Natalie Shattock , senior events manager EMEA at financial research organisation Morningstar , says the absence of events is harming growth
t Morningstar , we have always been event-led marketers , even as we have developed our digital marketing outreach . We have had considerable successes using digital tactics , but nothing beats face-to-face . Our industry , which involves investment research , data and investment management , is one built on trust . We are firm believers that you buy from the person and so for us it ’ s integral to the success of our business that we not only get to host our clients at live events to further deepen our relationships , but also to meet with prospective clients to grow our book of business .
We use a number of different event types in our marketing mix : large-scale conferences , awards ceremonies , half-day forums , product launches , corporate hospitality , and sponsoring third party conferences , as well as internal training and company events .
But our inability to host events does not just impact our company ’ s ability to grow . When I think of the number of vendors that we engage with over the course of a year , such as venues , venue finders , AV firms , caterers , photographers , entertainers , speakers , stand and set builders , video producers , florists , equipment hire firms , registration providers , and publications , in order to successfully host these events , it starts to paint a picture as to how far-reaching the events industry is , and how damaging to the economy it is that we cannot host live events . It ’ s an entire eco-system of inter-connected businesses all supporting each other , all now under
Right : Natalie Shattock , senior events manager EMEA at Morningstar
53 threat . Corporate column
And it ’ s not just the success of businesses .
A lot of what we do is around education and training , for our staff and for the industry as a whole . Morningstar is uniquely positioned to offer education and insight to investors and those that serve them , all with the aim to help investors reach their financial goals . In such volatile markets , being able to bring clarity to investors is more important than ever . We believe there ’ s no better way to do this than bringing the industry together for events where they can learn from industry thought-leaders , Morningstar ’ s subject matter experts , and from each other . For all of the digital events that we have successfully ran , we have not been able to replicate the networking and engagement that takes place at an in-person event .
Our events bring people together , who otherwise would not get the opportunity to connect . In particular , our regional sales , product , senior leadership , marketing and customer support teams , usually convene over the course of the year in London for training and team building . These teams work together day in and day out ; bringing them together on a regular basis for is crucial to the success of these teams .
Put simply , not being able to host live events is impacting our company ’ s ability to grow , in what is already a challenging environment . www . conference-news . co . uk