Here we are in November 2020 and like most B2B go-to-market teams right now, we’re balancing trying to finish this strange year on a high, while deep in 2021 planning mode.
And when it comes to events, planning a 2021 strategy and budget is arguably one of the most challenging tasks facing marketing teams right now. It is not an understatement to say that the entire B2B events landscape has shifted irreversibly over the course of this year and we continue to face a dynamic and uncertain picture.
There is no doubt about the desire to return to physical events. Vendors and buyers are all eager to get away from the screen and are craving that in-person, human connection that only live events can bring. Yet when that might safely be possible remains the million dollar question. The recent positive news regarding a COVID vaccine brings reason for optimism. At the same time, the virtual event landscape continues to explode, albeit with mixed results. The lines between webinars, webcasts and virtual events are blurring as event organizers and marketers try to gain a better understanding of what does and does not work.
Buyer and attendee behavior has changed too, and if we focus on one of the few positive outcomes from this otherwise devastating pandemic, 2021 should be the year that B2B events finally break out of the silo they’ve operated in for so long. No longer will we have these one-off, disconnected events. Instead, they’ll be executed in the context of the broader buyer journey. Whether it is a prospect viewing an on-demand webinar, interacting via your virtual booth, logging in to your live conference, or meeting with your team in-person, events will now be seen as one key touchpoint of many across different channels on the journey to purchase.
Here at Integrate, we recently surveyed 500 senior marketers in the US and UK to get a pulse on how they are thinking about the role events will play in 2021 in engaging buyers, accelerating pipeline, and generating revenue. From our findings, we have two great pieces of content which I’m excited to share with you.
The first is an on-demand webinar where Scott Vaughan, chief growth officer at Integrate, and I discuss the findings from our research and have a lively discussion around some of the big questions facing event marketers.
And the second is our latest e-book: “State of Events: Crafting your 2021 Events Plan.” It’s packed full of insights to help guide you in your 2021 planning.
If you’d like to find out more about how we can help here at Integrate, we’d love to start a conversation. Feel free to contact me at chris.wickson@integrate.com to speak about your 2021 events strategy and what the Integrate Demand Cloud can offer.
