Huong Nguyen spent 13 years running a multi-million dollar events agency before she started building Aletheia, an AI platform for event operations. She tried the vibe coding route first. She knows exactly where it breaks, what it costs when it does, and what the real gap is between a one-time AI workflow and a scalable event tech product. Her advice: do it for fun. Just do not do it for your actual program.
That's one of six conversations in this Aftershow. We also got into how she built a seven-figure client roster for 10 years without a LinkedIn presence, a $500K contract she landed at 24 by working for free first, and what she now understands about event tech vendors that she didn't before she became one.
In this one:
Why vibe coding gets you a prototype and leaves you with a maintenance problem — and what it actually takes to scale event technology across different program types and budgets
How 10 years of building an agency without a personal brand generated more client retention and referrals than most visible founders ever see
What a non-technical founder with no coding background actually does when she decides to build event tech — and what breaks first
The one question every event planner should ask in a vendor demo that almost nobody thinks to ask until they're already locked into a contract
If you are currently evaluating event tech, thinking about building your own, or wondering whether being less visible is costing you business — this is the one.
The best conversations start after the show ends, and the best ones keep going in your inbox. Subscribe to Event About It wherever you get your podcasts and sign up for the Step and Repeat newsletter at msquareddynamics.com/stepandrepeatsignup.
Until next time, stay curious.
About Huong Nguyen
Huong Nguyen is the 2x CEO and founder of Shiloh Events and Aletheia, an AI-powered intelligence platform for event operations. She co-founded Zoomtopia and spent 13 years producing enterprise tech events for Zoom, Microsoft, Samsung, LG, Uber, and Google without ever building a personal brand. In 2023 she surfaced, started climbing, and started building. She is still doing all three.
Connect with Huong:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mshuongnguyen/
Aletheia: https://aletheia.events/
Shiloh Events: https://shiloh-events.com/
About Your Host
Megan Martin is the founder of M Squared Dynamics, a consulting, facilitation, and content strategy firm helping event leaders, marketers, and sales teams turn live experiences into measurable business growth. She's the host and executive producer of Event About It, co-founder of Opportunity Hunters, and a two-time PCMA Visionary Award nominee (2022 winner). With nearly 20 years in the industry, Megan operates at the intersection of event strategy, marketing alignment, and behavioral intent signals, turning events from line items into pipeline drivers.
Connect with Megan and M Squared Dynamics:
Podcast: EventAboutItPodcast.com
Newsletter (Step and Repeat): https://msquareddynamics.com/stepandrepeatsignup
Consulting and strategy: https://msquareddynamics.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meganmartincmp/
Instagram: @m2dynamics and @eventaboutit
TikTok: @eventaboutit
The best conversations start after the show ends, and the best ones keep going in your inbox. Subscribe to Event About It wherever you get your podcasts and sign up for the Step and Repeat newsletter at msquareddynamics.com/stepandrepeatsignup.
Until next time, stay curious.