Event Techonology Awards 2020 Meet the Judges: Aleksandra Panyukhina

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The Event Technology Awards celebrate the successful development and implimentation of technology in the events industry.

The judging panel for the awards is a stellar line-up of experts and we’d like to introduce them to you in our Meet the Judges series, this week we present Aleksandra Panyukhina, head of event marketing at Userlane

Aleksandra brings more than 10 years of experience in events, with a strong focus on events in the tech industry over the past 5 years. She has a unique experience of creating 50+ own brand events of a different scale all across 5 continents as well as leveraging hundreds of 3rd party sponsorships to support business goals. Aleksandra has successfully launched event programs for brands like Veeam Software and SEMrush, increasing the revenue and brand recognition through this marketing channel. Recently Aleksandra has joined Userlane – digital adoption solution, as a Head of Event Marketing to build and expand the brand’s event program.

  1. What experience can you draw upon to successfully judge the ETAs?

Apart from global event marketing and management experience, I would say my involvement in the tech industry and knowledge of its trends as a whole. As a marketer I focus exclusively on the tech industry and SaaS businesses, which allows me to analyze the entries not only from the event management but overall product and business perspective.

  1. How long have you worked in the events industry and what keeps you interested in it?

It has been 6+ years and what keeps me amazed is how fast things can change or evolve. And how you have to react, adapt and conquer the circumstances in an instant. The year 2020 has been the best example of how agile and proactive this industry is.

  1. Best (and worst?) moments working in the events industry?

Nothing compares to final accords of the event well done – hardly any other profession allows you to see the results of your work so vividly present. With this “ups” come the “downs”: necessity to make unpopular or painful decisions as cancellations, postponements or permanent closing of events. Again, this year has been the best example of it, but such things happen every now and then. Personally, I once had to give up the project of my dreams just because it won’t fit in the new company vision anymore. 

  1. Favourite piece of tech for work and personal life?

Google sheets, Trello and Notion…well, everything that helps me stay organized!

  1. What’s your go-to piece of tech when working on an event and why?

Google Sheets for its proven reliability to keep all of the moving pieces in one place and provide visibility for everyone with access. Something I am particularly excited to test very soon (and hope it becomes my go-to tech): Prezi for engaging and Mentimetr for interactive presentations!

  1. What was the last event on which you worked?

Can I twist the question a bit and share my next event? It will be the brand new virtual event series for Userlane – digital adoption solutions company I most recently joined!

  1. From your experience, what’s the best way to utilise tech at an event?

Whichever piece of tech you use, as long as your goal is to provide better customer experience – you are on the right track. May it be the tech that helps attendees navigate or stay on top of things or some crazy AV solution to maximise the emotional effect – go for it if it is for the sake of attendees’ happiness!

  1. We all learn from our mistakes! What was the biggest lesson you learned from a mistake since being in the industry?

Unless you really failed, most likely it was a mistake only you have noticed, because you are an ultimate perfectionist. My biggest lesson is to stress less, analyze the scale of a problem caused fast, come up with a solution calm but quick and be back on track as soon as possible.

  1. What are you most looking forward to at the ETAs?

Meeting all the industry IN-PERSON!

  1. What do events, such as the ETAs, mean to you?

It’s a great opportunity to discover new players, assess the growth and progress some of the well-known tools have made and to enjoy one event none of us is actually organising!

  1. If you could only use one piece of tech when working on an event, what would that be?

My smartphone. I have all the tools installed in it – give me the smartphone and I can run the world.


For more information or to enter your #eventtech visit the website www.eventtechnologyawards.co.uk or email hello@eventtechnologyawards.co.uk

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.

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