Marketers from around the globe raise a glass and share best practices
On Friday, more than 40 of the world’s best marketers came together in an EMEA-friendly time slot to enjoy some Charles Heidsieck Champagne and discuss the power of virtual events.
Leveraging the proven purple cork formula for engaging attendees, the event kicked off with tasting notes from Champagne expert Jonathan Boulangeat then moved to an expert roundtable with marketing leaders Arpine Babloyan, Katrin Menzel and Caroline Quinn. The event ended with breakout sessions to network and discuss topics in more detail.
Here are just some of the gems we took away from this dynamic event:
The chat sidebar is a powerful engagement tool
There’s the conversation happening amongst the presenters, and then there’s the conversation happening in chat. Both are valuable. Throughout the event, the chat was overflowing with questions, comments and light-hearted banter. Ensure you have someone assigned to monitor the chat to capture feedback and also to understand what is resonating and getting people excited.
Engage sales early to drive attendance
All the presenters agreed that it’s not Marketing’s job to drive attendance. Marketing needs to ensure that Sales understands the value of the event so they put the right effort behind recruitment. Incentives also work well. Arpine shared that the top person from each team who gets at least five registrations from at least three different accounts that meet the ICP and persona gets to join the call and receive the wine, or other gift.
Use breakout sessions wisely
A hot topic was breakout sessions. To get the most out of them Arpine suggests that attendees submit topics in advance and place attendees in groups based on topics they’re more passionate about. Katrin likes to allow her guests to choose which breakout session to attend in advance, noting that French and German attendees engage more when they’re prepared.
Plan for the unexpected
Caroline shared a great experience using trivia to liven up a quiet event. She had some trivia questions in her back pocket in case she needed them and found that it was a great way to get people talking.
Reciprocity is a powerful motivator
Guests who r.s.v.p to an event but don’t attend are often willing to take a meeting because they feel guilty for accepting the tasting gift and not showing up. Use this to your advantage and follow up with both attendees and no-shows.
Leverage customers
Many marketers mentioned the power of having customer advocates participate in virtual events with prospects. When learning about new solutions and making product decisions, prospects prefer to hear from their peers so leveraging them to share their experience drives sales without having the event feel sales-y.
Looking to plan your own event that is both fun and ROI positive? Reach out! We would love to chat.
