If you could describe 2021 in one word for event and field marketers, what would it be?
I choose resilience. Oxford Dictionary defines resilience as the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties or the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.
And if I've learned anything from this past year, it's that event and field marketers know how to overcome any challenges or obstacles that come their way. One week they were getting ready to launch a virtual event marketing campaign, the next week returning to in-person events, and just like that, they were pivoting back to online only.
Do you know the rollercoaster analogy? The one about the ups and downs. Well, I think the resilience of event and field marketers has shown through in 2021, as they continue to roll with the punches and remain agile. Like with any up, down, quick switch, or upside-down flip, the past year has been one hell of a ride, and we’ve made it to the end of the year stronger.
As we close out 2021, we find ourselves with a lot to reflect on. Here are our top 10 lessons learned this past year. If they don't highlight how resilient event marketers are ... I have no clue what will.
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Whether you only pre-record content or repurpose live content into other programs, you can't deny the value of on-demand webinars. They are instrumental in your ability to scale marketing efforts across regional teams and new audiences.
Because of on-demand webinars, you can offer content to anyone, anywhere in the world, whenever they want or have time to digest it. This gives flexibility to your audience, whether global or not. And it makes it easier to test the impact of your marketing programs to new viewers.
Hosting a hybrid event means you’re running one event with two separate experiences. And trust me when I tell you, the in-person experience is inherently different from the virtual one. Accommodating both audiences can be tricky, and although the content may be the same for both audiences, the way you present it won’t ever be.
Hybrid event success must have separate yet cohesive communication. Independent messaging will make your audience, virtual or IRL, feel important. For example, you don't want virtual guests showing up 30 minutes before you start presenting, just because that is the time advertised for IRL attendees to arrive at a venue.
We know hybrid events for everyone are a brand-new realm that many people are starting to get used to, so it's imperative to be patient and kind to yourself. Trial and error will be crucial for your team to understand what defines your hybrid event success.
Flexibility and agility continue to be the event industry’s means to survival. Event and field marketers who lean into super agile event programs that can pivot on a moment's notice won big this year.
Agile event marketing is an approach where teams can deliver high-value events that are measurable, easily adaptable, and highly customizable. And being able to produce these events in a quick turnaround time ensures you and your team feel prepared and ready for anything that may come your way. Agile events are fast, flexible, and hyper-effective at driving meaningful connections.
Event technology has evolved considerably. A tool that offers seamless collaboration and allows disparate teams to plan and execute smaller, highly-targeted brand-aligned events is crucial for companies moving forward. With most companies still working completely remote and collaborating online to produce an event, having tech that allows your team to interact seamlessly is a big win.
We learned this past year that companies are putting a greater emphasis on event technology. They have big goals to reach and investing in the right tools is priority #1. High-quality event tech gives companies the ability to hone in on specific segmented audiences, making it easier to get the right people to show up at your event.
The days of running non-measurable events are behind you. Automating your virtual event strategy with resources designed to optimize your marketing operations is critical. Events can be hard to measure, so it is uber important to have a marketing tech stack that plays nicely together with your event platform.
This will help you answer questions like: Are you getting more names in your system? How many opportunities did you generate? How many of those opportunities became customers? And so on. These questions become easier to answer when you have a closed-loop reporting system with your event marketing platform. Using integrations to report on your marketing journey is crucial for your event data.
Another big factor of success is the ability to scale your event programs. Event marketers constantly have to adjust their programs based on different goals, formats, and audiences. We've found that the more scalable your programs are, the easier it is to mold them to a variety of events.
When you scale your events, you develop marketing-approved, branded event templates that anyone can use. It makes it easy to host more events and get more people involved and invested in you and your brand.
In-person events are coming back, but will they ever look the same? Honestly, your IRL events strategy is going to look different. And the biggest key to success is going to be having a plan ... and good communication.
Communication will need to be more transparent than ever before. With different levels of uncertainty, it’s important to clearly explain how you and your team are keeping your attendees safe. Communicating how you’re abiding by differing city protocols will not only keep your attendees safe but their families and other household members as well. Whether you realize it or not, your attendees will feel assured when they are at your event, and allows attendees to focus on the content and purpose of the event.
This past year we learned that to create events people want to attend, we should focus on shorter and more interactive content, and have fun while doing it. Some ways you can create a stellar virtual experience for your attendees are through providing a sense of community during your virtual event, delivering a “choose your own adventure” approach, and encouraging user-generated content.
Whether you create connections through a game, a live chat, or even a poll, establish a way for your audience to find common ground at your virtual event.
As mentioned, safety is at the forefront of most event marketers' minds as we return to in-person events. Holding your event outside or choosing a venue with good ventilation is the best way to control a respiratory disease spread.
This task will require a more critical eye than before. Thinking about things like advanced filtration and cleaning processes might be on your list of non-negotiables.
And when you are creating your safety protocol, it's best to put yourself in the shoes of an attendee. We’ve found following the CDC guidelines is the best rule of thumb.
The future of events looks smaller. Smaller events are better at delivering ROI, better at getting decision-makers together in targeted situations, and better at getting results.
And did we mention they are easy to repeat?
