An immersive media format perfect for deep-dive conversations, podcasting is catching on across the industry and becoming a feature of events themselves.

Podcasting has been a significant format in the contemporary media landscape for some time and has been steadily growing its presence in the events industry. Now, this popular medium is becoming a feature of events themselves – factoring in planning, networking, marketing, and even venue design.

Events teams do all they can to ensure a packed and engaging agenda but often the magic takes place between the keynotes and Q&As, as Amy Matthams, General Manager at podcast studio and event space Department at Leeds Dock, attests:

“Some of the best moments at events are the conversations that happen around the main programme, but they’re also the easiest to lose once everyone leaves the room.”

Amy Matthams

Podcasting is a natural fit for an industry built on people and conversation, giving organisers a cost-efficient way to capture that value and turn it into something lasting and shareable.

Jack Saward has hosted The Events Insight podcast for nearly seven years and believes the appeal runs deeper than just gathering and generating content.

The show set out to celebrate the different routes people take into the industry and has become something of a networking tool as a result: “Business has come about through guests recommending clients, though that was never the intention – it’s a byproduct of building trust with people over time.”

Many people who began working with Jack as volunteers have gone on to work with guests they met through the podcast or into event manager roles themselves.

Amy points out that podcasting only adds real value at an event if it’s planned rather than improvised: “It should be built into the event plan rather than added as an afterthought on the day. Organisers need to know in advance which conversations are worth capturing, when recordings happen, how people will move between the main event and the podcast space, and how the content will be shared afterwards.”

Jack makes a similar point about format discipline – podcasts that try to capture everything tend to capture nothing well: “We’ve done walk-and-talk recordings around events, and there’s value in it, but podcasts can work as part of a wider marketing strategy as long as they’re not overused to the point where people switch off.”

The media format event planners choose for messaging varies depending on the nature of the content and the intended audience.

On The Events Insight show, Jack records guests over video call but publishes audio only: “People have different learning styles, and as a sector, we need to keep hitting those different touch points rather than assuming one format works for everyone. Podcasts work because they’re something people can listen to while driving, cooking, or on a train, and it should stay true to that rather than chasing whatever else is trending.”

Amy distinguishes between using a dedicated studio, better suited to longer, repeatable, or more polished conversations, and a pop-up space that sits closer to the main programme and captures the energy of the day as it happens. At Department, a panel can lead straight into a recorded follow-up conversation, or a speaker session can become a short content series.

That flexibility is increasingly built into the wider market too, with specialist operators offering mobile recording setups, complete with studio-grade microphones, cameras, lighting, and an on-site technician, so a podcast studio can be dropped into a conference, exhibition, or brand activation without needing a fixed venue.

For event planners considering incorporating podcasting into conferences or exhibitions, there are clear advantages. Done well, it goes beyond just a recording and becomes a valuable resource that connects with almost every aspect of event planning and production.

Theeventsinsight.com

Departmentuk.com

Hospitality and Events North

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