The New Reality of Events Marketing

Last month we wrapped Lenovo Tech World 2021. It’s an annual showcase that brings together Lenovo’s senior leaders alongside other top industry thinkers to offer a view into the future and to offer advice, insights and expertise into the tech that will take us forward. 

Designed to be fully remote from the outset, there were some key differentiators and important considerations that informed the planning, running and execution of this years’ Tech World event. What we learned will be carried forward into all our events. 

But what does the future look like for events marketing in general? 

It is obvious that the past 18 months have been a challenging environment for business and not least for the events industry. However, from challenge comes new learning and growth, and I’m excited to see this play out in the future of events marketing.

Why are events so important?

Ranging from sponsorships, trade shows and expos, right down to 1-1 dinners and networking events,  the size and shape can vary, but the intent of a marketing event is always the same - to bring a multi-dimensional and personal experience to the way brands connect with their target audiences. 

Events are how audiences, from customers, to partners to analysts, press and employees, can really immerse themselves deeply into the experience of what a brand has to offer, and how brands tell a story that comes to life through the multiple elements that make them unique. 

 Organizing, planning and managing how people on the ground will experience your brand in person is an art form. Events are key to building relationships, and securing brand recall and customer loyalty.  

During the pandemic, any interaction beyond our loved ones or roommates became strictly one-dimensional: digital. But human interaction could not, did not, and will not stop. Businesses scrambled to adapt their offerings and within the confines of our homes and our screens became the entire conduit to the rest of the world. 

However, the prospect of engaging and connecting with your constituents viscerally, within the confines of a one-dimensional event format, became a whole lot more challenging.  

The concentration pandemic

 Neuroscientists and psychologists around the world have warned us that extended periods of stress and unpredictability can wear down our ability to concentrate. 

The rise of online information overload, coupled with the added stress of a global pandemic has meant that our ability to engage with new ideas dipped. Capturing concentration has become an ever more elusive goal.

It’s no coincidence that despite launching in 2016, the real mass adoption of TikTok happened during the pandemic, resulting in it being named one of 2020’s top three fastest growing brands. 

 What does this mean for events?

Translating a massive event like Tech World into one virtual day was not easy.  But we made conscious efforts to invest in top notch content that was short, insightful, super stimulating and really snackable. We wanted content that could be watched, re-watched, and shared far and wide. 

Planning for virtual formats and recording ahead of time means you have more time to focus on getting the content right. That is what I believe the new success criteria should be for the future of marketing events. 

• Emotive, real-world customer examples can be and should be illustrated with beautifully produced visually engaging content. 
• Energetic and dynamic speakers who can bounce off each other in the moment can create that same feel of “spontaneity” and authenticity that really enhance the appeal of those in-person experiences. 
• Interactivity is great for the audience. When we have a virtual Customer Advisory Council, for example, we make sure we go around the virtual room and give everyone the opportunity to weigh in, like we would in person. 

If you’re providing information, embedding user-friendly ways to cut down, consume and share that information beyond the event context is an important one... Which leads me to one of the real benefits of virtual events - content democratization. 

With big in-person events there was always a tension around travel-time and ticket prices that’s not always easily scalable. Now, events are open to anyone who wants to register, in many cases. I think that the upshot of events being virtual is that they’re accessible to whomever brands may wish to include, and attendees don’t have to juggle which sessions they want to attend the most. With content that’s often re-playable, audiences can watch on their own time. 

The Future of Events 

The world is beginning to open up again (fingers crossed). As such, we’re starting to plan events for the hybrid reality: the next normal. Given our learnings from the past two years about ourselves, others, and the ways we work today, quality content will be the key success metric for hybrid events moving forward, and especially how this content can be shared and replicated long after the event ends. 

Effective planning will consider and optimize the actual types and content formats used, how content will be presented and how it will be received, on stage, on mobile, on laptop screens and on monitors. The importance of connectivity and smarter technology for all is critical here. 

As in-person elements of events come back to life, the lucky people that get to attend in person will be coming with fresh perspectives and heightened awareness. Their expectations have changed since 2019, and events will have to change to match or exceed those expectations.

Ultimately it must be said: there is something so special about getting a community of like-minded people together in a room. That is the one thing about great events marketing, both B2B and B2C, that hasn’t been fully replicated online yet. 

And I cannot wait to get out there and experience in-person events again!