10 B2B Event Tips you Need to Learn Now

Organizing an event is an excellent way to increase recognition as well as strengthen brand awareness. Events provide the opportunity to encourage interaction between you and potential clients, which, in turn, improves the likelihood that they’ll think of your business first when they’re ready to make a buying decision. This said it’s no surprise 85% of leadership (Senior Managers, Executives, and Board Members) believe in-person events are essential to their company’s success.

As virtual events continue to thrive and as the B2B industry prepares for face-to-face events to return, we’ve put together our 10 top tips for getting the most out of both in-person and virtual B2B events. 

Virtual Events 

Encourage participation

The best way to improve engagement at both physical and virtual events is to encourage audience participation. This can be done easily virtually, through allocating Q&A sessions or 1-1’s with speakers and participants, or at physical events through meetings and intimate workshops. This means attendees are more likely to participate and as a result engages with topics, ultimately meaning your event will be better because of it.

Make sure you invest in and test your technology

This is the best way to make sure your event not only runs smoothly but also stands out. Having the right technology and platform to produce your particular event is essential. It’s also important to perform tech tests beforehand to ensure your participants can access your event with no issues. 

Have a strong event hashtag and create social sharing opportunities

Having a strong event hashtag to use across social media can really help boost your presence at an event online. A hashtag can also be used by a number of different people, such as attendees or speakers, and ultimately gives your event greater exposure to a larger audience when more people get on board with sharing it. You can also encourage participants to share their event experience on their social platforms with various incentives and photo opportunities. 

Take advantage of breakout groups

Facilitating breakout sessions can help make your event stand out. These sessions can be small, with an intimate gathering of people to facilitate informal networking and focused group discussions. These can be facilitated during both virtual and physical B2B events. 

Make sure attendees know exactly what they’re signing up for

Briefing attendees about the event beforehand is beneficial as it means they’re more likely to know what to expect when attending and be prepared to participate. Provide a brief synopsis for the event, any points of discussion and also a list of attendees if appropriate. 

Understand your target audience

Understanding your audience is vital when creating B2B Events as it means you will be able to target them effectively and put together an event that best fulfils their wants and needs. You should be able to clearly define your audience so that you can host an event that provides value to them and leaves a good impression, making them want to attend future events.

Always follow-up

Having a clear strategy to follow up with attendees after an event is a must! Don’t save your post-event strategy for the last minute. Start thinking about it early on so that after your event, you can jump right into executing your strategy and your team know exactly what is expected of them once the event is over.

Have a clear purpose for your event

Although initially there will be a surge in face-to-face events, as time goes on it’s predicted that in order for people to attend face-to-face events there will need to be a real reason for attending physically as opposed to virtually. This is as a result of the many benefits virtual events possess such as being cost-effective and less time consuming – give your attendees a reason to show up!

Sponsorship is essential

A sponsorship with a big-name partner can really elevate your event to the next level. Choose companies or speakers that align with your brand who you can reach out to and pitch your goals. This will be a great strategy to get more people interested and promote your event as well as offer a higher level of credibility.

Consider offering special VIP tickets

This is a great way to add something extra to your event as well as gain a revenue boost from VIP guests. Look to offer exclusive access to speakers, content, or opportunities to a niche number of particular attendees. This strategy can make your event stand out in a saturated market and leave a lasting impression on attendees.