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same interests or objectives . By filtering potential leads on Swapcard based on their profile information , you are reducing risk , saving time and adopting a more strategic approach ,” she said .
With digital events growing in maturity , marketers should redefine their proposition , reset their pricing , segment their customer base , make it easy to buy and invest in training , according to ExpoPlatform ’ s chief growth officer , Luke Bilton
Speaking on the opening day of International Confex , Bilton told the audience at the Digital Event Theatre that remodelling event marketing for a digital future is vital in order to drive digital revenues from an average of 2 % before the pandemic to a target of 25 %.
According to Bilton , pricing should be reset according to competitor analysis and a better understanding of a company ’ s matured digital event offering .
“ By moving to a 365-day engagement model , new revenue opportunities can be created around branding and sponsorship of continuous content . And with 20 times the data points you get online compared with faceto-face metrics , you can create more personalised experiences and tailored programmes ,” he told the audience .
Bilton ’ s advice for segmenting digital ’ s enlarged customer base in order to assess where the growth opportunities exist , included starting with the longer tail leads and giving them a reason to buy into a marketer ’ s virtual event programme with something as simple as a listing .
“ To grow revenues from 2 % to 25 %, you ’ ll need to sell into the long tail at scale ,” Bilton
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said . “ Only then can you offer sponsorship of the new products you ’ ve created to your bellwether and mid-tier clients and get their buy-in to help you develop and grow .”
Finally , Bilton urged marketers to make it easy to buy-into digital opportunities around events as ‘ any confusion or too much detail will ultimately put people off and kill the deal .’
He concluded : “ Re-train your teams to sell a monetisation journey and offer an ‘ a la carte ’ menu of simple packages with more detail should the client require it . If you can re-educate sales teams to focus on pre-event , in-person and postevent digital opportunities yearround , you will achieve digital success and grow revenues .”
Whatever we think ‘ hybrid ’ is today , it won ’ t matter in five years time as we ’ ll all simply be calling them events , concluded the panel in a Confex session entitled ‘ What the hell is hybrid ?’.
Vanessa Lovatt , chief evangelist at Glisser , Jez Paxman , content director for Live Union , Chris Mitchell , vice president of operations for Intrado and
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Stephanie Selesnick , president of International Trade Information , had all been discussing different definitions of hybrid events with the co-founder and director of the Virtual Events Institute , Simon Burton .
Paxman told the audience : “ We are in an experimentation phase with hybrid formats and it ’ s up to us to get out there and try different ways to engage multiple audiences experiencing the event from different locations . Clients are excited that events have finally become the last communications channel to be digitised , providing more accountability , more inclusivity and more data . As a result , they are currently willing to forgive any mistakes made in the experimentation of hybrid but just as with virtual just a few months into the pandemic , the window of forgiveness closes fast .”
Lovatt agreed . “ This is an opportunity to expand the horizons of events by surrounding a central activity with digital activation , which provides meaningful value to your audience for 365 days of the year ,” she said . “ It ’ s your audience that should define what hybrid means to you . If ,
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for example , you deliver event programmes for a pharmaceutical or healthcare sector , you may require more in-depth content accompanied by downloadable assets or technical briefings . If , on the other hand , you plan for more creatively-driven events , you may want to incorporate more collaborative brainstorming sessions , workshops and networking .”
Intrado ’ s Mitchell concurs that no matter how good virtual event platforms now are , it doesn ’ t change the fact that online viewers are judging events on their content .
“ Planners need to focus more than ever on the goals and objectives of stakeholders since content now sits on the frontline of virtual and hybrid events , with viewers having direct access without the distractions of venue , exhibitors or the show-floor bar ,” he told the audience . “ Hybrid has brought into focus how important content is for year-round audience engagement but at the end of the day , events are still events and this is just the next iteration for planners to enhance their skills .”
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Image : Aniseed Photo |