In this episode of Event Experience by Bizzabo, host Rachel Moore is joined by industry experts Venita McLemore, EJ Oelling, and Amanda Armstrong to discuss the challenges and strategies for proving ROI in event planning. The panel shares insights on aligning event objectives with business goals, leveraging technology for data-driven decisions, and fostering collaboration with go-to-market teams to enhance event success.
The discussion highlights the importance of understanding both ROI and ROE (Return on Emotion) to create impactful events that resonate with attendees and stakeholders. The experts emphasize the need for clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and the use of innovative tools to measure and optimize event outcomes. The episode provides valuable takeaways for event professionals looking to demonstrate the value of their events effectively.
Here’s what you’ll hear about in this conversation:
[00:00:00] Rachel Moore: [00:00:05] Welcome to [00:00:10] Event Experience by Bizzabo, the podcast where we bring the best and brightest event experience [00:00:15] leaders together to share stories, tips, and lessons learned from creating some of the world's [00:00:20] biggest events.
[00:00:21] I'm Rachel Moore, your podcast host. We have the receipts from [00:00:25] you, our event planners audience.
[00:00:27] Proving ROI is the mountain that most [00:00:30] of us have immense difficulty with. That's why we gathered together a panel of [00:00:35] experts to truly tackle this universal challenge.
[00:00:38] Venita McLemore, head of [00:00:40] global public relations events for AWS. EJ Oelling, [00:00:45] vice President of Account-Based Experience for Six Sense. And Amanda Armstrong, [00:00:50] senior Vice President of Communications and Industry Relations for Encore.
[00:00:54] [00:00:55] In this episode, you'll get the best takeaways from their lively discussion on Bizzabo's [00:01:00] recent webinar, The Event ROI Playbook: How to Turn Event Data [00:01:05] into Business Wins. Let's dig right into an epic amount of event [00:01:10] experience. [00:01:15] [00:01:20]
[00:01:21] Well, hello everyone. Welcome. We're [00:01:25] so glad you're here.
[00:01:26] I am Rachel Moore, as always, I'm the host of Bizzabo's [00:01:30] Event Experience Podcast. And I'm thrilled to be your guide through our webinars, just [00:01:35] like this one. With that said, welcome to The Event ROI Playbook: How to [00:01:40] Turn Event Data into Business Wins.
[00:01:42] We all want those. This [00:01:45] webinar will be available on demand for your convenience, but we're glad you're here with us live and in the [00:01:50] moment. If you joined us for our most recent Benchmarks Webinar, when we [00:01:55] featured Bizzabo State of the Industry Report, you were there for the unveiling of [00:02:00] startling truths about what event planners have up their sleeves for 2025.
[00:02:04] In [00:02:05] fact, today's discussion is inspired by the insight that seven out of 10 [00:02:10] event organizers. So seven outta 10 of you on this call, said that it's difficult to demonstrate ROI [00:02:15] for in-person B2B conferences, summits, and conventions. That's why we're [00:02:20] here, folks. We're gonna double click into this challenge and help you prove the [00:02:25] ROI for your events. I hope we're all ready for that.
[00:02:27] We're about to provide you with valuable insights [00:02:30] and actionable strategies that you need to face the biggest obstacles around ROI [00:02:35] and learn how technology can help us address them.
[00:02:38] Get inspired for your own [00:02:40] initiatives that can be measured, and then for communicating your wins to leadership or clients [00:02:45] and pounce on the holy grail of this sales pipeline. And learn how to engage your GTM [00:02:50] team for the outcomes we all dream about.
[00:02:52] Business is the bottom line today. Because bottom [00:02:55] line is business. And today is your playbook to make sure your events blow [00:03:00] beyond those benchmarks for 2025.
[00:03:02] It's my pleasure to introduce today's webinar [00:03:05] speakers.
[00:03:05] First, we have EJ Oelling. EJ is the VP of ABX at [00:03:10] 6Sense. A marketing leader with 15 plus years of experience. She [00:03:15] specializes in creating data-driven personalized strategies that engage audiences and [00:03:20] drive business growth.
[00:03:21] In her role at 6Sense, she leads a global program that aligns [00:03:25] marketing, sales, and customer success to deliver impactful, tailored experiences [00:03:30] throughout the buyer journey. For those excessively long days on the event floor, [00:03:35] EJ wears sneakers.
[00:03:36] EJ, welcome to today's discussion. Thank you.
[00:03:38] EJ Oelling: Thanks for having me. [00:03:40]
[00:03:40] Rachel Moore: Awesome.
[00:03:40] Next, we have Amanda Armstrong. Amanda is the Senior Vice [00:03:45] President of Communications and Industry Relations for Encore.
[00:03:48] Encore is the global [00:03:50] event production partner that offers event tech, production, exhibit, and trade show services. They [00:03:55] produced over 350,000 events in 2024 and [00:04:00] Amanda is here to share some of the insights from those.
[00:04:02] Before Encore, she led Event Planning for Enterprise [00:04:05] Rent a Car, Alamo, and National Car Rental. Some of us probably got, uh, [00:04:10] impacted by her work there. She had been a prominent leader in the events industry, chairing NPIs International [00:04:15] Board, and earning recognition is one of the most influential figures in the field. Which of course is why we have [00:04:20] her in our posse of panelists.
[00:04:21] Amanda's shoes of choice for long days are her [00:04:25] encore team sneakers that are branded, might have to have you do a little drive by on the [00:04:30] camera with those if you, if you have those unless you have them on your.
[00:04:34] Amanda Armstrong: Actually, I will [00:04:35] take them off. And I will, I will do that in a minute. Um, but yeah I'll grab them.
[00:04:39] Rachel Moore: Thank you [00:04:40] so much and welcome to the, welcome to the webinar, Amanda.
[00:04:42] And finally we have Venita [00:04:45] McLemore. Venita is the head of Global Public Relations events at Amazon Web Services. [00:04:50] As we all lovingly know it, AWS.
[00:04:52] She is an event producer and entrepreneur [00:04:55] who combines background in dance with expertise in tech to create immersive [00:05:00] experiences.
[00:05:00] With 15 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, Venita [00:05:05] also co-founded Calm and Sense Creations. And now works on major [00:05:10] productions like AWS Reinvent, AWS Summits, and Reinforce. [00:05:15]
[00:05:15] Adidas are what Venita is wearing when she's in full event production mode. I approve that [00:05:20] choice. Venita, a pleasure to have you here.
[00:05:22] Venita McLemore: Thank you so much for having me, Rachel.
[00:05:24] Rachel Moore: [00:05:25] Excellent. Let's get started with the topic at hand, shall we?
[00:05:27] I'd like to ask our speakers the question in a slightly [00:05:30] different way. And anyone can go first. So I'll let you all kind of like, Hmm, and then, and then sound off.
[00:05:34] In [00:05:35] your experience, which of the challenges, the ones that we listed off, were you able to [00:05:40] overcome?
