Getting Young Professionals Into The Events Industry: The Annabelle Project Case Study

Webinar Description: 

The events industry doesn’t have a “talent shortage.” It has a relevance problem. Young professionals aren’t avoiding our industry because they lack interest, they’re avoiding it because we’ve failed to clearly articulate the value of a career in events, provide credible on-ramps, and deliver early wins that justify long-term commitment. Career fairs, internships, and inspirational panels haven’t fixed the problem. In many cases, they’ve made it worse. This session will provide a case study into the Annabelle Project which was designed as a direct response to that failure.  

In this 45- minute, no-theory, case-study-driven session, Warwick Davies breaks down how a focused mentorship and exposure model has successfully moved college-age talent, particularly students from HBCUs and Hispanic-Serving Institutions, from industry-curious to industry-committed. This session challenges conventional “pipeline” thinking and replaces it with a practical, repeatable system for attracting, qualifying, and retaining young professionals who actually stay. If your organization is serious about talent, not optics, this session will give you a different way to think, decide, and act. 

Learning Objectives: 

• Diagnose why most young professional initiatives fail, and identify the hidden assumptions that sabotage recruitment and retention efforts. 

• Deconstruct the Annabelle Project model to understand how mentorship, access, and accountability create real career momentum—not temporary enthusiasm. 

• Implement one immediately actionable shift that increases the perceived value of an events career to young professionals and strengthens long-term talent ROI. 

IAEE webinars are free to members and available to non-members for $49. This session is eligible to earn 0.75 clock hours towards CEM recertification. 

Presenter(s): Warwick Davies

Webinar Description:

IAEE Master Series Certificate: Event Design for the Brain presented by Lisa Schulteis is designed to help event and exhibition professionals better understand how people experience events and how design decisions influence engagement, recall, and connection across live and virtual environments. The series focuses on practical, experience-driven design strategies that translate research on attention, memory, and social interaction into real-world event applications.

Each session builds on the last, guiding participants through three core elements of event experience: attention, memory, and connection. Built-in micro breaks are integrated throughout each session to support focus, model effective design, and enhance learning in real time. Each webinar is 60 minutes in length and includes interactive moments, reflection, and Q&A. A downloadable workbook supports applied learning across all three sessions.

After attending all three virtual sessions, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and earn 3 clock hours towards CEM recertification. This session is $99 Members | Non-Members $149.

Times:

 9 April: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CST (60 Minutes)

16 April: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CST (60 Minutes)

23 April: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CST (60 Minutes)

9 April 2026

Session 1: Designing for Attention: How to Keep People Engaged Without Overloading Them

Attention is limited and easily disrupted in modern event environments. This session explores how people process information and allocate focus, and how event design decisions directly influence engagement throughout an experience. Participants will learn how to reduce cognitive overload, improve session flow, and design agendas and environments that support sustained attention without adding more content or complexity.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain how attention functions in live and virtual event settings
2. Identify common event design choices that reduce focus and engagement
3. Apply practical strategies to support sustained attention
4. Design agendas and sessions that balance stimulation and recovery Built-in micro breaks will be used throughout the session to model attention-supportive design in real time.

16 April 2026

Session 2: Designing for Memory: Creating Events People Actually Remember

While events often deliver large volumes of information, much of it is forgotten shortly after the experience ends. This is the second session in the series and this session focuses on how memory is formed and how event design can support recall of key messages, moments, and experiences.

Participants will explore how session structure, storytelling, repetition, and sensory cues influence memory and learn how to design experiences that help important messages stick beyond the event itself.

Learning Objectives

1. Distinguish between engagement and long-term memory
2. Identify design elements that support retention and recall
3. Apply techniques that strengthen memory without increasing content volume
4. Build memory anchors into sessions, exhibits, and experiences. Memory-anchoring micro breaks will be integrated to demonstrate retention strategies in practice.

