Event folks like to joke about chaos, but Jay Schwedelson and Rachel Andrews get into what it actually takes to build a career inside that chaos. Rachel shares how she went from school events and holiday parties to leading a massive global events program, why “embrace the suck” is secretly great career advice, and what is really changing for attendees on-site. They also talk about burnout, boundaries, and how to build networking formats that do not make introverts want to hide by the coffee station.

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Connect with Rachel on LinkedIn and check out Cvent CONNECT in Nashville, her “big family reunion” style industry event that brings together event pros and event technologists from across the world.

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Best Moments:

(01:45) Rachel’s oldest-child energy, early love of bringing people together, and the moment she realized she wanted the events side, not PR.

(05:10) How saying yes to “small” assignments like a company holiday party turned into a 15-year path to leading events at a huge brand.

(08:05) Why attendees keep begging for “more networking” and how Rachel designs formats that actually work for introverts and ambiverts.

(11:15) The problem with topic tables that go nowhere and how facilitators and “influencer hosts” can make roundtables worth showing up for.

(14:10) Rachel’s honest take on burnout, the myth of “do more with less,” and why she fiercely protects PTO and being present with her family.

(17:20) What 1,000 last-minute registrations revealed about attendee behavior and how she is feeling about event budgets and growth heading into 2026.

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Check out Jay’s YOUTUBE Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@schwedelson

Check out Jay’s TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@schwedelson

Check Out Jay's INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/jayschwedelson/