The document discusses best practices for developing an effective event strategy. It recommends taking a holistic approach that integrates events into broader marketing campaigns and focuses on the entire attendee experience, not just logistics. Key aspects include aligning event goals with objectives, selecting the right event types, training staff, and measuring events' impact on pipelines and opportunities. The document provides a roadmap for organizations to assess their event capabilities and implement modern practices.

1. Your 2020 Event Strategy Done Right
Cheri Keith
Research Director, Demand
Marketing Strategies
Sirius Decisions

2. @siriusdecisions 2 © 2019 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved
Executive Summary
• Key issues
• What you will walk away with
• Organizations run events to drive incremental demand, but often have a too-narrow
definition of event goals
• Although events are typically one of the biggest marketing spend categories, organizations
often consider them an adjacent item to other demand efforts
• As attracting people to attend and engage becomes increasingly difficult, executives are
asking marketing teams to justify event spend with greater rigor
• What’s required for a modern and effective event strategy
• A tool to determine which events are most appropriate based on value and cost
• A roadmap for implementing modern event practices

3. @siriusdecisions 3 © 2019 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved
Are physical events still relevant in today’s digital world?
Sources: SiriusDecisions 2017 Buying Study, Command Center
Marketing budgets allocated to live
events and tradeshows
40%
Rated human interaction for b-to-b
buyers, Industry conference, tradeshow
and vendor-hosted events
#1

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Three Pillars for a Modern Event Strategy
Organizations should align their goals and focus their activities on three pillars to achieve a
modern event strategy.
Event Support
The core principles, processes, organizational interlock and technical
infrastructure that support the successful creation and/or attendance
of events
Event Logistics The specialist skill set required to organize and stage events
Event Experience
The planning and execution of a complete pre-event, event and post-
event experience for each attendee

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Post-Event
• Reinforcement
• Ongoing marketing and sales effort
• Staff debrief
Event Support
Event Management Framework
Organizations must take a disciplined approach to plan, refine and execute events.
Core Principles
• Strategic planning
• Event goals
and objectives
• Campaign
alignment
• Event type
• Buyer personas/
buying cycle
• Messaging and
offer strategy
Event Logistics
Process
• Event
selection
• Campaign context
• Lead
management
• Event-specific
SLAs
• Measurement
• Event governance
• Brand compliance
Organization
• Demand
center
• Field
marketing
• Corporate
comms.
• Direct sales
• Resource
allocation
• Event function
• Channel
• External
agency
Infrastructure
• EMS application
• Web sites
• Automation –
sales and
marketing
• Budgeting
• Online
platforms
• At-event
apps
• Data and
analytics
Event Experience
Pre-Event
• Event promotion
• Event organization
• Staff training
At Event
• Audience experience
• Engagement
• Message implementation
• Social amplification

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Event Types
By understanding event types and their key characteristics, organizations match these to the
specific objectives they best serve.
Event Type Duration
Ability to
Influence
Content
Medium
Organization
Responsible
Budget Indication
Webinar 30 to 60 minutes High Web-Based Self Low Cost
Virtual trade show ½ to multiple days Low Web-Based Third Party Low Cost
Live events ½ to full day High Physical Self Medium Cost
Trade shows 1 to multiple days Low Physical Third Party High Cost
Customer
conference
1 to multiple days High Physical Self High Cost
Sponsorship/
reward events
½ to multiple days Low Physical Self Varied
Channel events ½ to multiple days Varied
Web Based or
Physical
Self or Partner Varied

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The New SiriusDecisions Campaign Framework
The campaign framework has evolved to comprehend the entire customer lifecycle and
coordinate core elements across the program families.
MessagingandContent
Reputation
Demand
Engagement
Help sales, channel and execution teams with
theme-based education
and guidance
Campaign Program Families and Objectives
Customer centric programs that drive adoption,
advocacy, loyalty and retention
The activation, validation and acceleration of
new and existing opportunities
The building of awareness and shaping
of perception, interest and urgency
around a theme
Enablement
Initiate Relationship
Encourage Use
Cultivate Advocacy
Activate Demand
Validate Demand
Accelerate Opportunities
Create Awareness
Shape Perception
Influence Preference
MarketIntelligenceandAudienceInsights
Campaign Theme
Educate Participants
Guide Deployment
• Media release
• Specialist influencer briefing
• Trade show
• Buyer stage-focused webcast
• Regional road show
• Email nurture
• Pipeline closing event
• Technical webinar
Events are one of a mix of program tactics
• Playbook
• Training sessions

