In this episode of Event Experience by Bizzabo, host Rachel Moore introduces a special webinar featuring industry veterans Colleen Bisconti from IBM, Katie McIntyre from Opus, and Suzette Wilson Samuels from Drury Design. The discussion focuses on the 2025 State of Events and Industry Benchmarks report, covering topics such as the rise of in-person events, the importance of immersive experiences, sustainability in event planning, and leveraging micro events and webinars to enhance attendee engagement and knowledge retention.
The panelists share insights on the challenges and opportunities in the event industry, emphasizing the importance of creating authentic, immersive experiences and the role of technology in enhancing event strategies. They also discuss the significance of micro events and field marketing in supporting larger B2B events, and the evolving role of webinars as a digital tactic. The conversation highlights the need for intentionality, data-driven decision-making, and strategic partnerships to drive successful event outcomes.
Here’s what you’ll hear about in this conversation:
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[00:00:00] Welcome to Event Experience by Bizzabo, the podcast where we bring the best and brightest event experience leaders together to share stories, tips, and lessons learned from creating some of the world's biggest events. I'm Rachel Moore, your podcast host.
Welcome inside the inner circle with this special episode that kicks off a new year with content from our webinar, 2025 event experience benchmarks from insights to action.
Our action figures for this insightful panel are industry veterans, Colleen Bisconti from IBM, Katie McIntyre from Opus, and Suzette Wilson Samuels from Drury Design.
Together, we're about to cover the rise of in person events, the importance of immersive experiences, the role of sustainability in event planning, and leveraging micro events and [00:01:00] webinars to enhance attendee engagement and knowledge retention.
Mark your benches, folks. And let's get started
Rachel Moore: Welcome, everyone. Hi. I'm Rachel Moore and I'm the host of Bizzabo's Event Experience podcast. And I'm also thrilled to be your guide through our webinars.
Welcome to 2025 Event Benchmarks from insights to action.
And in this session, we're introducing our latest original research report, the 2025 state of events and industry benchmarks. Now, some of you may be asking, yeah, what's the big deal about this report? I'm happy to tell you, it is the first of its kind for the industry. We know that you all want benchmarks so you can adapt your own event strategy.
So, we surveyed over 1,500 B2B event organizers and attendees to gain insights into the challenges, [00:02:00] priorities and expectations of both event attendees and organizers.
This is going to be your ultimate resource to help you make informed decisions and strategic plans with your team and leadership. So you're welcome in advance.
All right. Without further ado, let's begin our journey together today. It is my pleasure to introduce today's webinar speakers.
First, we have Colleen Bisconti. With over 30 years at IBM. Today, Colleen is the Vice President of Global Conferences and Events. Focuses on redefining event strategy and execution, creating informative, outcome oriented attendee journeys that deliver innovative end to end experiences.
And very important here, Colleen's go to event day shoes are black flats. Hey, the simplicity is there. Colleen, welcome to the discussion today.
Next we have, Katie McIntyre. With a career including event roles at AWS and Informatica. Today, Katie is the [00:03:00] director of strategy and event technology for Opus. Katie is a creative problem solver with a passion for leveraging technology to further strategic goals.
Her focus is on clear event intentions that go beyond growing networks and focus more largely on the authenticity that today's audiences crave.
Katie's choice of shoes, um, on long event days are men's Mark Nolan high tops with an insole. I think she said something about floating on clouds when she walks in them, but Katie, thanks for joining the webinar today.
And finally, we have Suzette Wilson Samuels. Suzette is the VP of Project Strategy and Solutions with Drury Design, where she oversees impactful live and digital events that elevate brands and inspire excellence. Recognized for her transformative leadership and advocacy for diversity, she blends creativity and strategy to shape the future of experiential marketing while fostering opportunities for emerging talent in the events industry.
On long event day, [00:04:00] Suzette is wearing on clouds or Clarks, which are also great choices. Suzette, pleasure to see you here.
Before we dive into our key topics. I wanted to start off with checking on in with how you're all feeling about your event plans for 2025 via emoji. Thank goodness for emojis.
Just a real quick round rub in for our speakers. How are y'all feeling? Like if you had an emoji, you were going to throw in there. What would you throw in? Anyone can go first. A thumbs up from, from a Colleen. Excellent. Love it. How about a thumbs up from Suzette? Katie, how about you?
Katie McIntyre: What's the emoji for cautiously optimistic?
Rachel Moore: I feel like it'd be this, like I, I literally just reacted like this, like the, hmm, kind of the, the pondering one, maybe like, maybe it's going to be okay.
But, let's see some reactions as we go over some of the data from the benchmarking report, which leads me to our discussion for today. Let's all take out our proverbial stethoscopes and we're gonna do a close examination of the [00:05:00] benchmarking report.
The first stats from the state of the industry report we're going to focus on are about in person B2B conferences, summits, and conventions. And the numbers are gonna and stats are going to be flying fast everybody.
So, just prepare yourself. I'm going to take this first question to Colleen. Out of over 1500 event planner surveyed, a whopping 66% over six out of ten of them said they plan to hold more events in 2025. And that is up 42% from last year.
Colleen, why do you think there's been such an increase of in planning for large in person events?
Colleen Bisconti: First of all, thanks for having me.
