A Police Raid Started His Event Career | S6 E27

Send us Fan MailAI can generate a flawless post, a flawless pitch, even a flawless brand voice. So what do people trust when everything looks “perfect”? I sit down with Pierre Lindh, co-founder and managing director of Next.io, to explore why the most credible signal left might be the simplest one: real humans in the same room, having real conversations.Pierre takes us back to the story that shaped his entire career in community and events, starting with an 18-year-old running a poker club in Sweden and getting raided by police. From there, we trace how that early experience evolved into building large iGaming conferences that many delegates describe as “a room full of friends you haven’t met yet”. We get specific about what that takes at scale: designing networking that works for introverts and extroverts, creating side events that fit different energy levels, and giving first-timers structured ways to meet the right people without forcing awkward small talk.We also zoom out to the future of trust in a world shaped by AI and algorithms. Pierre explains why capital is flowing into live events, how AI can actually make conferences more purposeful through better matchmaking, and why authenticity and transparency become the marketing moat when “Apple-quality” campaigns are suddenly cheap. We finish with a deep dive into prediction markets, the wisdom of crowds, and why purpose may be the difference between a fringe category and a lasting industry.This episode was recorded through a Descript call on June 15, 2026. Read the blog article and show notes here: https://webdrie.net/a-police-raid-started-his-event-career-with-pierre-lindh-next-ioIf you enjoy conversations about Web3, AI, digital leadership, marketing, community building, iGaming, and the future of live events, subscribe, share this with a friend, and leave a review with 5 stars. What part of the trust puzzle are you wrestling with right now?..........................................................................Metricool is a new official podcast partner of Web3 CMO Stories in 2026. Metricool helps marketers and creators bring structure, clarity, and consistency to their social media workflows through analytics, planning, and reporting. Listeners can try Metricool Premium for free for 30 days using the coupon code JOERI.......................................................................... 📘 Read The Future CMO: Amazon 👥 Join the Future CMO Community 🌿 Explore Sintra Synergies Retreat 💼 Connect on LinkedIn..........................................................................