Trade show costs have skyrocketed over 30% post-COVID due to rising freight, labor, and venue surcharges. To get maximum return on investment, businesses need to rethink how they show up on the expo floor—moving away from massive, expensive booth builds toward portable backlit displays, experiential activations, and high-touch offsite experiences.

In this episode of the Turn One Studio Podcast, host Eliud Custodio sits down with Erica Modica, Founder and CEO of G2 Marketing and Events.

Erica shares insights from over 12 years of running a full-service event marketing agency serving small businesses up to Fortune 500 companies. She breaks down the operational realities of trade show fulfillment, why dimensional mailers are making a major comeback for lead conversion, how to analyze show "Quick Facts," and why taking a smaller booth footprint can unlock budget for higher-converting white-glove client events.

KEY TOPICS COVERED:

- What is G2 Marketing and Events & serving corporate clients

- Portable backlit displays, shipping logistics, and storage management

- Post-COVID trade show cost increases and inflation

- Experiential marketing: Mascots, custom swag, and interactive booths

- Critical "Quick Facts" every exhibitor must check before booking

- Lead capture realities and the comeback of dimensional mailers

- Reallocating budget: Smaller booth footprints vs. white-glove offsite events

CONNECT WITH ERICA MODICA & G2 MARKETING AND EVENTS:

Website: https://www.g2marketingandevents.com

Email: erica.milio@g2marketingandevents.com

CONNECT WITH TURN ONE STUDIO:

Website: https://www.turnonestudio.com

Enjoying the show? Follow the Turn One Studio Podcast on Spotify and leave us a rating to help other business leaders find us!

In the world of scientific research and higher education, getting published is essential for academic careers. But unlike consumer fiction or trade books, academic publishing requires rigorous vetting, international catalog indexing, and strict standards for original research.

In this episode of the Turn One Studio Podcast, host Eliud Custodio sits down with Nadya Columbus, President of Nova Science Publishers based in the Hauppauge Industrial Park on Long Island.

Founded in 1985, Nova is an independent academic publisher whose titles are distributed to college libraries, research institutions, and platforms like Scopus worldwide. Nadya shares how the academic publishing model works, why Nova rejects 70% of manuscript proposals, how print-on-demand technology keeps books continuously in print, and why strict anti-AI policies are critical for preserving scientific integrity.

KEY TOPICS COVERED:

- What is Nova Science Publishers & how academic publishing works

- Academic publishing vs. general readership trade books

- On-premises printing in Hauppauge: Why titles never go out of print

- What is Scopus and why it matters for scientific careers

- The founding of Nova in 1985 and its 40-year legacy

- Print vs. digital e-books in the global research market

- AI in scientific publishing: Why original research is non-negotiable

- How scientific authors submit proposals and get accepted

CONNECT WITH NADYA COLUMBUS & NOVA SCIENCE PUBLISHERS:

Website: https://novapublishers.com

CONNECT WITH TURN ONE STUDIO:

Website: https://www.turnonestudio.com

Enjoying the show? Follow the Turn One Studio Podcast on Spotify and leave us a rating to help other Long Island business leaders find us!

In this episode of the Turn One Studio podcast, Eliud Custodio sits down with Michael Todisco of Apprenticeship Connections to explain the real difference between internships and apprenticeships. Michael breaks down why apprentices are employees on day one, how structured on-the-job training and classroom education improve retention and how businesses can use workforce funding to reduce training costs. They also talk about why the labor shortage is often a training problem and which industries beyond construction can benefit from apprenticeship programs.

Eliud Custodio of Turn One Studio sits down with Shalei Simms, Ph.D., Dean of the School of Business at SUNY College at Old Westbury, to discuss what’s changing in business education and what Long Island employers should know about the next generation of talent. They cover entrepreneurship vs corporate paths, why quantitative skills intimidate students, how AI is reshaping curriculum and entry-level hiring, the importance of relationship building and soft skills post-COVID and what Old Westbury graduates bring to the workplace. Learn more at oldwestbury.edu.

