227: B2B Virtual Events Done Better

In-person events have always been gold for B2B brands. Accounting for 10-50% of B2B marketing budgets in 2019, B2B marketers relied on physical events as a massive revenue source, effectively filling the funnel with leads, closing deals, and extending customer contracts. This was not to be so in 2020. We all know the story—as marketers everywhere had to pivot to digital, events and event planning went virtual. Lift and shift was not going to work. Not only did B2B marketing teams face unanticipated technical challenges and a sea of new virtual platforms, they also had to figure out how they could actually engage attendees and nurture leads in a world of Zoom fatigue. This episode comes from a recent livestream, where CMO Mandy Dhaliwal (Dell Boomi), CMO Paige O'Neill (Sitecore), and CEO David Fischette (Go West Creative Group) shared everything about their virtual event experiences in 2020, both the good and the bad. Tune in for common challenges, creative solutions, and predictions for the future of B2B virtual events. Who knows, they may be here to stay. What You'll Learn in This Episode How to increase virtual event engagement Common technical issues & fail-safes for virtual events The future of B2B events Time-Stamped Highlights [0:00] Cold Open — This is Renegade Thinkers Live [1:13] Adjusting to the New Virtual Reality [4:25] How Sitecore Pivoted to Virtual Events [9:56] How Dell Boomi Pivoted to Virtual Events [14:46] Transitioning from Stage Presenter to TV Presenter [18:04] How to Mitigate Technical Issues [24:53] Common Technical Issues for Virtual Events [30:18] What Virtual Event Planners Can Learn from Broadcast Television [32:42] How to Nurture Virtual Events Leads [37:42] Tech Features Can that Increase Engagement [43:00] Should Content Lean Towards Authenticity or Slick? [44:45] What's Better, Live or Pre-recorded Video? [47:19] The Future of Physical and Virtual Events [52:49] How to Ensure Virtual Events Kick A** in 2021 For full show notes and transcript, click here.