Event Planning Insights

I do dozens of interviews with top CMOs every year. I always ask what the best performing marketing channel is. And right now everyone is saying events. Post COVID events are back, but also now in an AI world, I think there's a stronger appetite to get out and connect with real people vs. just getting answers from ChatGPT. But: like anything in marketing, running events just because everyone else is doing them is a great way to set money on fire (and still not drive any incremental business). Whether it's a booth at a trade show. A VIP dinner. A 500-person conference. They can all work. They can all flop. The difference: having a real plan and strategy for that event going in. Why do it in the first place? (which continues to be the most important lesson in marketing - what's in it for me? what's the hook? why should people come to our thing?) We talked to two event experts on the Exit Five pod recently Stephanie Christensen and Kristina DeBrito — and here are 5 keys they shared for B2B event success: 1. Pick the right format. Not all events do the same job. Big splash? Go flagship. Want pipeline? Try VIP roundtables. Tiny budget? Host micro-events around existing conferences. Set real goals. 2. “Leads” are not enough anymore. Are you driving awareness? Accelerating deals? Generating pipeline? Define this upfront—or you’ll waste time measuring the wrong stuff. There are more metrics than just "did we get leads from this event" and in today's world leads are tablestalkes. 3. Align your team, bro. Sales and marketing must move in lockstep. Slack alerts for registrations. Sales meeting updates. Leaderboards. It all matters. This is a team effort. 4. Make it memorable. People forget panels. They remember custom pancakes and great venues. Was the food good? Did the WiFi work? Did Oprah show up? Just kidding. Making sure you'r reading. But think surprise and delight, not branded frisbees. 5. Put the work in on the follow up. Events don't close deals - follow-up does. Segment attendees. Create custom offers. Babysit the handoff to sales like your job depends on it. Because it does. You just went shopping and got all these fresh groceries - dont let them spoil. B2B buyers want real connection again. Events can create that. Are you feeling this desire for events? Are you doing events in your business right now? Let me know...

Love this campaign by Stella. "Worth it" ✨ Playing off a familiar scene we all know. That claustrophobic bar. Enter "Claustrobar" You're crammed shoulder to shoulder... Getting bumped left and right. Then you get your first sip. Makes it all worth it. 👀 Or does it...? We're seeing the OPPOSITE trend for B2B events. Marketers want smaller more niche events. Think dinners with 15 to 25 people. ONLY the exact ICP they want. We just did our Q1 retro at The Alliance 🧵 NEW Q1 EVENT DATA FOR YOU: Dinners under 25 people drove 3.4 times higher average pipeline per attendee than 200+ person field events Sponsor satisfaction scores were 27 points higher for private dinners vs traditional happy hours Events with personalized pre invite cadences had a 35 percent average acceptance rate among ICP targets Renewal rates on sponsor programs anchored around curated dinners hit 82 percent, compared to 58 percent for "open bar" events Thats why we're doubling down on niche events. Dinners and intimate VIP exeperiences. Why they worked so well: Step 1: ICP first targeting Every attendee list starts with sponsor aligned ICP firmographic filters: Company size, role seniority, industry fit, existing buying intent. Step 2: Personalized outreach Dedicated in house teams send direct invites framed around relevance. We track weekly acceptance rates and optimize touchpoints if we fall below 30 percent. Step 3: Pre event intel Sponsors get attendee insights two weeks before the dinner. They know which companies and titles are coming so they can plan the content PRECISELY for that audience to make it hyper relevant. Step 4: Structured conversations No loud music. No random crowds. Strategic seating charts and guided conversation topics aligned to the topics attendees and sponsors care about. This makes the experiences great for BOTH the company sponsoring and the attendees. Ends in a win win for everyone. Example for you: At our Austin dinner for a sponsor in Jan - 17 handpicked senior leaders attended - 76 percent of attendees booked follow up demos within 21 days - The sponsor sourced $3.2 million in net new pipeline which was 3.1 times their original goal TLDR Invest in more dinners ✌️ 

Event Strategy vs. Event Plan Let’s be clear on the difference. An Event Plan is: - Dates, venues, and budgets. - The run-of-show minute by minute. - Speaker outreach, swag orders, catering counts. - Tech stacks and ticketing links. - The checklist that keeps you on time and on budget. Nail the plan and you execute. Your event strategy will never work if you can’t execute. An Event Strategy is: - Purpose: why the event program matters to the business and the audience. - Audience journey: who you invite, where they sit in the funnel, how you’ll move them forward. - Behavior change: the trust, loyalty, or pipeline progression you expect after the show. - Core formats: the few repeatable experiences your brand builds a reputation on for (flagship, field, virtual). - Measurement: attendee lift, downstream revenue, partner amplification. Probably can’t do this without Marketing Ops. - Tool fit: process first, platform second. You need a partner, not duct tape. - Team cadence: sales, product, brand, and ops aligned from brief to debrief. Your event program is ultimately a form of PR. It will shape how you're perceived in the market. And that’s how it should be approached. When we onboard new customers at Accelevents They always fall in 1 of 2 camps. Either: 1. Show me how to build out my next event. Or 2. Teach me how to roll this out across my company. The “event strategy” led teams always focus on the latter. They know they can run the event. What they care about is how they can scale the program. **Note** you need management to buy into the strategy. You need a C-suite that understands the compounding impact of a strategic event program. When events are reduced to lead quotas, quality erodes. Trust erodes. Brand equity erodes. Strategy prevents that slide. Do you feel like you have room to execute an event strategy? Or are you being tasked with random acts of managing events?