This at first seems counterintuitive, right? We're hearing that budgets are down. We're seeing that costs are up. So how is it that we're seeing such a large percent of event marketers doing more events? And I think what's happening is you still have demand for these large, large scale events.
But other than that, our attendees are demanding more from us. They're looking for more authenticity in the environments and the activations that we [00:06:00] can bring to them. And I think people are so much more precious with their time. They're not willing to jump on planes. They're not willing to give us three, four or five days the way that they might have in the past. And so that's driving, at least in my world, that's driving our ability to use data in a more impactful and effective way.
So, what we are doing more events, but they're smaller, they're more targeted, right? They're localized within our market so that we're not asking attendees to put out the effort, but we're putting the effort to come to them and meet them where they want and create those more, again, authentic sort of connections and smaller groups.
And so, that's why we're seeing our number of events grow up. It's much more intentional in terms of the targeting and who we're trying to talk to.
Rachel Moore: You bring up such a great point there, too. I think it's easy for us all to think, oh, in person, that automatically means a 2,3,4,5 day conference, right? But you're pointing out that there's a lot of nuance baked in there. Um, this could be a dinner. It could be a networking coffee or something.
And we're also seeing, and I think we'll probably delve into this a little bit later [00:07:00] in the conversation, so a little bit of those micro events that are coming, like you said. They're in person still, but they just might be a little smaller scale than say CES, right?
So, so really important, uh, nuance to, to bring out there too. Uh, curious too, are you, are you planning, are y'all planning on increasing your events for this year? I just wanted to know for IBM.
Colleen Bisconti: We are, we are, but again, small targeted events versus these large. The other thing, um, that is upping the number of call them events that we do is we're looking at those key third party events and we're surrounding them.
So instead of always showing up as a big sponsor and all the expense and, and, and time and effort that goes into that, surrounding it again with those dinners or with those networking receptions. And so, really taking advantage of where the audience is, but doing it again in a targeted, small way to have maximum inputs and ROI.
Rachel Moore: Uh, Colleen, excellent insights there.
I'm gonna take this next question to Katie. I want to springboard off that last stat we shared. 57% of organizers said that [00:08:00] attendance at their events has grown in the past year and just coming off what Colleen just said to that is in spite of, perhaps rising costs, you know, and maybe some or, you know, just challenges that are out there.
Um, I would love to hear your take, Katie, what's your, what's your take on why more folks are flocking to in person experiences?
Katie McIntyre: When we look at the statistics from 2019, networking was such a small part of the motivation factor for attending events and we've seen that shift from something like 16% back in 2019 to where now networking is the #1 focus for most of our attendees.
People are really hungry to be together, to be in person, to have these connections. We hear a lot about the loneliness epidemic that people are experiencing with this sort of disconnect, uh, between, uh, working from home and, and ordering everything online. And we conduct so much of our daily lives on the internet now.
It's nice to have that opportunity to meet in person. And it's also nice to have that dedicated time. I think we all know the great things about work from [00:09:00] home, but one of the drawbacks that we see is that we're expected to be always on.
We're not, we're not quite having the same space made in our schedules for virtual events that we have for in person events.
So, it's this unique opportunity for us to come together in a third space around the purpose. All of us to have time really be dedicated and set aside for what we want to achieve.
Rachel Moore: Yeah, I, I completely agree with that too. And you're right, it's more meaningful now. Like, um. And look, I'm, I'm just going to call everybody out right now too, because everybody who's watching this webinar.
Let's face it. You probably are doing it while you're, you know, you got a little bit of multitasking going on here, but I mean, these benchmark stats are riveting. Stick with us, keep focused.
But that's the reality of when we're joining stuff virtually versus when you're in person, you're more able to say, I've got that eye contact, that body language, and make those meaningful connections. And maybe put the phone down, maybe close the laptop lid and, and really engage.
So, um, you're right. I think people continue to crave, um, that in person stuff. And [00:10:00] obviously, this stats, the details, the, uh, the receipts bear that out. So, uh, excellent point, Katie. Thank you so much.
I'm going to take this next question over to Suzette, but I want my other two speakers to also be ready to answer this cause I might take this around the room a little bit after Suzette answers this. Let's end this particular section on a banger.
78%, so, almost eight out of 10 organizers said that in person events are the most impactful marketing channel for their organization.
Let's just hover on that for a second. We, especially those of us who are marketers or no market work with marketing teams here and we're watching this. Think about all the marketing channels there are. There's email and social and website and blogs and case studies and all this stuff. There's paid ads and everything.
But about 8 out of 10 organizers said that in person events are the best, are winning the day. Suzette first to you agree or disagree. And if so, why?
Suzette Wilson Samuels: I absolutely agree. I think the thing that we have [00:11:00] to look at is that, what in person events do is that it creates an authentic, immersive, experience.
I think about the first time you went back to an in person event or you were able to see your coworker, or your client, or your sponsor in person or a family member in person post COVID. There's nothing like the power of a human connection, right?
That organic engagement that comes from that, it feeds the senses, it feeds into your emotions. And I think from an event perspective, it also feeds the brand loyalty.
I think what we need to realize is that how we elevate these moments. Uh, with intentional design, inclusivity, and the strategic approach and how we use technology is where we need to focus as we forge ahead.
