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  • STOP Memorizing Your Presentation Script (with Courtney Stanley) | Ep. 17

    STOP Memorizing Your Presentation Script (with Courtney Stanley) | Ep. 17
    Apr 29 2026
    EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/ㅤMASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.Check out more at cvent.com/Jayㅤ🔗 Links / Resources MentionedCourtney Stanley's website: courtney-stanley.comCourtney on social: @courtneyonstageDare to Interrupt podcast (search on your platform of choice)ㅤIf you've ever been asked to host a panel or present at a conference for the first time and immediately felt the dread set in, this episode is for you. Kristin Nagle sits down with Courtney Stanley, global keynote speaker and executive presence coach, to answer the question first-time moderators wrestle with most: what's the one thing you need to know before you take the stage?ㅤCourtney's answer covers why nerves are completely normal (and what happens to them once you're actually up there), why memorizing every line is working against you, and how the best speakers think about their role before they ever open their mouths. It's part mental game, part preparation strategy, and part mindset shift.ㅤ👤 Guest BioCourtney Stanley is a global keynote speaker, executive presence coach, and the creator and host of Dare to Interrupt, a podcast featuring influential women in the events, hospitality, and tourism industry. She is the youngest person ever elected to Meeting Professionals International's (MPI) International Board of Directors and co-founded #MeetingsToo, the industry movement to prevent sexual misconduct at events. As CEO of Courtney Stanley Consulting, LLC, she has spent over 15 years helping professionals lead more authentically and speak with genuine confidence from the stage.ㅤ✅ The Event QuestionAsked by: Kristin Nagle, HostThe question: With all of your experience, what's one tip that you'd give anyone hosting or moderating their first session?ㅤ📌 What You'll LearnThe time leading up to taking the stage is the hardest part. Once you're in flow and in conversation, you'll fall into a cadence that feels more natural than you expected. Know that going in.ㅤPublic speaking is a mental game. Breathing through the nerves and staying as present as possible is the single best thing you can do, not just for yourself but for the people you're there to serve.ㅤKnow your material at about 80%. If your slides went down and your notes disappeared, you should be able to carry yourself through. That remaining 20% isn't a gap: it's what lets you ebb and flow, handle the unexpected, and actually be with your audience instead of just delivering at them.ㅤOver-scripting is a trap. Spending weeks memorizing line by line, slide by slide, puts the priority on getting content out rather than being truly present in the room. Audiences can feel that difference, and they tune out.ㅤMake the whole experience about the audience. Use situational awareness, social awareness, and emotional intelligence to pulse-check the room in real time. Are they excited? Zoning out? Distracted? The answer to that question should be shaping what you do next.ㅤPublic speaking is about resilience and the comeback. Things will happen that you cannot predict or plan for. Your ability to roll with it, change directions, and keep going is what separates a good speaker from an excellent one.ㅤStart with an engagement activity. Get the audience talking to each other, laughing, or sharing before you get into the content. You're there to facilitate an experience, not deliver a monologue.ㅤ🎭 The Ridiculous QuestionKristin asks: What's your most hype walkout song if you could choose one every time you take the stage?ㅤCourtney's answer, without hesitation: "Countdown" by Beyoncé. It has a built-in countdown at the top that gets people pumped, and she loves it so much she also builds music cues into her sessions throughout. Her position: music changes everything in a live experience.
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    13 Min.
  • STOP Surveying the People Who Came Back (with Ken Holsinger from Freeman) | Ep. 16