Most B2B companies spend $50K on events and forget the $500 that actually converts. I watched a client blow their entire Q4 budget on a massive booth. Premium location. Fancy screens. Full swag suite. They got 47 badge scans. 3 follow-up calls. Zero pipeline. Meanwhile, I spent $500 on coffee cards the week before the same event. Sent them to 20 target accounts with a simple note: "I'll be at [Event]. Would love to buy you an actual coffee and chat about [specific challenge]." 18 showed up. 12 booked follow-ups. 4 became opportunities. 2 closed within 90 days. Here's what most companies miss about event ROI: ➜ The magic happens in the 1:1 moments, not the booth traffic ➜ Pre-event outreach beats post-event follow-up every time ➜ A $25 coffee card outperforms a $2,500 dinner My exact pre-event playbook: 1. **Three weeks out:** Pull the attendee list, match it to your ICP 2. **Two weeks out:** Send personalized gifts to top 20-30 targets 3. **One week out:** Follow up with calendar links for specific time slots 4. **Day of:** Skip the booth duty, focus on booked meetings 5. **Day after:** Send thank-you gifts to no-shows with "sorry we missed you" The math is stupid simple: Traditional event spend: $50K ÷ 3 opportunities = $16,666 per opp Smart gifting approach: $500 ÷ 4 opportunities = $125 per opp You don't need a bigger booth. You need a better strategy. And maybe some coffee cards.

CEO or CFO: “Is this event really worth us spending $20K?” Marketing/Comms/Sales lead: “I really think so… it’s in [insert cool city], so it’ll be great for morale and culture either way!” Yeah. That’s really not gonna cut it anymore. Budgets are tighter. ROI expectations are much higher. And “it’s in Napa” isn’t a business case. Here’s the real decision framework I use with clients to decide whether a conference, symposium, or sponsorship is worth it — before anyone books a single flight or hotel. 1️⃣ Clients and Customers If your current clients expect to see you there, that’s great. But show up with a real plan, not just a lanyard. A 30-minute coffee with a top client > three generic panels combined. 2️⃣ Prospects Will actual decision-makers (not “Business Development Associates”) be there? If not, it’s not a growth event — it’s a vacation in disguise. 3️⃣ Media Value CES, HLTH, Davos, JP Morgan, = tier 1 press magnets. Other have decent value for trade press. Most others? Not so much. If there’s no chance for earned coverage, deskside interviews, or content leverage, rethink the spend. 4️⃣ The $20K Question Flights + hotels + sponsorships add up fast. Ask: “What would this same money buy in paid, owned, or earned media instead?” What would it buy in recruiting and retention? 5️⃣ Location, Location… ROI? There’s a world of difference between Orlando and Singapore. If it’s overseas, it better be because your market or investors are too. 6️⃣ Launchpad or Lull? Announcing a major product, partnership, or data release? Then yes, the stage might be worth it — but only with real prep and a comms plan, not a last-minute deck. 7️⃣ Competitive FOMO If your competitors are sponsoring, don’t reflexively follow. If your customers aren’t there, let the competitors waste their budgets. If they are there, remember my rule: you’re either at the table or on the menu. 8️⃣ Thought Leadership vs. Thought Decoration Being “on a panel” isn’t thought leadership. If it doesn’t build credibility, create content, or advance policy or sales, it’s ego spend. 9️⃣ Life ROI If it means missing your big kid’s recital, sports championship game, or a big nonprofit board meeting, consider skipping it. No award ribbon for most frequent flier. ⸻ The best conference strategies balance impact, influence, budget, and time. Done right, they accelerate relationships and reputation. Done wrong, they just drain both. 👉 What’s your first filter when deciding whether a conference is worth it? (And yes, if you want to build an internal decision matrix or stakeholder map before 2026 conference season, hit me up. Happy Saturday, now time for a workout.

