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 - Intro00:19 - Welcome Katie Reese, discussing life in sunny Mexico City and her work at Tailscale03:03 - How Tailscale's product-led growth feels like magic05:08 - Success stories from the Tailscale Up conference06:25 - Event strategies in the post-pandemic, budget-conscious era09:04 - The benefits of remote-first companies and changes in the event landscape10:36 - Katie's career journey and the value of networking at events14:34 - The thoughtful approach to swag and reducing event waste20:14 - How bad marketing can ruin customer interactions25:40 - Ensuring swag runs out at the right time at conferences28:10 - Discussion on ethical event practices and avoiding waste32:04 - 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