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Managing Out of Campaign Events
Even if an event falls outside of the campaign structure, Marketing should use the program
families to classify and drive the goals of these events
MessagingandContent
Reputation
Demand
Engagement
Help sales, channel and execution teams with
theme-based education
and guidance
Campaign Program Families and Objectives
Customer centric programs that drive adoption,
advocacy, loyalty and retention
The activation, validation and acceleration of
new and existing opportunities
The building of awareness and shaping
of perception, interest and urgency
around a theme
Enablement
Initiate Relationship
Encourage Use
Cultivate Advocacy
Activate Demand
Validate Demand
Accelerate Opportunities
Create Awareness
Shape Perception
Influence Preference
MarketIntelligenceandAudienceInsights
Campaign Theme
Educate Participants
Guide Deployment
Out of Campaign Events
Limited to a few large or high budget occurrences
Event Planning extends beyond campaign planning horizon
Event supports goals and objectives of multiple campaigns
Typical examples include annual user conferences

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Staff Training Is Critical to a Positive Event Experience
Consistency, training and appropriate knowledge proficiency for event staff is critical for
executing a successful event.
Skills
•Event support
•Event logistics
•Event experience
•Campaign team
•Web team
•Demand center
•Sales
•Events logistics
Knowledge
•Subject/industry
expertise
•Company messaging
•Attendee accounts
background
•Event theme
Training
•Role based
•In-house/external
•Certification
•Demo
•Booth training
•Attendee triage
•Lead capture
•End-of-day debrief
Enablement
•Pre-event, at-event
and post-event
options
•Portals
•Templates
•Delivery options
•Attendee triage
•Booth planning
•Timing
Technology Requirement

10. © 2019 SiriusDecisions. All Rights Reserved
Experience Drives Engagement
Focus beyond event logistics and the at-event experience

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Changing Buyers’ Expectations for Event Engagement
Companies focusing only on “at-event” activities miss out on richer experience and
engagement opportunities.
Content
Theme and messaging
Storytelling
Persona- and data-driven
Technology and
Process
Mobile apps
Social engagement
Registration
Enablement
1:1 meetings
Social media response
team
Nurture
“Vision without
execution is
hallucination”
Thomas Edison
Question:
So what would execution
without vision be?
Answer:
The way most organizations
“do events” today…… ”At
event” only thinking means
strategy and vision remain
afterthoughts
…not about quality,
engagement and
experience.
Lack of vision means it’s
about quantity, activity
and mentions

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Example Checklist: Pre-, At- and Post-Event Activities
While event activities vary by event type, every event requires a plan and checklist to ensure
details are covered and opportunities are maximized.
Category Pre-Event
Operational logistics and
training
• Location and date
• Sponsorship planned
• Logistics by event type
• Staff training
Promotion and content
• Inbound marketing, invitation and awareness plan
• Media/analyst pre-briefing
• Email, Web and nurture followup
• Pre-, at- and post-event content
• Interactivity and social media opportunities
Capture, qualification and
engagement
• Create Web and social media assets
• Pre-defined opportunity identification criteria (sales ready, tele ready, nurture ready)
• Plan event specific sales and tele followup based on SLA
Category At Event
Operational logistics and
training
• Staff training on pre-built messages and FAQs to ensure staff stays on message
Promotion and content
• Engage with attendees with appropriate content and messaging
• Social media opportunities executed
• Extend offers
Capture, qualification and
engagement
• Leverage every interaction opportunity – onsite, online, social media
• Track and engage – RFID, badges, tags, mobile devices
• Interactivity opportunities (demos, polls, Q&A)
Category Post-Event
Operational logistics and
training
• Debrief
• Gather hot topics for post-event promotion plan
• Train on post-event promotion and social media activities
Promotion and content
• Execute post-event content
• Reinforce key messages and include hot topics – tweeting and blogging to raise awareness and
draw more high-value activities
Capture, qualification and
engagement
• Post-event setup of ongoing communities
• Make content, demos, collateral and other assets that align with predefined qualification criteria
available for attendees to access
• Execute the SLA

