The Centre for Exhibition Industry Research (CEIR) has published a report on the strategies B2B event marketers are using to gain attendees, based on its latest feedback from industry professionals.
The final report in its Attendee Acquisition Trends Driving Growth series, focusses on areas to improve acquisition efforts.
CEIR vice president of research Nancy Drapeau, says: “The majority of B2B events are still in recovery, so event marketers are focused on rebuilding their attendee base and may feel overwhelmed with so many to do’s looking forward.
“This report helps prioritise which efforts to consider taking on to grow attendance moving forward.”
The overarching theme seems simple enough: collect and organise data that effectively supports a solid omnichannel marketing strategy. But as the saying goes, the devil is in the details.
“Digital transformation is a slow process,” notes Drapeau. “Yet it’s a smart investment because organising this data helps drive better understanding and decision-making where audience potential is greatest, pinpointing what to expand and what to stop based on actual results.”
Respondents indicated that top priorities include sharpening their digital marketing approach and adjusting their content to meet attendee needs. These aspects are especially significant in today’s highly digital, highly competitive marketing atmosphere. How does one better understand attendee digital behavior? How can media campaigns best maximise on these behaviors?
The report examines differences among demographics and industry sectors to reveal which tactics resonate strongest with each. As a result, new activities are emerging as rising stars in near-future marketing approaches. Among them are ways to sharpen data analytics.
“Marketers operate continuous quality improvement processes, this is nothing new,” Drapeau adds. “They are always looking at what they did and trying to figure out how to improve on it – this is all part of the learning process. That leads to creating new tactics that make it better, therein lies the challenge and opportunity.”
According to the findings, event marketers prioritise personalising content; properly timing campaign components; developing attendee personas and mapping buyer journeys; and efficiently applying digital tools to maximise their efforts.