Rachel Moore: And that's great, um, insight from you too. And I agreed because it's like, and one might even argue as well, like, you know, there's this whole return to office, return you know, to in person in the office [00:12:00] thing and then versus like remote. And, you know, and even like, again, looking at this webinar versus if we did in person, this webinar might be thought of as a lot more accessible to anyone who I just need an internet connection to be able to join this versus, oh, I need to get somewhere to be in person.
But, it's interesting. I like that you mentioned the inclusivity and diversity there too, because you're still baking that into those in person events and those as a marketing channel to make sure it's still reflecting that as a priority, correct?
Suzette Wilson Samuels: Correct.
And we have to also touch on the, um, there's a big conversation now, too, about, neurodivergence and how that affects and how I think we have to look at technology and, and I think we have to break the code.
We are in a place now where we need to break the code yet again. Uh, the intersection between how we think, how we interact, and how we consume.
So we can do all of those things and that's when I was referring to, you know, sensory experiences. We can do all of those things in person. But as we leverage technology, we have to find, you [00:13:00] know, new and different ways to diversify.
Rachel Moore: Absolutely. Well, as promised, and thank you so much for those insights. I do want to take the same question over to our other two guests.
I'm sorry. I'm just I just talked to you, Colleen. Let's go over. I'm having I'm working on my second cup of coffee, everybody. It's gonna work.
I want to take that same question to you, about 8 out of 10 organizers saying in person events are the most impactful marketing channel. Colleen, do you agree or disagree with that? And if so, why?
Colleen Bisconti: 100% agree and I agree with so much what Suzette said. Um, I think the other thing that's important, especially in B2B to understand, though, that even though our KPIs show us that events are the largest producer of results. They don't do it alone, right?
We can't think about events as these siloed experiences. So what we really focus on is this whole idea of an omni channel approach. And I expect the event marketers not just to be great event marketers, but they need to be great marketers. And that means, how do you know where the journey is and where do events play a role and is it before something after something [00:14:00] and really sort of pulling that string through and that's how we're going to continue to see events deliver the results.
Rachel Moore: Really great point, uh, Katie bringing it full circle to you. ,
What do you think about in person events as a marketing channel? Agree or disagree that they are the most impactful?
Katie McIntyre: I absolutely agree. I will never disagree with well sourced numbers. But I think it all goes back to the way that we as humans form memories. We're hardwired to form memories around novelty and around our experiences of novel things. So when we go to an in person event, it's very easy to say. I remember Monday because that was the day I had that really great sandwich.
And I remember Tuesday because that was the day the airport lost my luggage and when we go to virtual events, there's not that same feeling of chronology that we use as humans to form memories.
There's not that same serendipity. There's, there's not those happy accidents. And I think so much of in person and what makes things memorable are the peripherals around the event. It's the people that we [00:15:00] meet in line for the session. It's the conversations that we have, you know, uh, in the restroom. And, and around the, uh, around the dinner table.
And I, I think that those sort of moments of human interaction become melded with our brand perceptions and our learning styles and really help us to, uh, to, to form those memories in a more linear concrete narrative way, which makes it easier to retain.
Rachel Moore's video recording: We'll be right back with more event experience after the break
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Rachel Moore's video recording: We're back [00:16:00] as we head boldly into addressing the challenges of this 2025 year of events.
Rachel Moore: We wouldn't have a true state of the industry if we didn't give voice to the challenges event planners face as we swing into the new year. We've already mentioned a couple of those, like maybe some stagnant budgets, maybe some leaner teams, increased costs of just literally everything.
So let's address those challenges right now. Um, Suzette, I'm going to take this first question to you. When we surveyed over 1, 500 event planners and attendees, we revealed that sustainability is still front of mind for attendees. It came in at number one, um, with 18% of attendees indicating it was and is their top priority when attending an in person B2B event.
So, uh, in your experience, Suzette, um, why is sustainability still a major challenge for event planners? And what are your tips for trying to tackle that?
Suzette Wilson Samuels: Well, yeah, sustainability does remain a major challenge for our [00:17:00] industry. Um, uh, there is such a demand for, you know, for, for greener events and that is growing, but the operational realities of implementation, I think sourcing of materials, um, it also sometimes.
Yeah. It. At most times, clashes with budget constraints, logistical complexities, and even stakeholder buy in. Right, so I think when we look at that and we have to figure out ways that we can continue to evolve in this space, um, one of the things that I find from just from our experience at Drury is that you have to make sustainability part of your brand value.
that And if it is part of your brand value, it's in the DNA. It's organic. So it's not an afterthought. So start with the small wins, you know, find strategic partners that you can work with, you know, always continue to take the data and, and, and, and evolve from there. See what worked, what didn't. Um, [00:18:00] leverage the reporting that comes from it.
But if you make sustainability a brand value. It's half the battle.
Rachel Moore: Absolutely agree. You know, and I want to, I want to say something too. I think, I mean, I, I've been to my share of events, obviously don't, I'm not an event planner and I also would love to go to all the events, you know, but there's only so many days in the year.
