The Awakening: My Event-Led Epiphany

Before joining Airmeet in 2023, I spent over a decade immersed in B2B field marketing and events. For 10+ years, I helped some of the biggest tech companies build meaningful, in-person experiences that bridged the gap between brands and their buyers. From trade shows to executive dinners, I witnessed firsthand the power of well-executed field marketing in creating lasting relationships and driving tangible results.

Yet, as the digital landscape evolved, I felt a shift happening — something bigger than traditional marketing tactics. With virtual events rising and buyers expecting more personalized, immersive experiences, I realized we were entering a new marketing era.

When I joined Airmeet, I was already deeply embedded in this world of event marketing, but something felt off. Even with all the successful digital metrics, I knew there was more potential we could tap into. This feeling of missing something led me to a key realization: Virtual and in-person events were no longer about just "showing up." They needed to be integrated, experiential, and tailored to create lasting impressions.

Around the same time, my now co-founder, Mark Kilens, my boss at Airmeet and the CMO, had already coined the term Event-Led Growth in 2022, and it was making waves in the B2B space. With his extensive
People-First GTM background, Mark started looking at how companies could reimagine their event strategies. He identified that events could be more than a touchpoint; they could drive pipeline growth, customer retention, and advocacy. It was this new, revolutionary approach to events that Mark and I began to develop even further.

When I joined Airmeet in 2023, we collaborated closely to refine Event-Led Growth into what it is today. This
holistic, people-first framework integrates the power of events into the core of B2B marketing strategies. This wasn’t about events being an isolated tactic anymore. Events became a central pillar, where community, content, and product intersected to drive deeper engagement, stronger relationships, and greater business outcomes.

Why This Matters:

Event-led growth emerged as a response to the B2B buyers’ evolving needs—they crave personalized experiences, whether virtual or in-person. According to HubSpot research, today’s buyers expect more meaningful interactions throughout their journey, and ELG is the perfect way to deliver that.

At TACK, we help companies craft event strategies that focus on building real human connections. This allows brands to stand out and make a long-lasting impact on their audience.

Why Event-Led Growth Matters (More Than Ever)

• 74% of consumers are more likely to buy products promoted through experiential marketing than traditional advertising, according to EventTrack.

• 84% of event attendees report a more positive opinion of the brand after participating in an event (Event Marketing Institute).

• Event marketing can increase customer loyalty by 3%, which, as Bizzabo highlights, is a huge differentiator in B2B.

• And here’s the kicker: 95% of consumers are more likely to buy a product after attending an experiential event (EventMB).

When you nail Event-Led Growth, it’s like fireworks — vibrant, exciting, and impossible to ignore.

The TACK Approach: Event-Led Growth with a People-First Twist

At TACK, we’re all about putting people first in every aspect of our go-to-market (GTM) strategy. We blend community, content, and events to engage our audience, with ELG as the cornerstone. Here's how we break it down:

Discover: Finding New Leads & Prospects

This is where the magic starts. ELG helps create those "wow" moments that turn prospects into believers.

• VIP Prospect Experiences: Imagine sending your top prospects a personalized gift leading to an exclusive, high-touch event.

  Example: We worked with a SaaS company that sent VR headsets to 50 top prospects, followed by a virtual product demo. The result? A 40% increase in meeting bookings and a major boost to the sales pipeline.

• Targeted Executive Events: Intimate dinners or exclusive gatherings that make C-suite execs feel like VIPs. No pitches, just meaningful conversations.

  Example: A client hosts quarterly "Future of Tech" dinners for CEOs and CTOs, which have led to a 25% increase in enterprise deals.

By creating personalized, immersive events, you’re not just gathering prospects—you’re building meaningful connections that lead to real business outcomes.

Engage: Connecting with Buyers & Customers

This is where you turn up the heat and make your brand impossible to forget.

• Customer Showcase Meetups: Let your customers shine and share their success stories. Your prospects will hear firsthand about your product's impact.

  Example: We helped a MarTech company create "Marketing Maverick Meetups," where customers shared strategies and attracted new prospects.

• Product Training Events: Forget boring tutorials. We’re talking about hands-on, interactive sessions that create "aha!" moments for attendees.

