With significant changes afoot in both the world and the world of events, last fall, we set our sights on finding out what was on the minds of event practitioners. So we surveyed more than 600 event pros worldwide and asked them to weigh in on everything from the importance of branding and keeping up with today’s buyers to event formats, budgets, and event tech.
We found that the world of event marketing is gearing up for some exciting changes in 2023. The latest B2B research reveals a marked shift in the buyer’s journey, which requires nearly 30 pre-purchase touchpoints – an increase of almost 60% in just the past few years!
So how can marketers architect engagement across the customer lifecycle while remaining agile and ensuring they spend their budgets wisely?
It’s simple: branded, everyday events!
Definition: An event type designed to be used more than once across regions, verticals, formats (virtual/hybrid/ in-person), and stakeholders.
Although event pros everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief that in-person events made a reasonably solid comeback, given the significant changes in the buyer journey, many are reconsidering their event strategy. While no one would likely argue the value of in-person events, there is a lot of buzz around identifying the right mix of events (format, size, etc.) an organization should have to meet its business goals.
When thinking about flagship events, many marketers may wonder if a three-day event once a year is enough to meet the buyers’ engagement needs while also providing a decent ROI (Spoiler: It’s not). But, more importantly: what’s happening the remaining 362 days of the year to ensure they’re receiving the level of engagement?
Channel diversification is absolutely critical to ensure an event program is successful. While we’d never argue the importance of in-person events — and the benefits companies can gain from in-person interactions, providing a balance of different event formats in your program is paramount.
Today, most companies produce smaller events frequently (34%) or employ a mix of both large and small-scale events (33%). A shrinking percentage — only 13% focus on flagship events.
Flagship events are great, but it’s the consistent communication and multiple touchpoints needed that keeps your brand front-of-mind and engaged. This won’t happen in a single event; successful buyer and customer experiences require multi-touch and multi-channel approaches.
Whether it’s a lunch and learn, roadshow, workshop, community event, or customer panels, branded, everyday events provide the critical connection points and experiences that facilitate engagement with a buyer throughout the buyer journey. In addition, everyday events at scale drive massive impact on the pipeline year-round.
And, speaking of branding, engaging and consistent brand experiences guarantee that an organization stands out from its competitors, builds brand authority in its category, and actually increases trust and loyalty within its existing customer base, all of which can be tied directly to the bottom line.
Shameless plug: see how easy it is to build everyday events at scale while remaining on-brand and consistent with Splash.
Event marketers are facing a wild ride - from unstable market conditions to strained resources. Yet, one thing remains clear: events continue to prove exceptionally valuable for fostering connections and inspiring content and engagement in new, inventive ways.
Events and experiential programs are essential to today’s organizations. They are the foundation of internal community and communication purposes and are crucial for driving revenue. But it’s no easy feat to determine the right mix of formats, especially if you lack access to the necessary tech & tools.
Our 2023 Events Outlook Report confirms that events remain a highly effective tool for generating captivating content and encouraging engagement beyond the events themselves. By downloading the Events Outlook Report, you can get more insight into what event marketers worldwide have to say.
