Why events can be your #1 revenue driver w/ Scott Ingram | EventShark Podcast #16

With AI making everything less human, one marketing channel is becoming MORE powerful than ever: in-person events. But most companies are doing them completely wrong. What if the secret wasn't flashy booths or expensive swag, but building genuine community that turns attendees into loyal advocates?We're joined by Scott Ingram (founder of Sales Success Media, host of the Sales Success Stories podcast, and author of the book "Making Rain with Events") who breaks down:- Why events are more crucial now than ever before- How to capture testimonials, speaker content & street interviews- Creative event activations that actually drive ROI- Building community and culture through events- Pre-event, during-event & post-event content strategies- How to avoid the dreaded "pitch slap" at trade shows- Guerrilla marketing tactics for events on any budgetScott has hosted almost 200 episodes interviewing top 1% B2B sellers and runs the Sales Success Summit in Austin. His insights on turning events into revenue engines while building authentic community are game-changing for any B2B marketer or salesperson looking to stand out in 2025.Timecodes:0:00 Intro2:28 Why events should be your most important B2B revenue driver3:18 Third-party testimonials and customer superpowers at events4:00 EventShark's approach to capturing testimonials vs website videos5:07 Different types of events - conferences, road shows, customer events5:47 B2B event budget statistics6:05 Post-pandemic event recovery and current opportunities8:13 ROI differences between event types9:00 Scott's new "pitch party" sponsorship model11:30 Creative event activations and experiences over traditional booths13:37 The "pitch slap" problem and focusing on qualification first15:15 Pre-event, during-event, and post-event content strategy16:22 Top event content formats17:22 Speaker content strategy and maximizing speaker value20:06 Using content creation as prospect engagement tool21:25 Creative booth experiences22:47 During-event content challenges and FOMO opportunities24:05 Guerrilla marketing tactics without booths or sponsorships28:00 Building community culture through events29:21 Managing cliquey dynamics and welcoming new attendees34:09 The superpower theme - finding what makes you unique in sales40:00 AI's impact on events 42:24 Personal branding and reputation in the AI era43:12 The importance of taste vs execution ability44:29 Trust over likability in business relationships45:31 Outro#b2bmarketing #marketing #podcast