Without a doubt, the pandemic turned the events world upside down and sideways. But now with the vaccine rollout and easing of restrictions underway, the return of in-person events is on the horizon. We asked B2B marketers how they are thinking about events today and into the future. How has the swift shift to digital in the past year challenged events marketing strategies? What have B2B marketers learned this past year?
Read on below for perspectives from two event marketers, Teodora Neeva, Senior Program Manager, Global Events at AnitaB.org and Rachael Chesser, Director of Event Marketing at Circa.
Teodora Neeva, Senior Program Manager, Global Events, AnitaB.org
- Tell us about your role and how it has been impacted by the pandemic?
I was able to start a new job. I learned new skills which helped me to create, manage and execute digital events. Improve cross-collaboration and sponsorship opportunities.
- What will be the biggest change or challenge to your return to events strategy?
I think it will be defining hybrid, team and customers agility, as well as face-to-face readiness.
- What do you NOT miss about pre-pandemic in-person events?
The same events format - over and over again the same format of the big industry events.
- What has been your biggest learning over the past year?
We need to design and create events in a new unique way. We need to create a new way of connecting with customers and community members. Surprise and delight!
- When do you plan on returning to in-person events?
Q1 2022
- As we come out of this post-pandemic world, what are you most excited about?
I’m most excited about designing a hybrid event experience and delighting customers and community members. We’ll have great new avenues of networking.
Rachael Chesser, Director of Event Marketing, Circa
- Tell us about your role and how it has been impacted by the pandemic?
I manage Circa's event marketing strategy to drive brand awareness for our event marketing platform that allows users to manage all of their events in one place and in addition our platform will provide the user a true ROI of all events; thus, allowing for true strategic decision-making about the effectiveness of your events.
- How are you/your team starting to think about an in-person and/or hybrid approach to events? What will be the biggest change or challenge to your return to events strategy?
Our in-person events will start small, and we plan to do monthly community events as well as monthly hybrid events. The biggest challenge for us will be brand awareness and capturing registrants.
- What do you NOT miss about pre-pandemic in-person events?
Attending ridiculously long conferences that span an entire week.
- What has been your biggest learning over the past year?
That the event industry is the first to be cut from budgets, yet events are the most missed.
- When do you plan on returning to in-person events?
Q4 2021
- As we come out of this post-pandemic world, what are you most excited about?
Navigating the various tech stacks that have emerged. To learn more about how Integrate is supporting event marketers with Precision Events, please visit integrate.com/precision-events.
