How to Use Events for Brand Promotion

I do dozens of interviews with top CMOs every year. I always ask what the best performing marketing channel is. And right now everyone is saying events. Post COVID events are back, but also now in an AI world, I think there's a stronger appetite to get out and connect with real people vs. just getting answers from ChatGPT. But: like anything in marketing, running events just because everyone else is doing them is a great way to set money on fire (and still not drive any incremental business). Whether it's a booth at a trade show. A VIP dinner. A 500-person conference. They can all work. They can all flop. The difference: having a real plan and strategy for that event going in. Why do it in the first place? (which continues to be the most important lesson in marketing - what's in it for me? what's the hook? why should people come to our thing?) We talked to two event experts on the Exit Five pod recently Stephanie Christensen and Kristina DeBrito — and here are 5 keys they shared for B2B event success: 1. Pick the right format. Not all events do the same job. Big splash? Go flagship. Want pipeline? Try VIP roundtables. Tiny budget? Host micro-events around existing conferences. Set real goals. 2. “Leads” are not enough anymore. Are you driving awareness? Accelerating deals? Generating pipeline? Define this upfront—or you’ll waste time measuring the wrong stuff. There are more metrics than just "did we get leads from this event" and in today's world leads are tablestalkes. 3. Align your team, bro. Sales and marketing must move in lockstep. Slack alerts for registrations. Sales meeting updates. Leaderboards. It all matters. This is a team effort. 4. Make it memorable. People forget panels. They remember custom pancakes and great venues. Was the food good? Did the WiFi work? Did Oprah show up? Just kidding. Making sure you'r reading. But think surprise and delight, not branded frisbees. 5. Put the work in on the follow up. Events don't close deals - follow-up does. Segment attendees. Create custom offers. Babysit the handoff to sales like your job depends on it. Because it does. You just went shopping and got all these fresh groceries - dont let them spoil. B2B buyers want real connection again. Events can create that. Are you feeling this desire for events? Are you doing events in your business right now? Let me know...

When I was a founder, conferences were one of my most impactful GTM channels. I think a lot of early-stage startups today underestimate the value of conferences for brand and lead gen — and overestimate how much you have to pay to stand out. My team tried to approach conferences in really unique ways – and I was often amazed by how much they’d pull off on a tiny budget. Here are just a few of the things we did to help us stand out and get high ROI from attending conferences: First, we always wanted to stand out from all the generic B2B booths, and in the early days we knew we couldn’t afford the biggest or nicest booth, so we got really creative with our booths. One year, we turned our booth into a dorm room, furnished with a cheap ikea bed, a fake keg, and posters (we even bought Animal House-style “COLLEGE” sweatshirts to wear!)... As a reminder, companies used WayUp to hire college students, so this one felt on brand. And when we did just do a plain banner (maybe we didn’t have enough time to get creative), we at least tried to have the messaging on the banner stand out and be memorable. As with everything we did, we tried to make sure it was memorable. - For example, we'd try to avoid wearing boring logo t-shirts – instead, our shirts would strike conversation or at least a smile. - When it came to swag, we tried to give out items that were actually usable. No conference attendee wants another pen, notepad or t-shirt. Trendy, fun socks were a huge favorite (some of my old customers still send me pics when they wear their WayUp socks!).... Chip clips are another great one I’ve seen (everyone needs a chip clip!)... We also got great feedback when we gave out chapsticks that said “Jobs on WayUp are the (lip) bomb.” - Another tactic I enjoyed – which may be a bit petty, but it’s a fun memory of mine... One year, a conference we were attending was in a hotel. So my team called up the bars in that hotel (where we knew people would grab a drink in between or after sessions), and we asked if we could provide them with 2 days’ worth of coasters, and pay them $100 to use our coasters exclusively during those two days. The bar said yes, and for two days, all coasters in that bar were branded with WayUp’s logo. (Fun fact: one of our competitors hosted a happy hour at one of those bars, so every single drink was served on our logo. 😉) Of course, there’s so much other advice I could give on conferences… like ensuring you always schedule meetings/demos at your booth in advance of the conference. Or having competitions for your team for who can collect the highest number of prospect emails. Or planning a fun dinner with top prospects and customers during one of the evenings. And the list goes on. But I hope this post will inspire more founders to consider conferences as a great b2b marketing and lead gen tactic, an awesome way to talk to many customers at once, and a fun opportunity to bring your best creativity (and scrappiness!)

