Why are you going to that event?
If you want to make your attendance at an industry conference or event worthwhile you’ll need to be pragmatic and think more about just showing up on the day. But how do you even choose which ones to go to? Here are a few ideas to consider.
Your History
Maybe this isn’t your first rodeo. So let’s start with the easy stuff… Of those list of events you’re assessing which you’ve attended previously, what did you do and what did you get from it?
Did you turn up and get nothing? Was that your fault for not being prepared or the event for being shit? How much did you spend and how much can you attribute back to the event? If your budget’s tight and you nailed the event you attended last year by making a bunch of contacts or sales, why not start there?
What is the event about?
Next, you should be getting more detail on the content of the event.
What they’re presenting on specifically so you can assess whether it aligns to your proposition and strengths.
Who is presenting? Are the speakers noteworthy? Do you want to appear alongside them?
Who else will be there?
If we follow this as a sequence, you’ve found an event you’re interested in which aligns with what you do. Who is attending this event?
Of these, who do you know already or have a working relationship with?
Of the attendees you don’t know, what are your designs on them? Can you sell your products to them or are they not interested/relevant?
Which of your competitors is going and in what capacity?
What are the attendees going to the event for?
What opportunities will we get to speak with/to them?
A lot of this will require a bit of desk research or some sweet-talking of the sales rep. Obviously for huge events, they’re not going to have an exhaustive list of previous attendees. But they will often have a shortlist of the types of companies that attend as it gives their event more clout.
How can you get involved?
The next thing to consider is how you want to get involved with a suitable event. What involvement options are there for each?
Sponsorship
Partnership
Speaking/presentation slots
Goodie bag dump
Attendance (paid/unpaid)
Remember that most of the event companies that do this for a living aren’t charities. They’re putting events to create value for attendees/contributors which they can then make a profit for. That’s why even attending some events costs an arm and a leg.
Just remember to remain pragmatic and don’t automatically assume you need to spend big to make an event worth your while. Some events mightn’t even be about making a sale, you just want to learn more about the niche or topic!
What data will we get access to?
One of the more recent additions to the event space is access to the contact data of the attendees.
Is this available?
Do you have the rights to contact them after the event?
What direct communications will the event team send around this event and are there opportunities for you to feature, where relevant?
This is often written into the fine print of your attendee’s pass. I’m not suggesting you get this list and blast everyone with an email asking to buy from you (Have I taught you nothing?). But if you had a great chat with a prospect and didn’t catch their details this can help jog your memory!
Internal questions for you to consider
I should have started with this, but they’re not specific to events - more so to your overall marketing budget and campaign. Here are a few other things to think about when it comes to events.
What is our total budget for events and marketing? Are attending events a wise use of our funds?
What other investment, besides the actual event cost, do we need to consider? E.g. marketing collateral, content development, CRM access, email design etc.
How will we judge the effectiveness of what we do at an event?
In summary
Hopefully, that’s enough to help make sure you’re turning up to the right events and getting value from them. Remember:
Make sure you learn from the past.
Ensure what the event content aligns with what you’re good at.
Check to ensure the people that are going (or are likely to go) are people you can sell to.
Don’t think you need to sponsor or speak to get value from an event.
Get data where possible and don’t assume the costs of an event finish at your ticket.
We’re not big on events, but we know how to work a room. Want some help with your next event? Let us take your six.