OFFICE HOURS 22 | From Webinar Chaos to Broadcast-Quality Events with Dianna Singh

In this episode of Office Hours with Ben and Trae, we sit down with Dianna Singh, former Director of Startup Success & Operations at Halliburton Labs, to unpack what really happens when corporate events, video production, and high-stakes stakeholders collide.Dianna shares the behind-the-scenes story of being handed a mission-critical pitch event—with zero video production experience—and navigating everything from failed webinar platforms and server crashes to building a polished, hybrid broadcast that became a flagship program.We talk about:-Why tools like Teams and Cvent aren't always ideal for small teams and startups in live event situations.-What separates a webinar from a true broadcast-How production quality impacts credibility, leadership buy-in, and startup visibility-Lessons learned from scaling a global cleantech accelerator during a pandemic-Why storytelling matters more than flashy video for early-stage startupsThis episode is a must-listen for event planners, corporate marketers, startup leaders, and anyone responsible for making high-visibility events actually work.00:00 – Introduction & Dianna’s background03:20 – From chemical engineering to startup acceleration05:40 – The Teams webinar disaster10:50 – Corporate politics, IT, and platform limitations15:00 – Cvent, virtual events, and production breakdowns19:00 – First hybrid event with a live production team23:30 – Why backups matter (and when servers fail)31:00 – Elevating events into broadcast experiences36:00 – Venue selection lessons (hotels vs unique spaces)48:00 – Does production quality affect investor decisions?52:00 – Storytelling > flashy video55:00 – Final advice for event planners & startups