Events are back with a bang. They haven’t just recovered post-pandemic — they’ve emerged as a critical marketing channel to generate demand and build strong brands.
According to Forrester research, 74% of marketers cite events as their most important demand generation tactic. Why? Because events serve an important strategic marketing function: they allow brands to reach new audiences faster, build more personalised relationships with prospects and customers, and drive continuous engagement.
We look at the top five event trends for marketers to look out for in 2023 – and how they can boost your marketing strategy.
1. Events are experiencing a digital transformation
While in-person events are thriving post-pandemic, the sudden pivot to hosting events online during the pandemic greatly accelerated the digitisation of events. In 2023, in-person events will include many more digital touchpoints, allowing marketers to better engage with attendees and measure the direct impact of events.
Research from Forrester shows that 58% of marketers expect their flagship B2B events to remain hybrid, and this looks set to continue in 2023. For marketers, this offers exciting opportunities to reach audiences online, with 76% saying they have increased reach and attendance through the digital transformation of events.
Of course, as with any event, the digital content has to be right. Reaching more people is all well and good, but only if they are getting value from the experience.
So, think about how to integrate more digital interactions into your in-person events throughout the journey — pre-event, at the event and post-event. For example, use web/mobile app experiences pre-event to deliver personalised agendas. At the event, use polls and surveys to get event and session feedback, and post-event, offer on-demand content to attendees.
2. Continuous event engagement will be key
Today, the B2B buyer journey is longer, more…
..
[ad_2]