Award Winning Event Strategist Driving Growth and Transformation For YOU | Plug-and-Play Project Manager | Technology Enthusiast | Always Curious

Shaping the Future of International Meetings | Collaborative Growth | Event Transformation

Curiosity - Innovation - Storytelling

As the Regional Director for North America at ICCA, I am passionate about driving growth and fostering collaboration within the global meetings and events industry. ICCA has stood at the forefront of shaping the future of international association meetings since 1963, and I'm honoured to be part of a team that champions innovation, sustainability, and advocacy on a global scale.

Over the years, I've had the privilege of strategizing, planning, and executing transformative events—from intimate gatherings to international conferences. My career has been built on an unwavering commitment to innovation, creative problem-solving, and a collaborative approach to ensure that every event exceeds expectations. Along the way, I've been fortunate to be recognized with honours such as "Planner of the Year" by Smart Meetings and a spot on the "40 Under 40" by Connect x BizBash.

But more than accolades, it's the connections I've built and the stories we've shaped together that truly inspire me. It was the Guinness World Record attempt to host the largest online event gathering, GMID Goes Virtual, in 2020, which connects almost all the industry associations across the globe. It was #EventprofsBreakShit that I co-founded in 2021, seeking an honest, authentic, but joyful way to explore event technology. 

These are the real rewards of our work, and they underscore the power of collaboration in our industry.

At ICCA, we're not just organizing meetings—we're creating spaces where ideas flourish, communities grow, and the future of our industry is redefined. I'd love to connect if you're interested in exploring how we can collaborate, build meaningful partnerships, or simply share ideas. Let's work together to amplify the value of international meetings and create sustainable, innovative solutions for the future.

Are you ready to shape the future of international association meetings? Let's connect and make an impact together.

Shawn (Yih-Hsiang) Cheng

Hi there! I'm Rachel. 
Since 2001, I've been on an exciting journey in the event industry, starting with advertising and moving into the heart of event marketing. There, I mastered all the ways to create a buzz and get the right people to events.

Before starting Snöball, I ran my own event marketing agency Sensov/. We helped organizers promote their events globally using a mix of marketing strategies. 

Then it hit me – we're always marketing to the same audience again and again. 
Marketing an event needed a chorus, not just an echo. 
That’s when the 'aha' moment happened – 
to amplify events, extend the reach, attract the right people, and increase our attendance goals, we needed to tap into our own audience’s trust and connections. 

Enter Snöball. 
It's my brainchild, a solution that helps event marketers grow their conferences and tradeshows by mobilizing their attendees, speakers and partners to do the talking. 

Snöball helps scale and track word-of-mouth to drive more registrations. 
It's about making each participant a promoter. 
With Snöball, their stories become our megaphone.

My vision for Snöball? It’s pretty clear – to make 'Snöball' the go-to solution for people-led marketing that grows events organically. 

I built Snöball on the belief that great experiences and great content – need to be shared and ‘Snöballed’. 

Ready to Snöball your event?
Happy to chat. It’s only 17-min.

Rachel Stephan, DES, EWD ❄️

Not as small anymore, nor am I as young but happy #smalldog day!

Rachel Stephan ❄️

Reach the right people, not just more people

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Our feeds are drowning in content that was perfectly optimized by a machine to keep us scrolling. It’s no wonder we’re all hitting a digital wall. AI fatigue is real, and it’s loud.

Events remind us in an automated world, the human element is the ultimate differentiator. We can’t exactly automate a real handshake, a spontaneous laugh during a session, or the actual connection that happens when we’re in the same room.

Events are the antidote. They pull us away from the noise and remind us what real engagement feels like. If we want to cure the burnout, we need to trade the infinite scroll for an actual stroll through an event floor. It turns out the best way to beat the algorithm is to just go talk to someone.

See you in the real world. ❄️
Hope you’re out about this weekend, enjoying fresh air, warm hugs and chilling.

Your confirmation email is not the finish line. 
It’s your launchpad.

Most teams treat it like a receipt.
“Thanks, you’re in.” End of story.

That’s the leak.

Because at that exact moment…
→ You have peak intent
→ You have attention
→ You have commitment

And then we do… nothing.
No nudge to share.
No way to invite peers.
No momentum.

Just a receipt.
(sometimes not even an 'add to calendar')

The best-performing events flip this completely.
They treat the confirmation page + email as a growth opportunity:
Turn confirmed registrats into promoters instantly.

I recently contributed to the new Grip Paid Registration Guide along with many #eventprods I respect and admire.

Download the playbook: https://lnkd.in/e8sBXB2Y

Thanks Tim Groot-Ive, Hew Leith for including me.

#eventmarketing #peertopeermarketing

I know I’m not the only one looking for better ways to boost paid ticket sales.

I just found a webinar that’s tackling this exact problem: How to Increase Paid Event Registrations. They’re covering:

✅ Turning community engagement into ticket sales.
✅ Advanced early-bird and pricing strategies.
✅ Real-world tactics to increase conversion rates.

I’m attending to sharpen my strategy for our upcoming projects and thought some of you might find this useful too.

Register here if you want to join me: https://lnkd.in/eEt8bvKS

#Eventsindustry #marketingstrategy #webinar #Professionaldevelopment

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The Battle

Shawn (Yih-Hsiang) Cheng

Rachel Stephan, DES, EWD ❄️

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The Battle

Shawn (Yih-Hsiang) Cheng

Rachel Stephan, DES, EWD ❄️

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Rachel Stephan, DES, EWD ❄️'s LinkedIn Performance

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