event-marketer

What this skill does

# Event Marketer

Expert event marketing guidance for conferences, webinars, field marketing programs, and virtual events — from strategy through post-event follow-up and ROI measurement.

## Philosophy

Great event marketing treats every event as a campaign, not a checkbox:

1. **Event as funnel** — Promotion, attendance, engagement, and follow-up are all conversion points
2. **Quality over quantity** — 50 qualified conversations beat 500 badge scans
3. **Experience creates memory** — What they remember matters more than what you said
4. **The event ends when the deal closes** — Post-event execution is where ROI lives

## How This Skill Works

When invoked, apply the guidelines in `rules/` organized by:

- `strategy-*` — Event selection, planning, goal-setting
- `conference-*` — Booth presence, sponsorship, in-person execution
- `webinar-*` — Webinar strategy, production, engagement
- `virtual-*` — Virtual and hybrid event production
- `promotion-*` — Event marketing, registration optimization
- `speaker-*` — Speaker preparation, content development
- `engagement-*` — Booth staffing, attendee engagement tactics
- `followup-*` — Post-event sequences, lead processing
- `field-*` — Field marketing programs, regional events
- `measurement-*` — Event ROI, attribution, metrics

## Core Frameworks

### The Event Marketing Funnel

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                             │
│   ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐             │
│   │ PROMOTE  │───▶│ REGISTER │───▶│ ATTEND   │             │
│   │ (Reach)  │    │ (Convert)│    │ (Show up)│             │
│   └──────────┘    └──────────┘    └──────────┘             │
│                                        │                    │
│   ┌──────────┐    ┌──────────┐         │                    │
│   │  CLOSE   │◀───│ FOLLOW UP│◀────────┘                    │
│   │  (Win)   │    │ (Nurture)│                              │
│   └──────────┘    └──────────┘                              │
│                                                             │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
```

### Event Type Selection Matrix

| Event Type | Best For | Typical Cost | Lead Quality | Time Investment |
|------------|----------|--------------|--------------|-----------------|
| **Tier 1 Conference** | Brand awareness, enterprise deals | $50k-500k | Medium-High | 3-6 months |
| **Industry Trade Show** | Pipeline generation, demos | $20k-100k | Medium | 2-3 months |
| **Hosted Webinar** | Lead gen, thought leadership | $1k-5k | Medium | 2-4 weeks |
| **User Conference** | Retention, expansion, community | $100k-1M+ | High | 6-12 months |
| **Meetup/Roundtable** | Relationship building, ABM | $2k-10k | High | 2-4 weeks |
| **Virtual Summit** | Scale, global reach | $10k-50k | Low-Medium | 2-3 months |
| **Field Dinner** | Executive relationships | $5k-20k | Very High | 3-4 weeks |

### Event Goal Framework

| Goal | Primary Metric | Secondary Metrics |
|------|---------------|-------------------|
| **Brand Awareness** | Impressions, booth traffic | Social mentions, press coverage |
| **Lead Generation** | MQLs generated | Cost per lead, lead quality score |
| **Pipeline Acceleration** | Meetings booked | Opportunities influenced |
| **Customer Retention** | NPS lift, engagement | Renewal mentions, expansion convos |
| **Thought Leadership** | Speaking slots, content downloads | Media mentions, social engagement |
| **Partnership Development** | Partner meetings | Joint opportunities identified |

### The EPIC Event Checklist

**E — Execute pre-event**
- Promotion timeline and channels
- Registration page optimization
- Pre-event nurture sequence
- Booth/materials preparation

**P — Perform at event**
- Staff training and talking points
- Lead capture system
- Engagement activities
- Real-time content capture

**I — Implement follow-up**
- Lead scoring and routing
- Personalized follow-up sequences
- Content delivery
- Meeting booking

**C — Calculate ROI**
- Lead attribution
- Pipeline tracking
- Revenue attribution
- Learnings documentation

## Event Metrics by Stage

| Stage | Key Metrics | Benchmarks |
|-------|-------------|------------|
| **Promotion** | Email open rate, CTR, social engagement | 25%+ open, 3%+ CTR |
| **Registration** | Registration rate, cost per registration | 2-5% of audience |
| **Attendance** | Show rate, check-in time | 40-60% webinar, 80%+ in-person |
| **Engagement** | Booth visits, session attendance, Q&A | 50%+ session completion |
| **Follow-up** | Response rate, meetings booked | 15%+ response, 5%+ meetings |
| **Conversion** | MQL→SQL rate, pipeline generated | 20%+ MQL→SQL |

## Budget Allocation Framework

### Conference Sponsorship Budget Split

| Category | % of Budget | What It Covers |
|----------|-------------|----------------|
| **Sponsorship** | 40-50% | Booth space, branding, speaking slots |
| **Booth & Materials** | 20-25% | Design, collateral, swag, equipment |
| **Travel & Logistics** | 15-20% | Flights, hotels, shipping, meals |
| **Pre/Post Marketing** | 10-15% | Promotion, ads, follow-up campaigns |
| **Contingency** | 5% | Last-minute needs, upgrades |

### Webinar Budget Split

| Category | % of Budget | What It Covers |
|----------|-------------|----------------|
| **Promotion** | 50-60% | Paid ads, email, partnerships |
| **Production** | 20-30% | Platform, A/V, slides, editing |
| **Speakers** | 10-20% | Honorariums, prep time |
| **Follow-up** | 5-10% | Content, nurture campaigns |

## Anti-Patterns

- **Spray and pray sponsorships** — Sponsoring every event without ICP alignment
- **Badge scanning obsession** — Quantity of leads over quality of conversations
- **No pre-event outreach** — Showing up cold to events without scheduled meetings
- **Post-event black hole** — Leads die in a spreadsheet instead of sequences
- **Same booth everywhere** — Not adapting presence to event audience
- **Measuring attendance, not pipeline** — Vanity metrics instead of business impact
- **Speaker with no follow-up** — Great talk, no content capture or attendee nurture
- **One-and-done events** — Missing the compound effect of consistent presence