    STOP Surveying the People Who Came Back (with Ken Holsinger from Freeman) | Ep. 16
    Apr 22 2026
    EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/ㅤMASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.Check out more at cvent.com/Jayㅤ🔗 Links & Resources MentionedKen Holsinger on LinkedInFreeman research reports: freeman.com/researchㅤKristin Nagle sent her guest three different event questions before this episode. He said it didn't matter which one she asked, because they all have the same answer. That answer is attendee retention.ㅤKen Holsinger, SVP of Industry Research & Insights at Freeman, breaks down what the data actually shows: the average year-over-year attendee retention rate across hundreds of events is 27%. Even on a three-year rolling cycle, it barely reaches the mid-thirties. Ken walks through exactly what that costs event organizers in customer acquisition dollars, why most teams don't even have retention on their dashboard, and why your post-event survey will never tell you the answer you need.ㅤ👤 About Ken HolsingerKen Holsinger is the SVP of Industry Research & Insights at Freeman, the global event services and production company. He leads the teams behind the Freeman Trends Report, one of the most widely referenced research publications in the events industry. Ken sold his previous tech company to Freeman about 10 years ago, holds multiple hardware, software, and process patents, and is a frequent keynote speaker at major industry events including ECEF and PCMA Educon.ㅤ✅ The Event QuestionKristin sent Ken three questions before recording. He said they all have the same answer. The questions: What separates events that grow consistently from the ones that plateau? What's one data point event organizers are ignoring that would completely change their strategy? How should event marketers actually be measuring success today?ㅤ📌 What You'll LearnThe average year-over-year attendee retention rate across hundreds of events is 27%. Even when you extend to a three-year cycle, it only reaches the mid-thirties. Most organizers don't know this number because it's not on their dashboard.Customer acquisition costs to market to event attendees run between $100 and $300 per person. For a 1,000-person event, replacing churned attendees costs between $70,000 and $250,000 a year. Even attendees on a three-year cycle carry ongoing marketing costs to keep them warm.When Freeman researchers went to hundreds of events and asked what their attendee retention rates were, the organizers couldn't tell them. Retention isn't a standard metric most teams track. That has to change.Your post-event survey only captures people who came back. The people who didn't return won't fill it out. You have to actively go after the ones who left and ask them why.Attendees come to events to learn, network, have fun, and do business. Loyalty isn't built in general sessions or classrooms. It's built through the connections people make with each other, which means event design needs to create space for that.Millennials and Gen Z are now the largest group of event attendees and the growth engine the industry needs. They trust events as a channel, but loyalty takes time and they haven't built it yet. Member-driven organizations especially need to understand what retains them.Events that grow vs. events that plateau: the difference is retention. When retention is higher, organizers can put resources toward improving the event instead of constantly churning the attendee list.ㅤ🎭 The Ridiculous QuestionWould you rather have to dance every time you hear music, or sing everything you say? Ken picked singing without hesitation. Nobody wants to see him dance. What most people don't know: he was in bands in college and sang opera.
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    14 Min.
  • Overstimulated Attendees and Anticipatory Event Design (with Yush Sztalkoper, CMP) | Ep. 15

    Overstimulated Attendees and Anticipatory Event Design (with Yush Sztalkoper, CMP) | Ep. 15
    Apr 15 2026

    EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!

    Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

    ㅤ

    MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

    Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

    Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

    Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

    ㅤ

    🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

    • Guest LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yushsztalkoper/
    • Company Website: www.neurosparkplus.com
    • Capacity Reflection™: www.neurosparkplus.com/capacity-reflection
    • Cvent: cvent.com/jay
    • Eventastic: eventastic.com
    • Know Your Audience (design lens for events): https://www.neurosparkplus.com/knowyouraudience

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    Events are traditionally designed around content delivery and expected outcomes. But what happens to the actual human experience when attendees arrive stressed, overstimulated, and carrying the weight of their daily lives?

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    Host Kristin Nagle tackles this exact disconnect with Yush Sztalkoper, CMP. Yush explains why attendees never arrive at an event as a blank slate.

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    Listeners will hear how to shift their planning focus upstream. Yush details the high demands events place on nervous systems, from constant social interaction to context switching. By understanding the formula of demand plus capacity, event professionals can build gatherings that actually fit their audience.

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    👤 Guest Bio

    Yush Sztalkoper, CMP, spent 20 years directing global corporate events for Fortune 500 organizations. She recently left that career to found NeuroSpark+. Through Human Capacity Design™, Yush helps organizations recognize the invisible conditions that affect how people show up. She builds frameworks and tools, like Capacity Reflection™, that allow planners to see attendee strain clearly before making event decisions.