Are you an entrepreneur or business owner who hates feeling like a pushy salesperson? You are not alone. Most business owners start their company to do what they love, only to discover that bringing in clients feels like a necessary evil.

In this episode of the Turn One Studio Podcast, host Eliud Custodio sits down with Rich Isaac, President of Sandler Training in Hauppauge, Long Island.

Rich breaks down why traditional pitching fails, how to navigate the awkward budget conversation, and how to build a sales process that allows you to stay authentic.

KEY TOPICS COVERED:

• Why entrepreneurs default to aggressive selling tactics out of desperation
• Qualifying vs. Convincing: Why you should not try to sell every prospect
• How to discover what a client actually needs through questioning
• The Budget Problem: How to discuss pricing without awkward silence
• The Ranges Technique and using the question: "Should we even keep talking?"
• How to act financially independent when starting out
• Aligning sales and marketing messaging to strengthen your pipeline

CONNECT WITH RICH ISAAC & SANDLER TRAINING:

Email: rich.isaac@sandler.com

Phone: (516) 707-7400

Website: https://www.legend.sandler.com

CONNECT WITH TURN ONE STUDIO:

Website: https://www.turnonestudio.com

Enjoying the show? Follow the Turn One Studio Podcast on Spotify and leave us a 5-star rating to help other Long Island business leaders discover the show!

In this episode of The Turn One Studio Podcast, host Eliud Custodio sits down with Dawn Cagliano of IVCi, an audiovisual integrator that designs and supports integrated spaces including immersive boardrooms, video conferencing rooms, digital signage and video walls.

They talk about what it means to “create spaces that connect people” in three ways: better collaboration in the office, smoother hybrid meetings and stronger brand connection through digital signage. Dawn also shares how IVCi approaches customer experience, proactive monitoring and why they don’t lead with a platform when recommending Zoom, Teams or Webex.

Highlights include:

• Why return-to-office fails when the space doesn’t support collaboration
• How AV and managed services have changed since the 90s
• Robots as “mobile digital signage” and practical use cases in healthcare and hospitality
• A high-pressure pitch that led to IVCi’s mindset: large enough to serve, small enough to care
• Dawn’s involvement with HIA-LI and efforts to introduce students to AV careers

If you want your technology to work for people, not the other way around, this episode is for you.

Business owners shouldn’t have to be IT experts to run a smooth operation.

In this episode of The Turn One Studio Podcast, Eliud Custodio talks with Pete Flyntz and “Little” Pete Flyntz of FZC Consultants, a family-run computer consulting company serving Long Island businesses for 40 years.

They break down what they’re seeing in 2026, from cloud confusion and hardware mistakes to the cybersecurity risks that still catch teams off guard.

You’ll hear:

• Cloud vs on-prem and how to think about cost over 3 to 5 years
• Fractional CTO vs fractional systems engineer and when each makes sense
• Common “oh boy” IT moments and what they usually trace back to
• Why hardware planning matters more than most people think
• Cybersecurity basics and why phishing emails are still the biggest threat

Listen now and ask yourself: Are you building your tech stack with intention, or reacting to problems as they pop up?

What if networking didn’t feel like networking?

In this episode of the Turn One Studio Podcast, Eliud Custodio talks with Adam Holtzer, founder of Nooks & Socials, a business community for relationship-driven business owners and leaders who want education, connection and experiences that fit real life.

Adam explains how Nooks & Socials blends business-focused “nooks” with social “socials” and why he believes you need a “networking cocktail” that matches your goals and personality.

You’ll hear:

• Why Nooks & Socials is a business community not a networking group
• How their vetting process protects the culture
• Why they’re not category exclusive and how that supports collaboration
• How they curate 12–16 events per month based on member surveys
• Early member success stories and what happens when you show up with intention

If you’re a business owner on Long Island (or anywhere) looking for better relationships, better rooms and a more intentional way to grow, this conversation will hit home.Listen now and tell us: What’s your “networking cocktail” and what’s missing from it?