But I think it's so interesting to win a brand, not only demonstrates the sustainability, but also gives the opportunity for the attendees to be sustainable, right? It's not just all on the brand side. Hey, we're sustainable, but you're anticipating, well, let's help our attendees be sustainable as well.
What are the little micro decisions they can make throughout the event that are sustainably driven? Would, would you agree with that?
Suzette Wilson Samuels: Yes, I think education is key, right? So education for the attendee, education for, you know, for, for the teens, you know, working with the venues and finding out what is working, what is evolving, you know, in the, in the space and with even with, with the use of [00:19:00] technology.
I think if we leverage that and taking sustainability on an ongoing journey, the key would be to start where you are and remain transparent. Share the data and evolve your approach.
Rachel Moore: Excellent. Um, and I wanted to call out really quick to Kathy ask what demographic was pulled for this report. Stay tuned, Kathy, because we're going to be able to provide all this and more by the end of the discussion.
So Suzette, thank you so much for those insights into that question.
Colleen, I'm going to go to you next. I want to highlight a legit quandary that we discovered in the state of industry report. 74 of attendees said having immersive event experiences that allow them to disconnect is important, but, kind of butting up against that.
Only 38 of organizers said they prioritized creating immersive experiences for those attendees. So we've got a little bit of a battle going on here.
What advice would you give to [00:20:00] organizers on stepping away from passive talks and moving into those more active, immersive learning sessions?
Colleen Bisconti: Yeah, it's a great question.
And this stat does not surprise me at all. By the way, creating immersive experience is hard, right? It's hard to define what that experience could and should be. It's expensive to do it well, right?
And so this whole idea that attendees no longer want to be, like you said, talk to don't, they don't even want to try something. They want to be immersed in that to learn.
And so creating that for certain brands is really hard. And so I think where the 38 of the organizers, are doing well is because they're pushing innovation. They're pushing themselves to really understand what is an immersive experience learning from others, right?
In terms of how do you create those meaningful things that actually engage attendees and then worry about the budget, right? And think about how can you do this in the most effective, scalable and repeatable way. So that you're creating it once and using it multiple times. But I think anybody that's not really focused on those immersive and [00:21:00] engaging, call them activations, call them experiences.
They're missing the mark because our attendees now expect that right from the events they go to.
Rachel Moore: Well, it, it kind of bounces back to what we're just saying about networking being a huge priority. And that's a huge way people network. If you make it more immersive, you're kind of almost, you're, you're constructing that experience to be like you have to interact with some other people around you.
Like you said, that seems to be what they're craving yet. It also goes back to that question earlier. Is this not more work on event producers? It's like, yeah, but the payoff from it is definitely worth it.
Would you agree?
Colleen Bisconti: 100%
Rachel Moore: Awesome.
Katie, I'm going to bring this next question to you. Um, On the topic of event takeaways, 8 out of 10 of the organizers surveyed said it's important to include experiential learning elements in their events so that they can enhance attendee engagement and knowledge retention.
So it's not just about being in the moment, but can we send them away with [00:22:00] stuff they're going to remember and use? I would love to learn from you, Katie. How do you incorporate experiential learning into your events? And, and then, you know, also advise us what can today's event planners do to foster it in their experiences.
Katie McIntyre: Well, it all goes back to what Colleen was touching on, and we've we've seen this sort of broader shift in the event industry from the idea of attendees to participants to now stakeholders where people really want to have events that are personalized, that are tailored to them, that take into account their own individual learning preferences. And that goes back to what we were talking about, about narrative and about having, having opportunities for people to get in there and get hands on in a way that is is more structured and more linear.
So, you know, if I was to give you a string of five random words and then ask you to recall them tomorrow, it would be very difficult to do. If we make that into a story, it's much, much easier. And it works the same way in our events. The more opportunities we give people to actually get in [00:23:00] there, and participate, and get hands on, and influence the direction of the session, the less passive we force them to be, the better it is for their learning.
The better it is for the memory retention. And more opportunities that we have to bring in people with diverse learning preferences.
Rachel Moore: Well, and, it goes back, I think Suzette brought up, you know, diversity as well too. It just adds to the whole experience. I mean, and isn't that a great way to, we all can learn from each other.
Every, if we got everybody attending this webinar and in a big room and started doing these immersive interactions with each other, we'd learn so much.
We can all share the different things that we've tried. Maybe we failed at them. Maybe we succeeded at them. And maybe we come from a different background and we're thinking about things differently. Um, it can all add to that.
So I really love those insights that you offer. Thank you. And again, there's, there are all kinds of challenges that are a report highlighted, which again, I'm going to tease out.
But, um, I'm going to move us onto the next segment of questions.
Because we've been talking a lot [00:24:00] about in person stuff. We're all seasoned pros here. We know that in person events don't live in a silo echoing what, um, what Colleen said earlier.
Each in person event is impacted heavily by field marketing efforts. And, not to be navel gazing here, webinars! Um, those have a, have a part to play in in person as well.
Katie, I'll take this first question to you. The Benchmarking Report speaks to a rise in micro events and field events. 64% of organizers said that they're going to use micro events and field events to support their larger B2B events. And then 77% reported that those are crucial to overall success.
I would love to ask you, Katie, how and why are we seeing this level of success that makes these efforts worthwhile?
