The document provides guidance for business-to-business marketers on using events for lead generation. It outlines the key tasks involved in event marketing and lists the 10 critical factors for success, including allowing enough time for planning, setting realistic attendance targets, planning for contingencies, choosing the right venue, adding value for attendees, planning audience generation and lead capture mechanics, creating a project plan, ensuring smooth execution, and following up quickly. Following these factors can help marketers run successful and lead-generating events.

1. A Guide for Business to
Business Marketers.
Prepared by Klaxon
www.klaxonmarketing.co.uk

2. Key Takeaways…
1. Why choose events for lead generation?
2. Overview of the core tasks in event
marketing
3. The 10 critical factors for success

3. Q. Why choose events for lead gen?

4. Q. Why choose events for lead gen?
A. The quality of a lead correlates with the
effort exerted to interact with your
company.

5. Q. Why choose events for lead gen?
i.e. convince someone to take a day out
of the office for your event and there’s
every likelihood they will be a warmer
sales lead.

6. Q. What’s involved in event
marketing?

7. Set objectives, plan your goals, identify your target audiences, plan and
execute
your
communications
tactics,
develop
your
registration
infrastructure, define delegate management process, find a venue,
determine budget, brief agencies, research topic area, create your agenda,
invite speakers, create marketing email, define sponsor / exhibitor
involvement, sell sponsorships, organise media partnerships, research
competitive events (third party and competitors), organise audio visual, build
event microsite, prepare presentation template, brief telemarketing agency,
broadcast marketing emails, send direct mail piece, brief your sales
managers, create running order sheet, prepare master slide deck, audience
generation progress check, organise speaker rehearsals, conduct site visits,
book catering (don’t forget the tasting session), create delegate packs, order
speaker gifts and giveaways, confirmation calls to registrants, organise
shipping and logistics, book hotel rooms for executives, print name badges,
manage cost control, organise lead capture, brief sales teams for follow-up...

8. A. A lot

9. Q. How do you ensure success in our
event marketing?

10. A. Follow Klaxon’s guide to the ten
critical factors (CSFs) for success in
running successful lead generating
events.

11. CSF 1. Allow enough time
Start planning at least 16
weeks in advance of the event
start date

12. CSF 1. Allow enough time
You can organise a successful
event in less time. However be
prepared to spend more time
and money.

13. CSF 2. Set realistic attendance targets
If you build it they will
come, is not a good
plan for event
marketers…

14. CSF 2. Set realistic attendance targets
Think through your audience
generation carefully.
 How large is your contact
database?
 Where are your contacts in the
buying cycle?
 How much budget do you have
to work with third parties?

15. Be prepared to…
1. Run a series of smaller events to
build your audience
2. Aggressively market to your existing
contact data
3. Spend your budget on data or third
party campaigns

16. CSF 3. Plan a contingency
Events are generally not a
cheap marketing tactic.
Factor in the following...

17. Image courtesy of http://spacepicturesz.blogspot.co.uk/

18. Watch out for the black holes
of event marketing: those
unplanned costs that dent
your budget.
Image courtesy of http://spacepicturesz.blogspot.co.uk/

19. Things can and will go wrong,
so plan for this in advance.
Build a contingency into your
budget. 10% works well.
Image courtesy of http://spacepicturesz.blogspot.co.uk/

20. CSF 4. Choose the right venue
A good venue is vital for a smooth running
event on the day. Not only that, but also for
securing an audience. Consider…

21. Word Art courtesy of Wordle.com

22. CSF 5. Add Value
Don’t run an event about your product
or service. Instead think about what
your target audience wants to learn
about, or the challenges they need to
overcome.

23. CSF 5. Add Value
The more value you add, the better the
engagement with your audience.
= warmer sales leads

24. CSF 6. Plan your Audience Generation
You need a range of marketing
communications tactics throughout your
production cycle. Think about an
integrated mix and measure each tactics’
effectiveness. Consider…

25. Email Marketing

26. Print Brochure brochure
Print

27. Telemarketing

28. Social Media:
twitter, facebook, linkedin, google+ ,
YouTube, Xing, Ning, stumbleupon,
digg, delicious, vimeo, plurk, Jaiku,
Wikipedia, Tumblr, Posterous,
foursquare, meetup, lanyrd,
upcoming, Eeentful, flickr, ustream,
slideshare, reddit... and so on

29. Media Partnerships

30. Search engines: SEO, Payperclick

31. CSF 7. Create a Project Plan
Write a project management timeline at the
outset. Set tasks against realistic deadlines and
define the “critical path” i.e. the order in which
tasks should be completed.

32. A GANTT Chart will help…

33. CSF 8. Plan Lead Capture Mechanics
There are plenty of
opportunities for
capturing leads or
building intelligence
around your attendees.

34. CSF 8. Plan Lead Capture Mechanics
For example:
 prize draws
 competitions
 pre-arranged sales meetings
 speed networking
 technical demos
 name badge scanning
 Exhibition booths .

35. CSF 9. Smooth Execution
A smooth execution on the day requires
proper planning and a well briefed team. A
good bit of luck wouldn’t go amiss too.

36. CSF 9. Smooth Execution
Prepare a Running Order Sheet – a briefing for
all of your team on who needs to do what and
when – be precise. And we mean military
precise e.g. 0900: registration opens…
Talk your team through this and answer any
questions before the day of the event.

37. CSF 10. Follow-up Quickly
Your follow-up strategy is crucial. Prioritise
your leads and feed them them into your
sales pipeline. Speed is important.

38. CSF 10. Follow-up Quickly
At the very least send an email with:
 a link to the presentations and copies of any
hand outs
 links to your social profiles
 a call to action to move them along the sales
funnel

39. And finally, celebrate your success. Event
marketing is not an easy road, but it is an
essential part of any b2b marketers tool kit.

40. For help or advice with your event
marketing project, get in touch with
Klaxon. One of our team of event
marketing experts will be happy to
help.

41. Our contact details:
Telephone: +44 (0)20 7193 6627
Web: www.klaxonmarketing.co.uk
Twitter: @klaxonmarketing