Adding the human touch to create real brand value
Ben Veechai , CMO venueScout , senior consultant jwc GmbH , offers some insights into event marketing strategies
T ell us how you got started in the events industry and some of your first impressions of event marketing strategies . I started my career working for brands like Infoworld , PC World , and Macworld publications in the US which also had events . I later served as marketing director for the Game Developer Conference portfolio for a few years with UBM Americas . However , moving back to Asia in 2011 and serving s the VP of marketing and corporate communications for all of UBM Asia / Informa Markets in Asia for nearly 10 years gave me a unique global marketing education and perspective . The biggest difference from marketing practice then and now is the amount of customer insights and analytic tools we have at our disposal , which marketers can and should make use of to deliver better marketing .
You worked at Informa / UBM ’ s Asia business for many years , how did event marketing strategies differ in that part of the world compared to , say , Europe and America ? Firstly , we need to think of Asia in terms of the individual countries , all with their own laws , cultures , and popular marketing channels and practices . China for example does everything through mobile social platforms whereas , in some parts of rural India a majority still do not have smartphones . These types of audience insights affect the kinds of messages and distribution channels a marketer needs to consider . Great B2B event marketing is about understanding your target segments and the best ways to reach them . I also recommend going to visit the country you want to launch your brand in and attend an exhibition ( ideally accompanied by a local marketer ) in order to see how events and event marketing work in that country .
What is important for organisers today when they are searching for a venue and service providers for their events ? What are some common challenges ? Aside from the dozens of exhibitions and conferences I ’ ve worked on , I used to host annual corporate meetings for UBM Asia which rotated locations every year . The venue search process alone took months as we had to get inspired by the city ( or venue ), create detailed criteria documents , research ,
Below : Ben Veechai and then send RFPs one by one . The great thing about the jwc initiative I work on now called venueScout , is that we performed so much research into the mindset and process of event organisers and meeting planners that we were able to design a truly thoughtful platform to help these folks experience event planning all on one system .
What has been your most exciting career challenge in event marketing ? I think of challenges more so as ‘ experiences ’ in retrospect , and I ’ ve had plenty ! When I was at GDC , our division was the first to win a partnership with Google to promote and distribute US $ 1m worth of android phones ( when they just launched ) at the show in order to promote game design on Google Play . Also the experience in partnering to launch a co-built B2B marketplace platform with Alibaba during my time at UBM Asia was quite challenging . We had a six event collaboration that culminated in a final experiential kick-off at the SIGN and LED Fair in Guangzhou . Our stand and activation designed in futuristic outer space was a hit .
I always find opportunities to learn more . Just last week , I got to work with a new team in the Middle East trying to develop their B2B portfolio of events .
What trends are coming down the pipeline in event marketing ? Events and companies need to become even more aware of their total brand value and which social issues and principles they wish to stand for . Venues , service providers , organisers , visitors , and exhibitors are all still human beings and want to associate with and participate in events they relate to on a personal as well as professional level . I believe ( perhaps hope ?) more companies will incorporate more CSR into their brands 365 days a year and not just during one-off events . EW
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 6 2022 49