Want your conference video to actually get you more sales, attendees, and brand awareness? Here’s what most people get wrong — and what the best events do differently. Every time I sit down to plan a conference shoot with a client, I ask one question first — what’s the real goal of this video? That answer changes everything. A lesson I had to learn filming some of my first videos, the hard way. Videos are almost impossible to fix in post if it wasn't filmed properly upfront. A pretty video doesn’t move the needle. 𝐀 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬. If you’re planning to film your next event, here’s what to think about before the camera even rolls: ✅ 1. What’s the real goal of the video? Is this recap meant to: • Drive FOMO for next year’s ticket sales? • Build long-term brand awareness on social? • Impress sponsors and attract new partnerships? • Or tell a powerful story for internal culture and community? One goal = one strategy. Trying to do everything = forgettable footage. ✅ 2. Don’t just shoot — design the emotion you want to convey. High-paced, speaker-focused, upbeat edit → perfect for sales and motivation events. Slow-motion, calming music, quiet moments of reflection → ideal for wellness, mindfulness, or DEI-focused events. Too many editors slap on generic music and call it done. The best ones build a feeling — from visuals to pacing to tone. ✅ 3. Better questions = better testimonials. “Did you enjoy the event?” gives you vanilla. 𝐓𝐫𝐲: • “What made this event feel different?” • “What will you take home from today?” • “Why would you tell a friend to come next year?” And — this is huge — Never let your mic suppress audience reaction. I’ve seen people use podcast software that kills the crowd laughter. That laughter is GOLD. Don’t mute your best proof. If they are smaller public speakers, they need slightly bad audio to prove there is an audience! Not the big ones. ✅ 4. Technical tip: shoot for storytelling, not just coverage. Capture slow motion for emotional punch Get consistent color balance across shots Record audience reactions (clapping, smiling, leaning in) Don’t be afraid to approach people and get real, emotional moments. A recap is only as powerful as the moments you dared to capture. If you want a conference video that: • Drives results, • Aligns with your brand, • And gets people to actually watch… Don’t just hire a camera. Hire a strategist with a lens and a nice computer(I love my mac). Let’s make your next event what you want it to be remembered as. DM me if you want to talk about your conference goals and talk about what kind of video will actually support them. #ConferenceMarketing #EventVideography #SpeakerReels #EventMarketingStrategy #ConferenceContent

✨Startups: Here’s how to make marketing events POP — on a limited budget. ✨ As founder and CEO of ⚡Orum.io ⚡, I get it: When you’re a young, venture-backed company, you do NOT have infinite dollars to spend on marketing. Yet you can still make a splash. 🍾 Here’s how: 🤟 Emotional connection. 🤟 Experiential marketing is centered on memory and moments, because these are powerful human emotions. 🎭 I’d argue consumer brands inherently have an easier time with this; something like our space, B2B payments infrastructure, is a bit tougher. So you have to think more creatively. 🤔 For example, I loved Orum’s Money20/20 event in the fall. We transformed The Venetian Resort Las Vegas’s new donut shop, Donutique, into a fully functioning portrait studio. 🍩📸 We invited people to come enjoy craft donuts, a full coffee bar — and the opportunity to receive a complimentary photo shoot with famous   photographers who had previously photographed Taylor Swift, Spike Lee, Lady Gaga, and many other notables . Your headshot, we explained, is your most valuable networking currency. We promised: “We’ll upgrade your headshot and do it faster than Same Day ACH.” ⚡ 🤑 People want to have fun and obtain value. 🤑 And the best marketing events combine both. The fun part is obvious: a lovely part of the human experience is doing something enjoyable and memorable, particularly if it’s something you’ve never done before and couldn’t easily do yourself. 🆕 But anyone can throw a fun party. 🎉 The key is to drill into: How can we add value for our target audience? 🎯 At Nacha's Smarter Faster Payments conference last week, we focused on the value of your professional network. We held a chic, invite-only cocktail event with bank executives, network leaders, and fintech customers. We timed the event to be near the start of the conference when attendees were at their most energized and our invite list was small enough that everyone could make real connections with people who have an impact on the work they’re doing. 🤝 I can’t think of anything more valuable. 💲 But don’t take my word for it — ask Mark Gould, Tony Hayes, Alex Gillette, Jane Larimer, Carl Slabicki, CTP, AAP, Christine O'Reilly-Stewart,Michael Bernabe, Keith Vander Leest, Walt Cox, Dennis Becker, Reed Luhtanen, Brian Holbrook, Kylie DeBord, Peter Davey, Julián Alcázar, Dawn Smith, Jordan Bennett, AAP, APRP, Rob Abrams or Daniel Baum what they thought! 🤓 😅The details really matter 😅 People might be surprised just how much time we spend on the  details: the location of the venue, the colors in the decor, the casting of the talent, the design of the signage, and more. We do that to ensure it all ties back to Orum’s products and mission. 🪢  Our guests might not consciously recognize it, but the cohesion and strong brand identity make an impact. 😄 Sound off in the comments: What’s your best advice for creating marketing events with a WOW factor? 🎤