Tammy Dickerson - President & Chief Events Officer, tbg Events

A flawless conference is never an accident. When the lights hit, the doors open, and thousands of guests pour in, the real work has already been done, and the real test is what happens when something goes wrong. I’m joined by Tammy Dickerson, founder of TBG Events, a multi-million dollar woman-owned event production and strategic operations firm known for producing major conferences, summits, and large-scale live experiences across California and beyond. Tammy breaks down what separates true event production leadership from simple planning: end-to-end guest experience design, disciplined logistics, and a calm command presence when the pressure spikes. We talk about her path from Mississippi hospitality roots to corporate training at Coca-Cola, where she cut her teeth on massive brand activations like the Super Bowl, Olympics, and World Cup. We also dig into the real leap of entrepreneurship: preparing a business plan before resigning, taking a leave of absence, landing a first client, and letting excellent execution become the best marketing. You’ll hear how Tammy thinks about conferences as storytelling, from the first invitation to valet, check-in, room reveal, lighting, food, and speaker flow. She shares what it takes to operate at the scale of the Milken Conference, how relationships and systems help you manage complexity, and why collaboration is the only way to grow. We also get honest about post-COVID event trends, staffing and work ethic, mentoring the next generation, and why real impact beats chasing likes. If you care about conference planning, experiential marketing, leadership under pressure, or building a trusted operations-driven business, this conversation is for you. Subscribe, share this with someone who leads events or teams, and leave a review so more listeners can find the show. 📌 ABOUT OUR GUEST 🔹 Name: Jerold B. (Jerry) Neuman 🔹 Title: Partner, DLA Piper Head of Real Estate and Land Use Practice 🔹 Guests Social:   / tammy-dickerson-cmp-516b705   Support the show 🎓 Powered by California Leaders Workshops – advancing leadership through immersive learning experiences. 🌐 Learn more at: https://www.californialeaders.com/wor... Let’s build a city of leaders — one story at a time. 🌟 SUPPORT THE PODCAST Want to sponsor a future episode or provide gifts for our guests? 👉 Email cluna@californialeaders.com 🔗 CONNECT WITH CALIFORNIA LEADERS 🎙️ Host: Christopher Luna 🎙️ 📸 Host Instagram:   / chrisluna.ca   🌐 Website: https://www.californialeaders.com/ 📸 Instagram:   / caleadersofficial   💼 LinkedIn:   / californialeaders   🐦 Twitter: https://x.com/caleadersx 📧 Email: cluna@californialeaders.com 🔔 Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe for more inspiring stories from leaders shaping California and beyond. #CaliforniaLeaders #CaliforniaLeadersPodcast #Networking #CaliforniaBusiness #PodcastInterview #Entrepreneurship #LeadershipDevelopment #BeyondNetworking #ChristopherLuna Real stories. Real leaders. Real impact.