Event Promotion and Follow-Up

Overview

This skill covers B2B event promotion and post-event follow-up, from early demand validation through pre-event advertising, on-site tactics, and post-event outreach. All practices are sourced exclusively from Exit Five podcast guests across 12 episodes. Do not supplement with general marketing knowledge not represented here.

Pre-Event Demand Validation

Validate demand before committing resources. Before booking venues, speakers, or sponsors, test audience interest with your existing email list and LinkedIn followers. Announce the event concept and gauge response. Proceed with confidence only if enough people express genuine interest. This de-risks the investment. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #164)

Tease the event publicly 2–3 months before ticket sales open. Begin posting about the event concept, venue, or speakers on LinkedIn and other channels well before the official launch. Do not wait for a formal announcement to start building awareness. Periodic early mentions prime your audience and create pent-up demand so they are ready to buy when tickets go live. (Source: Dan Murphy, Episode #147)

Use a waitlist 6–7 days before ticket sales launch to create real scarcity. Build a waitlist landing page — without full event details (name, dates, pricing) — and promote it in the week before tickets go on sale. Position it as priority access for a limited-capacity venue. This pre-tests demand, builds anticipation, and creates genuine urgency rather than artificial FOMO. Make the value proposition concrete: early signups get access before the general audience. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #147)

Pre-Event Promotion and Advertising

Run pre-conference branded ads to attendees even without a booth. When attending a conference without a booth, use a pre-event sponsorship (e.g., a happy hour) to access the attendee list. Upload the list to LinkedIn Ads and Vector. Run two ad variants: one generic conference message and one featuring your branded swag or product. The swag-focused ad typically outperforms. Direct traffic to a simple landing page (e.g., Canva or Leadpages). Use Vector to identify which attendees visited your site, then send personalized follow-up emails to those visitors offering to meet at the conference. Have your sales team show up in full brand colors with swag ready. Reported results: $1K ad spend, 65% of attendees visited the site (vs. ~35% typical booth traffic), 11 on-site meetings, 3 open deals, ~2,000% ROI. (Source: Tess Pfeifle, Episode #341)

Use micro-influencer humor videos as paid ads to drive event attendance. Partner with micro-LinkedIn creators (10,000–15,000 followers) to produce funny, ~1-minute video skits promoting your event. Run these both organically and as paid ads. Humor drives wide reach at low cost-per-click. Example: a partnership with a micro-creator on a product launch promotion achieved ~$0.50 cost-per-click and was among the best-performing ad creatives tested. (Source: Madhav Bhandari, Episode #183)

Create 15–20 second speaker promo videos for events. Have key speakers record short, casual promotional clips. Keep them conversational — include the producer asking the question, capture laughter, and focus on what attendees will experience and what questions they'll get answered, not stiff recitations of session topics. These drive attendance by building excitement and humanizing the speaker. (Source: Connor Lewis, Episode #240)

Use AI-generated personalized video to thank and re-engage registrants. After someone registers, use a tool like HeyGen to generate a personalized video from a speaker or host addressing the registrant by name, referencing specific topics that will be covered, and expressing genuine excitement to see them. This drives higher engagement than generic email invitations. (Source: Holly Xiao, Episode #270)

Wrap transit hubs near major conferences to create perception of scale. For major conferences, identify train stations or bus stops that attendees will pass through and negotiate wrapping those spaces with your branding and messaging. This creates the impression of a major presence at the event without the cost of a booth. Attendees see your brand from the moment they arrive, generating social media buzz and inbound messages. Cost is typically a fraction of traditional booth sponsorship. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #214)

Send physical pre-event outreach to drive booth traffic and create recognition. Before a trade show, mail a physical item to target attendees that ties to your booth activation. For example, if your booth features a Plinko game, send attendees a Plinko chip beforehand with a note to find you at the booth. This creates anticipation, drives booth traffic, and makes your presence memorable. (Source: Stephanie Christensen, Episode #227)