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Leveraging Event Data Throughout the Journey
Education Solution SelectionBuying Phase
Buying Decision
Stage
Loosen Status
Quo
Commit to
Change
Explore Possible
Solutions
Commit to a Solution Justify the Decision Make the Selection
PersonaA
Interaction
Non-
Human
Human
Content
Asset Type
1. Analyst Report
2. Article/Publication
3. Case Study
4. Sales Presentation
5. Brochure
6. Promotional Video
7. Sales Presentation
8. White Paper
9. Case Study
10. No Asset
11. Sales Presentation
12. Case Study
13. No Asset
14. Analyst Report
15. Analyst Report
16. Sales Presentation
17. No Asset
Delivery
Channel
1. Landing Page
2. Web Site
3. Email
4. Sales Call
5. Event
6. YouTube
7. Sales Call
8. Sales Call
9. Sales Call
10. Reference Call
11. Sales Call
12. Reference Call
13. No Asset
14. Sales Call
15. Sales Call
16. Sales Call
17. No Asset
Engagement
Presence
Authority
6
Customer
Reference
(Vendor)
Customer
Service Rep
Product
Manager
Sales
Rep
Sales
Rep
Explore
YouTube
1
Peer
Networking
Event
Explore
Web Site
Live
Vendor
Webinar Sales
Rep
Search
Internet
13
14 17
Industry
Analyst
Customer
Reference
(Buyer)
Value
Actualization Tool
Sales
Rep
Executive
Sales
Rep
15 168 9 10 11 1272
3
5
Simulated
Facilitated
Orchestrated
Influenced
Fully
Significantly
Moderately
Slightly
Not at all
Decision Maker
High Influence
Average Influence
Low Influence
No Influence
4

14. SiriusPerspective:
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Post Event: Nurture
An event interaction in and of itself won’t drive a sale, especially for online events consumed
early in the buying process.
Contact Me
Immediately
No Contact/High
Match
No Contact/Low
Match
Key Considerations
• Can we get leads quickly into the right sales resource’s hands?
• What intelligence can we provide to sales to make the next
interaction worthwhile?
• What nurture stream should prospects be placed into to continue the
conversation?
• Can associated prospects be grouped in order to employ account-
based scoring?
• Should the contact(s) be placed in to a long-term maintenance
nurture stream or not?
• If no interactions can be generated in a gated timeframe (e.g. 90
days), should contacts be removed?
Event

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Nurture Approaches for AttendeesMaturity

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Assess Your Organization’s Ability
Organizations have a number of aspirations for their events; assess the ability to plan, execute
and measure events to maximize return on investment.
• Ability to integrate events into a broader plan vs. running them as a group of
standalone tactics
• Ability to centralize a greater amount of event selection and planning, while
leaving execution (and some selection) local
• Ability to measure events’ return more effectively, based on a common
understanding of what event “value” is
• Ability to leverage events beyond the physical/virtual event itself
• Ability to improve event experience in a more proactive manner, given the
increased feedback channels now available

17. SiriusPerspective:
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Roadmap for Modern Event Practices
Adopt a roadmap to implement modern event practices within the organization and increase
the efficiency and effectiveness of the event discipline.
The Journey Starts Today
• Process and procedures
• Skills assessment
• Interlock
• Technology assessment
Event Assessment
1
• Process and terms definition
• Goals and KPI definition
• Measurement
Strategic Event Planning
2
• Formal selection criteria
• Campaign goal alignment
• Data quality
Event Selection
3
• Distinguish between event
strategy and logistics
• Event lead level and SLAs
• Roles and responsibilities
Organizational Interlock
4
• Investment roadmap
• Rollout and training
• EMS integration
• Integrated measurement
Technology Investment
5
• Pre-event, at-event and post-
event templates
• Engagement
• Interactivity
Attendee Experience
6
• Program goal definition
• Event planning and execution
• Measurement
Internal Pilot
7
• Campaign development
• Pre, at- and post- interlock
• Program measurement
• Event mix analysis
Optimize
8

19. Stay in touch!
www.hubb.me
Raime Merriman
VP, Marketing
rmerriman@hubb.me
@raimster