Hybrid Event Production Steps

is the traditional B2B roadshow dead? no, but it needs life support. over the past decade, I've watched companies pour millions into events with diminishing returns. the problem isn't face-to-face connection. it's using yesterday's playbook in today's multi-channel world. the highest-performing B2B companies follow this three-phase framework: before: build momentum through strategic targeting and multi-channel outreach before anyone walks through the door. during: create experiences that extend far beyond the physical venue through hybrid design and real-time content. after: convert momentum into revenue with sophisticated follow-up systems that actually drive pipeline. our clients implementing this approach have transformed their results. with one single campaign: ↳ pilot generated 100+ high-quality leads and saw 132% LinkedIn engagement surge ↳ elation lighting achieved 500% increase in impressions and won a prestigious industry award all in one trade show ↳ aeroflow healthcare achieved 47% higher acquisition at 34% lower cost bottom line: the companies gaining market share are treating roadshows as integrated campaigns rather than isolated moments. remember: face-to-face still matters, but only when it's part of a seamless journey that matches how today's B2B buyers actually make decisions. #b2bmarketing #b2bpr #gtm #eventmarketing #roadshow #cmoinsights

Events are great for finding warm leads. [Warm lead method #2] Stop scanning badges at events. Start booking meetings before you arrive. Just got back from a conference. While others were desperately collecting business cards... I had 7 meetings already booked. All with qualified prospects. And 1 closed within 30 days. Here's exactly how it works: 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐄𝐍𝐆𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁: → They've publicly committed → They're actively researching → They're looking to justify expenses → They have CURRENT budget → They're 4X more likely to meet 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝟲-𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀: 1️⃣ 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀 - Search "[event name]" on LinkedIn - Filter by "Posts" and "Recent" - Look for "I'm excited to attend..." 2️⃣ 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 - Google: "attending [event] site:linkedin.com" - Set up Google Alerts - Find what LinkedIn search misses 3️⃣ 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 - Create a spreadsheet - Check daily for new engagement - Focus on decision-makers - Note their comments for later 4️⃣ 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 - Like and comment thoughtfully - Respond to their comments - Create recognition - Be genuinely helpful 5️⃣ 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 - Reference the specific event - Mention their post/comment - Ask about their goals - Make it conversational 6️⃣ 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗣𝗿𝗲-𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 - Suggest meeting at the event - Offer specific value - Propose concrete time/place - Keep it casual 𝗠𝘆 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀: - 23 pre-qualified connections - 9 meaningful conversations - 7 meetings scheduled pre-event - 1 deal closed within 30 days 𝗣𝗿𝗼 𝘁𝗶𝗽: Look for posts from speakers and panelists. People engaging with these are often highly interested in those specific topics. 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐦 𝐁2𝐁 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐋𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐝𝐈𝐧? 𝐉𝐨𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 “𝐁2𝐁 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠”, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐈 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐲 5 𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐩𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞. Comment 'Course' below ⬇️ Are you attending any industry events soon? What's your tactic to book meetings? Share below 👇