[00:05:40] And you don't have to go into detail 'cause we'll get into detail, but, have you been able to overcome any of the [00:05:45] challenges we listed in the poll? Anyone wanna go?
[00:05:47] Amanda Armstrong: Yeah, I'll go. Um, well here's my [00:05:50] shoe. 'Cause I, I promised, I don't know if you can see it. There you go. Thank you. [00:05:55] Mine, mine was conveying ROI success to superiors.
[00:05:59] I think that's really [00:06:00] hard. It's complicated. I'm gonna talk about that a little bit more, but I was able to overcome it.
[00:06:03] Rachel Moore: Wonderful, Venita [00:06:05] or EJ, how about you? Were you able to overcome one of those challenges? Yeah.
[00:06:08] Venita McLemore: We have really great teams that [00:06:10] we work with, so pulling data from tech, like a whole system for that and [00:06:15] having someone send those reports out, I'm just like, God bless you.
[00:06:18] I mean, that's, [00:06:20] that's what you need, right? Attending numbers, that's, that's the thing we want. So that has been [00:06:25] very successful for us, working with the right partners.
[00:06:27] Rachel Moore: Excellent. EJ, how about you?
[00:06:29] EJ Oelling: I was gonna [00:06:30] say, tying event engagement with the sales pipeline. I mean, that's huge for us. We're a hundred percent [00:06:35] data driven, and so, we do a sniff test. Like unless we think there's gonna be ROI or [00:06:40] there's gonna be any kind of return, we don't do that event.
[00:06:42] So that's like a big part of our play as well.
[00:06:44] Rachel Moore: I love that [00:06:45] each of you covered all the three options we had in the poll, so that's wonderful. So [00:06:50] events are evolving rapidly with rising costs and increasing frequency. I mean, we [00:06:55] got some big numbers in some of your bios for how many events you're doing.
[00:06:57] It makes it even more critical to demonstrate their [00:07:00] value. However many organizations and many of us in this webinar, I [00:07:05] imagine we're struggling to prove event ROI effectively.
[00:07:08] So in this segment, we're gonna explore [00:07:10] the biggest challenges that we event professionals face today, and discuss how technology can [00:07:15] bridge the gap between events and measurable business impact.
[00:07:19] So I'm gonna [00:07:20] take this first question to you, EJ.
[00:07:22] So I'm gonna refer back again. I, I, [00:07:25] I touched on our benchmarks report. So, according to our state of the industry survey by [00:07:30] Bizzabo, two key benchmarks are on the rise for this year. 53% of [00:07:35] event planners expect their budgets to increase in 2025. Yay.
[00:07:39] And [00:07:40] 66% of organizers plan to host more events in 2025, which is a [00:07:45] substantial rise from 42% last year. So 42 to 66%. Hmm. [00:07:50] Events are getting more expensive. Venues, travel, and [00:07:55] uh, food and beverage costs are rising.
[00:07:57] Since events are on the rise along with those [00:08:00] costs, would love to know, EJ, how are you shifting tactics to ensure that your [00:08:05] events are continuing to hit those targets in spite of those rising costs?
[00:08:08] EJ Oelling: Sure. Well, when we say [00:08:10] rising budgets, are we talking like $5 and 22 cents that we're getting added to our [00:08:15] budget, or are we talking like 50,000 to 500,000? You know, those numbers can be [00:08:20] really interesting in between.
[00:08:21] But I think we have to realize if you had the same budget you [00:08:25] had last year, you still could not do the same program this year, right? Because of [00:08:30] costs.
[00:08:30] So, it's really understanding, does the budget you have, meet the [00:08:35] expectations of what you need out of the event, right? So we really have to put those hats on.
[00:08:38] So, we wanna make sure that we're [00:08:40] driving pipeline and impacting it the right way. I tell my team often, we're [00:08:45] gonna spend money, but let's spend money the right way.
[00:08:47] So really looking at it from a program, figuring [00:08:50] out, do we need to have that much coffee in the room? Do we wanna do that extra tech? You know, are there [00:08:55] things that we could do in-house versus, um, hiring out.
[00:08:57] Thinking about ways to spend the money. We're gonna [00:09:00] spend it, just spend it the right way. And I would say, um, we always need coffee. That [00:09:05] is a must. You know, we always iced, if you are from my heart.
[00:09:08] But I would also say the last part [00:09:10] is we are very data-driven at 6Sense. I'm a very data-driven marketer. So for me, [00:09:15] we truly feel that it needs to be data plus experience equals pipeline. So do you have the [00:09:20] right data in place to ultimately drive the right experience you want? And if you can put those two [00:09:25] together, then you ultimately have the pipeline you need in the room.
[00:09:27] So that would be my little tidbit on that.
[00:09:29] Rachel Moore: I [00:09:30] think that's an, uh, excellent. And, and it's really great that you point that out. The programs can't, are not gonna look the same or [00:09:35] stay the same because of all the factors that incorporate in there.
[00:09:37] So you're right, you're, you're having to make those really [00:09:40] micro kind of, um, you know, uh, decisions. As far as like where are we gonna pull the levers and make [00:09:45] some choices and, you know, and, and see how things work. But the data, super important. I [00:09:50] love the light bulbs I'm seeing too, with the reactions 'cause that's super important.
[00:09:53] Amanda Armstrong: Well, I was just gonna add EJ, I love [00:09:55] what you're saying. And I would say bring your partners into that conversation. Like I love that you're talking to your team about [00:10:00] like, Hey, like last year's budget isn't gonna stretch to what we need to accomplish.
[00:10:04] Tell your [00:10:05] partners that too. Because, I think they need to understand your goals, a realistic budget, and [00:10:10] where you might be willing to make some trade-offs. Because you do have a [00:10:15] set amount and you still have to accomplish the goals, or no one's successful. So just bring your partners [00:10:20] early into that conversation so that they can help you make those decisions together.
[00:10:24] EJ Oelling: And early [00:10:25] on, right?
[00:10:25] Yes. I mean, that's key. Because no one wanted the last minute being like, Cool, can we cut 150 grand by [00:10:30] tomorrow?
[00:10:33] Rachel Moore: That's absolutely true. Well, and to not [00:10:35] surprise people, right? I mean, it, it's important to let set that stage early. So that they're like, look, we're not gonna, [00:10:40] well, didn't, you know, obviously, aren't you looking at, you know, don't you shop?
[00:10:44] You know, you don't, you [00:10:45] understand? It's like, no, just assume you have to educate from start to finish [00:10:50] about, about those factors.
[00:10:52] Amanda, I'm gonna bring this next one, segue over to you, actually. [00:10:55] circling back to what inspired today's event, let's hover on the stat that with [00:11:00] 70% of event planners reporting difficulties in 2024 with [00:11:05] demonstrating ROI to leadership. Again, that's seven outta 10 saying, this is hard and I'm, I'm not doing it. I'm [00:11:10] not, it's not, I'm not cutting it.
