Do more of what you fear: 20 Great Answers with Mark Fenson, HP + Intel Evangelist

Plugged In, Switched On.

That’s exactly how a self-described “shy kid from a country town” ended up as an in demand keynote speaker and technology evangelist for some of the world’s biggest technology brands. Join your host and Executive Creative Director Barrie Seppings, as he fires 20 Questions at Mark Fenson and discovers how to stay sane in a high-pressure job, why regrets aren’t worth your time and all about that business tripped that changed everything. Yes, we’re back with this month’s “Plugged In, Switched On’ podcast from Splendid Group.
The interview format at Plugged In Switched On is very simple: we ask every guest the same 20 Questions and invariably we get 20 different (but always great) answers. Here are some of our favourites from our interview with evangelist Mark Fenson:

• What's the one career move you wish you could go back and undo?
• Who have you learned the most from in your career?
• What’s the one thing in this industry that has gone on for too long and needs fixing?
• What’s the most overhyped buzzword in tech marketing right now?
• How different are you in ‘work mode’ compared to when you’re off the leash?

Mark Fenson has over 20 years experience in business technology sales and education for the likes of Cisco and Lenovo. He now travels the world explaining the near future on behalf of Intel and HP as their AI Compute Evangelist.

Barrie Seppings is the Executive Creative Director of Splendid Group and the host of Plugged In Switched On. Connect with Barrie on LinkedIn.

Thanks for listening!
If you want to learn more about Splendid Group , see some of our work or meet any of our people, visit splendidgroup.com

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1. Question 1: Your first Plugged In, Switched On question is the elevator pitch. What is your company or brand selling? Why would anybody pay good money for it? (00:02:15)

2. Question 2: Question two, this is your superhero origin story. Did you, Mark, grow up dreaming of becoming an evangelist? (00:04:12)

3. Question 3: Part of your job you just naturally enjoy, you just gravitate to and find yourself really spending more time than you should be doing. (00:06:31)

4. Question 4: What's the one career move or moment you wish you could go back and undo? Can you recall a moment in your career where it was very clear that you just learned a valuable lesson? (00:09:41)

5. Question 5: Who have you learned the most from in your career, even if perhaps it was what not to do? (00:11:02)

6. Question 6: .... So when you put tech and marketing together, everyone loves how fast it gets, but the reality is humans honestly hate change. How do you convince yourself to keep leaning in? (00:13:38)

7. Question 7: All this running around that you do, Mark, you're around the globe. This worries me a little bit. What do you do to stay physically and mentally healthy in a job like yours? (00:17:11)

8. Question 8: Every market or industry or territory or even country thinks they're a little bit different. Which one is in your experience? (00:20:30)

9. Question 9: What's the campaign or event or idea or launch that you've seen or heard about that you really wish you had done? (00:22:19)

10. Question 10: What's the one thing in this industry, B2B marketing and tech marketing in particular that's gone on for too long that you think needs fixing or retiring? (00:23:21)

11. Question 11: What's the one question you'd ask an agency or an events company or one of the suppliers or vendors that you depend on if you knew you'd get the truth? (00:25:24)

12. Question 12: How do you make the call between being respectful and collaborating with someone versus either stepping them back and letting them do their thing or conversely, asking them to please stop helping? (00:28:39)

13. Question 13: What is a long-held belief about marketing or communications or the events, the work that you do that you no longer hold, and what caused you to change your mind? (00:30:42)

14. Question 14: It's not your budget to spend, but if it were, in terms of effectiveness and ROI, what tactics or things at events are you seeing that's really working for people? Is it still the merch?....What really drives engagement? (00:32:50)

15. Question 15: What buzzword or concept gets too much airplay in our industry right now? And what's under the radar or even old-fashioned idea that just doesn't get the love that it deserves anymore? (00:36:11)

16. Question 16: Now, Linda Evangelista once said, "I don't get out of bed for less than $10,000 a day." I'm not assuming that's your rate but it's probably up there. (00:37:31)

17. Question 17: What's the most unexpected or unusual situation you found yourself in thanks to work? (00:39:38)

18. Question 18: Speaking of the pandemic, what was the pandemic and lockdown experience like for you and how has that changed the way you work? (00:40:44)

19. Question 19: Now, lots of businesses love to say they want their staff to bring their whole self to work. Is that true for you? (00:44:55)

20. Question 20: Mark Fenson, do you have a secret weapon and will you tell me what it is? (00:47:40)