Best Practices for Building Authentic Business Relationships with Marketing and Events Leaders
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Working with leading marketing and event professionals reveals that crafting meaningful experiences is central to building authentic business relationships. Today, virtual events have emerged as valuable tools not just for brand engagement, but for relationship-building and revenue generation. Here are some of the top practices that successful marketing and event leaders are employing to get results.
1. Strategic Audience Selection
To create impactful events, it's essential to focus on the right audience. Leading marketers have found that curating a selective mix of customers and prospects can spark richer conversations and create organic advocacy. As one marketing executive shared, “Combining different stakeholders at the same event leads to unexpected synergies. It's not about filling seats; it’s about creating the right mix of voices in the room.”
2. Pre-Event Engagement
Connecting with participants before the event significantly enhances both attendance rates and the overall success of the engagement. Experienced event leaders use their BDR (Business Development Representatives) or sales teams to initiate conversations prior to the event. This approach can lead to meetings and pipelines forming even before the event has taken place. A marketing leader pointed out, “Pre-event outreach starts the relationship early, building commitment and ensuring participants are fully engaged.”
3. Thoughtful Event Structure
To maintain engagement, it’s crucial to design events that seamlessly integrate both value and enjoyment. Successful event leaders often blend product showcases with interactive segments, such as wine or cocktail tastings, cooking experiences, or breakout discussions. One marketing expert highlighted, "Our format alternates between focused conversations and immersive experiences. This keeps the energy high and ensures people stay engaged—even staying longer for optional segments like product demos."
4. Leveraging Breakout Rooms
Breakout rooms are an effective way to create smaller, more intimate group discussions. These sessions tend to revitalize larger events by allowing deeper, more personal interactions. When participants return from a breakout session, the atmosphere shifts—it becomes more energized and collaborative. In some cases, having customer champions moderate these rooms leads to a more authentic, less sales-focused conversation.
5. Diverse Experience Offerings
While wine tastings remain popular, expanding the range of experiences to include options like craft cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, or even coffee and tea tastings allows for greater flexibility in timing and participant preferences. These unique experiences allow organizations to cater to a wider audience and host events at times that fit diverse schedules.
6. Sales Team Integration
Involving the sales team is critical for building and accelerating relationships during events. Leading companies actively involve their sales representatives to ensure that by the end of the event, participants leave with a sense of familiarity with key team members. The goal is for prospects and customers to recognize those faces in future interactions, which fosters a deeper connection.
7. FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) Tactics
Generating excitement and anticipation among attendees is key. One effective strategy involves sending the registration list to participants ahead of the event. This makes the event feel exclusive and fosters a sense of FOMO, especially when senior executives or industry leaders are involved. As one event leader shared, "Letting participants know they’ll be rubbing shoulders with other influential peers is a great way to ensure full attendance."
8. Clear Communication of Event Format
Being transparent about the structure and expectations of the event ensures a smoother experience. It’s important to communicate upfront if parts of the event, such as product demos, are optional. This helps avoid any discomfort from attendees who may feel blindsided by a sales pitch after coming for a casual, social experience.
9. Measuring Success
Top marketing leaders understand the importance of defining clear goals and success metrics for their events. Virtual experiences, while enhancing relationships, also provide valuable contributions to pipeline generation and acceleration. Whether it’s influencing existing opportunities or directly sourcing new ones, event professionals who set clear objectives can better track the ROI and long-term impact of their events.
10. Maximizing Virtual Benefits
While in-person events still hold value, virtual experiences offer distinct advantages like geographic flexibility, scalability, and cost efficiency. Marketing and event leaders have found that virtual events enable them to engage broader audiences without the logistical constraints of travel and venue costs. “We can bring together teams and clients from across the country in just one hour, at a fraction of the cost,” one marketing executive notes. The key is leveraging this flexibility while maintaining a personalized, high-quality experience.
By thoughtfully designing and executing events, marketing and event leaders can cultivate strong, meaningful relationships that drive business outcomes. With the right mix of engagement strategies and clear objectives, virtual experiences have become indispensable tools for today’s marketing playbook, far beyond their pandemic roots. Reach out to learn more.
