I have a good memory for some things, and not for others. I tend to remember concepts and feelings, and these are probably best driven in if there's a touch or listening component. I remember gestalts, and if I need to remember details, I have to work at it. I'm in the habit of disremembering things that seem extraneous. Because of the nature of my work, a tremendous amount of information flows into my life most days, and to get a fresh outlook, and/or think more efficiently, I have to let most of it go.
So I don't think it's as simple as remembering past events specifically. If I have to guess, I'm going to say that it's more that I abstract something from events and information. There's some meta-organization to the whole thing, maybe.
I will remember a detail (like someone mentioning a potential funding problem, from my earlier) if it pings for me as important, or in response to something a detail like that might suddenly flash back into my mind. Or if it happens to fit into a set of concerns that already occupy my mind, something I'm weighing.
Sigh. Not sure this is clear, sorry.