People ask me one question on repeat. Is an event worth attending. Wrong question. The question is whether you make the event worth your time. I have attended reputable events that gave me nothing because I arrived unprepared. I have attended small meetups that moved my business forward because I had a plan. Use this checklist to decide if an event deserves your time and budget. ➡️ Check who attends. If your clients or collaborators are not there, skip the event. ➡️ Turn attendance into content. Three days produce three months of material. Record interviews. Show your process. Share behind the scenes. ➡️ Contribute. Speak. Host a meetup. Lead a session. Visibility drives business. ➡️ Match attendance to your business timing. If you cannot follow up or implement, the event drains your energy. ➡️ Connect people. Introduce two people who should meet. They remember you. The question is not whether the event is good enough. The question is whether you will extract value. What is your deciding factor when you attend an event?

One thing I hate about networking events is that there are only 10% of women in decision-making positions who attend the events. Women in business are still facing challenges related to inclusivity in leadership roles. Despite the progress we've made over the years, the journey towards gender equality in business is far from over. I realized this when I went to this networking event last week and I observed something. Boardrooms and conference halls at these events are often dominated by men. It felt like we were trying to fit into shoes that were way too small. Added to that is the imposter syndrome that creeps in when you're trying to discuss partnerships or collaborations with fellow businessmen. It's a real challenge. This is mostly because women spend a lot of time juggling multiple roles and expectations at home and work. But here are a few things that can help boost the involvement of women entrepreneurs and leaders in social events: - Establishing supportive networks tailored for women in business to foster collaboration and mentorship. - Ensuring diverse representation by including women in event panels and discussions, amplifying their voices and perspectives. - Offering flexible participation options in networking events to accommodate the varied responsibilities of women outside the workplace. - Advocating for gender-inclusive policies and practices within organizations and industries to drive meaningful progress towards equality. The more we see women in leadership positions, the more normal it becomes. Change won't happen overnight, but if we stick together and support each other, we can make it happen. What are your thoughts on this? #womenleadership #leadership #networking

WeAreLATech has close to a zero percent flake rate at our Los Angeles tech events. Here’s how… 1) a strict “no LA flake policy” What this means… understand the culture of the city events are being organized in. For example in San Francisco people usually bring a plus 1, in New York an RSVP is typically respected, at SXSW in Austin people sign up for literally everything and then attend whatever pops up last minute. 2) plus 1s need to RSVP individually When a guest signs up a plus 1, they probably haven’t asked yet if the person is available. They’ve only claimed an extra spot in hopes someone can join them. So have guests send their plus 1 the invite link and have everyone sign up individually. 3) send a personal message to each guest There’s no better growth hack than being human. Everyone wants to feel seen so showing that their existence matters makes a huge difference. When we as attendees feel we’re just arbitrary numbers on a spreadsheet, we act accordingly. So by personally acknowledging each guest they’re more likely to respect the invite. 4) make the event start time clear Is it a casual happy hour to show up to whenever, or does the event have a prompt start time… most people think showing up any time between start to end time is fine, so it’s important to clearly state when people need to arrive. 5) curate community culture In WeAreLATech respecting one another’s time is part of our core values. It’s mentioned on calls, it’s publicly posted and in event notifications. Curating a culture that fosters powerful relationships is something that participants are proud to be part of. Years ago, one time, in another city outside LA - I didn’t do any of these things thinking there’s no city worse than Los Angeles for flaking. The flake rate for that event was so high I couldn’t believe it. Just about everyone (most who begged for an invite) cancelled morning of. It was after that let down I understood just how vital these steps were. And for it to work all points needed to be done, not just step 1 or step 5. All steps work together in creating a vibrantly well attended event. — What suggestions come to mind for you that would encourage having a flake free event?

Can AI bring order to 400 million pilgrims? How AI is shaping Kumbh Mela 2025. The Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 isn't just the world's largest religious gathering; it's becoming a groundbreaking example of how AI can enhance massive events. With an expected attendance of around 400 million people, authorities are implementing several technological advancements to ensure safety, efficient crowd management, and accessibility. AI-Powered Crowd Management Over 2,700 CCTV cameras, including 328 AI-enabled ones, will monitor crowd density, predict movements, and alert authorities in real-time to prevent overcrowding. RFID Wristbands for Tracking Pilgrims will wear RFID wristbands for real-time tracking, ensuring safety and helping locate missing persons quickly. Kumbh Sah'AI'yak: AI Chatbot This AI-powered chatbot in 11 languages provides real-time event info, directions, and insights via WhatsApp to enhance the pilgrim experience. Virtual Reality Experiences VR stalls offer immersive experiences of key events like the Ganga Aarti, enabling participation from anywhere and easing infrastructure strain. Drone Surveillance and Shows Drones ensure security with aerial monitoring and present a 2,000-drone show narrating Hindu mythology and Prayagraj’s spiritual history. By investing in AI technology for crowd management, facial recognition, GPS-enabled bracelets, drone surveillance, and digital platforms for information, the Kumbh Mela is setting a new precedent for event management worldwide. It’s not just a spiritual journey but also a technological marvel. What are your thoughts? Share in the comments below 👇 #AI #KumbhMela #Technology #AIIndustry #innovation #casestudy #india #BusinessGrowth #Newintech