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    ✅ The Event Question

    Kristin Nagle asks: "Events are often designed for content and outcomes. What gets missed about how people actually experience them?"

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    📌 What You'll Learn

    • Assess what attendees carry with them before they even step foot in the venue.
    • Recognize the hidden demands of your event, including energy requirements, social interaction, and context switching.
    • Design upstream by mapping the pressure your environment places on human capacity.
    • Apply the core equation of event success: Demand plus capacity equals fit.
    • Provide quiet spaces and built-in pacing so attendees can regulate their nervous systems.

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    🎭 The Ridiculous Question

    Kristin asks: "Would you rather give up your favorite app or your favorite snack?"

    Yush chooses to give up her favorite snack. She prefers keeping apps that enhance her life, specifically her own free tool, Capacity Reflection™, which helps users see their environmental demands and capacity levels.
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    12 Min.
  • Booth Design Strategies to Attract Foot Traffic (with Caitlin Book) | Ep. 14

    Booth Design Strategies to Attract Foot Traffic (with Caitlin Book) | Ep. 14
    Apr 8 2026

    MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

    Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

    Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

    Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

    ㅤ

    EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!

    Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

    ㅤ

    • Guest LinkedIn: Caitlin Book
    • Company Website: Backblaze
    • Host LinkedIn: Kristin Nagle
    • Website: Eventastic

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    How do you design a trade show booth to actively pull people in instead of just waiting for passive foot traffic? Host Kristin Nagle asks Caitlin Book, Senior Events Manager at Backblaze, this critical question. They discuss why booth architecture is just as important as the swag on the tables. Caitlin explains the value of open floor plans and why putting up walls can subconsciously turn attendees away.

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    The conversation covers specific tactics, such as pre-show sales outreach to secure meetings before the doors even open. Listeners will hear how to use gamification to encourage meaningful interactions rather than hit-and-run swag-grabbing. Caitlin also shares why training your booth staff to stay approachable is your ultimate secret weapon on the show floor.

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    Guest Bio

    Caitlin Book is the Senior Events Manager at Backblaze, a publicly traded cloud storage and computer backup provider. She manages all logistical aspects of global trade shows, tech conferences, and conventions with up to 50,000 attendees. With over 15 years of live production experience and an MFA in Theatre Management, Caitlin brings a highly orchestrated, audience-first approach to corporate event marketing and custom booth builds.

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    The Event Question

    Kristin Nagle asks: "How do you design a booth to pull people in instead of just waiting for foot traffic to go by the booths?"

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    What You Will Learn

    • Enable your sales team to do pre-show outreach and schedule in-booth meetings before the event floor opens.
    • Build an open and accessible floor plan without tall walls so attendees feel comfortable walking right in.
    • Keep the space active with live product demos and presentations so visitors have a clear reason to stay.
    • Implement gamification like a sticker rally to reward attendees for completing specific actions like watching a demo or speaking to a rep.
    • Train your booth staff to avoid huddling together in the center of the space so they remain welcoming to approaching visitors.

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    The Ridiculous Question

    The Question: What is a random skill you are weirdly proud of?

    The Answer: Thanks to her background in theater and cosplay, Caitlin can fix almost any event disaster, including a collapsed booth wall, using just gaff tape, hot glue, and safety pins from her handy stage manager kit.
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    8 Min.
  • What Makes an Event Community Stick (with Ksenija Polla, CMP, CICE) | Ep. 13

    What Makes an Event Community Stick (with Ksenija Polla, CMP, CICE) | Ep. 13
    Apr 1 2026

    EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!

    Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

    ㅤ

    MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

    Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

    Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

    Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

    ㅤ

    🔗 Links / Resources Mentioned

    • Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE on LinkedIn
    • Talley Website
    • Eventastic
    • Kristin Nagle on LinkedIn

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    What makes a global event community actually stick? Host Kristin Nagle asks exactly that to kick things off. Creating a space where people want to connect requires more than just launching a platform. Listeners will find out why forcing engagement never works and what organizers should do instead to build loyalty.