[00:11:11] And then that stayed pretty stable at 71% in 2023. So [00:11:15] it's, it's still the same problem, um, year over year.
[00:11:17] In today's market and economy, uh, [00:11:20] this isn't welcome news for anyone here. We wish it was getting easier. It's not. Especially if we count ourselves as one [00:11:25] of those seven outta 10 people.
[00:11:26] Why do you think that we're still so challenged when proving [00:11:30] event ROI and and what can you suggest for us to step out of those difficulties?
[00:11:34] Amanda Armstrong: Well, I mean, I [00:11:35] think it's, it's complicated. I mean, Venita, EJ, like explaining ROI to multiple [00:11:40] stakeholders, um, especially sometimes when they have conflicting agendas, like [00:11:45] it's not an easy thing to do.
[00:11:47] So I think when you go back to thinking about event [00:11:50] strategy and event design, the first thing you need to do is EJ, what you kind of said is, [00:11:55] okay, think about ROI. It has to align with business objectives. Mm-hmm. And there might be [00:12:00] multiple by different stakeholders. And so that's gonna be tough 'cause it's a [00:12:05] balancing act, you know?
[00:12:06] What maybe HR wants to do to motivate and engage employees for [00:12:10] employee retention, is maybe gonna cost a little bit more. So then the budget [00:12:15] owner is like, wait a second, like how much for that, you know, guest speaker. [00:12:20] But I think it's like, okay, well, but did we all agree that employee retention was [00:12:25] one of our KPIs or was it being cost conscious and getting everybody [00:12:30] together for training?
[00:12:30] So I think you gotta go back to, do you have [00:12:35] clear event objectives, that ladder into a business strategy, okay? [00:12:40] Then, are you agreed on what those KPIs look like? Like what is the end [00:12:45] metric that we're measuring?
[00:12:46] And it might not just be survey satisfaction, but it could be [00:12:50] revenue or it could be employee retention.
[00:12:52] So you need to kind of all agree there. [00:12:55] And then how are you gonna measure that is another thing. And when are, when is that data gonna come in? It might be right after the [00:13:00] event. It might actually be in six months. Sales pipelines take a while. So like, where, [00:13:05] when and where are you gonna report that up?
[00:13:07] And so that's another conversation to have. Is like, [00:13:10] what are we measuring? How are we doing it? And then who needs to know? Mm-hmm. And then who needs to know [00:13:15] needs to be the stakeholders, obviously, but probably the C-suite. Maybe it's your market. [00:13:20] You know, maybe it needs to be the biggest event to date, the best product launch ever.
[00:13:24] Maybe it's [00:13:25] social media, that is one of your metrics. Because you wanna show kind of that event marketer, [00:13:30] kind of some of those metrics. So I think bottom line, it's complicated.
[00:13:33] You need to think about [00:13:35] what your're measuring, how it impacts, and who you need to communicate. And then all agree to it. And [00:13:40] then stick to it, which is probably the hardest thing.
[00:13:42] Rachel Moore: Yeah, I, I really appreciate too, that you brought up like [00:13:45] Lifecycle. Um, it's easy to say, well, the event happened last week, what's the ROI? And it's like, [00:13:50] that's going to change it. There might be a, a longer story here than, oh, well, let's just close the [00:13:55] chapter on it. It's not done yet. You know, so you're, you're absolutely right about that.
[00:13:58] And, and so much too about it. It's [00:14:00] all gonna depend, but really excellent insights there.
[00:14:02] And then I wanna pivot over, uh, [00:14:05] Venita. I know we brought up technology a bit too, and we even brought that up too as a, as a challenge. 'Cause [00:14:10] sometimes it's like, okay, well. Apparently I've got data somewhere, about that can help me improve our ROI, [00:14:15] what do I do? How do I get it?
[00:14:16] I'd love to know, how are you using technology to address [00:14:20] ROI challenges? And any specifics you have on that, we will take because we, we need help here. [00:14:25]
[00:14:25] Venita McLemore: Absolutely. I mean, everyone is obsessed. Data, data, data. That's all you hear, [00:14:30] right? So we need to go beyond just scanning attendees and getting X [00:14:35] amount of attendees attended.
[00:14:36] I think that's like the baseline. But how do you [00:14:40] also get the return on emotion along with that? So one thing that [00:14:45] we do, because we know that people hate surveys. They hate 'em. I mean, it's so hard, you [00:14:50] can send it out during, you can send it out after. People don't like them. I mean, I personally don't [00:14:55] like them. But you gotta find a way to move beyond that.
[00:14:57] So what we've done is a swag [00:15:00] for your thoughts. Really quick, people are coming in, in the morning, there's an [00:15:05] iPad. Hey, how did you enjoy the keynote answer? Boop, boop, boop. Pick whatever you [00:15:10] want. Kind of like a treasure store. And people love it. They're lined up to [00:15:15] actually give us feedback. That to me is the way you do it. Is a little [00:15:20] bribery maybe, but they're being honest, right?
[00:15:22] Because I think that it's important that [00:15:25] you're getting their time, you're getting their attention, and the emotion that they feel when they [00:15:30] receive something cool, or they're able to like get a passport holder, or get a baseball [00:15:35] cap or get maybe like a really cool pen, selfie lights, whatever. But they took [00:15:40] that time and they gave you a one to five on what they thought of the keynote.
[00:15:44] They [00:15:45] gave you a one to five on what they thought on the panels yesterday. That's how we're getting the [00:15:50] information and getting the feedback.
[00:15:51] And that is used. And we take that data over like four days [00:15:55] for reinvent with people. And that's what I put in my docs that go to [00:16:00] my VP that she understands the return on investment.
[00:16:03] Like literally, [00:16:05] reporters are the most cynical people. And getting them to answer and give you honest feedback [00:16:10] is amazing.
[00:16:11] But also in that, even within what we do throughout the week, [00:16:15] we have, and we use, uh, AWS Pulse, we have our own survey system for that. [00:16:20] Which is, I mean, anybody can use it. I totally suggest it, it's a great product.
[00:16:24] [00:16:25] We still use Qualtrics. And we use that for more, you know, feedback that we [00:16:30] wanna see more data and try to really track where people thought the event went. Did they think [00:16:35] this session was great? Did they think they got anything from this panel? How did you feel about that press conference? [00:16:40] Like it's very important to really get people to write their thoughts.
[00:16:43] And because we deal with the [00:16:45] media, getting them to write their thoughts is very critical. 'Cause it really has influence [00:16:50] on what they actually will cover and what they actually will write about or report on from the [00:16:55] event.
[00:16:55] So it's important for us to use several tools. We use Slido [00:17:00] during presentations so people can give us a reaction, right then.
[00:17:03] I think it's [00:17:05] important to engage people in the moment because after they leave the room, their mind is somewhere else. They've gone [00:17:10] somewhere else. And you've kind of lost them, right? Mm-hmm.
