Alright, let’s get one thing straight: events are back.
After spending several years on the digital hamster wheel, professional audiences are once again embracing in-person events. But just because we’re all back in the conference halls doesn’t mean we should forget the hard-earned lessons from our COVID-era virtual transformation.
After 18 years in B2B marketing, I’ve seen this song and dance before. Early in my career, events terrified me. Big budgets, big expectations, and the ever-present fear that you were throwing money at a giant, expensive, untrackable black hole.
If there wasn’t a clear strategy to convert attendees into paying customers, the event was essentially a sunk cost. And let’s face it, most B2B marketing teams didn’t exactly have a foolproof plan to ensure ROI.
Fast forward to today, and though events have regained their status as a cornerstone of B2B marketing, many key decision-makers are being extremely selective about where to spend their time and resources.
Some are ramping up investments in large-scale user conferences. Others are pulling back or focusing on decentralized, intimate roadshows and roundtables. Regardless of the strategy, one thing is non-negotiable: every event needs a strategy that drives measurable outcomes.
The 40-20-40 Event Marketing Formula
In my job at ZoomInfo (where, honestly, ZoomInfo Marketing paired with ZoomInfo Copilot allow us to grasp the holy grail of event marketing), I can tell you this: your event’s ROI starts before you even step foot on the event floor.
The real magic happens when you identify the right people to connect with before the event, and set up meetings in advance. In other words: you need to come to the event with a full calendar of 1:1 meetings.
This isn’t just about “hoping” that someone stops by your booth. It’s about knowing exactly who you want to talk to and pre-booking those meetings.
So let’s get to the real meat of how you should spend your time on events. My team calls it the 40-20-40 formula:
- 40% on Pre-Event Strategy: This is where the heavy lifting happens. The pre-event phase is all about finding who you need to meet with, reaching out to them, and securing those meetings well before the event. If you don’t nail this, the event itself is just an expensive networking gamble.
- 20% on Onsite Execution: Logistics matter, but they’re not the star of the show. Your time at the event should be spent executing on the meetings you’ve already booked and having productive conversations — not figuring out which booth to visit next.
- 40% on Post-Event Follow-Up: This is the part where most people drop the ball. You’ve gathered all these leads, but now what? The post-event follow-up is where you turn those conversations into real business. If you’re not actively working to move those prospects through the pipeline, you might as well not have bothered.
That means 80% of your event strategy should focus on pre- and post-event activities.
If you’re spending most of your time worrying about how to set up a booth or picking out swag, you’re missing the point. The magic lies in how you approach the event before you even get there.
Pre-Event Strategy: Booking the Right Meetings with Your ICP
The work begins long before the event itself. To ensure you’re maximizing your time and investment, follow these steps:
1. Find Your ICP in Advance
You can’t meet everyone, so why try? Use ZoomInfo to identify which companies and decision-makers are attending. Enrich the attendee list with additional data — like scoops and intent signals — to help you prioritize those who are actively researching your category.
2. Reach Out Early and Book Meetings
Don’t wait until the event to make contact. Use personalized outreach — email, LinkedIn, mutual connections — to schedule 1:1 meetings in advance. The goal is to arrive at the event with a packed calendar.
3. Build Awareness Through Pre-Event Campaigns:
Start marketing early through multiple channels. Use targeted paid media and social media to warm up your audience weeks ahead of the event. Personalize your messaging and show them why they should meet with you.
4. Prepare Sales with Account Briefs for Onsite Meetings
It used to take my team weeks to prepare account briefs. Weeks! But now, thanks to ZoomInfo Copilot, we complete them in minutes. Copilot allows my team to generate accurate, neatly organized account briefs at the click of a button. Type in a few questions specific to the account, and boom: the system pulls all the necessary data to create a brief that’s ready for a sales leader to prep for their meeting. Now, my sales team walks into every meeting with the most up-to-date, relevant info — without having to spend hours digging around.
5. Prepare Post-Event Messaging Before the Event
Have your post-event follow-up sequences ready to go before the event. This ensures that once the event is over, you can follow up immediately and keep the momentum going.
Onsite Event Execution: Where the Action Happens
This is where all your prep comes to life. Onsite execution — the 20% — is where you turn all that strategy into brand-defining moments. But here’s the kicker: most of the heavy lifting was already done. The real goal at this point is to create a memorable experience.
1. Perfect Your Booth Strategy
Your booth is your brand’s home base. It’s important to make your booth stand out by designing it to draw attention and facilitate conversations. Train your team on engagement tactics, from quick pitches to in-depth demos.
2. Leverage Technology for Interactions
Implement QR code-based check-ins, live polling, and attendee tracking. These tools simplify engagement and provide real-time data on interactions.
3. Elevate the Experience with Personal Touches
Host intimate dinners, happy hours, or breakout sessions for high-value prospects. These curated experiences foster meaningful conversations away from the noise. Again, ZoomInfo Copilot comes in very handy to personalize account insights along the way.
4. Gather Feedback in Real Time
Deploy live surveys and quick polls during sessions to gauge sentiment and capture insights. This data will inform post-event follow-ups and future strategy.
Post-Event Follow-Up: The Key to a Successful B2B Event Marketing Strategy
This is where many teams drop the ball. The energy from the event can quickly fade if you don’t follow up effectively. Here’s how to turn those leads into real business:
1. Segment and Score Your Leads
Once the event is over, review your engagement data and categorize your leads into hot, warm, or cold for effective segmentation and scoring. Prioritize your follow-up based on these categories so you’re targeting the right prospects at the right time.
2. Craft Personalized Follow-Ups (the ones you prepared before the event)
Generic emails won’t cut it. Refer to specific conversations or sessions you had during the event. Personalize your outreach by showing how your solution directly addresses the challenges you discussed.
3. Capture Post-Event Lessons
It’s important to share insights internally after one week, 30 days, 60 days and 90 days (depending on your sales cycle). It’s not just about individual post-event follow-ups. Share key metrics and insights with your sales and marketing teams — things like meetings booked, opportunities generated, and potential revenue influenced. This helps everyone refine strategies for future events. Track total event costs and measure ROI of your investment ongoing.
4. Create Long-Term Engagement Plans
Not every lead is ready to buy right away. For those who aren’t yet ready, create targeted nurture campaigns to keep them engaged over time. This ensures you’re still part of the conversation when they’re ready to move forward.
How to Go-to-Market with a B2B Event Marketing Strategy
By focusing on pre-event planning, flawless execution during the event, and quick, effective follow-up, you’ll transform initial conversations into lasting business opportunities.
When you combine the right preparation, tools like ZoomInfo, and a strong follow-up plan, you’re not just participating in events — you’re driving success.So here’s my challenge: Rethink how you approach events and start building your next great success story. Let’s make it unforgettable.
Find out how ZoomInfo can make your Events more successful here.