Meet the speaker: Margaret Launzel-Pennes

With more than 30 years of experience, Margaret is an industry executive with deep experience in all facets of ideation, marketing, and management of events and experiential engagements – in person, hybrid, and virtual. Her expertise spans executive level conferences and meetings, proprietary/corporate events, trade shows, festivals, consumer events, incentive travel, training events, sales meetings, awards presentations, employee events, large scale live events, special events, virtual events, and philanthropic events across a multitude of industries and businesses. She is a creative and perceptive professional with an innate knack for understanding and interpreting diverse objectives and building flawless experiences to match. While most of her career has been in “live events”, she has been producing virtual and hybrid events for the past 15 years so the arena was not new to her when the pandemic hit.  Considered “bold and fearless” by her colleagues, she co-founded TBX: Total Brand Experience on April 1, 2020 — just two short weeks after Covid was designated a global pandemic. 60 events later, the agency heads into its second year with a diverse array of clients whom the agency is guiding through the next era of events.
  • How long have you worked in the events industry and what keeps you interested in it? 

    I have worked in the events industry for 30 years; I can’t say what keeps me interested as that implies a conscious engagement – for me, it’s about passion – I just love bringing likeminded people together in meaningful, relevant, impactful ways.

  • Best (and worst?) moments working in the events industry? 

    Best moment? Having the courage to venture out on my own as a result of Covid.  Worst moment? The moment I made the decision to venture out on my own as a result of Covid – very scary.

  • What was the last event on which you worked? 

    Three days ago for Dell Technologies – a high touch virtual customer event for its OEM Solutions division.

  • From your experience, what’s the best way to utilise tech at an event? 

    For the past year, my company has used technology to produce more than 70 events since July 2020; the fact that we are able to deliver events via technology is incredible.  In terms of my thoughts on the best ways to utilize tech at an event, that’s quite a broad question.  Depends on what you’re looking to achieve.  The one thing I will tell you is that never let technology dictate the solution; let your vision dictate the solution – and then find the right technology to achieve the vision.

  • We all learn from our mistakes! What was the biggest lesson you learned from a mistake since being in the industry? 

    That failure is a good thing. Without it, you don’t know what success is.

  • What are you most looking forward to at Event Tech Live? 

    All of the new and vibrant ideas that are emerging out of the Covid era…people are coming up with extraordinary things!

  • What do events, such as ETL, mean to you? 

    A way to stay connected, to learn, to grow, to share.

  • What can our delegates expect to take away from your session at ETL? 

    A pragmatic approach to creativity even if you’re not a “creative”. Permission to question the status quo.  Empowerment in this new and exciting turn in the events industry.

  • Which one piece of tech couldn’t you live without? 

    Canva

  • Most pointless tech you have purchased? 

    A dongle with 7 inputs – I mean I’ve never used more than three at one time and never will.

Join Margaret for her session: 5 Ways to Jumpstart Disruptive Innovation at
ETL US & Canada on June 8th on The Omni Stage – Book your ticket here

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Event Tech Live
Las Vegas
May 1-2, 2024

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