The Podcast Show 2024 attracted a global audience to the Business Design Centre this week (22-23 May) as the two-day audio business festival stepped up its ambitions to expand overseas.
Almost 30% of 10,000 paying visitors travelled to London from outside the UK for the third edition of the B2B show, run by former head of events at BBC Radio, Jason Carter and funded by exhibitions stalwart Tim Etchells.
Carter handed the main stage over to James Corden and Sirius XM president Scott Greenstein on the opening morning (pictured). It illustrated to a US audience of creators, radio broadcasters and advertising agencies what it could look like if the Podcast Show geo-located to New York.
Emmy Award-winning host, Corden discussed his new podcast, This Life of Mine, which has already hosted guests including Kim Kardashian, David Beckham and Dr Dre but is only available on Sirius XM in the US.
Although firm plans for geo-locating The Podcast Show have yet to emerge, Etchells told EN that discussions remain ongoing.
“This show should go to New York as we’ve proved exceptional interest from US creators, broadcasters and agencies. I also think a more boutique version would work in Australia and possibly Asia,” he said.
Eight stages and 130 sessions featured over 350 speakers during the two days of The Podcast Show 2024, including other celebrity names such as Rylan Clark, Rob Da Bank, Martin Kemp and Fearne Cotton.
Due to the sheer volume of content, The Podcast Show director, Jason Carter has introduced The Podcast Show Plus, an on-demand service allowing digital pass-holders to listen to every session in audio format post-event.
Carter said: “Now in our third year, the festival truly is positioning itself as the go-to destination for the global podcasting community. We have been blown away by the last two days. To feel the energy and warmth of the thousands of delegates coming together, from across the international podcast community, has been truly inspiring.”