[00:17:11] And then if you are using SpashThat for [00:17:15] any of your check-ins, any of the things you're using to get people in the room, we use that [00:17:20] outside of just a regular badge scan to have people RSVP and you can kind of see [00:17:25] the trend. You can see the event went out. People did it right away. We sent a reminder. We [00:17:30] had a 50% up to take in attendees that registered. Like they have [00:17:35] a great backend. If you don't have that part of Splash, you need to get it.
[00:17:38] They have a great [00:17:40] backend that'll help you. And even when you do check-in, you can see that if you have 50% that [00:17:45] arrive in the first hour, or if you had 20% in the first hour, and [00:17:50] 50% in the last half hour of the event.
[00:17:51] And those are the kind of data that you can [00:17:55] take and share that with your stakeholders, with your VPs, with your [00:18:00] C-suite, and say, Hey, we probably need to start this event 30 minutes later because no one showed up until the [00:18:05] end.
[00:18:05] Or next year we need to do a whole separate day, because this other event was more [00:18:10] successful, because more people came to that than they did this one. That is how you use the data to show [00:18:15] that we're gonna shape the programming in a way that will make us more successful [00:18:20] and be what our attendees need.
[00:18:21] Rachel Moore: Wow. Lot of nodding.
[00:18:23] Go ahead, Amanda. I saw you. You both can [00:18:25] chime in, but Amanda go first.
[00:18:26] Amanda Armstrong: Yeah, I mean, so Venita, I, I love it. I wanna go [00:18:30] back to what you said about kind of polling in the sessions. From our vantage point as a technology event, [00:18:35] technology provider, we're seeing that a lot. And it really is helping event pro like [00:18:40] professionals like yourselves, make decisions in real time, about that session.
[00:18:44] [00:18:45] Do you offer it again that week? Or does that speaker need some [00:18:50] coaching? Or does it need to morph and to be more engaging session because they're giving [00:18:55] you feedback that they are not happy? Or that they love it and can they do a workshop [00:19:00] later or a meet and greet later?
[00:19:01] So we have a version of Slido as well. And the other [00:19:05] reason that people are using it too, is to keep them engaged in the session. So they're requiring [00:19:10] speakers to use the polling to say, okay, in about, you know, brain science, [00:19:15] about eight minutes in, you're gonna start to lose them. Give them a poll.
[00:19:18] About five more minutes, [00:19:20] give them another poll, ask 'em. And so keeping them engaged in the sessions is another way to kind of, I [00:19:25] think, heighten that attendee experience.
[00:19:27] Venita McLemore: Absolutely.
[00:19:28] EJ Oelling: I'm taking notes [00:19:30] over here. My question was on the swag for thought, are you actually doing like a booth that they're [00:19:35] walking up to, and you're doing it in person that way, or are you, how are you managing that [00:19:40] in person?
[00:19:40] Venita McLemore: We have ambassadors at a concierge desk that they come to every morning to scan their [00:19:45] badge to come in. And so, you can get a schedule, there's like a QR code where you see the [00:19:50] schedule for the day. And the ambassadors simply have the swag displayed out, just like you go [00:19:55] in sacks and wanna buy everything.
[00:19:57] And they're like, oh. And they're like, what's that? And they're like, [00:20:00] oh, would you love, can you give us just three quick answers to see how you liked [00:20:05] yesterday? And we kind of message the ambassadors and train them to be very friendly. And if [00:20:10] people are like, no, I just want the hat, they'll just give it to 'em.
[00:20:12] But, we really want to engage in a way [00:20:15] that they feel like, oh, I love this yesterday. Yeah, sure. And they're all yes, no, 1, [00:20:20] 2, 3, 4, 5. There's nothing crazy. And if they just, if they do have an open field, [00:20:25] if some people wanna go to town, and just give you more feedback, and it has been successful for three [00:20:30] years now.
[00:20:31] Rachel Moore: I love that idea. I, and frankly, I'm just imagining, like the [00:20:35] last event I went to, you know how we all go around like booths and you kind of like, you're trying not to make eye contact with [00:20:40] anyone at the booth, and you're just looking at the swag.
[00:20:41] You're like, how do I like, just go up and take it without feeling? I, [00:20:45] I actually way prefer where it's like, oh, this for that? I get that if I give you my [00:20:50] opinion? I am, yes, I am here. I love that idea. It's awesome.
[00:20:54] You [00:20:55] got, I, and this was, by the way, I love when our webinars like this too, just like the open chitchat and stuff. Because [00:21:00] we're all, we're just inspiring ideas right here.
[00:21:02] And man, we have shopping lists now too for [00:21:05] everybody where we've got like, uh, not only shoes, but also, a whole parcel of tools that [00:21:10] we all need to be taking advantage of to make this reporting ROI easier on ourselves. So [00:21:15] this was awesome.
[00:21:16] We have to move on to the next segment. All right, let's, let's move along everybody getting [00:21:20] some great insights.
[00:21:21] For the next segment, from the most impactful metrics to the [00:21:25] strategies that yield the biggest gains in this segment, we're gonna break down what works, and [00:21:30] how to communicate those wins effectively to your organization. Which, you know that, that [00:21:35] last segment teed this up quite nicely.
[00:21:37] Uh, let's dive into what makes events truly [00:21:40] valuable to the people that are helping us put them on, and want to know about them later. [00:21:45] Venita, I'm gonna start off with you for this one.
[00:21:47] And then we're gonna go around the panel as well. But when it [00:21:50] comes to metrics, what are your organization's most important metrics that you [00:21:55] track that tell you if you have a good, great, or even mid ROI?[00:22:00]
[00:22:00] Venita McLemore: Yeah, that's, very unfortunately, easy for us. Because [00:22:05] we track in coverage of the event. So [00:22:10] how many articles were written? How many spots were on broadcast? How [00:22:15] much coverage did this event get?
[00:22:16] And we are very lucky to have [00:22:20] agencies, PR agencies and an in-house press team that literally [00:22:25] measures this. I mean, three to four months out, people are still writing articles because [00:22:30] it's international and it events, and it might not be time to go immediately once the event [00:22:35] ended. They might think that it's better for them to report on it two months after the fact. [00:22:40] AWS launch, A, B, C, D, right? Yeah.
[00:22:43] So, for that, I'm [00:22:45] very fortunate because we can track coverage and say we had, you know, [00:22:50] 10,000 articles, 14,000 articles, these are the dates.
[00:22:53] This is how many clicks [00:22:55] that article had. Like that is like the holy grail to be able to track. [00:23:00] But again, everyone doesn't have that. And if your PR team is not doing that, [00:23:05] work with them.
[00:23:05] That in itself, is showing the strength of your event. And showing how many [00:23:10] people actually came, tuned in, even virtually, watch [00:23:15] panels was engaged virtually, 'cause we all know there's still that virtual component for a lot of [00:23:20] events. And you know that if it's not reported on, didn't happen.
