Staffing B2B Marketing Events

May 5

What is the consumerization of B2B events, and what does it mean for your next marketing efforts? A recent study by Event Marketer and Sparks has shown that participants of B2B events want them to be more like B2C events. Specifically, they want to have an experience more like a consumer would have when attending a B2C brand activation event. This means creating entertaining activities that help the participants to learn more about your product. Hence, staffing B2B marketing events with the right brand ambassadors is an excellent way to ensure the B2C experience at B2B events.

Entertaining and Educational Experiences: Making B2B Events Fun

First, creativity is key. You have to create meaningful, fun activities with tangible takeaways. For example, B2B engagement activities, including a fitness class, cooking tutorial, or creative workshop. What sort of events would be relevant to the service your business provides but also will be fun for the participants? People who attend these events are looking for dynamic activities to enjoy. Give B2B attendees a reason to report back to their teams about your brand’s products and services. Additionally, whatever activities you include, the event staff who execute your brand activation are a critical element of making it fun, informative, and engaging.

Indeed, it takes a specific skill set to represent a B2B business well at an event. A brand rep needs to be part teacher, part coach, and part actor. Accordingly, it is a combination of things your staff will need to represent your business’ values properly. B@B attendees come to your event space to have an experience and learn something useful. Therefore, your event’s structure and the people who run it will be more important than ever.

Maximizing Your Return on Experience

Participants may want a more consumer-like experience, but these are not your average marketing event attendees. Also, they are attending the event to learn industry trends, discover new products, and return to their business with something valuable to improve their brand. Ensure your space provides a balance of fun and education when interacting with these guests. Once you get this mix right, you will likely achieve more social shares, recommendations, and other positive feedback signals.

To ensure your plan has the right balance of fun and education, contact us early on in your planning. Encore has over 25 years of staffing experience; we can save you time and money with our experiential marketing knowledge and staffing resources.

This is what Stefan Tauber talks about in his article: “Measuring brand activations in the digital age with ‘return on experience.'” By creating branding events that encourage social sharing and by focusing on the experience of the participants, you increase the event’s success. The more positive the participants feel about their experience, the more likely they are to share on social and recommend your product. Instead of just counting impressions, you will want to make an impression on the participants.

Finally, just because your brand experience is interactive does not ensure engagement. Attendees can be shy or skeptical of what they see. Hence, having engaging booth staff at your event drive engagement and improves the experience. The right brand reps are well-versed in meshing with various personalities and meeting your attendees’ energy levels to ensure a comfortable experience.

Relationships, Lasting-Impressions, and Interactivity

At one end of the spectrum is the idea of creating a party-like atmosphere, as recommended by Gary Vaynerchuck. It is no secret that good relationships are critical to successful business transactions. This might mean the people you choose to staff your activation must have the IT factor. Luckily, we take the guesswork out of brand ambassador selection. While we can’t measure some things, we do have a database of details that helps us select nationwide talent that fits your brand’s values. If you want to leave a lasting impression, you must ensure that your people can create an inclusive and engaging environment without being overwhelming.

Marketing With Gen Z.

In this age of entrepreneurs, the businesses you will want to court will likely be composed of different generations, and ALL of them are looking for a quality experience. Regarding Gen Z, creating events that introduce your brand’s persona and invite them into the story is vital. This is what Jeff Fromm calls Storyliving. Instead of telling your story to the people you want to reach, you have to find a way to invite them into the narrative you are creating. B2B events can no longer afford to be merely informational; they also need to be interactive.