Katie McIntyre: It all goes back to that stakeholder mentality, you know? If we're having micro events and we have the opportunity to really know exactly who we're talking to and what their needs are and meet them at that [00:25:00] level.
So if we know that we're going to a city where finance maybe is the major industry, then we know we're going to have more discussions around finance and things that impact that industry than we might at a giant 40,000 person conference.
It makes it a lot easier to meet your people when the event has been customized for your people. And it also makes it easier. You know, we think of events as this very specific point in time, which they are, but they're also pre and post and in the run up to the next event. If they're done well, they're these ongoing conversations.
And when we have these hyper local events, we make it easier for our attendees to continue those conversations themselves outside of things that we host. And then hopefully those relationships bring them back next year.
Rachel Moore: Yeah. Excellent points, too. You're so right too. I know we all know this, but I feel like sometimes we have to echo it to the people we work with and even our team. Like these, these events don't just happen like, oh, it's just this little one moment in time.
Um, and then [00:26:00] it's, you know, we don't think about it before or after, but you're obviously, you know, you are going to want to make that more wider, hey, let's lead up to it and let's take conversations way after it.
And I want to bring something else up too, which I think will probably touch on a little bit more as I bring more questions to our other two panelists in this segment.
It can be very daunting to go to a gigantic conference or a trade show, like, just the sensory overload alone where you're just walking in there like, ah! Versus kind of going into more targeted, intimate, and you know, you know, you're going to get something out of that micro event, versus, I have to go find what I'm going to get out of this gigantic event. It's here somewhere. Um, instead of having it kind of served up to you on a silver platter at a smaller event.
So I know I'm just, I'm basically just echoing everything that our experts here are saying, but it's, it's good to ponder and just think about the different attendees and the things that they're looking for.
But Katie, thank you so much for, for that insight.
Uh, Suzette coming to you next. I think we all know that we should be doing [00:27:00] micro events and field marketing. We all know we should be even again alluding to the, yeah, it's a little bit more work though. Might be a little harder.
But I'd love to know, Suzette, what are you, um, and I'm going to take this around to each to Katie and Colleen after this as well. What are each of you doing in your businesses to be successful at micro events and field marketing? But Suzette, you first.
Suzette Wilson Samuels: We have to listen. I think we, we have to focus on the intentionality and the personalization of the content that we're creating. Micro events are community building.
But I think what's important, is that we need to create a value driven memorable experience with the localized, focus, right? So it allows us to be more agile and more flexible. It allows us to try new technology in different ways.
We were talking about sustainability before. I think it also allows us to pilot and test sustainable practices in, you know, in a smaller bespoke environment.
But what it does [00:28:00] do is create that loyalty and brand loyalty and community. And I think if we, if we take all of the data from those, you know, experiences that are designed for those local communities and leverage whether it's the stakeholders that are in those local markets leverage, the speakers, the communities, the venues. We're able to capture all of those things and repurpose them and focus and see how we drive that further into the overall strategy of the whole strategy for the business, for the year long events.
Rachel Moore: Well, and someone said that earlier in chat to about it's a lot about these relationships that you are able to foster, cultivate, and build with these vendors, the speakers, um, the, the sponsors, uh, the attendees that keep coming back for these.
So excellent point there. Thank you so much, Suzette.
Um, I will take this, uh, Katie, I'm going to come back to you actually to answer that same question. What are you doing in your business as far as micro events and field marketing to be successful?
Katie McIntyre: We like to kind of go through and identify the levers that we can play with [00:29:00] the areas of opportunity to expand and to personalize and to really hone in on the specific market. And then pair those with the tried and true, the brand values, the brand messaging, the things that need to stay consistent city to city for it to be recognizably a brand X event.
And I think that there's a lot of space in those two things for balance. So you have the overarching sort of playbook. This is what we always do. These are the things that are important because they're important to the brand. Uh, and then these are the areas of opportunity where we can explore, we can flex, we can. And then you, you sort of AB test and you take the things that work and you apply them at other places.
And the more you find things that consistently the work works, the more you can make those part of your overarching playbook. So I think it's, it's that balance between, the musts and the cans. And finding opportunities for both inside of your, uh, inside of your standardization that really, uh, really help us, uh, identify opportunities.
Rachel Moore: I just want to give a big shout out that you [00:30:00] mentioned AB testing. Anytime anyone brings that up, I feel like I should have like a little party sound go off. I just, I love when everyone brings that up. Cause it's one of my, Oh, we should all be AB testing. It's so great.
But thank you so much, Katie, exactly on point for that. And really good, uh, points there.
And then I'm going to bring it back over to Colleen. Same question. Um, I think you've actually, uh, spoken a little bit about this in a in an earlier question, too. But recount for us again. What are you doing in at IBM for micro events and field marketing to be successful with your overall event efforts?
Colleen Bisconti: Yeah, so I don't think of those a separate, right? But I think of those as part of our sort of book bag of things that we have that we can use. And the most important thing is that we use data effectively. Because we know more about our clients and potential clients than ever before.
So how do we make sure that we're using that data to create more meaningful experiences. So instead of asking, actually engaging.
I think the other thing when I think about our entire again, omni channel down to the event portfolio, is make sure that you're thinking about where you meet the client where they are on their journey, right? It's not [00:31:00] a cookie cutter approach and where those micro events come in really effectively, is as you go down funnel, right, at the account level or with the individual.
