Track #9: Audrey Finney – Navigating the Unseen Challenges in Event Marketing

Audrey Finney ran Hero Conf, a paid media conference, for years before trading digital marketing for Memphis barbecue, craft beer, and Social Cantina. Now she owns 10+ restaurants through Finney Hospitality Group, plus a car wash!

We talk about the stuff that shaped her career: navigating feedback without letting it destroy you (thanks, Tim McGraw), the Hero Conf attendees who tried to cancel her over a panel, and why being book smart means nothing if you can’t read a room. Plus: the time she had to emergency-MC an event at 22 years old despite hating the spotlight, why restaurant people can do anything, and the Peter Principle trap that kills subject matter experts.

Audrey keeps it real about diversity efforts nobody saw, the energy-zapping relationships you need to cut loose, and why solid C students can become business geniuses. 

Fair warning: Contains strong opinions about yogurt parfaits, possums, and whether Taylor Swift’s new album slaps.