03 Category 4 Hurricane Chaos or 17x ROI? with Adam Saad

Explicit content warning

05/02/25 • 15 min

Did a Hurricane Just Hijack My Trade Show ROI?! with Adam Saad

What do you get when you mix a hurricane, a $25K trade show booth, and one very real contact center expert? A wildly relatable episode of Event About It that proves ROI waits for no natural disaster.

Host Megan Martin sits down with Adam Saad, former Salesforce top seller turned tech stack whisperer, for a hilarious and heartfelt convo about surviving the sales grind, rebuilding after burnout (and actual flooding), and why he'd rather trip over his own booth banner than get ghosted by bad leads.

We play a chaotic round of “Would You Rather: Trade Show Edition” (puppy booths vs. rogue DJs, anyone?), spill the tea on spammy follow-ups, and hear how one flooded Florida house led to a 17x return.

Oh, and yes—the sauna survived.

✨ In this episode:

Whether it's better to crash a demo or trip over a booth banner (and why!)
The challenges of event follow-up—and why bad marketing can haunt you forever
How to think about event ROI the right way: focusing on qualified leads, not quantity
Why real-world mishaps, like managing events while surviving a hurricane, still lead to success
How authentic moments and personal connections drive better event outcomes

👉 Want to hear more from Adam?

Tune into the “After Show” where we unpack burnout, bootstrapping, and why Adam’s building his own rocket ship to Mars, one smart hypothesis at a time.

Listen the After Show HERE

Connect with Adam ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠

Listen to Adam’s Podcast HERE

Connect with Megan HERE

Enjoyed the episode?

We want to hear from you and your vent of the week!

Head over to ⁠⁠eventaboutitpodcast.com⁠⁠ to leave us a voicemail with your burning questions or your own Vent of the Week story to be featured in a future episode.

While you're there, don't miss out on joining The Squared Squad, where you'll get exclusive access to bonus content, including:

The Event About It After Show's dynamic dialogue
Behind-the-scenes insights and extended conversations with episode guests.
Early access to new episodes, insider tips from top event pros and the chance to submit your questions to upcoming guest interviews.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow event enthusiasts.
Until next time—keep growing, keep laughing, and keep Eventing About It!

Did a Hurricane Just Hijack My Trade Show ROI?! with Adam Saad

Oh, and yes—the sauna survived.

✨ In this episode:

Whether it's better to crash a demo or trip over a booth banner (and why!)
The challenges of event follow-up—and why bad marketing can haunt you forever
How to think about event ROI the right way: focusing on qualified leads, not quantity
Why real-world mishaps, like managing events while surviving a hurricane, still lead to success
How authentic moments and personal connections drive better event outcomes

👉 Want to hear more from Adam?

Tune into the “After Show” where we unpack burnout, bootstrapping, and why Adam’s building his own rocket ship to Mars, one smart hypothesis at a time.

Listen the After Show HERE

Connect with Adam ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠

Listen to Adam’s Podcast HERE

Connect with Megan HERE

Enjoyed the episode?

We want to hear from you and your vent of the week!

Head over to ⁠⁠eventaboutitpodcast.com⁠⁠ to leave us a voicemail with your burning questions or your own Vent of the Week story to be featured in a future episode.

While you're there, don't miss out on joining The Squared Squad, where you'll get exclusive access to bonus content, including:

The Event About It After Show's dynamic dialogue
Behind-the-scenes insights and extended conversations with episode guests.
Early access to new episodes, insider tips from top event pros and the chance to submit your questions to upcoming guest interviews.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow event enthusiasts.
Until next time—keep growing, keep laughing, and keep Eventing About It!

Previous Episode

02 Did a Dancing Cow Ruin This Event Setup?

In this episode of Event About It, host Megan Martin welcomes event industry trailblazer Will Curran for an honest, high-energy conversation that’s equal parts inspiring, insightful, and just plain fun.

From living out of his car in 2024 to getting engaged at Crater Lake and buying a house, Will shares the highs, lows, and wild pivots of a year that reshaped his personal and professional life.