Now, all of a sudden that targeting, that smaller group, that focus, bringing in the right SME or the right executive at the right time, that's what those micro events allow us to do.
And our field marketers have the relationships and so by partnering with them, it's the right time, right audience, right?
Rachel Moore: Excellent. Yeah. Talk about lead nurture, right? I mean, you're like, hi, you were, we saw you here, and come to this little more intimate. It feels so exclusive, and you get that face time and absolutely. It just and it's literally bringing them down the funnel. I love that.
Uh, Colleen, I'm going to stick with you as we go over this final question for this segment. Bringing it back full circle. Uh, we're talking about webinars. We're going to prove the point with this last question. Webinars still have a place in this world. Um, and as we all sit in a webinar, and talk on a webinar, and chat in a webinar, uh, 53 of attendees said they plan on attending more [00:32:00] webinars in 2025.
It's important to note that's compared to 29 percent last year. That's a huge jump.
Colleen, and then, uh, we might have some time to take this to the others as well. How is IBM thinking about webinars? What is your approach there?
Colleen Bisconti: So webinars are near and dear to my heart. I personally do not view a webinar as an event. And I know that's blasphemy in some circles. But I view it as a digital tactic, right?
A digital tactic that should be used right again, where the clients are on their journeys. I would love to see this same group of people surveyed a year from now saying, did you do it? Because I think all of us are well intended, right? We put webinars on our calendar, oh, we can't make it. We plan to look in the replay.
So I, I think what we need to do is make sure that we're not flooding, right? Our attendees with lengthy lists of webinars, but rather being mindful and specific. I think there are things, and we've talked about it on this podcast. You know, there are things that work way better face to face, right?
But there are things that work way better digitally, right? And in my [00:33:00] world, that's technical education, right? I don't need to bring somebody to a room to put headphones on and just sit in front of a, you know, technical education for two hours. And so really being mindful about when do you use podcast versus when do you try to bring people in face to face.
So it didn't totally answer your question, but I think webcasts are an important thing. We just have to use them purposely.
Rachel Moore: As someone who hosts the Event Experience Podcast, I think you make a lot of sense there. Um, I'm going to take this, quickly go to the other two panelists to, uh,
Katie, I'll go to you first. How about webinars? Y'all planning webinars this year?
Katie McIntyre: Yeah, we still see webinars playing apart. Um, fewer and fewer of our clients are actually trying to host digital events.
And I think it's for exactly the reasons that Colleen brought up.
During the pandemic, your audience was a monolith. It was everyone. Now it's not. So now you have the opportunity to get that data and to understand the kind of person who prefers to engage online, the kind of person who prefers a webinar to an in person event, and they [00:34:00] are there.
And the more that we learn about them, the more we can tailor things in a way that is specific to them and to their interests. And I, you know, as, as Colleen was saying about, about technical education. Honestly, it's often, if you're not actually hands on with the tool with the trainer there who's coming to you and answering your very specific questions, isn't it better to have something pre recorded by a professional speaker who is reading from a script and isn't humming and awing?
And there's, there's so many opportunities there. But, when we see it work best is when there's that extensibility. And that goes back to what you were saying about taking it, turning it into a podcast and taking the insights and publishing blog posts, or maybe having snippets of the most interesting segments that are parsible, that go with sort of our time availability and our attention spans these days.
So where we see it most effective is when the webinar is sort of the point in time moment for those interested specifically for, you know, this audience, because we've identified [00:35:00] who they are, and then redistributed to fit the learning styles of the rest of our audience. But when it's when it's very intentional and very specific.
Rachel Moore: Very great point. I love that too. And then also, uh, Suzette taking it lastly to you. Um, how about you? Are y'all planning webinars this year?
Suzette Wilson Samuels: I think webinars, need to be and considered part of the holistic strategy for, you know, for the brand. So, um, how you implement it, and how many, and when, and why, needs to be front and focus when you're looking at the holistic strategy for, for the goals that you need to, um, you know, to attain for that given year or product launch or, you know, or whatever it is.
Um, I think looking at how we leverage the content that is specific to the webinar and the audience that is, you know, receiving that is critical as well. You know, Colleen saying there are things that are organic for webinars. I think the use of technology will be [00:36:00] interesting for us now, to see how the webinars themselves evolve.
I don't want to get in and stray us away too far, but I think, um, sometimes you have to take a look at what's happening with our climate and, you know, we're talking about micro events. All of those things can impact. So we have to be agile in our thinking. We have to take all of our strategies and be adaptable in what we need to get to what audience at what time with what solution.
So, um, it's still an important part of the overall tactic and strategies that we have to use.
Rachel Moore: I really appreciate all three of you really gave some nuanced answers to that question. Because you're, you're obviously thinking about, how does this fit into our overall brand, overarching brand, what, who our audience is, where they want to be.
But you're being very strategic about it. You're not just literally like saying, webinars! It's great. And, and so you're just really setting the example, I think.
And what I'm excited about too, is because, um, thank you all too, because we got through those segments. Uh, we've walked the gift into the [00:37:00] room. I tease this out several times.
