Hot FLOOR summer 🔥
Hey Reader, your event bestie here 👋
Okay, real talk.
It’s July. It’s hot. I am SITTING DOWN. On purpose. At home.
I know. I know. It doesn’t happen often. But the 4th of July felt like a sign from the universe (and my calendar) to take a breath before the back half of the year absolutely RUNS me.
There’s no product review this month. I am not going to pretend I have one and hand you something half-baked. That’s not what we do here. Step & Repeat runs on one rule: if it’s not field-tested, it doesn’t get published. Period.
So instead of a rushed review, you’re getting the honest version: I’m recharging, the pipeline is STACKED, and you are not going to want to miss what’s coming.
Let me explain. 👇
WHAT’S ACTUALLY COMING
(Because the Back Half Slaps)
Here’s the thing. A quiet July means a loud August through December. Well, really, July is turning out to be not so quiet either.
The events calendar is filling up fast, and I mean FAST. Big shows. Real floors. Real stages. Real moments where my feet, travel gear, and equipment will be required to carry me through 12-hour+ days and I will report back to you with the full, unfiltered truth.
One event you need to have on your radar right now: Cvent Connect.
If you’re in the events world and you haven’t looked it up, go do that after you finish reading this. It’s one of the biggest gatherings in our space. This year it’s in Nashville (yes, Music City, yes, it’s going to be an EVENT) at the Music City Center.
I’ll be on the ground, walking the floor, attending sessions, gathering intel, and bringing ALL of it back to you in real time on socials and in next month’s newsletter.
Follow the Cvent Chaos in Real Time 📲
→ Virtual is FREE. Go register. Right now. You can attend Cvent CONNECT virtually at no cost. Zero. Free. There is no excuse not to be in the (virtual) room. Register here →
→ If you can get to Nashville, DO IT. In-person is where the magic actually happens — the hallway conversations, the happy hours, the serendipitous meetings that change the trajectory of your program. If there’s any way to make it work, make it work. I want to meet as many of you IRL as possible!
→ Follow along with me in real time. I’ll be posting behind-the-scenes content, session takeaways, and definitely some opinions about the event and Music City Center directly to socials. Come find me:
📸 Instagram: @M2Dynamics
💼 LinkedIn: @MeganMartinCMP
Turn on notifications. I’m not joking. You don’t want to miss this one.
The reviews are coming. The takes are coming. The Nashville hot chicken opinions are definitely coming.
We’re just warming up. 🔥
🎇 BEFORE I LET YOU GO 🧨
Happy 4th of July! Whether you’re at a backyard BBQ, working an event (we see you, and we salute you), or sitting alone in a dark room with the AC cranked and zero plans — no judgment. All valid.
Take a breath. Hydrate. Rest your feet.
Because the fall is coming, and it is NOT playing around.
See you in August with a full review and absolutely zero chill. 😈
JUST FOR FUN
Because you know I can’t send a newsletter without this section.
what i’m watching: The Bear on Hulu. Cue ugly crying. Don’t talk to me about it. But also, I need to talk about it.
what i’m reading: The Art of Pacing by Elizabeth Svoboda — balancing short-term demands with long-term vision. Extremely on-brand for someone who is “resting” while mentally scheduling Q4.
where i’m headed: Nashville for Cvent Connect. And then buckle up because the fall calendar is about to take over my entire life.
what i’m wresting with: If you’re at home on the 4th of July but you’re already mentally calendar-blocking September, are you actually resting or just resting in theory? Asking for myself. 😂
hit reply and tell me: What’s the one event or conference YOU are most excited about in the back half of the year? I genuinely want to know; and if it’s something I should be at, tell me that too.
🎙️ Latest Episode of Event About It Podcast
🆕 How to Innovate Without Inventing Listen →
Innovation isn’t about inventing something new. It’s about asking the question you stopped letting yourself ask. NYT bestselling author Diana Kander goes deeper in this Aftershow — including the calendar test that reveals exactly how curious (or not) your organization actually is. This one will make you look at your Monday morning calendar very differently.
5 Event Strategy Problems Nobody’s Naming Listen →
“The biggest threat to your event isn’t failure. It’s the success you stopped questioning.” Diana Kander joins to name the 5 problems the industry is actively pretending don’t exist. Including: why a 4.5/5 session score might be the worst feedback you can get, and what Snoop Dogg’s business model teaches us about staying relevant. Yes, really.
→ Subscribe so you never miss an episode: Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music | iHeart | everywhere else →
New episodes drop every Friday. Subscribe now and each episode lands in your feed the second it’s live. 🎧
