Podcast Summary

Podcast: Do This, NOT That: Marketing Tips with Jay Schwedelson
Episode: Cvent Head of Global Events: PTO Matters! Embrace Career Turns!🔥 w/Rachel Andrews | Ep. 451
Date: November 21, 2025
Guests: Jay Schwedelson (Host), Rachel Andrews (Cvent, Global Head of Events)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jay Schwedelson is joined by Rachel Andrews, Cvent's Global Head of Events, to dive into event industry trends, personal growth in marketing, and the importance of PTO in preventing burnout. The conversation blends actionable event marketing insights with Rachel’s candid take on her career journey, balancing work and life, and how the events industry is evolving amid rising pressures and new technologies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Rachel’s Unconventional Journey to Event Leadership

• Rachel’s Origin Story & Nature:

  • Rachel attributes her knack for event planning to being the eldest child—a natural organizer and "connector" in her family and circles (03:00).
  • She began her event experience in college, orchestrating fundraisers and alumni events, and gradually transitioned to corporate events for "tangible" business impact.
  • Early career: PR internship, realized she preferred logistics and building tangible experiences.

• Growth at Cvent:

  • Joined Cvent 15 years ago when it had only a handful of event planners—a “disjointed team”; she grew the team to 40+ (04:26).
  • Emphasizes leveraging every opportunity, no matter how small:

    "You took it seriously and that's how you grew in your career." – Jay [05:27]

• Adapting and Reinventing:

  • Rachel has embraced a philosophy of continuous improvement, referencing the “embrace the suck” Navy SEALs motto—learning, moving forward, and always leveling up (07:04).

    "If you Google my name... it says, 'embrace the suck.'" – Rachel [07:04]

  • Even with routine events, she pushes herself and her team to innovate and improve, warning against resting on prior success.

Trends & Innovations in the Event Industry

• Networking Needs & Challenges:

  • Consistently, attendees are asking for more meaningful networking; simply putting people in a room isn't enough. Solutions must account for introverts and ambiverts, not just extroverts (08:23).

    "Most people in the events industry are introverts... You need to almost force people to meet up in these smaller formats." – Rachel [09:33]

  • Peer-to-peer discussions are valuable, but roundtables need moderation or influencer facilitators to succeed:

    "When you just put signs on a table... that sucks. That really sucks." – Rachel [11:14]

  • Fun activations (like pickleball tournaments) can facilitate genuine bonding more than impersonal table talk.

• Real Value vs. Empty Trends:

  • Rachel stresses the importance of evaluating which industry “trends” offer real value to attendees and which are just noise (09:55).
  • Incorporating interactive experiences and carefully designed networking that addresses different personalities leads to better events.

Personal Effectiveness, Boundaries, and PTO

• Time Management Myth Busting:

  • Rachel dispels the myth of flawless efficiency. She averages 18 meetings daily; the reality is "reprioritizing and shifting" constantly (14:27).
  • Rachel’s "superpower wish" would be to "bilocate"—she is not superhuman but is deeply intentional about protecting time for family and rest.

• Active Presence & PTO Advocacy:

  • She is a vocal supporter of PTO for mental health and tells her team to truly disconnect rather than "shame people for it" (14:40).

    "If you take PTO, take the damn PTO... and mental health is a serious crisis in the events industry." – Rachel [14:27]

  • On work-life presence:

    "Whatever you are doing, I think you need to be present doing what you're doing or else you're a big, big loser and you're accomplishing nothing." – Jay [15:45]

Industry Outlook and Challenges Ahead

• On Event Registration Realities:

  • Late registrations are now the norm—many attendees (herself included) register within six weeks of events, impacting projections and planning (17:45).

    “We had almost a thousand people register in like the last six weeks.” – Rachel [17:45]

• Market Uncertainty:

  • The event industry is “still in limbo” for 2026. Persistent budget constraints, economic pressures, and a push for AI-driven efficiency define the outlook.

    “I kind of feel like in my gut it's going to continue to grow and then there's going to be like a flat line at some point.” – Rachel [18:34]

• Last-Minute Optimism vs. Realism:

  • Rachel calls out the bias toward overoptimistic predictions of last-minute surges and stresses practical anticipation of attendee behavior.

Light-Hearted Moments: Rachel’s On-the-Go Entertainment

• Travel Essentials:
  • Loves downloading content, prefers her own devices over airplane screens (19:00).
  • Recommends "Black Rabbit" (Netflix), true crime picks, and “The Summer I Turned Pretty” for trips (19:16).

    “Anything Jason Bateman does, I'm in... He's just so talented.” – Rachel [20:08]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On networking design:

  "You're creating communities for people, but are they really throwing people into a room... or is it not great? ...You need to almost force people to meet up in these smaller formats." – Rachel [08:42 – 09:33]

• On career growth & mindset:

  "If you Google my name... it says, 'embrace the suck.'" – Rachel [07:04]
  "Every little door they open... you took it seriously and that's how you grew in your career." – Jay [05:27]

• On PTO and burnout:

  "If you take PTO, take the damn PTO... I try not to bother my team when they're on PTO. I think it's just so important to get a mental health break." – Rachel [14:27]

• On attendee behavior:

  “I know that I'm going to go to that event, but sometimes I don't register for it until a month out.” – Rachel [17:46]

• On industry uncertainty:

  “We're still in a lot of socioeconomic like crises with certain industries... and corporations are also feeling the heat.” – Rachel [16:42]

• On engagement and LinkedIn:

  "LinkedIn's my favorite platform. There's a lot of people that are looking for mentors out there and reach out and want to just chat about something." – Rachel [12:45]

Important Timestamps

• 00:44–03:20: Rachel's career origins and early event experiences
• 04:01–05:26: Transition to Cvent and scaling the events team
• 07:04–07:57: “Embrace the suck” philosophy; continuous improvement
• 08:23–09:55: Networking—changing needs and better formats
• 11:14–12:01: Roundtable formats—what works, what doesn’t
• 12:43–14:02: Rachel's daily work habits and LinkedIn engagement
• 14:27–15:45: Advocating for PTO, boundaries, and presence
• 16:42–18:34: State of the industry, budgeting, and late registrations
• 19:00–20:14: Travel entertainment recommendations and pop culture
• 20:42–21:18: Upcoming Cvent Connect in Nashville and shameless plugs

Connect with Rachel Andrews & Final Invites

• Rachel’s LinkedIn: Actively welcomes messages and mentoring requests (12:45, 20:14)
• Event Plug:

  "Cvent Connect, we're coming to Nashville next year... it's not just a Cvent event; it's an industry event as well. Big family reunion every time." – Rachel [20:42]

Summary in a Nutshell

Rachel’s candid conversation with Jay offers inspiration for marketers and event professionals alike—whether you’re climbing the ladder or reevaluating your approach to both career and wellness. Continuous curiosity, genuine human connection, data-driven innovation, and self-care are essential threads as she leads event marketing through change and challenge. The episode leaves listeners with not just practical industry insights, but also a refreshing encouragement to “embrace the suck,” cherish breaks, and value real connections—on and offline.