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    Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE, brings over three decades of international event experience to the conversation. She explains the essential elements required to build a group that lasts. Ksenija shares why associations are in a great position to facilitate knowledge sharing. She also details the importance of setting basic rules of engagement to keep digital and physical spaces respectful.

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    👤 Guest Bio

    Ksenija (Martinec) Polla, CMP, CICE, is the Director of International Development at Talley, an association management company and professional congress organizer. She holds nearly 30 years of global event experience. Ksenija started her career at a convention bureau in Croatia before spending 27 years with the International Congress and Convention Association in Amsterdam. She specializes in strategic partnerships, multicultural event management, and building long-lasting association communities globally.

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    ✅ The Event Question

    Host Kristin Nagle asks: "You've been a major part of building global event communities. What do you think makes a community actually stick?"

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    📌 What You'll Learn

    • Fill a specific gap: A community only survives when it solves a distinct problem or meets an actual need for its members.
    • Leverage association strengths: Use your organization's unique position to bring peers together for shared experiences and knowledge.
    • Let growth happen organically: Avoid forcing engagement or creating portals before there is a natural, member-driven demand.
    • Keep the barrier to entry low: Make it incredibly easy for members to join, participate, and interact with one another.
    • Set clear guardrails: Establish simple rules of engagement early on to ensure all interactions remain respectful and peaceful.

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    🎭 The Ridiculous Question

    Question: "If you could live in any TV show or movie, what would it be?"

    Answer: Ksenija chose the crime thriller The Blacklist because she is currently binge-watching it with her son, noting that the show's ridiculous premise makes it highly entertaining.
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    7 Min.
  • Creating Event Activations For Pets (with David Adler) | 12

    Creating Event Activations For Pets (with David Adler) | 12
    Mar 25 2026
    EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.Check out more at cvent.com/JayWhat is one event activation that every brand should be doing? Host Kristin Nagle asks this exact question to find out how to grab an audience's attention. David Adler shares a historical example involving a high society party designed exclusively for dogs. He explains why bringing pets into the picture creates the ultimate democratizing experience with massive retention rates.Kristin and David also discuss the neuroscience behind event music. They explore why combining a DJ with a live drummer wakes up the brain and brings energy to a room. Finally, they cover the logistics of event food, including David's strict rules for hors d'oeuvres and his thoughts on the mashed potato bar.👤 Guest BioDavid Adler is the Chairman and Founder of BizBash, the largest business-to-business media property for event professionals. He started the platform in 2000 to give event organizers a central hub for commerce, content, and community. Before his landmark venture into the event space, David held significant corporate communications roles at Primedia and Macmillan Inc. Today, he operates as an independent observer, keynote speaker, and the curator in chief of GatheringPoint.news. Connect with David on LinkedIn.Check out the ‘People’ section from Small Bite Architecture to see some of your favorite Event Pros personalized as hors d'oeuvres! https://smallbitearchitectutr.lovable.app/peopleThe Event QuestionKristin Nagle asks: "What is one event activation you have seen recently that made you stop and say every brand should be doing this?"📌 What You'll LearnCreate activations that feature pets to instantly boost engagement and retention rates.Design events that function like a dog park to democratize the networking experience.Bring live music onto the stage to wake up the audience using neuroscience.Combine a DJ with a live musician, like a drummer, to bring a different element of energy.Focus on delivering goosebumps through great conversations, music, and human connection.Serve classic comfort foods like pigs in a blanket to satisfy guests.Follow the "one bite, two chews" rule for hors d'oeuvres so attendees can eat without interrupting their conversations.The Ridiculous QuestionKristin asks: "If you had a theme song for your career or your life, what would it be?"David says his song is "Life on the Other End of a Toothpick," a custom track he is writing on Suno. He also notes that his stage walk-on song would be "Eye of the Tiger."🔗 Links / Resources MentionedDavid Adler LinkedInBizBashGatheringPoint.newsSmall Bite ArchitectureSunoEventastic: https://www.eventastic.com
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    8 Min.
  • Email BOUNCE Database Is GOLD | Ep. 11

    Email BOUNCE Database Is GOLD | Ep. 11
    Mar 18 2026

    EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!

    Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

    ㅤ

    MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

    Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

    Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

    Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

    ㅤ

    Your email bounce database is actually gold, and ignoring it is a big mistake. Jay Schwedelson shares why bounced emails are not just contacts to remove, but a signal that a company still sees value in your event, even if the person behind that address is gone. The move is to take your bounce database, pull the domains and companies, and turn them into a targeting file for paid social media, prospect email, and direct mail campaigns. For sponsorships and exhibits, bounced addresses should go straight to your salespeople, BDRs, and SDRs so they can find who took that spot and who needs to be contacted now.

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    📌 What You’ll Learn

    1. Why “do nothing” and removing bounced emails from the list is a big mistake
    2. How to treat your email bounce database as a targeting file using domains and companies
    3. Where to use the bounce company list: paid social media campaigns, prospect email campaigns, direct mail campaigns
    4. Why bounced addresses matter for sponsorships and exhibits
    5. Who should get the bounced sponsor and exhibit emails: salespeople, BDRs, SDRs
    6. Priority number one: find who took their spot and who you need to be talking to now
    7. Why starting with the last 90 days, 6 months, or a year is the right motion
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    6 Min.
  • Surviving Event Disasters Through Trusted Partnerships (with Sara Rassi) | Ep. 10

    Surviving Event Disasters Through Trusted Partnerships (with Sara Rassi) | Ep. 10
    Mar 11 2026

    EVENTASTIC Conference registration is now OPEN! The world's largest event about EVENTS!

    Free + Virtual! Save your spot! https://www.eventastic.com/

    ㅤ

    MASSIVE thank you to our Sponsor, Cvent!!

    Cvent is an event marketing and management platform designed to help you plan, promote, and measure your events all in one place - whether they’re virtual, in-person, or hybrid.

    Regardless of your size, check out Cvent today to get the tools you need to run smarter, more effective events.

    Check out more at cvent.com/Jay

    ㅤ

    Links / Resources Mentioned

    1. Yes& Agency: yesandagency.com

    Have you ever experienced an event disaster and what did it teach you? Kristin Nagle asks this core question to uncover how professionals manage unexpected crises on site. You will learn the importance of having backup plans and trusting your creative partners when things go wrong.

    Sara Rassi shares a personal story about a vacuuming accident that destroyed a 50-foot projection screen right before rehearsals ended. She explains how staying calm and relying on a trusted team helped her resolve a major issue quickly.


    Guest Bio

    Sara Rassi is the Vice President of Event Management at Yes& Agency. She collaborates closely with the Guru team and the Eventastic team to make creative ideas possible for her clients. Her expertise includes managing on-site production, troubleshooting equipment issues, and working with audiovisual partners. Outside of events, she is a passionate animal lover and dog owner.


    The Event Question

    Kristin Nagle asks: Have you ever experienced an event disaster and what did it teach you?


    What You'll Learn

    1. Develop a plan A, B, C, and Z for your on-site production needs.
    2. Prepare backups for smaller equipment like graphics machines, video players, and microphones.
    3. Trust your audiovisual partners to troubleshoot and resolve major equipment failures creatively.
    4. Remain calm when unexpected accidents happen to prevent panic among your crew.
    5. Realize that some large replacement items might be cost prohibitive to have as immediate backups.
    6. Roll with the punches and adjust your activation when elements like the weather ruin your plans.


    The Ridiculous Question

    Kristin Nagle asks: What is the last thing that you Googled?

    Sara Rassi explains that she Googled a time zone translation to figure out the time difference for her upcoming trip to Phoenix.
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    9 Min.