Will Curran is a renowned event technology innovator, founder of Endless Events, creator of the #EventProfs community, and host of multiple industry-leading podcasts, recently appointed as Vice President of Go-to-Market at Voxo Event AI where he’s excited to lead the charge in integrating AI-driven conversational intelligence into event technology.

They explore Will’s decision to take a hiatus from his role at Visible, the major revenue wins he celebrated, and why he’s going back to his roots as a DJ, with fresh merch in tow. Megan and Will also unpack how AI is transforming event planning, why creativity still reigns supreme, and how to stay energized through change.

Plus, you don’t want to miss the three must-listen segments that bring this episode to life:

Scratch or Scam – where Will guesses real DJ names vs fake ones.
Vent of the Week – where Megan and Will get real about marketing challenges in the event world.
Event About It – where Will shares a wild, unforgettable story from his event career about dancing cows.

What You’ll Learn:

How to embrace AI as a tool, not a threat
Why humor and fun matter more than ever in events
How entrepreneurship is a journey of constant evolution
Creative ways to rebrand, reset, and rediscover your passion
Why collaboration and community are key to long-term success

Whether you’re deep in the event game or just looking for inspiration to shake things up, this episode is a can’t-miss.

Tune in, take notes, and don’t forget to laugh along the way.

Connect with Will HERE

Hyper Space Light Cube⁠ HERE

Watch Dancing Cows HERE⁠

Connect with Megan ⁠HERE⁠

Enjoyed the episode? We want to hear from you!

Head over to ⁠eventaboutitpodcast.com⁠ to leave us a voicemail with your burning questions or your own Vent of the Week story to be featured in a future episode.

While you're there, don't miss out on joining The Squared Squad, where you'll get exclusive access to bonus content, including:

The Event About It After Show where Megan and her guests dive deep into their expertise to share with you.
Behind-the-scenes insights and extended conversations with episode guests.
Early access to new episodes, insider tips from top event pros and the chance to submit your questions to upcoming guest interviews.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow event enthusiasts.

Next Episode

04 Can You Survive a Keynote After a Hot Wing Meltdown? with Jay Schwedelson

Are you using “Register Now” as your call to action? Or sending your emails at 9 a.m. sharp Monday morning, it’s time for an email marketing intervention. This episode is your no-BS guide to fixing the mistakes clogging up your campaigns and killing your event ROI.

Our guest, Jay Schwedelson, has tested over 15 million subject lines and isn’t afraid to drag bad email habits into the light. Jay is the founder of SubjectLine.com and GURU Media Hub, the force behind the world’s largest email marketing events. He’s one of the most trusted voices in the email game.

From why emojis do work (just stop calling them emojis) to the hidden signals hurting your deliverability, this is the ultimate checklist for event pros who want to stop sending boring emails and start sending strategic ones.

Hosted by Megan Martin, this conversation cuts through the fluff and serves up real tactics that work in the inbox right now.

🔥 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

Why subject lines like “Register Now” are tanking your click-throughs—and what to say instead
The surprisingly simple subject line formatting change that’s outperforming title case
When to send your emails during the week to actually get opened (hint: avoid the top of the hour)
Why personalization should go beyond first names—and what data to use instead
The email traps marketers fall into when they try to “check the box” instead of delivering real value

👉 Want to hear more from Jay? Tune into the “After Show” HERE

Show Notes:

Connect with Jay Schwedelson

Reserve Your Spot for the Guru Conference

Connect with Megan Martin

The Outliers by Malcom Gladwell is the book mentioned.

Bonus Content & Join the Show!

We want to hear from you and your vent of the week!

Head over to ⁠⁠eventaboutitpodcast.com⁠⁠ to leave us a voicemail with your burning questions or your own Vent of the Week story to be featured in a future episode.

While you're there, don't miss out on joining The Squared Squad, where you'll get exclusive access to bonus content, including:

The Event About It After Show's dynamic dialogue with Anca where we demystify AI, Biohacking, and business growth.
Behind-the-scenes insights and extended conversations with episode guests.
Early access to new episodes, insider tips from top event pros and the chance to submit your questions to upcoming guest interviews.

Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with your fellow event enthusiasts.

Until next time—keep growing, keep laughing, and keep Eventing About It!