[00:23:23] And I think that a lot of people are like, [00:23:25] oh, you know, we may or may not, you know, have press, or we may or may not worry about that [00:23:30] is your true indicator of how the event went. What is the coverage like?
[00:23:34] So [00:23:35] that is specifically for me, like with media events, it's really [00:23:40] important. And getting that, and seeing that. I mean, we had last year, for the first time ever, [00:23:45] CNBC, they're broadcasting live from the floor, and it's already [00:23:50] March and they're ready to come back in November or December.
[00:23:53] Unheard of. Yeah, I'm like, they don't [00:23:55] do things this fast, but the way that we had it set up, the way that we [00:24:00] work with the producers and the reporter, they loved it. It was very easy, [00:24:05] like sweatless for them, interviews lined up. They didn't even have to bring a makeup artist. I had all of that [00:24:10] ready for them. And they were like, oh, we'll be back because we made it for them.
[00:24:14] And [00:24:15] that, really impressed C-Suite. That really impressed, you know, our stakeholders, that we were [00:24:20] able to get an outlet of that size to come to our event. Travel, to [00:24:25] come to our event and be there a lot.
[00:24:26] So, what I will say to everyone, work with your PR [00:24:30] teams. Try to figure out, because if you can, that's something that's measurable. Mm-hmm. You can [00:24:35] go into how many articles for this event, and they will all start to populate. And have [00:24:40] people that track that for you.
[00:24:41] Yeah. Because again, that coverage shows that not only [00:24:45] did your event happen, people are writing about it, people are reading about it, and you're getting [00:24:50] people that might read that article and go, Ooh, we need to be there next year.
[00:24:53] You're growing your [00:24:55] attendee base, you're make, you're getting new customers to come to your event because they read a great [00:25:00] piece about your event.
[00:25:01] Rachel Moore: Yeah. Super unique too. I love that you mentioned exactly what your [00:25:05] metrics are, what you're gauging the most.
[00:25:06] EJ I'll go to you next. Do you have a most important metric, or metrics [00:25:10] that you track to have good or great or mid or, I like the, what tells you the story?
[00:25:14] EJ Oelling: Ours is [00:25:15] pipeline driven. Mm-hmm. For ours, which is slightly different from PR 'cause ours is more on the stat sales side of [00:25:20] it.
[00:25:20] But when we look at an event, so all our metrics are decided at the beginning. So they [00:25:25] go into it, how much pipeline is sourced? So what are we sourcing from the event?
[00:25:29] We have a [00:25:30] meeting quota at all of our in-person events that we do. We actually break up the meeting quota by [00:25:35] sales segment. So if you're a strategic sized account, you have X amount of meetings down to a commercial [00:25:40] accounts, partners, we build that out.
[00:25:42] So Influence Pipeline is really challenging for us, [00:25:45] 'cause marketing influence is so much pipeline here at 6Sense, which is a great thing.
[00:25:49] So, [00:25:50] what I actually have is I have a win rate metric. So, if an opportunity goes [00:25:55] from stage two to closed, and it closes, what's the conversion rate?
[00:25:59] If my [00:26:00] team EBX is involved, so it was an event, a campaign or anything that my team has kind of curated, [00:26:05] they're involved in the opportunity, we usually have a 5% delta, excuse me, a 10% delta [00:26:10] between. So we know that if you use one of our events as a carrot or something like that, you have a better [00:26:15] conversion rate to close.
[00:26:16] So, I have a win rate conversion that we go off of. And then we also look at the broader [00:26:20] parts of marketing too. So it might be how much engagement we have on social media. We'll [00:26:25] have the amount of articles that might be written about us for our user conference.
[00:26:28] So, we build out this [00:26:30] entire metric, and then we build the program to then match it. So we have our end goals, and then we [00:26:35] work backwards. About what we wanna accomplish from there as well.
[00:26:37] So I would say that that would be where ROIs [00:26:40] sit.
[00:26:40] Rachel Moore: Excellent. That's, no, that's great. And love the working backwards. That's how it's supposed to work.
[00:26:44] [00:26:45] And then Amanda, how about you? Any metrics that you watch to say, we did great or we did hmm?
[00:26:49] Amanda Armstrong: [00:26:50] Yeah, well, what we're seeing, I mean, all of the ones that were mentioned are great. And our customers report on [00:26:55] those depending on the objective of their event.
[00:26:57] But I do think one thing that we're starting to [00:27:00] see new and um, actually I gotta do a shout out in the chat to Lydia Bright, return on [00:27:05] emotion.
[00:27:06] So, this is where folks are kind of shifting into, it's really [00:27:10] good to have all the metrics for ROI that meets to, but then when you kind of break down that attendee [00:27:15] experience, and when you're thinking about like, will they come back? Did they like it? Why did they [00:27:20] give it a good rating and get the baseball cap, you know, from Venita, right?
[00:27:23] Like, what drove [00:27:25] it? We kind of started to dive into that and I think, um, and I'm not sure if we [00:27:30] have it, but if there is a slide, I did do some definitions to [00:27:35] kind of like pencil out what actually is the ROI and the ROE, [00:27:40] like what is the difference there?
[00:27:41] And so, while we're wait for it, or if it doesn't show up, I'll just tell you, so [00:27:45] the ROI, you guys know it's a performance metric. It's used to evaluate the profitability or the [00:27:50] efficiency of an investment, right? And in this case, your event. So, you know, we talked about all those.
[00:27:54] [00:27:55] Return on emotion is really more of a marketer concept. And so EJ you know this, I mean, [00:28:00] it's about the customer experience, right?
[00:28:02] So if you just put customer as [00:28:05] attendee, you're measuring this emotional connection that this event has [00:28:10] as an impact on them. And maybe it's your brand and your product, if it's a product launch. Or maybe it's [00:28:15] your company, and a connection to the culture there.
[00:28:17] Or maybe it's an initiative like [00:28:20] selling more and it's revenue based, but you're kind of, it's a little bit more on a human [00:28:25] level. Which I love thinking about, like, what is driving their behavior change? And [00:28:30] its emotion.
[00:28:31] And so, when we started to dive into it with customers, we were thinking, [00:28:35] Okay, so, what is that emotion that you're looking for? And it's like, okay, well we, when we ask [00:28:40] that question to them, kind of in the event design process, it's like, all right, we want a stronger [00:28:45] connection between the employee and our company. It is about retention. Or we want a [00:28:50] stronger connection with our mission and purpose.
[00:28:53] Um, oh, there it is. Okay. Yeah. So [00:28:55] there's the de definition for you guys.
[00:28:57] Maybe it's just enhancing like brand loyalty. So [00:29:00] EJ that speaks to kind of what you do in front of your customers or folks that are purchasing product.
[00:29:04] So [00:29:05] I just think like it's important to be thinking about that because we know that [00:29:10] behavior is influenced by that. When you tap into emotion, basically you can [00:29:15] influence someone to do something, right? Hype a product, be a brand ambassador.
