How to engage clients through in person events
How to engage clients through in person events
Sara Iannacone · 2/24/2023
We recently shared how to plan a profitable client event, but it’s important to remember that your event strategy can’t just be about profits. In fact, client engagement bolstered at customer events is what’s going to boost your event ROI in the long term. But where do you start?
When was the last time you saw your clients and customers without a screen between you?
If you’re like many, the answer may be never. And while Zoom calls are a great stand-in, there’s nothing quite like face-to-face connection to bolster client relationships. In fact, Harvard Business Review shared that face-to-face requests are 34 times more successful, and it’s been proven that you’re twice as likely to turn a prospect into a client in person. Talk about that for a closer!
We work with a lot of companies who are new to events, so we fully understand that there can be a lot of unknowns when it comes to hosting a client event for the first time. But those unknowns are incredible opportunities—because we know those companies are about to see an incredible uptick in core metrics that make an impact on their business.
Questions about hosting client events to drive engagement we’re answering…
What do your clients actually want, and will they attend at all?
How do I create a sales event experience that they haven’t already seen/ been to before—how do we use customer events as a differentiator?
Will we be able to afford experiential marketing features that impress and delight, or is it too much of an investment?
The key to success: Deciding what your clients want
One of the biggest fears we know our clients come to us with is the fear that no one will register or show up. While this is understandable, there are so many things you can do to set the foundation for your client events that will ensure attendance and engagement!
Here are a few questions you can ask to get started laying that strategy:
What events have been successful in the past?
Historical data is one of the best ways to plan your event strategy if you have it.
Make a list of the most attended events you’ve ever hosted. That could mean a networking event you were the host sponsor of at a conference or a 2-day customer event with tours of your production floor.
What were the responses to those event surveys? What did people say they loved and wanted more of? What was highly rated? Where could you improve? Use these questions to lay the foundation for your next event and bolster that engagement through things customers liked and requested.
Now, if you’re hosting your first client event ever and don’t have this data, that’s fine too!
What you can do is talk to your sales team and ask what types of events clients have mentioned attending in the past. Sales and customer service teams are a wealth of information for client event planning. Use their relationships to help lay the foundation for client event success!
Which competitor events have they posted about on LinkedIn or their website recently?
If you’re trying to level up or plan your first event, competitive analysis is always a good idea. LinkedIn is a gold mine for this type of information.
Say your goal is to add events as a money-maker for your organization. Pull the companies and contacts for the top 10% of buyers in your company. Then, put on your private investigator hat and get to searching with that information at hand.
Here’s what you’re looking for:
What events have these contacts posted about attending, sponsoring, or admiring in the last year?
What has the company page posted regarding events they’ve hosted or participated in in the past year?
Are these contacts liking or commenting on event-related content? If there’s a mention of, “Oh, what a fun event!” or “Darn, so upset I missed this, can’t wait for the next one.” use that to your advantage!
With what you find here, create a list of common themes, event types, and content ideas that are directly aligned with what your top clientele is already engaging with.
Now, you can do this for any level of buyer to cultivate relationships and engage. Just know that if you’re entertaining and engaging lower-level clientele, it may be a long-term ROI situation versus an immediate ROI situation.
What have your clients requested, asked, or engaged with frequently?
The best way to figure out what your clients want to ensure event engagement is to go to the source.
Just as we said to leverage your sales and service teams in regard to events, do this in every area. Put a survey out to your team asking what the top requests they’ve had recently are, the top 10 FAQs, or the top sales emails getting responses. This will indicate what clients are seeking more of.
And you can use that to lay the foundation of your event agenda and activities.
Once you know what kind of customer event you want to host, optimize in these ways
No matter what kind of event you’re putting together, you’ll want a little hint of each of these to wow and engage your clients! This is how you differentiate your events from those of your competitors.
Memorable activities that create community
While clients will likely want some sort of education at a sales or marketing event, it shouldn’t be all about work. Clients will remember how you made them feel above all else. And if you give them an opportunity
Engaging educational events that provide value
Especially if it’s a paid event for your clients, there needs to be an educational aspect of the event so they can “justify” the expense to their company. Bring in experts in your industry, give access to your CEO and CTO and their wealth of knowledge, and perhaps even offer a hands-on training for product/ service optimization.
White-glove customer event planning experience
A messy planning experience won’t impress anyone. That’s why a lot of companies will enlist the help of third-party planners who help:
Streamline the logistics
Manage budgets
Book travel
Offer client support in regard to client event questions
This can make or break your client experience.
With an unrivaled venue that is comfortable & luxurious
When we plan offsites at BoomPop, the venue is one of the most important decisions. It’s the canvas for your client event. And you want them to feel welcomed, comfortable, and ready to fully immerse themselves in the experience.
Choose a resort and spa property that removes them from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Add a welcome amenity with branded gifts that are meant to engage, relax, and delight!
Robust client event agenda example
This 1-day client event agenda example is the ideal mix of education, relationship building, fun, and downtime that will have your clients coming back for more. It can be used for an intimate 10-person customer advisory board meeting or a large 50-person VIP client mixer—you simply change and shift according to who you’re inviting and what your goals are.
We think Napa is a great option for client events (it is the home of wining and dining, after all), so that’s the inspiration behind the example:
1-Day Customer Event Agenda Example
You’ll see that this agenda provides access to educational content, proprietary launch access, and exclusive contact with high-level individuals within your organization. Two of the most in-demand things clients want!
Craving a little more client event inspiration? Check out the other Napa offsite ideas and explore other regions, too. Or start putting together your own agenda with our free template.
Are your clients ready for an unrivaled event?
If you want support putting all this into action to use events to effectively engage your clients, our BoomPop team is ready to help. Explore our client event planning services, and let’s make it happen!
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