Key Skills & Roles Required For Successful B2B Event Marketing

B2B Event Marketing- According to AdStage, 8% of B2B marketers use in-person events for lead generation initiatives. This is particularly important considering 73% of marketers are prioritising lead quality in 2018.

Depending on the size of the organisation, functional responsibilities for event-related activities may sit within multiple departments or geographies, and the skills required may require multiple roles. In smaller organisations, one individual may be responsible for many roles tied to events. You must have an integrated marketing plan that should be built in partnership with the sales team for every event or conference you plan to attend. The plan must have 3 phases, Pre Event, At Event, and Post Event activities that need to happen.

Key Skills & Roles Required For Successful B2B Event Marketing

Successful execution of your event marketing and management will require the following skills and roles:

Event Manager

This role acts as a project manager and logistics and operations coordinator. Every event must have a designated event manager with an end-to-end responsibility and ensure all cross-functional teams are delivering to the event marketing plan.

Content Strategist

This role helps craft messaging and create assets by event type that align with the personas that you are expecting to engage with for each event. The messaging becomes the core of all communications done as part of your event marketing.

Social/Inbound Marketing/Digital Strategist

This role manages and monitors social media activities, designs Web assets, and assists the nurture specialist and content strategist. It focuses on capturing inbound mentions, responses, and inquiries resulting from the successful execution of any B2B event marketing plan.

Automation/Nurture Specialist

This role is responsible for making sure of email engagement with prospective attendees and automating follow-up with generated leads from the event. It is also responsible for implementing and managing rules, triggers, and nurture programs within marketing automation platforms (MAPs) and event management software (EMS).

Influencer Relations

Media and analysts play a role in event strategy and overall effectiveness. This role owns and manages these relationships, creates a communication strategy, and schedules meetings with media and analysts that may be attending the event. This can be great for getting media mentions and getting published or telecast coverage.

Sales Enablement

This role is responsible for accelerating potential buyers through the sales cycle. This includes training the sales team attending the B2B marketing event with the right messaging, positioning, presentations, and demos supporting marketing efforts related to expected engagement at the event.

Teleprospecting

Pre- and post-event teleprospecting can be key to driving the right leads. This role helps drive attendance, deliver event-related messaging, and follow up with attendees to identify interests and lead qualifications.

Takeaway on B2B Event Marketing Industry Statistics

68% of B2B marketers use in-person events for lead generation initiatives. This is particularly important, considering 73% of marketers are prioritising lead quality in 2018. (AdStage, 2018)

55% of B2B organizations spend over 21% of their marketing budgets on B2B marketing events. (Bizzabo, 2018)

The median spend by a B2B company sponsoring an event is $20,000 (Marketing Charts, 2018).

46% of leadership (Vice President and C-Suite) agree that in-person events are the most critical marketing channel to achieve key business objectives. (Bizzabo, 2018)

There is no doubting the power of live events, just make sure you are using the latest digital engagement and automation tools along with the traditional best practices to make the best return on your investment in events. An integrated event marketing plan with the above-mentioned roles will be key to your success. 

If you have a handle on your event marketing strategy and execution that is great. If not we at Growth Natives Australia can help with keeping your event marketing in top shape. Drop us a line at hello@growthnatives.com.au and we will take it from there.

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Sakshi Arora

Sakshi Arora is a seasoned content writer and editor with extensive experience across various industries including B2C, B2B, travel, e-commerce, and IT. In her free time, she enjoys expressing her creative side through painting and writing poetry. She also finds solace in nature and has a deep spiritual connection. Music brings her immense joy.