Event Marketer Summer 2023 - 8

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12 ways to modernize your event
practice-and prove your business value
If you were working in the event industry in 2008, you no doubt recall the almost immediate
impact the recession had on live events. As travel budgets were cut, so were thousands of the
events that had become the lifeblood of their company's sales pipelines. Flash forward a few
years later, and the industry emerged more resolute and focused on how to better align events
with the bottom line, and how to prove that events were a critical driver of revenue-and results.
Post-pandemic, there is a similar renaissance happening in event departments as portfolios have
been reengineered and changes that were made, often out of necessity, have proven to be smarter,
better ways of working-and doing. This has especially become true for b-to-b event organizations
that have found themselves more imbedded in overall sales and marketing strategy.
This May, Event Marketer, in collaboration with leading event agency Opus Agency, convened a
Think Tank representing top b-to-b event organizations from around the country. The conversation
offered rare insight into what's working, what's not and how some of the industry's most prolific
event organizations see the role of events-and event marketers-changing. Here are 12 key predictions
and takeaways on what's driving success in today's modern event organizations.
1 | Focus on Attendee Value
Many travel budgets are still recovering. As a result, attendees are
looking for a crystal-clear value proposition for their time and their
investment. Event marketers must convey that value in their pre-show
marketing and then deliver at their shows. " I had to look at it through
a different lens, " says Sue Ann Timco, Senior Director, Global Events,
Qlik. " Usually you look at the value of your event through the content
and thought leadership and all the wonderful experiences they're
going to have. But we shifted and it became more about the true value
of their time. "
THE PARTICIPANTS:
Janelle Edwards
Global Head of Brand Activations
Square
Rachel Langley
Vice President, NA Meetings
& Events
Visa
Karen Merritt
Senior Director, Global Events
Salesforce
Stefanie Pearce
Director, Experiential Marketing
Qualcomm
Jeff Quezada
SVP, Global Arts & Culture
Sponsorships & Experiential
Citi
Sue Ann Timco
Senior Director, Global Events
Qlik
Brent Turner
EVP, Strategy and Solutions
Opus Agency
2 | Provide Strategic Sales Support
Many event departments are finding that their leaner post-pandemic
portfolios are too lean and they are fielding cries from their sales teams
to bring them back. It's a clear indicator that sales and product departments
are seeing the value in events, and it provides an opportunity for
event marketers to provide a higher level of strategic support to their
internal teams. " We're being pushed to be more strategic, be more
aligned to the business, " says Karen Merritt, Senior Director, Global
Events, Salesforce. " Where I think in years past it was enough to just be
operational, now there's a demand and an expectation to understand
how you're connected to the business. We're looking to invest in our
organization to really understand our impact. "
Think through being a diff erent player in the organization. You're not
just the person that's making sure the menu is OK. You are actually
contributing to the success of the organization. -Sue Ann Timco, Qlik
8
EVENT MARKETER SUMMER 2023
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Event Marketer Summer 2023

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Event Marketer Summer 2023