The Eventex Podcast Launches with Laura Schwartz and LinkedIn’s Danielle Damiano Medeiros
CHICAGO — September 29, 2026 — The microphones are on and the conversations have begun. The Eventex Podcast, hosted by international professional emcee, interviewer and award-winning podcaster Laura Schwartz, has officially launched with its first episode featuring Danielle Damiano Medeiros, Global Head of Industry Tentpole Experiences, Events & Executive Engagement COE at LinkedIn.
The new podcast takes listeners behind the scenes of the global meetings and events industry for candid conversations with the leaders creating some of the world’s most ambitious experiences — including the decisions, pressure, pivots and occasional crises audiences never see.
For Episode 1, Schwartz sits down with Medeiros for an unfiltered conversation about what it takes to create experiences at global scale — and what happens when even the best-laid plans collide with reality.
“This is exactly the kind of conversation I hoped we would have when we created The Eventex Podcast,” said Schwartz. “Danielle takes us beyond the finished event and into the moments when plans change, pressure rises and leaders have to make decisions in real time. Those are often the stories we learn the most from — and the stories audiences rarely get to hear.”
When the Plan Doesn’t Go According to Plan
Among the stories Medeiros shares is a 250-person dinner where the caterer didn’t show up, leaving her team only hours to find a solution.
She also recounts what happens when a venue suddenly reduces capacity on the day of an event — while confirmed guests are already arriving.
Those experiences open a larger conversation between Schwartz and Medeiros about leadership under pressure, crisis management and the ability to pivot when circumstances change faster than the plan.
The episode also challenges traditional ways of measuring an event’s success. Medeiros discusses why the value of an experience should extend beyond simply counting who was in the room and how event leaders can think more broadly about reach, engagement and impact.
AI, Creativity and the Changing Event Experience
Schwartz and Medeiros also turn their attention toward one of the most consequential conversations facing the industry: artificial intelligence.
Rather than asking simply whether AI belongs in event production, the two explore where the technology is genuinely useful — and where human creativity, judgment and connection remain essential.
The conversation also examines the growing role of creators in the event experience and how the lines between live experiences, content and communities continue to evolve.
Together, the topics make Episode 1 a conversation about scale, pressure, creativity, crisis management and the countless decisions that rarely make it into the polished case study after an event is over.
“Great events may look seamless to the audience, but anyone who has produced them knows how much is happening behind the scenes,” Schwartz said. “That’s what I love about these conversations. We get to talk about what worked, what didn’t, what changed at the last minute — and what those experiences taught the people leading through them.”
For Schwartz, who produced more than 1,000 events as White House Director of Events before building an international career as a professional emcee, interviewer and keynote speaker, those behind-the-scenes moments have long been an important part of the story.
They are also at the heart of the new podcast.
The Eventex Podcast: Events & Experiences. Unfiltered.
Listen & Watch The Eventex Podcast
Episode 1 of The Eventex Podcast with Laura Schwartz and Danielle Damiano Medeiros is available now.
Listen on Apple Podcasts:
The Eventex Podcast on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify:
The Eventex Podcast on Spotify
Watch on YouTube:
Eventex on YouTube
Viewers can also go directly to Episode 1 through Eventex’s episode link:
Watch Episode 1
Follow and subscribe for future conversations with the leaders and innovators shaping the global events and experience industry.
About Eventex
Eventex celebrates excellence, innovation and creativity across the global meetings and events industry. Best known for the annual Eventex Awards, Eventex recognizes outstanding events, experiences, agencies and professionals from around the world while providing a platform for the people and ideas shaping the future of the industry.
Through its awards, Powerlist, industry reports, original content and The Eventex Podcast, Eventex connects and celebrates the global event community while spotlighting the work and voices moving the industry forward.
About Laura Schwartz
Laura Schwartz is an internationally recognized professional emcee, keynote speaker, interviewer, author and television commentator who has built a career creating conversations that engage audiences and bring people together.
The youngest female Presidential Appointee in U.S. history, Schwartz began her career as a 19-year-old White House volunteer and ultimately served as White House Director of Events, where she produced more than 1,000 events for the President, First Lady, world leaders and international dignitaries.
Today, Schwartz brings that experience to stages and screens around the world as a professional emcee, moderator and interviewer and through keynote programs including Eat, Drink & Succeed, Activate Your Superpowers, The Third Place, Lead First and Moonshot Mentality.
Schwartz is also an award-winning podcaster. In 2021, she and her colleagues at ITV London earned the prestigious Drum Award for Podcast of the Year. She is an American Contributor to Australia’s Nine Network, appearing across TODAY, TODAY Extra and Nine News.
Schwartz records The Eventex Podcast from her state-of-the-art television and podcast studio in Chicago. The fully equipped, multi-camera broadcast studio is also available to clients engaging Schwartz, with the flexibility to accommodate custom set pieces, branded environments and other production elements.
Whether hosting a global conference, moderating a high-level conversation, conducting a one-on-one interview or delivering a keynote, Schwartz brings experience, curiosity and connection to every audience.
For more information about Laura Schwartz’s professional emcee, moderator, interviewer and keynote services, visit LauraSchwartzLive.com or contact Ashley Brooks at Ashley@LauraSchwartzLive.com or 312-767-7415.