How to explain your product to the folks you meet at events, particularly when you are in lead-gen mode? 💡 I discovered this simple three-stage technique after I spoke to 300+ individuals in SaaStr, Dreamforce, OpsStars, and 10+ side events. Stage 1️⃣ : Remember that you have only 10 seconds with each person after the ice breaks. ❌ Common mistake: We tend to explain everything—problems we solve, how we solve them, who we sell to, how we are different, etc. Don't do that. It will be overwhelming. Generally, people find it difficult to enter your world. ✅ Try this: Just say what you are selling. 👍🏻 This worked for me: "We help sales teams to close deals faster. We cut the deal cycle time by 30%." ⏭ Lead to the next stage: If the person asks "HOW?" then it's a successful outcome. You've got the next 30-60 seconds. Stage 2️⃣ : ❌ Common mistake: We will start focusing on the solution and explain the product features. ✅ Try this: Start with the problems, explain why you want to solve them, and then describe your approach. Don't talk about the features. Save them for Stage 3. 👍🏻 This worked for me: Start with the problem: "Email communications are cluncky when you sell to mid- and enterprise customers where the deal cycles are longer, say more than 3 months. It will lead to having 100+ emails in a single thread. So, it will be difficult for both buyers and sellers to find particular information at a given point in time. This potentially causes the delay." Now, introduce the approach: "We transform sales teams from email to a collaborative workspace where they can bring in all the information, processes, and stakeholders to gain more control and insights to become more proactive in running the deal." ⏭ Lead to the next stage: If the person guesses your product features, then it's a successful outcome. You almost captured the lead. Stage 3️⃣ : ❌ Common mistake: We try to convert the lead immediately by explaining all the features in depth. Avoid doing so, as you only have 10 seconds at this point. If you exceed this time limit, they may perceive your product as requiring a thorough evaluation, allowing you to connect with someone else within their company. ✅ Try this: Simply acknowledge or correct their guesses, and appreciate them if they are correct. 👍🏻 This worked for me: I was asked whether our platform has the capabilities to manage sales collateral, track its performance, and set up the plan to invite buying committee members, etc. My response was, "Yes, you're absolutely correct." A simple correction is that our platform not only allows you to set your side sales process but also enables buyers to map their purchase steps. You can customize the process for every customer because you cannot do it in your CRM." Your time(< 2 minutes) is over. 🛫 🛫 🛫   Win or Lose: Finally, if they inquire about your pricing, you have successfully secured the lead. ‼ Don't forget to create a placeholder on their calendar.

𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘂: How much did you spend on Dreamforce booth? 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: $50k 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘂: How much pipeline did you generate? 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: We scanned 300 badges. 𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘂: How many converted in Qualified leads?  𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿: 3 That's not Event ROI. That's stupidity. And that's also 9 in 10 booth exhibitors. Events have become SaaS startups' new way to burn cash, generate 0 revenue, and call it "branding". I spent last year traveling to events in Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai and Taiwan. Here's how to approach events with an ROI mindset: 𝟭. 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘄𝗮𝗴: Everyone carries swag in luggage to save money. Because Shipping costs > flight baggage costs. The real cost, though, is babysitting your swag from airport → hotel → exhibit → booth. Salespeople at events should only care about Conversations & Pipeline. Not the dent on your standee. 𝟮. 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝗲𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: Old events were simple - exhibitors met buyers. Today, footfall has competitors, wannabe experts, influencers, sellers, random folks, & then actual buyers. These 2 in 10 real buyers are watchful and maintain distance. Identify them, and spend time talking to them. Not with freeloaders. 𝟯. 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺: Ideal size is 3-4. One bubbly personality who attracts audience. One SME conducting demos and talking tech. One salesperson who's NOT selling but taking notes, booking meetings. Fourth if possible - ops person handling logistics so the 3 can focus. 𝟰. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗻𝘀 ❌: We generated $300k pipeline in 2 days with ZERO scans. How? Identify real buyers, have genuine conversations. My neighbour booths were busy scanning 150 random leads. I was making Qualified leads - book meetings on my calendar - on my laptop - at the booth. 𝟱. 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗲𝘁: 99/100 booths look identical. Nobody cares about your brand's color scheme. Think of a creative booth magnets -sth that gets the inner child of people out. We did a live superhero photobooth - teachers became superheroes, gave their emails in exchange for photo. 𝟲. 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯: Invite a customer/partner/thought leader for a 30-min live demo at your booth. Their brand drives traffic at your booth. Pay them in Amazon vouchers or LinkedIn shoutouts. Best hack to engage with real buyers at scale. 𝟳. 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗮𝗰𝗸𝘀: Someone should ALWAYS be at booth (split lunch). Walk around, see what's working for others. Talk to competitors and collect intel. Think of clever magnets to attract audience (spin the wheel / lead scan for ice creams). Maintain booth hygiene at all times. 𝟴. 𝗔𝗜 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴: Every conversation can have automated meeting notes, logged in CRM, emailed to lead within minutes from the booth itself. Qualification AI agents tell you lead quality based on ICP. Another agent gives guided answers to tough questions. AI + humans = mad combo on booth. Events don't fail. Your event strategy does. Fix the strategy, fix the ROI.

