Takeaways from our Spring Community Event

On Thursday, more than 50 marketing leaders joined purple cork for our Spring networking event. We sipped a fabulous white wine with Philippe Andre, shared our 2024 survey results and got more than a few tips and tricks from Julie at Seclore, Brit (ex Syndio), and the amazing purple cork community. Here are our top 10 takeaways from the main session and the breakout rooms:

Exclusivity is a draw

When Julie invited her prospects to a wine tasting with Drew Bledsoe, they were quick to R.S.V.P. and engagement was through the roof. Why? Because it’s not every day that you have the opportunity to meet and speak with an ex-NFL quarterback turned winery owner. 

Content isn’t always king

You don’t always need to educate your prospects about your offering during events. Julie says, “I don’t want my events to take people away from their families so I invite them to bring their partners and kids as participants. This works especially well for cooking events. Guests will have a better time and it will be a more memorable event. And, if they had a great time and made connections with your team, it will then be easier for sales to secure the next meeting, which we often do before the event even occurs.” As Julie says, “post event starts pre event.” Rich Serpa, Vice President, Mid-Market at Kyriba shared his thoughts, saying, “If you pitch during the event, attendees will feel like they reciprocated the tasting gift and be less likely to take a follow-up call. Sales 101!”

Other tactics to ‘avoid death by PowerPoint’ include adding an opt-in to your registration page to stay an additional 20 minutes after the event for a demo. This sets the expectation that the demo is optional; It also helps qualify attendees.

Engagement is key

purple cork emcee Rosalee Michels suggests that every attendee from the host company engage during the event. She says, “Cameras on, chat activated. When everyone is engaging, even shy people are more comfortable coming out of their shell. When there’s little engagement and cameras are off, things feel more stiff. We want everyone to participate and have fun.”

Think like your customer to pick the best activity

Julie advises that marketing leaders get into the mind of their customers to pick the best event activity. She says, “How do they want to spend their time? What will hook them in? And don’t forget to test. If you’re running a series, start with wine/champagne, then try bourbon, tequila, cooking and more!” Brit at Syndio was amazed to see off the charts attendance and engagement when switching from wine to Bourbon. Luxe Cosmos were a hit too!

Don’t forget internal buy-in

Get early buy-in from senior sales leadership by including them in the event experience selection. For example, leverage a distillery that your CRO loves. If you can get sales excited about the event, the team will be more bought in and reps will work to get their prospects there. Similarly, Julie suggests doing an event with the internal team so they can see how special it is and understand why it’s a key part of the marketing strategy.

To break-out or not to break-out?

Opinions differed on whether to offer break-out rooms during virtual events. To enable more thoughtful networking, some suggested spending 30 minutes in breakout rooms after the tasting and customer spotlight. But, others like keeping the group together. “It feels less like a business meeting and more like a party when everyone is together.”

Find the right emcee

Tap a senior subject matter expert to emcee or co-host the event with purple cork. Their job is to welcome the crowd, moderate the customer spotlight, moderate a breakout room and wrap up the event. Having someone guide the event elevates the experience and leaves a lasting positive impression of your brand.

Don’t fret the no shows

No shows are inevitable. Don’t be frustrated by people that RSVP but then don’t show up.  Follow up with them differently than attendees to secure a catch-up meeting. Sometimes ROI is highest with no shows, believe it or not!

Invite prospects in waves

Ensuring great attendance can be challenging, especially since people are busier than ever these days. Chelsey Neal at Perceptyx suggests sending waves of invitations. She says, “While we would love an event C-level executives, that’s not always realistic. So we start with the C-Suite and then expand down to VPs and Directors to fill the registration target, if needed.” Another best practice is to have sales start the outreach and only default to targeted marketing emails if needed. But, where reps don’t have 1:1 relationships, it should be a team effort to meet the registration target.

Get the attention of new logos

An attendee was curious about leveraging events for new logos and how to capture their attention in a noisy b2b world. While it’s definitely easier to attract attendees when your company is well known, there are some tactics that can help. Leverage the logos of the attendees that will be joining so they know they will be in good company. Have an executive follow up the invite with a personal message saying they are looking forward to seeing them at the event. And, of course, leverage the exclusivity of the tasting experience to draw them in.

Ready to book your next purple cork event? Reach out and let’s put something magical together.