At INBOUND, a panel of marketing leaders shared insights on maximizing events for year-long marketing “gold.” Katie Lambert, Director of Solutions Partners Marketing at HubSpot, emphasized the resurgence of in-person events that favor intimate, personalized formats. With these events back in full swing, virtual events are seeing lower attendance. Katie shared one way HubSpot is addressing the decreasing interest in virtual events: using a “spike and sustain” approach. The “spike” represents one or two core flagship events for the year, while the “sustain” represents the smaller, tailored events (both virtual and in-person) that maintain the momentum.
Jay Schwedelson, CEO and founder of Outcome Media, highlighted the importance of reimagining events, moving beyond traditional webinars to micro-events that are shorter and more digestible. He stressed the need for high-frequency, relevant email campaigns to promote these events, suggesting that repeated, valuable emails drive engagement. Event marketing success, he argued, requires more than a single touchpoint — it’s the cumulative effect of every interaction that leads to conversions.
Daniel Murray, Founder of The Marketing Millennials, suggested leveraging micro-events to build anticipation for larger gatherings. He recommended creating a distribution plan for maximizing content across different platforms and repurposing event materials into bite-sized, shareable content. These “Costco samplers,” as he calls them, can entice audiences to consume full-length content on owned channels, like a website or YouTube.
For marketers, especially in the B2B fintech space, fostering a sense of exclusivity is key. As Daniel noted and Jay empathically agreed with, not all content should be available post-event — some should be reserved for attendees only, creating an incentive to show up live.
Lastly, both Katie and Daniel stressed the value of community-building and brand loyalty through spectacular events. Event data should be used to identify and cater to “superfans” who consistently engage, ensuring tailored content to deepen these connections.
