Event Marketer Spring 2022 - 66

ROBB
BRAND: DocuSign
CURRENT TITLE: VP-Strategic Events
DREAM TEAM TITLE: Senior VP-Events &
Corporate Impact
WHY WE WANT HER: For her versatility as a
veteran marketer and for being an " evangelist " to
sustainability causes, inspiring her team to stay
committed to the planet.
Sustainability is key for Jeanne Robb,
vp-strategic
events at DocuSign. Her
more than 20 years of experience leading
teams and events has brought about notable
efforts in forest protection, including a
multi-million-dollar impact on a save the
forests initiative. She is also leading paper
reduction, ethical sourcing, eco-friendly
swag and inspiring others to participate in
community events that support the brand's
commitment to protecting the planet. Oh,
and she's working on 120 events each year.
Robb's work
is
centered
around
top-level, tier-one corporate events, including
DocuSign's proprietary events, industry
partner trade shows and third-party
gatherings. Globally, her event portfolio
includes 45 annual digital events not considered
webinars. Prior to the pandemic,
there were just five global events per year
and none were digital.
" When I joined the company, it was
a mature startup-this is about four years
ago. And we've literally tripled in size since
that time. It's been rapid growth, " Robb
says. " It made me stronger. It pushed me
to get uncomfortable, and then some, and
I realized that when I came out of the
other side of some of the most challenging
assignments, I wanted to tackle even more. "
Success does not come without challenges.
While previously working at Sony,
Robb learned how to compete for consumer
attention in a crowded space by
strengthening competitive advantages and
66
EVENT MARKETER SPRING 2022
" I don't think sustainability means less. I think it's
more about, as an industry, we need to have more
conversations to develop better guidelines and
expectations from our suppliers. "
trust in the brand. Building brand affinity
retains existing customers-the most valuable
asset. She also spent 18 years at Cisco
and says of the experience, " It's not just
helping sell specific products, but it's really
showing up with solutions. "
Covid's digital wave and a lack of faceto-face
interaction was difficult for both
Robb and her company's sales teams. They
leveraged events as a " hub " around which to
plan and track all customer activities. This
resulted in daily, and even hourly, competition
for airtime.
In focusing on the customer journey
of the future, Robb says it will be more
important than ever to track audiences and
their preferences on-site at events. Did they
register pre-show, attend a specific keynote
or breakout, and view a demo? Tracking
buying behaviors is about brand awareness
just as much as it is about revenue and pipeline
for the company, she says.
Working in the global demand generation
center of DocuSign, Robb says that all
eyes are on generating revenue and building
a high-performing team. The focus is now
on growing the brand's proprietary events
including a possible multi-city tour and
field-driven events. Also in focus (trend
alert) are smaller, more intimate gatherings
and an investment in advisory councils.
But back to sustainability. Operating
as a paperless, digital-first company with
a " no print pledge, " DocuSign only uses
paper if required for event operations and
giveaways. All signage and digital devices
are donated to schools, and staff uniforms
are made of post-consumer recycled material.
Robb says that the brand's ceo is even
personal friends with, and has forged a
business partnership with, English primatologist
and anthropologist Jane Goodall to
support her environmental efforts.
" We want
to be together in-person,
and that creates our carbon footprint. So,
I think we have to hold ourselves accountable
as an industry and, really, hold the
entire supply chain accountable, " she says.
Sounds like progress to us, which is
why you're invited to join our team.
eventmarketer.com
http://www.eventmarketer.com
Event Marketer Spring 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Event Marketer Spring 2022
