
Behind the Scenes of Drive 2025 with Anna Vermillion and Allison Saxon
The Dave Gerhardt Show
Building Connection Through Breakouts and 'Third Spaces'
The team details breakout groups and excursions (pickleball, walks, boat, yoga) as key formats for human connection.
#294 Event Strategy | First time podcast guest alert! I invited Allison and Anna from the Exit Five team on for a conversation post Drive 2025 - to talk about lessons learned and behind the scenes from our annual marketing conference in Vermont. Snag your tickets for next year now exitfive.com/drive
Timestamps
- (00:00) - – Intro
- (03:07) - – Why events are making a comeback in B2B marketing
- (07:07) - – What Drive is and how it started
- (12:07) - – Why every event should start with the landing page
- (15:07) - – Lessons from year one and how feedback shaped Drive 2025
- (20:07) - – Treating events like products, not projects
- (22:07) - – Building connection through “third spaces” and excursions
- (27:07) - – Why community is the real ROI of in-person events
- (33:53) - – The biggest Drive mishap (and what it taught us)
- (38:53) - – Post-event strategy: why the event isn’t over when it ends
- (48:53) - – Favorite moments, lessons, and shoutouts from Drive 2025
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