[00:29:19] And so, when [00:29:20] you're designing events with emotions in mind, it helps you think about what do we want them to [00:29:25] feel after this? Excited, motivated, understood, included?
[00:29:29] [00:29:30] And so, one thing that we'd already mentioned, Venita, is that in-person polling, [00:29:35] it's a good time to check in with your attendees. How are they feeling? [00:29:40] Overwhelmed, over programmed, overstimulated? Do they need a break? Are you asking some of those questions? Can you [00:29:45] point them to a wellness room? Mm-hmm. Can you point them to a, a quiet room or a networking space? [00:29:50]
[00:29:50] So, I mean, it's really trying to curate this emotional connection with your attendee so that [00:29:55] they consider this one of the best events they've been to. And then it was built for them because you're listening to [00:30:00] them during the event, before and after, about the type of experience they wanna have. Because it does [00:30:05] impact their emotions.
[00:30:06] Mm-hmm. And that's an important thing to consider.
[00:30:08] Venita McLemore: Can I piggyback on [00:30:10] that? I totally agree with you, Amanda.
[00:30:12] And what we did this past year in [00:30:15] our lounge, we had an acrylic robot that was painting [00:30:20] different portraits, like nice soothing music, and you could watch the robot [00:30:25] paint on the stage. People loved it.
[00:30:28] Like I literally would go in there and just see [00:30:30] someone having a cup of coffee, watching this robot paint.
[00:30:33] And it was doing like two to [00:30:35] three paintings a day and just going up close to it and just expression, just the [00:30:40] calmness that was within them. Like we're gonna hopefully bring that back. I told that [00:30:45] the company that we work with, because it was run on AWS, this whole thing.
[00:30:49] [00:30:50] And I was like, this is great. Bring in some art, bring in some [00:30:55] culture, bring in something that's soothing. And I do my own [00:31:00] ROE walking around, just staring in faces, seeing what's going on.
[00:31:03] But like literally, you know, we can't put [00:31:05] the cameras up to gauge faces, which would be great. But, seeing this and seeing people's [00:31:10] reaction and getting their feedback on how much they loved it, doing more things and [00:31:15] more moments of immersion are things that aren't necessarily [00:31:20] like, you know, they can't like touch and feel it, but they can view it and it changes [00:31:25] their, like all the rushness, all the panels, all this, I gotta do this, I gotta do this briefing. It gives [00:31:30] them a sense of peace and calm in the middle of the storm, is key.
[00:31:34] I really think [00:31:35] that is, you're onto something that is very important in this current state. [00:31:40] Very important.
[00:31:40] EJ Oelling: I feel like ROI is very black and white to me. You know what I mean? Like I, you either hit your [00:31:45] number or you didn't.
[00:31:45] We have a goal we're gonna get there, right? I think ROE is, it's like super [00:31:50] tangible and you how to like figure out how to do it. And I feel like that has a harder actually [00:31:55] executive buy-in. So Rachel, go back to your original question. I can sell ROI really [00:32:00] easily. It's like you, I've spent this much, this is my return.
[00:32:02] Cool. Yeah.
[00:32:03] Venita McLemore: Mm-hmm.
[00:32:03] EJ Oelling: I, my ROE. And [00:32:05] I think, are they gonna really have that buy into it? Are they gonna let us spend [00:32:10] the money to get that emotional response to get back? And I think to me, that's a work in [00:32:15] progress.
[00:32:15] Like, you try it the first time, show by doing these things, look at the return we got and how [00:32:20] many more people signed up for next year.
[00:32:21] So I don't think that, I think ROE is like a stepping [00:32:25] stone. Like it probably is a work in progress as you're looking at your bigger events or you're doing a road show or it [00:32:30] prolongs it, but probably it has really good outcomes in the end.
[00:32:33] But it's not an easy hit in the very [00:32:35] beginning. Correct? Like that's the right way to look.
[00:32:37] Amanda Armstrong: I think you're, I think you're exactly right. I think you [00:32:40] use ROE to hit your ROI, right? So when you ask your attendees [00:32:45] a survey question like, Hey, did this event satisfy all of your, you know, goals to go? And [00:32:50] you get a four, and then you're like, I, I wonder what would be a five? Or are you gonna come next [00:32:55] year? I'm not. It was too overwhelming, like too many programming, right.
[00:32:58] So it's like the [00:33:00] reason that they're saying maybe giving you a negative score probably ties back to feeling that they [00:33:05] had there. So you're right, EJ, you have to connect it to the ROI. You can't just go in and be like, [00:33:10] everybody. Felt good at our event. Who cares?
[00:33:12] Like did they buy more like, [00:33:15] like, like, like that, you're right. But it's like they felt good. They came [00:33:20] back, they spent more, right? So that's what you have to kind of ladder in. [00:33:25] Because emotion does drive behavior.
[00:33:27] And so, I put a couple of slides [00:33:30] together. Or I put a survey, some survey questions that you could maybe ask [00:33:35] if they wanna put that up there.
[00:33:36] But this is, ask your survey questions differently, would be my [00:33:40] advice. Instead of saying like, were you satisfied with the speaker? How'd the speaker make you [00:33:45] feel? Motivated? What'd you find most valuable about the event? What if they [00:33:50] said it was the robot painting the picture?
[00:33:52] Like, what if you had a large majority say [00:33:55] that, you're like, oh my God, we gotta do this. Why are we spending money over here? Where you could have [00:34:00] a fireworks display when people just wanna watch robots because it's calming. [00:34:05]
[00:34:05] Venita McLemore: And it's cool!
[00:34:07] Amanda Armstrong: Yes! So you could save a lot of [00:34:10] money if you just ask your survey questions different. I think the last one is, did it meet your [00:34:15] expectations for your professional growth?
[00:34:16] I mean, we all know a lot of people come 'cause you could get [00:34:20] great content like this webinar online, but you're missing kind of the face-to-face [00:34:25] connection.
[00:34:25] So when you're designing networking events for professional growth or [00:34:30] for connecting, you should ask about that. Was that reception, did it give [00:34:35] you the network or did you hang out with your friends at a table, right?
[00:34:38] Maybe that's okay, but like, did you [00:34:40] meet new people? How did we help you do that, if that was one of your goals?
[00:34:44] So just [00:34:45] think about asking questions differently. The QR code is just an article about ROE [00:34:50] versus ROI.
[00:34:51] EJ, you bring up some great points, like how do we [00:34:55] get outta just talking about feelings and how it ladders into business objectives?
[00:35:00] We will be right back with more event experience after the break.
[00:35:04] [00:35:05] Behind every great event organizer is software that makes managing the small stuff easy, so [00:35:10] you can focus on crafting events that matter.
[00:35:13] From seamless registration and [00:35:15] onsite solutions like the BizzaBox, to powerful dashboards and the Klik Smart Badge, [00:35:20] Bizzabo's Event Experience Operating System is your all-in-one solution to [00:35:25] planning conferences that captivate and experiences that elevate. Visit [00:35:30] bizzabo.com. That's B I Z Z A B O dot com to learn [00:35:35] more.
