Live event programs offer event marketers a unique opportunity to create valuable and personalized experiences to further company business objectives. During a recent webinar, “Building a Live Event Program that Drives and Proves Value,” GE’s Amanda Young, Frost & Sullivan’s Adam Khan and Cvent’s Brad Gillespie discussed how to create successful event marketing strategies.
What Does Event Marketing Mean for You?
Event marketing is an evolving role. There is not always clarity around specific responsibilities even though it is the glue between event planners and the rest of the business. It is event marketing’s responsibility to bring the brand to life and measure the live experience with.What are Core Responsibilities of Event Marketers?
The starting point for an event marketer is to understand your audience and then shape the message and programming to reach them. At GE, event marketers are working cross-functionally with sales, marketing ops and others to measure event results. And its not just about the pre-event communication. Amanda also stressed the importance of maintaining contact with attendees post-event to stay engaged and continue the conversation.How Helpful are Tech Tools in the Process?
Technology tools are rapidly evolving to capture the data needed to solve event challenges. Event management technology is a key piece of the marketing tech stack. These tools can integrate with CRM, financial systems and marketing automation to provide a comprehensive picture of event activity and enhance marketing effectiveness.What KPIs Should be Tracked?
Coming up with the right metrics and KPIs can be a struggle. Some of the key questions to ask are “what does it take to live your brand” and “how does the event help meet your core values.” By understanding how your events align with your company’s core values, you can then define the core mission of the event to work with stakeholders to develop metrics. It often boils down to return on investment (ROI). That includes looking at attendee numbers, gauging the impact of the event experience, achieving sales goals, or ensuring quality interactions with the right people.How do Events and Marketing Work Together?
Event marketing and marketing overall are coming together. Events are a key channel for marketers, providing unique opportunities for live connections. To fully bridge the gap, event data needs to integrate with the data from other marketing channels. Data analysis afterwards can then offer insights on which channels worked best. For more information on how to build an effective live event program, visit here.
