Featuring:

Lisa Riley, VP and Global Head of Events and Jessie Johnson, Principal Analyst

Show Notes:

In-person events are major B2B demand drivers and accelerators of prospective deals. In 2019, B2B marketers allocated nearly 15% of their program budgets to in-person events, and more than half of these marketers planned to increase event spending in 2020.

Then came COVID-19.

How can organizations reap the benefits of events in a virtual environment, and what does it take to pivot successfully? As Vice President and Global Head of Events Lisa Riley and Principal Analyst Jessie Johnson explain on this week’s What It Means, the first step is deciding whether the potential benefits of going virtual outweigh the costs. The second, critical step is clarifying event objectives, as these will drive technology decisions and development of the event experience.

Riley, who has successfully taken several Forrester events virtual, shares her key aha moments, such as allowing attendees adequate time to acclimate to the online platform and defining success in a digital format. “One of the benefits of the digital space . . . is post-event viewing,” she says. “That’s a really good buying indicator, to see what attendees are watching.”

Listen to the full episode for more advice and to learn what the future of virtual events may hold.