[00:35:36] Rachel Moore: We're back with our expert panel to give up the secrets about [00:35:40] collaborating with go to market teams.
[00:35:42] But we're gonna move on to, because we [00:35:45] do need to get into GTM and the fact that we don't do these things in a silo, uh, [00:35:50] exists. Uh, events don't exist in a vacuum. Maybe sometimes they wish they did, but they [00:35:55] don't.
[00:35:55] They play a critical role in driving business goals from generating leads [00:36:00] to fostering customer relationships.
[00:36:02] In this segment, we'll explore how events can contribute [00:36:05] to sales pipeline success. Because that sales team wants those [00:36:10] leads.
[00:36:10] And discuss ways to align event efforts with the broader business strategy and the people that [00:36:15] help execute it.
[00:36:15] So, uh, Amanda, I'm gonna take this first question over to you. As a trusted [00:36:20] partner in the event production space, how do you help your customers align event outcomes with [00:36:25] their broader business objectives?
[00:36:27] Amanda Armstrong: Yeah, I think that this comes down to right early [00:36:30] in the process where, and we talked about it before, bring us in early.
[00:36:34] It's one of the [00:36:35] things that our sales team asks first, what does success look like to you?
[00:36:39] And we ask it a [00:36:40] couple different ways because depending on the level of event, I mean this audience here, and [00:36:45] obviously Venita and EJ, you guys are experienced event professionals. But sometimes we have folks that have only been in [00:36:50] their role a few years.
[00:36:51] And so, they're kind of getting an order of like, this is what I need. But, when we [00:36:55] ask the question like, what are you trying to achieve? What's your objective? What does success look like to [00:37:00] you? I think that, that really helps. So we start there.
[00:37:03] But then the other thing that we have that I'm [00:37:05] proud of when we rolled out this year is we have, it's called our Customer Research Tool. And we [00:37:10] actually can look up your company or you, um, if you are on the event order and look at [00:37:15] your, your event history.
[00:37:16] So, even if you're not sure about your event, goals and [00:37:20] objectives or the details, we could say, well, you know what? In Omaha, you did this six months ago, [00:37:25] is this the same thing? Because we've got all of the notes on what you ordered, what worked, and [00:37:30] we also have your survey feedback.
[00:37:31] Because we send out event pulse, which is a survey [00:37:35] satisfaction to all of our events. Uh, we have over 20,000 that we look at and we [00:37:40] tie it back to, and you gave us a 9 out of 10, it said that you wanted this next [00:37:45] time.
[00:37:45] So like, we're trying to help customers, um, our customers connect [00:37:50] back to like, what did they do with us before? What are those business objectives now? Has anything [00:37:55] changed? What did we learn?
[00:37:56] Um, and so we're trying to bring that, to kind of help impact their event [00:38:00] outcome.
[00:38:01] Rachel Moore: Great. Excellent.
[00:38:02] And again, it all comes back to educating, right?
[00:38:04] And [00:38:05] really just never assume that they know everything. I love that you mentioned that. I mean, gosh, sometimes you do see a lot of [00:38:10] turnover in roles.
[00:38:10] And people are new to their role, new to the brand, and it's just, you're just being that [00:38:15] partner to them to make sure they grasp everything that needs to happen. And what you can [00:38:20] deliver. So.
[00:38:20] Amanda Armstrong: I agree. And the other thing is to help them envision, right? I mean, how many times EJ [00:38:25] and Venita have you been looking at like, kind of like a hotel. It's like, you know, like you're looking at the brochure [00:38:30] online or whatever, and you're like, how is my event gonna fit in there? Like, what is the vision?[00:38:35]
[00:38:35] And so we do have new, um, rendering. Uh, it's a proposal tool where it generates [00:38:40] an automatic rendering. So we, we basically can show you, this is an actual picture of what [00:38:45] this ballroom looked like with your similar specs or it's a rendering of it based off what you [00:38:50] told us.
[00:38:50] Because I do think people need to kind of see what it looks like [00:38:55] to be able to maybe even sell the price point, right? Because it's like, wow, our budget [00:39:00] does need to grow because last year, the event ballroom didn't have these ceiling heights, you know?
[00:39:04] [00:39:05] Things change year to year based off of maybe somebody else picked a different hotel and you're like, oh my gosh, this is a [00:39:10] historic hotel. Like this is gonna be a whole different AV setup in here.
[00:39:13] Um, or it's gonna be, [00:39:15] you know, a remote location where the food and beverage is gonna be way higher because we're on an island. You know, I [00:39:20] mean, those types of things you don't necessarily think about until you're kind of in that planning [00:39:25] phase.
[00:39:25] But hopefully some of the tools that you're production partners or even your hotels can provide you, [00:39:30] to help you to start to envision that, helps you with budget concerns and [00:39:35] also pitching the why, behind maybe the spend.
[00:39:37] Rachel Moore: Yeah, absolutely. So [00:39:40] excellent insights there. And continuing the GTM discussion, Venita, I'm gonna bring this next one over [00:39:45] to you.
[00:39:45] Everyone in this session, everyone on the screen, and everyone in the audience, we know the [00:39:50] power of events for sales enablement. But sometimes our sister teams may [00:39:55] not be convinced, right? They may be like, why aren't you doing that? You know, why, why, why do we need that event? Or why are you [00:40:00] doing that particular event that way?
[00:40:01] what are some strategies for getting the GTM team more excited and [00:40:05] engaged in events that you've, you've tried successfully?
[00:40:08] Venita McLemore: I believe that [00:40:10] making the team, everyone feel like one team, and that they're partnering, and that you're [00:40:15] not just doing it for them or making them doing it, or [00:40:20] voluntelling them they have to do it, is the key.
[00:40:22] Because I think people have so much going [00:40:25] on, especially when they work in sales. They just need to hit numbers. They have a lot of pressure and a lot of [00:40:30] stress. So you wanna make it as easy as possible and spell it out.
[00:40:33] Like Amanda was saying, like [00:40:35] literally, come in, this is the cad, this is why we have to have it here, this is [00:40:40] what happened last year, we were at capacity, you probably missed out on missing over a hundred [00:40:45] people or meeting over a hundred people 'cause we could not fit any more people.
[00:40:48] And like really [00:40:50] explaining to them and education as we talked about, educating them, but just [00:40:55] making them feel a part of it and not just something they have to show up [00:41:00] to.
[00:41:00] And this goes back to ROE.
[00:41:02] ROE for stakeholders and [00:41:05] for C-Suite is also important. Because if they are not feeling like it is their event, and [00:41:10] not just something you planned and they had to show up to, you don't have their buy-in.
[00:41:14] Getting [00:41:15] the buy-in of the people that you are working with is the most important thing that you can do, [00:41:20] meaning that they feel like a part of it from the beginning.
