engagement and long-term value.

Events used to be about presence. Now they’re about participation.

Brands used to ask, “How do we get people to our booth?” Now they ask, “How do we create something people want to be part of?”

Podcasting is the answer because it transforms your brand from exhibitor to facilitator — from someone trying to get attention to someone giving it. It positions you at the centre of the conversation, literally and figuratively.

In a world where attention is scarce, that’s a powerful place to be.

Russell Goldsmith is the Founder and CEO of Audere, an independent B2B content marketing agency specialising in podcasts, trusted by international clients including Freshfields, LSEG, Kyndryl, MillerKnoll, and Octopus Energy. Alongside growing the agency, he produces and presents Audere’s own award-winning production, ‘the c-suite podcast’, which is recorded at conferences across Europe, the US, the Middle East, and Asia, partnering with exhibitors to record the show on their booth, whilst helping them to build stronger relationships with speakers & attendees and generate leads.

Thanks for joining us this week. Anything we missed? Something we should include next week? Send us your shout-outs and strong opinions to include in next week’s edition at [email protected]. 

Spark is a production of Vivace, a global B2B creative studio and consultancy that helps businesses drive meaningful brand and commercial impact. Get in touch if you’d like to chat with any of the team. Have a great week ahead.