It's now time for you to unwrap the gift, get your own copy of the 2025 Event Benchmarks: From Insights to Action Reports. The thing we've been referring to this entire time. And we barely even, um, scratched the surface. We've given you all on a silver platter. Um, a lot of the like, Ooh, ah, you know, kind of numbers and stats that we discovered.
There's way more in the report. You know, we want to give you a gift that keeps on giving throughout the year. Um, first I'm going to hit this one and, uh, speakers, uh, I'll let you all, whoever wants to kind of jump on it first, please don't wait for me.
You can all unmute and get ready for this. What are your best tips and tricks for measuring ROI on revenue driving events when you don't have a scanned lead list, what are your best reporting tactics for measuring brand impact from events? So, does anyone want to hit that one first?
Colleen Bisconti: I think on the lack of scanner, and that's a problem. I think it depends on what kind of data you have accessible, right. [00:38:00] And can you match back who you might have seen or who you might have captured, even if it's with the business card back to your own sort of client database? And how do you almost backwards engineer what that lead was or what that lead might become or what the interest area was?
So it's a tough, it's a tough question, but I think you've got to get creative in terms of using the data sources that you have within your companies.
Rachel Moore: Sounds right. Agreed, yeah. And I excellent question. As far as like, um, best. And then let's go a little broader this one because that one's a tough one to answer too.
But, what are y'all's best reporting tactics for measuring brand impact from events? Like, you know, there are scanned lead list, if you can get that, that's obviously something you're like, Ooh, we got these leads but are there any other metrics y'all are using too, to kind of measure the impact of your events measuring brand impact standpoint?
Katie McIntyre: It really depends on the definition. So I'm, I'm always encouraging people since I sit sort of, in the dark, half on the technology team and half on the strategy team. Those things really need to be very directly linked. I'm a huge proponent of the strategic impact of event technology, um, and it goes back to building all of our technology and all of [00:39:00] our data collection mechanisms with intent.
So knowing before we build anything, what exactly is the data that we're looking to get out of that, and building it with a reporting first mindset. So, identifying what we need to measure, who it needs to go to, the channels in which we're going to deliver it, and then building back to those data collection mechanisms that will enable it.
So, it really depends on how we're defining brand impact. Uh, it really depends on whether or not we're defining that as increasing funnel or, or brand awareness or brand loyalty and ambassadorship, all those different things will have different mechanisms and different levers that we need to put into place in order to be able to capture the impact.
So I would just say the, again, going back to that intentionality, thinking of everything you do in terms of your events in a reporting first way.
Rachel Moore: Suzanne, how about you? I see you nodding.
Suzette Wilson Samuels: Yeah, I think we, we, we all do it, right? We listen, we research, we design. But I feel, I feel like sometimes what we also have to do in real [00:40:00] time, not just post, right?
In real time, at the events, whether they're micro or large B2B, find different ways and different tools and solutions outside of a scanner. To get real time feedback from the attendees. Whether you're incorporating use of influencers. Or different ways to, to work through how we network and how we formulate the information that's coming back and getting real time feedback from what's happening at the events. Will be something that we should be lean in a little bit more on.
Because what we're seeing too, is that we all have consumed and retain things way differently than we did 5-8 years ago, based on the fact that we were all sitting behind these screens for 3-4 years.
So we have to, we have to retrain our brain and retrain how we communicate and how we retain and how we, leverage the technology [00:41:00] in order for us to receive that feedback. And then, take that feedback and apply it again for what we do the next time around.
I think it's just a revolving door. Uh, it's a revolving door and we have to take that data and reapply it.
Rachel Moore: Excellent point. All right, let's move on to another. This one jumped out to, uh, especially in light of us talking about costs, um, and just kind of knowing the environment we're out there when we're dealing with negotiating and stuff.
Um, any advice y'all have around that? Because we talked about the challenge of those increasing prices and stuff.
Suzette Wilson Samuels: You negotiate hard, long, often, consistently, over and over and over again. I mean, I don't know how else to, you know, to say it. I think you have to build the relationships as well with the venues and with the suppliers. But I also think we have to challenge. Um, and it's not always easy.
We have to challenge what's there. Because sometimes depending on when you enter the relationship, it's after the contracts and whatnot are signed, right? But that doesn't, [00:42:00] that doesn't stop you from asking the questions and, you know, and, and going to bat and finding new and creative ways to figure out how we get to the goal.
And I think with communication, and invested relationships with that, things can happen. It's not always easy, but it can happen.
Colleen Bisconti: And then just to follow on to say is, there are a couple of things that you just said. I think it's also important that you don't come at it from a, I need to cut costs. I need to cut costs. I need to cut costs, right?
But you have a mentality around how can I gain efficiencies? How can I create different experiences? Maybe at a better price point? So that you're not seen as this person that's just, you know, trying to whine and moan about a budget cut, but you're being very creative about how you can jointly solve whatever situation you're trying to, to work on together.
Katie McIntyre: I was going to say, you know, thinking in long term, thinking not just for the moment or for this particular event, but that overarching relationship, and having sort of a multi year or multi event plan in place, where you can apply that slow, steady, pressure.
A lot [00:43:00] of times that's where we see movement is when you're not going well for event A, I need this concession or this change. And for event B, I need something completely different. But where you have this overarching plan for sort of incremental change in the areas that matter the most to you.
