Estefania Vega Saavedra, Exchange student at Nebraska Wesleyan University from Monterrey, Mexico, joins Derek Bombeck, Director of Sports for Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio. Estefania and Derek talk about Estefania's interest in coming to Nebraska as an exchange student, what her perceptions of Nebraska and the Midwest were before and after coming to Lincoln to study and about some of Estefania's favorite experiences and things to do in Lincoln. As noted in the podcast, this is one of the people who makes the place, a focus of Visit Lincoln's ongoing visitor campaign, highlighting the people and their stories that shape Lincoln.

Steve Maly, CEO & Founder of Maly Marketing, stops by the AOI Podcast Studio to talk with Jason Ball, President & CEO of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. Steve and Jason talk about the journey Steve has had as a business owner and why he started Maly Marketing, what projects they are working on in the Lincoln area and how they hope to grow in the year ahead. Maly Marketing and the Lincoln Chamber, along with Visit Lincoln, were able to start the Taste 27th project in Fall 2025, highlighting the different restaurants in the North 27th Street corridor of Lincoln, which features food and dining experiences from all over the world.

Jeff Maul, Executive Director and Vice President of Visit Lincoln welcomes Tara Knuth, CEO of the Lincoln Children’s Museum and Ellie Charter, Chief Marketing Officer of the Lincoln Children’s Museum into the AOI Podcast Studio. Jeff, Tara and Ellie talk about some of the current exhibits at the Lincoln Children’s Museum, including an event on December 13 to kick off the weekend. They also chat about why families love coming to the museum and how the museum has impacted the Lincoln community over the years.

Sue Ellen Pegg, Recruitment Coordinator for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, joins Clay Simpson, Sales Development Manager for Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio, to talk about the planning for university events, prospective students recruitment and how her role has evolved in her nearly 20 years in the position with UNL. Sue Ellen and Clay also talk about her role in bringing one of the largest science competitions in the United States, Science Olympiad, to Lincoln in May 2025.

Keenan Serrano, aka Keenan Eats, joins Jeff Maul, Executive Director of Visit Lincoln, in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about everything food! Keenan talks about his background growing up in North Platte and Lincoln, how he became so interested in local restaurants both in Nebraska and while in New York City, what some of his favorite restaurants and foods are and about the food festival he's launching this October (2025) in Lincoln. The Here for the Food Fest will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025 from 5 - 10 p.m. at the Food Truck Zone in Lincoln, located at 699 K Street.

For more information on Here for the Food Fest, head to their website at https://hereforthefoodfest.com/.

Arek Olson, Assistant Athletic Director of Special Events with the University of Nebraska Athletic Department, joins Visit Lincoln Director of Sports Derek Bombeck in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about his new role with Husker Athletics. Arek comes with experience previously at Lehigh University, Syracuse University and University of Arkansas and is tasked with bringing special events to University of Nebraska facilities. Derek and Arek talk about why events are being sought, the challenges of competing with other similar schools in this space and how they are navigating the changing landscape of college athletics at the University of Nebraska.

Evan Killeen, CEO of the Lincoln Children's Zoo, joins Visit Lincoln Executive Director-Vice President Jeff Maul in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about everything going on at the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Evan and Jeff discuss Evan's time with the zoo and how he got his start there, why Lincoln's zoo is one of the very best in the country and the challenge of stepping into the shoes of former Lincoln Children's Zoo CEO John Chapo. Evan and Jeff also chat about popular zoo events such as Boo at the Zoo and Brews at the Zoo, which attract numerous visitors into Lincoln each and every year to attend.

Ron Bohaty, Managing Director and Gina Nathan, Marketing Manager with Sandhills Global Event Center, joins Visit Lincoln Executive Director-Vice President Jeff Maul in the AOI Podcast Studio to talk about the new and favorite events at the Sandhills Global Event Center. Bohaty and Nathan discuss the Lancaster County Super Fair, the growth of the event center in recent years and upcoming events that will be hosted there including Gravel Worlds (August 20-24, 2025), National High School Finals Rodeo in 2026 and 2027, and more.

For additional details on events at the Sandhills Global Event Center, head to their website https://sandhillsglobaleventcenter.org/visitors/events.