[00:41:23] So, there should be [00:41:25] meetings that you're holding where even though I know sometimes ideas are wacky, but give them the [00:41:30] opportunity to express their opinions. Give them the opportunity to say, you know, last year we went [00:41:35] to this restaurant and it was really terrible.
[00:41:36] And so, I don't ever wanna go back there again, but I [00:41:40] like these five restaurants. Take the restaurants, get somebody on your team to research 'em. Come back and say, [00:41:45] listen, we can do that. Give them the opportunity even for those little small things. I don't really care [00:41:50] what restaurant we go to, so let 'em have it. Whatever.
[00:41:52] Like you want to make sure [00:41:55] that you are giving them the buy-in so that they feel accountability for the success [00:42:00] of the event as well.
[00:42:01] And that to me is the ROE of your [00:42:05] stakeholders, and your C-suite, and all the people that you work with, even your team members. So that [00:42:10] they can feel like it's our event and not something that they just have to show up and [00:42:15] work for and be a part of because they are being told to be there.
[00:42:18] And I think that people, [00:42:20] sometimes it's planners, we're very like freight train. Like, Nope, nope, this is what happening again. [00:42:25] We have to find a way to work with people and listen to their opinions [00:42:30] just like we do the customers, right?
[00:42:31] That we're producing these events for. Because that is how you're gonna [00:42:35] get them to give you the money. To give you the time, to give you all [00:42:40] the things you need to grow the event year over year.
[00:42:42] So, I know that sometimes it's like, oh [00:42:45] my God, we have to go to this meeting. Go in with smiley faces, donuts, you see, I'm into [00:42:50] the bribery. Donuts, PowerPoints, talking points, [00:42:55] fun activities to just get them engaged, and once they buy [00:43:00] in, the world's your oyster. They'll give you whatever you want.
[00:43:03] Amanda Armstrong: I agree and I, the [00:43:05] only thing I would add is then give them credit, right? So, if they pick that restaurant [00:43:10] and they, and it scored well, I try to go through, you know, when I was in the [00:43:15] operating days, I tried to go through the survey results and pull out comments that my stakeholders [00:43:20] said like, "Hey, I'd really like this."
[00:43:22] And it's like we got a great verbatim. Now, maybe it [00:43:25] was only one person that commented on that ad, but it's like we got it right and they gave us a [00:43:30] 10. And thank that idea because I do think not only their buy-in, but them just [00:43:35] participating in it, they care.
[00:43:36] Like, get excited about it, like, bring us your ideas. Maybe [00:43:40] not all of them are gonna implement, but when we do, if there's an easy low hanging fruit, [00:43:45] then let's feed back to be like, we're listening, we're implementing, and you're helping craft a [00:43:50] better event.
[00:43:50] It's just a smart strategy to keep them engaged, um, long term. [00:43:55]
[00:43:55] Rachel Moore: And EJ, this actually segues great into the question I had for you for this [00:44:00] segment.
[00:44:00] We all are trying to go through the motions, collaborate with our GTM teams. Venita just gave some [00:44:05] excellent ideas there, you know, just about a restaurant saying, "Hey, get their feedback." Like what do they like?
[00:44:09] What are some other [00:44:10] hacks or advice on how we can foster that collaboration better and motivate those GTM efforts?
[00:44:14] [00:44:15] What would you say?
[00:44:16] EJ Oelling: Absolutely. Well, I'm really unique in my role, as ABX. [00:44:20] Because I have a go-to-market team that also works for me as well.
[00:44:22] So, I have a go-to-market team [00:44:25] that sits alongside the sales organization, and they're almost like mini CMOs in the [00:44:30] sales teams, right?
[00:44:30] So, they're in the weeds on their deals. They're looking at the data. We use [00:44:35] 6Sense to help us kind of see like where people are in their buyer's journey. I had to do that plug right there. So we have [00:44:40] that, you know.
[00:44:40] So they're really like, again, like looking at the data, they have their own metrics that are tied back to their [00:44:45] sales segment. So, it's a partnership.
[00:44:47] So when I was thinking about my notes for this section, like two words [00:44:50] really stuck out. Trust was the first one, right? So, you have to trust each other.
[00:44:54] I [00:44:55] think the sales team, the BDRs, the customer success team, anybody who's revenue driven, [00:45:00] I would just say, right? They have to trust the go to markets that they are going to be a team, right?
[00:45:04] [00:45:05] Mm-hmm. So we're gonna drive them on, here's who we think would be there, and here are the outcomes, and they're gonna partner with [00:45:10] us to get people there or give us their feedback, and who wants to be there.
[00:45:13] So, to make sure that [00:45:15] there's trust and that goals are aligned.
[00:45:16] And then data is the big thing too. It goes back to that sniff [00:45:20] test. Is the data showing that we should be doing this? Is the data, are we enabling [00:45:25] people to be there?
[00:45:26] We drive enablement decks for every event that we do. We have like a [00:45:30] master deck. Uh, my user conference, it's 97 slides. Is my, my enablement [00:45:35] deck. It's anything from like, here's where you're gonna be, here's the metric, here's the breakdown of the [00:45:40] restaurant, here's the audience type that's gonna be there.
[00:45:43] Here's what the return's gonna be. Here are [00:45:45] external facing slides, so you don't wanna use the internal ones. I've given you an external one.
[00:45:49] My [00:45:50] team will no longer answer questions in Slack. So when somebody writes like, "Hey, do we know what time the [00:45:55] agenda starts on Tuesday?" We'll be like, "Cool. Look at slide 42."
[00:45:58] So, we really [00:46:00] want everyone to dive in and whenever I do a customer call, they'll laugh. And the CSM or the [00:46:05] sales person will say like, EJ's team, just no longer answers questions anymore, they're really empowering [00:46:10] us to be part of it.
[00:46:11] So we're giving them the tools to be successful. Again, like Venita and [00:46:15] Amanda said, we're giving them that voice. We're giving them that seat at the table. Because we're all in it together.
[00:46:19] Like, [00:46:20] we can set you up as an event, you know, producer, planner, executor, whatever you wanna call us, [00:46:25] we can set you up. But we have to work as a team to ultimately get the outcomes that we need.
[00:46:29] So [00:46:30] we really think of everything from top to bottom for the event and the [00:46:35] follow up is even more part of it too.
[00:46:36] So now you've had the event, so what are you gonna get out of it? And that's [00:46:40] ultimately gonna really drive your outcomes, as Amanda said, 30 days, 60 days, six months later. So, it [00:46:45] becomes that true partnership across the board.
[00:46:47] Rachel Moore: Love it. I, I mean, and [00:46:50] exactly right, you know. And it all dries back to the ROI, because at the end of the day, it's about the conversions and [00:46:55] the sales and the, and, and that you, you can do that all by yourself as an event planner, you have to have those [00:47:00] teams. They're crucial to your success just as you are crucial to their success.[00:47:04] So, [00:47:05] excellent insights. This has been a lit discussion and I love it.