Suzette Wilson Samuels: I just want to add to that too. But, um, with Katie, I also feel like, we're trying to solve something in the moment, right? We're trying to solve, come up with a solution in the moment.
And I think if we're going into it as a collective team, for the end goal, we all want it to be good, we all want it to be great, we all want it, you know, to meet all the objectives. And I think if you, you go into it from, from a partnership perspective, and explore explain what the challenges are, and you know, and you know, one plus one is equals to yes.
But you know, how can I get there? How can I get there? How can we get there together? Right? And how can we, what can we do? How can we change what, what you thought it was? This is what I said. I drew you this beautiful picture. This is what I'd like to cut out of it, but how can we get that [00:44:00] together and come up with something else that, that can be more cost efficient and effective as well?
Katie McIntyre: Yeah, I think that's a great point. Uh, you know, it's, it's one of the things that I, I, I think of often is yes, 1 plus 1 does equal 2. But Negative 1 plus 3 also equals 2 and 2 times 1 also equals 2. So there's, there's a variety of different ways, as you said, if you're willing to work in partnership and be fluid.
On on this is the ultimate goal, but the getting there doesn't have to look exactly as either one of us is defined. It can be somewhere in the middle.
Rachel Moore: Thank you. That was some great dialogue. Thank you all for those insights on that. That was obviously a big one for everybody. I think we have time for about one more question.
There are a lot too. So, um, what does the trend of micro events look like for freelancers who want to create immersive experiences at a small scale but aren't necessarily connected to a larger company?
Um, any insights on that from from our panelists?
Katie McIntyre: I think this is such an interesting opportunity for freelancers. I mean, I can only speak to [00:45:00] what we see here at Opus. But it really does this hyper local, really does give us a lot of opportunities to reach out to freelancers and to artists and to creatives in that community in ways that we might not have for a larger event.
You know, if we're for 40, 000 people or whatnot, we're probably going to go with a very established agency, or fabricators, or shops that we worked with before, because there's, there's so much budget at play. There's so much potential for calamity.
For these smaller events, we're much more likely to reach out and try to find something interesting, something, you know, um, so I think it's a great opportunity for, for freelancers in that space, to sort of show, uh, yeah, show us, show us cool things, show us the things we can do that AB testing, we can see, you know, if this works for 10 people and if it does, we can scale.
I think, uh, I think it's, it's one of the best things about these smaller events is that we get to see so much real innovation so rapidly.
Rachel Moore: Yeah, thoughts, thoughts from either of the [00:46:00] other of our two panelists on on freelancers.
Suzette Wilson Samuels: Sure. I mean, we, we leverage a lot of local, you know, freelancers as well. Um, and I think it's important for you to also align yourself with the venues, and the conferences, and the convention halls. So that more are aware of what you locally can bring to the table.
I think reaching out to, you know, to the agent, the creative agencies as well, and and having a plethora of solutions that you can you can add, you know, add to a creative solution.
Um, I like the idea of, I'll give an example, we, we, we did a program in, in Texas, in November. And what our goal was really and truly to leverage as much of the local community as possible. Yes, you can bring someone in, but we're trying to be sustainable, we're trying to limit costs, we're trying to, you know, maximize on, you know, on every dollar.
And being able to go into the communities, and go to the venue [00:47:00] and ask the venue. I need this that and the other from from within from because I want to spend the dollars locally in that market. I want to be as sustainable as possible. I think so as a freelancer, making your brand and what you can bring to the table, known to more within the industry locally, would be helpful.
Because that's how we hear it. We hear it from, we hear it from the local supplies and venues and whatnot.
Rachel Moore: Yeah. It's a really good point about branding yourself, marketing yourself. Oh my gosh, marketers who have to market yourself. It's a, it's a tall order, but we all, you know, we know we ha it has to be done. Um, you know, it's been a good webinar when we literally wish we had another hour, but we don't.
So, um, I am going to, to now utter the words you all know, it's coming.
Thank you. Thank you for the amazing questions and insights, everyone. But that is all the time we have for today.
This has been great. I want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our distinguished speakers, Colleen Bisconti, Katie McIntyre and Suzette Wilson Samuels. Uh, I think I speak for everybody, we're all [00:48:00] so grateful for your time and knowledge today.
Before we part ways, a quick reminder that this webinar was hosted on the Bizzabo Event Experience OS. Showcasing the power of innovative event technology, all of which we're probably going to use the rest of this year, woo hoo!
Thank you once again for joining us. We look forward to seeing you at our future events. Have a great day, everybody. Bye.
Rachel Moore's video recording: Thanks again to Colleen Bisconti, Katie McIntyre, and Suzette Wilson Samuels for joining us on another great Bizzabo Industry webinar. And thank you for listening to this special version for the Event Experience Podcast.
If you're enjoying the show, we'd love to hear it. Connect with us on social and subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you're listening.
Also, don't forget to share the show with your colleagues and friends. You can find transcripts of each episode and key takeaways on bizzabo.com/podcast. You can also partake of the full webinar experience available on demand.
On behalf of the team, thank you. We'll gather again soon for [00:49:00] a new episode of event experience.