23 April 2026

Session 3: Designing for Connection: How Events Build Trust, Belonging, and Meaningful Interaction

Connection is central to successful events. This session explores how people experience social environments and how event design influences trust, comfort, and participation. Participants will learn how layout, facilitation, pacing, and interaction design affect whether attendees feel included, engaged, and willing to participate, and how these factors shape overall event outcomes.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how social environments influence engagement and trust
2. Identify barriers to interaction created by common event design choices
3. Design experiences that encourage meaningful connection
4. Apply inclusive strategies that support different engagement styles. Connection-focused micro breaks will be embedded to model interaction and reflection.

Presenter: Lisa Schulteis, Founder/Owner ElectraLime Marketing; Your Event Marketplace; Executive Director, Northwest Event Show Seattle

Sponsors: New Orleans Morial Convention Center and New Orleans & Company

Webinar Description:

IAEE Master Series Certificate: Event Design for the Brain presented by Lisa Schulteis is designed to help event and exhibition professionals better understand how people experience events and how design decisions influence engagement, recall, and connection across live and virtual environments. The series focuses on practical, experience-driven design strategies that translate research on attention, memory, and social interaction into real-world event applications.

Each session builds on the last, guiding participants through three core elements of event experience: attention, memory, and connection. Built-in micro breaks are integrated throughout each session to support focus, model effective design, and enhance learning in real time. Each webinar is 60 minutes in length and includes interactive moments, reflection, and Q&A. A downloadable workbook supports applied learning across all three sessions.

After attending all three virtual sessions, participants will receive a Certificate of Completion and earn 3 clock hours towards CEM recertification. This session is $99 Members | Non-Members $149.

Times:

 9 April: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CST (60 Minutes)

16 April: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CST (60 Minutes)

23 April: 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM CST (60 Minutes)

9 April 2026

Session 1: Designing for Attention: How to Keep People Engaged Without Overloading Them

Attention is limited and easily disrupted in modern event environments. This session explores how people process information and allocate focus, and how event design decisions directly influence engagement throughout an experience. Participants will learn how to reduce cognitive overload, improve session flow, and design agendas and environments that support sustained attention without adding more content or complexity.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain how attention functions in live and virtual event settings
2. Identify common event design choices that reduce focus and engagement
3. Apply practical strategies to support sustained attention
4. Design agendas and sessions that balance stimulation and recovery Built-in micro breaks will be used throughout the session to model attention-supportive design in real time.

16 April 2026

Session 2: Designing for Memory: Creating Events People Actually Remember

While events often deliver large volumes of information, much of it is forgotten shortly after the experience ends. This is the second session in the series and this session focuses on how memory is formed and how event design can support recall of key messages, moments, and experiences.

Participants will explore how session structure, storytelling, repetition, and sensory cues influence memory and learn how to design experiences that help important messages stick beyond the event itself.

Learning Objectives

1. Distinguish between engagement and long-term memory
2. Identify design elements that support retention and recall
3. Apply techniques that strengthen memory without increasing content volume
4. Build memory anchors into sessions, exhibits, and experiences. Memory-anchoring micro breaks will be integrated to demonstrate retention strategies in practice.

23 April 2026

Session 3: Designing for Connection: How Events Build Trust, Belonging, and Meaningful Interaction

Connection is central to successful events. This session explores how people experience social environments and how event design influences trust, comfort, and participation. Participants will learn how layout, facilitation, pacing, and interaction design affect whether attendees feel included, engaged, and willing to participate, and how these factors shape overall event outcomes.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand how social environments influence engagement and trust
2. Identify barriers to interaction created by common event design choices
3. Design experiences that encourage meaningful connection
4. Apply inclusive strategies that support different engagement styles. Connection-focused micro breaks will be embedded to model interaction and reflection.

Presenter: Lisa Schulteis, Founder/Owner ElectraLime Marketing; Your Event Marketplace; Executive Director, Northwest Event Show Seattle

Sponsors: New Orleans Morial Convention Center and New Orleans & Company