  Example: A cybersecurity company where I have a few friends organized a Hackathon. The event boosted product adoption by 50% and sparked word-of-mouth referrals.

These engagement-driven events go beyond the surface, creating deep connections with buyers that fuel long-term relationships and growth.

Grow: Nurturing Customers & Advocates

Turning satisfied customers into brand evangelists is the name of the game here.

• Thought Leadership Webinars: Make your brand the go-to expert by hosting interactive, insight-driven webinars.

  Example: Our "Future-Proof Your Business" webinar series for a cloud computing client integrated live polls, Q&A sessions, and breakout rooms for deeper discussions. The result? High attendance and qualified lead generation.

• User Groups & Conferences: Create a community that feels like family, with learning and networking opportunities.

  Example: One of our SaaS clients transformed their annual user conference into an "Innovation Festival," featuring hands-on workshops and even a "Fail Fair." This approach turned their event into the must-attend industry festival of the year.

By turning customers into advocates through ongoing education, events, and community-building, your brand becomes not just a service provider but a trusted partner.

The Key Touchpoints of Event-Led Growth

1. Pre-Event Engagement: Prime your audience with targeted outreach, content marketing, and social media teasers.

2. Event Experience: Engage attendees with interactive booths, live presentations, and meaningful networking opportunities.

3. Post-Event Follow-Up: Stay top of mind with thank-you messages, recap content, and feedback surveys.

4. Lead Nurturing: Follow-up campaigns, exclusive offers, and educational content keep your audience engaged and moving through the funnel.

5. Measurement & Analysis: Track event metrics and ROI analysis to optimize future strategies.

Event-Led Growth in Action: A Complete Journey

Discover > Engage > Grow — We use events to create, capture, and convert demand into revenue. Whether discovering new prospects, engaging existing customers, or nurturing long-term advocates, Event-Led Growth works at every customer journey stage.

For more on building a seamless event-led growth strategy, focusing on how each event touchpoint connects with your broader marketing objectives and pipeline goals is crucial. Integrating content, community, and events allows you to guide prospects and customers through a transformative experience beyond traditional marketing.

Real-Life Success: The People-First Advantage

In our recent podcast episode with Bethany Murphy from 6sense, she shared how she leverages events to create unforgettable marketing experiences. Bethany talked about how her team uses Event-Led Growth to drive significant ROI, build stronger customer relationships, and stand out in a crowded market. You can listen to her insights or check out the YouTube clip below for key highlights. Make sure to subscribe to watch Bethany’s proven framework around event marketing.

Ready to Revolutionize Your Event Strategy?

We’ve covered a lot, but here’s the heart of it all: Event-led growth isn’t just about hosting events. It’s about integrating events with your content, community, and product strategies to create lasting impact and sustainable growth.

Want to learn more? Here’s how you can dive deeper:

• Check out our full blog on Event-Led Growth at TACK Network for a comprehensive look into how you can leverage ELG in your own GTM strategy.

• Watch our webinar with Julius Solaris, where we break down the best (and worst) ways to design an event strategy that drives growth.

The Nick Bennett Playbook: Getting Started with Event-Led Growth

Here are a few actionable steps to implement Event-Led Growth right away:

1. Start with Why: Know your audience and what problem you’re solving.

2. Personalize Everything: Tailor each experience to your audience, down to the smallest details.

3. Leverage Content: Use content as a backbone for your event-led strategy, creating before, during, and after-event touchpoints.

4. Use Technology: Embrace virtual and hybrid platforms and integrate engaging in-person experiences.

5. Measure & Follow-Up: Track the event’s success through KPIs and ensure you have a killer follow-up strategy.

The Future of Event-Led Growth

Here’s what excites me most about the future of Event-Led Growth:

• Micro-events and hyper-personalization: Smaller, targeted events can drive deeper engagement with key accounts.

• Immersive experiences with VR/AR: Virtual reality and augmented reality will continue to enhance the attendee experience, making events more interactive and memorable.

• AI-powered networking: AI will match attendees based on interests and goals, creating smarter, more efficient networking opportunities.

• Sustainability-focused events: Events that align with growing corporate responsibility initiatives will stand out and resonate with audiences.

• Real human-centered experiences
  will be the most powerful way to break through the noise and differentiate your brand in a world of digital fatigue.