This episode of Screaming in the Cloud features Katie Reese, an experienced events producer at Tailscale, who walks us through the ins and outs of event marketing within the tech industry. Katie shares insights on effective swag management and event planning to create memorable experiences that drive product adoption. Additionally, Katie and Corey discuss the challenges and strategies of marketing in a post-pandemic, budget-conscious world and explore how remote-first companies have adapted to these changes.

Show Highlights: 

00:00 - Intro
00:19 - Welcome Katie Reese, discussing life in sunny Mexico City and her work at Tailscale
03:03 - How Tailscale's product-led growth feels like magic
05:08 - Success stories from the Tailscale Up conference
06:25 - Event strategies in the post-pandemic, budget-conscious era
09:04 - The benefits of remote-first companies and changes in the event landscape
10:36 - Katie's career journey and the value of networking at events
14:34 - The thoughtful approach to swag and reducing event waste
20:14 - How bad marketing can ruin customer interactions
25:40 - Ensuring swag runs out at the right time at conferences
28:10 - Discussion on ethical event practices and avoiding waste
32:04 - Closing thoughts and where to find Katie online

About Katie:

Katie leads field events at Tailscale and, when she is not traveling, splits her time between small-town Tennessee and Mexico City because it's all about balance.

Links referenced: 

*Tailscale: https://tailscale.com/
*Katie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-reese/
*Katie’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/katiereese317?lang=en

Sponsor
*Panoptica Academy: https://panoptica.app/lastweekinaws