B2H and Field Events: We’re Leaving Untapped ROI In The Field.
Smaller, local business activations have long been essential to growth. Connecting intimately within communities of customers and prospects builds relationships that are more personal and authentic. These field events help demonstrate how much a brand appreciates the local cultures, passions and values of the organizations they support.
However, while attendees prefer small-scale, more intimate moments, they go on to say that brands often cause tension with these experiences. Why?
As we explored insights specific to field events that can unlock sources of tension, a single and powerful truth emerged: while brands are eager to engage people, they make the common mistake of presuming what attendees want from these experiences. This fuels more of the same field events like happy hours, sitdown dinners, mini sales presentations, panel discussions and hospitality suites. In too many cases, the events are indistinguishable from brand to brand. In too many cases, attendees are let down and brands see less ROI than they’d hoped for.
So how can doing B2B with a B2H mindset inspire a different approach? Here are three considerations informed by our global research that’ll make your field events stand out for the most important reason: being in touch with what attendees actually seek from these moments.
- Surrender control: When brands give attendees real choices, you engender trust and respect. And while field events must have structure, you can program flexibility into the experience with mini sessions within events, themed field events, etc.
- Facilitate connection: When attendees meet the right people at an event faster, they’re more likely to view your brand more positively. That’s why it’s more important than ever to move away from general networking moments by making introductions among likeminded attendees and rewarding those who meet new people.
- Emphasize productivity: When brands help attendees leave an event with new solutions, they’re more likely to spend more time at the event. Instead of focusing on sales presentations or panels, create mini moments of collaboration.
If you take a step back, you’ll start to see how much can be done to drive greater action from field event attendees. The key to realizing these changes lies in starting with innovations that feel the most relevant and achievable. Once you kick off that test & learn cycle with confidence, you’ll find that a roadmap of field event change starts to lay itself out.
Select sources:
Hilton 2025 Trends Report
Momentum Worldwide 2024 Proprietary Global B2B Study