Last week’s EN Marketing conference explored topics including the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on marketing, the eternal sales vs. marketing debate, and how to create “pioneering partnerships.”
The conference, which preceded the EN Marketing awards in the evening, included a talk from Alison Church, Marketing Director of Easyfairs, who was interviewed by Sacha Frieze, Managing Director of The Business Narrative.
When asked what makes a good event marketer, Church said curiosity and immersion in the industry you’re marketing for is crucial. Church cited Easyfairs’ Futurebuild as a marketing campaign she is particularly proud of.
“A marketer’s work is never done. It’s all about planning and anticipation,” she said.
During the session on “Future Innovations for Community Marketing”, Simon Burton said: “We are in a period of transition for event marketing. We understand much better that we are speaking to a community and not a series of faceless dots that we want to bring to our event.
“The best mechanisms to do this are to help our audience create shareable content and endorse it with them so that we are clearly part of this community.”
The session on pioneering partnerships, organized by FR Mina Booth, Head of Content, featured Carrie Lee, Head of Marketing at Roar B2B, Rob Nathan, Founder and CEO of Media 10, and Karen Abarian, Head of Marketing at Easyfairs.
“You have to find partnerships that fit your brand philosophy,” Lee said.
Nathan, who organizes B2C and B2B events, explained how Media 10 turned down many potential partnerships, including ideas for events that never happened, such as ‘Total Wipeout Live’ and ‘The Great British Bake Off Live.”
Nathan said: “We are a face-to-face industry. Real partnerships happen face to face.
“The hardest part is getting in the door and maintaining those relationships.”
Speaking about Easyfairs’ Packaging Week Paris, Abarian explained how organizers provide work opportunities for students from packaging engineering schools in France. She said one of the busiest sessions at the event is when students showcase their products to the industry.
“It’s not about partnerships, it’s about collaboration. You have to have collaboration throughout the year,” Abarian said. “We created this connection between students and industry leaders.”
The awards night, hosted by comedian Lindsey Santoro, celebrated the exhibition industry’s top marketers and marketers, with 19 winners crowned on stage.