If you think your trade show starts when the hall doors open, you’ve already lost the game. Many brands treat their three days on the floor as the entire event. They spend 95% of their energy on the booth design and worrying about logistics to only spend 5% on what happens before and after. Zero to poorly planed pre and post show strategy can ruin ROI and end up being costly. If you want to move from exhibiting to performing, here are 5 clear and proven tactics for your pre-show and post-show playbook... Win before you arrive: PRE SHOW ☑️ ABM Tiered Outreach: Stop the "come see us" blasts. Identify your Top 50 must-see prospects and send them something personalized. A physical mailer, a custom video, or a calendar link. ☑️ Create a compelling and valuable offer. Why should someone come to your booth or experience? Use this for marketing and invitations. LinkedIN, emails, social, etc. ☑️ Sales & Marketing Alignment: Your booth staff shouldn't be winging it. Run a pre-show workshop. Define exactly what a qualified lead looks like and ensure everyone knows the playbook for the customers experience at the event. ☑️ Digital Geo-Fencing: Run targeted social ads. Plenty of ways to get creative with this is you explore ALL digital options; airport, uber, taxi, billboard, hotels, etc. Some of these are better for larger brands with massive audiences and brand recognition. ☑️ Leverage the event app: Messaging in the app is a great way to set appointments. The key is to send pleasant, specific, and value driven messages, not spammy messages. POST SHOW is all about converting and carrying on opportunities: ☑️ The 48 Hour FollowUp Rule: Speed to lead is everything. Your tier A prospects and leads should have a personalized email, message or phone call before they even get home. If you wait a week, you’re a distant memory. I love tying this to your offer and having a clear reason to follow up. ☑️ Personalized Video Recaps: Instead of a generic "thanks for stopping by" email, have your sales reps record a 30-second Loom video mentioning a specific conversation point. It’s un-ignorable. ☑️ The Content Goldmine: You just spent three days surrounded by experts and customers. Record content for repurpose; booth interviews, demos, and man on the street interview clips into a 6-month social media strategy. ☑️ The Data Debrief: Don’t just count leads; analyze them. Where did they come from? Which demo sparked the most interest? Use this data to justify your spend and sharpen your strategy for the next show. ☑️ Lead Handoff Audit: The biggest ROI killer is the black hole where marketing leads go to die. Schedule a meeting one week post-show with sales to ensure every high value lead has a clear path forward in the CRM. The bottom line is, trade shows are one of the most powerful physical touchpoints in the customer journey, but they only work if you treat them like a strategic campaign.

Most business owners treat events as a one-time opportunity. They show up, hand out business cards, smile for photos… and leave without a plan. But here’s the truth: The follow-up is the funnel. If you're hosting or attending events without a mapped-out next step, you're not generating leads—you're just throwing a party. Here’s what smart businesses do instead: Use an iPad or QR code on-site to immediately book a follow-up call 1. Offer a valuable lead magnet in exchange for contact info 2. Assign post-event tasks in your CRM (like LinkedIn DMs, personalized emails, or tagging photos) 3. Follow up with content or insights related to what was discussed in person Events work. But only when they lead somewhere. TL;DR: If you don’t know what happens after the handshake, you’re not doing lead gen—you’re doing brand awareness. Interested in getting the full breakdown? Hayley Denker joined me on the Tiny Marketing Podcast to talk about how to generate leads from events. AND TRUST ME - my girl Hay Hay did not hold back. She gave us unique ideas I've never heard before. Tune into episode 153: https://lnkd.in/gnzUGAxa