Getting the Most from Marketing Events

The marketing landscape isn’t as uncertain as it used to be, but there are still plenty of questions that have been left unanswered regarding events. Plenty of companies have decided to hold off on hosting any sort of events for as long as possible, awaiting whether an in-person event format will be viable in the coming months.

Other companies have decided to invest in completely different types of formats, hoping that their events aren’t going to need any last-minute changes, with the pandemic still forcing people to make changes all over the globe.

Companies in the B2B industry can still enhance their networking and professional learning capabilities with conferences, despite the fact that the B2B exhibition industry has dropped in performance in the last two years.

From the beginning of this year, things have started to go back to normal, albeit slowly, which means companies can still make the most from their events, whether they’re in-person, hybrid, or virtual.

In-Person Events

There’s a unique atmosphere that comes with in-person events that can’t be accomplished by a digital or hybrid format. For companies in the B2B industry that are fortunate enough to have in-person events, there are a few advantages they need to focus on.

Those advantages are in-person interactions with other people, developing deeper connections with other attendees, building new business relationships, and reinforcing long-standing professional relationships.

The in-person event interactions that these types of events provide have the most advantages compared to other event formats. Companies that are smart should ensure they’re able to capitalize on every opportunity to meet with other people, including current and potential clients, event speakers, and others.

Hybrid Events

Hybrid events became quite popular around the world in the last year, and this format is only going to continue to grow in the coming years. That’s because it’s able to combine the best of in-person and virtual events. Companies in the B2B industry that understand the advantage of hybrid events should be prepared to experience the best of both types of event formats, and take advantage of all their elements.

Hybrid events provide companies with unique opportunities for networking because the attendees are able to interact with each other in the hallways between sessions, as well as during the online experiences throughout the conferences.

Virtual Events

Throughout the pandemic, there have been plenty of virtual events that have been both successful and unsuccessful, and it’s important for companies in the B2B industry to keep several things about them in mind. Companies should be taking advantage of all the unique aspects that virtual events provide, and should share all of their digital learnings throughout their businesses.

They should also find different ways to communicate with other attendees of virtual events because they don’t necessarily have to mean the events have to be entirely virtual. The key to achieving this is to study the materials for the conference beforehand, so that any interactive sessions, such as social hours and after-parties, can be attended too.

Ronn Torossian is the CEO and founder of NY based PR firm 5W Public Relations. Torossian is also the founder of theRonn Torossian Foundation, and alife long New Yorker.

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