Driving Attendance and Registration

Have marketing take direct responsibility for recruiting attendees — not just sales. Use a multi-channel approach: send emails, post on LinkedIn, and text (if you have contact info) to personally invite prospects and customers. Quality of attendees matters more than quantity. (Source: Sydney Sloan, Episode #289)

Use outbound email to invite prospects, even when they can't attend. When running events, use outbound email to invite prospects directly. Even if they decline the event invitation, many will respond with interest in learning more about the product, starting a sales conversation. Reported result: 70% of dinner guests came from outbound emails, and declines frequently converted to product conversations. (Source: Natalie Taylor, Episode #306)

Give executives a facilitation role to drive their attendance and engagement. To get executives to show up, assign them a responsibility — for example, ask them to facilitate a roundtable on a specific topic. When executives have a job to do, they are more likely to attend, stay engaged, and promote the event. This also creates value for other attendees. (Source: Stephanie Christensen, Episode #227)

Tailor event content to what executives care about. When inviting executives, ensure the agenda addresses their current priorities. Research what's top-of-mind for them and make sure the content speaks to those concerns. Generic content will not drive executive attendance. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)

Use FOMO messaging to drive executive attendance by highlighting other attendees. When inviting executives, tell them who else will be in the room. Name-drop other companies, competitors, or industry leaders to create a sense of missing out. This is particularly effective for executives who are focused on staying informed and connected. (Source: Stephanie Christensen, Episode #227)

Use spiffs and competitions to incentivize sales teams to drive registrations. Sales teams are focused on quota, not event success. Create financial or non-financial incentives (cash bonuses, trips to the event, exclusive perks) to motivate them to get their accounts to register and attend. Friendly competitions with leaderboards also drive engagement. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)

Present event updates in regular team meetings, not just Slack. Instead of relying on Slack channels (which become noise), present event updates, new speakers, agenda changes, and strategy in larger weekly marketing or sales meetings. Use this time to brainstorm with teams on how to get specific target accounts to attend. This creates visibility and engagement at scale. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)

Use SMS for event reminders and time-sensitive communications. SMS works well for event reminders (e.g., "Your event is tomorrow") and other time-sensitive, transactional messages that people have explicitly opted into. Include actionable elements like Google Maps links for venue addresses. Combine SMS reminders with email reminders for better attendance. Only use SMS for audiences who have specifically opted in for transactional updates. (Source: Jess, Episode #312)

Event Email Sequence Planning

Plan the event email sequence by working backwards from the last email. Map out every email attendees will receive, starting from the final post-event email and working backwards to the first announcement. Think through attendee anxiety points (What time do I arrive? What should I wear? Where do I go?) and address them proactively in the sequence. Create a master document with all event information — shuttle times, agenda, logistics — that can be referenced when attendees ask questions. (Source: Allison Saxon, Episode #294)

Post-Event Follow-Up Strategy

Plan post-event follow-up before the event starts, not after. Integrate post-event follow-up strategy into event planning from the beginning. Use a framework (e.g., Think-Feel-Do) to define what you want attendees to think, feel, and do in the post-event phase. Map out all post-event deliverables — slides distribution, session recordings, attendee notes, sponsor recaps, follow-up emails — before the event begins. Treat the event as a marketing program, not a one-day activation. (Source: Sydney Sloan, Episode #289; Anna Vermillion, Episode #294)

(Note: the question of whether same-night speed or pre-planned strategic quality should be the primary emphasis is contested — see Where Experts Disagree.)

Assign a dedicated person to own post-event follow-up and monitor execution daily. Do not assume sales or content teams will own this. Assign a dedicated person (ideally from marketing) to manage all follow-up activities, monitor analytics daily, track which prospects have been contacted, and ensure follow-up is actually happening. This prevents leads from going stale and ensures consistent execution. (Source: Stephanie Christensen, Episode #227)

Send event photos to attendees within 24 hours. Coordinate with your photographer to turn around at least 20 high-quality photos within one day of the event. Include photos in your thank-you email with a link to a branded photo library that attendees can share on social media. Photos sent more than a day or two after the event have minimal social amplification value. (Source: Sydney Sloan, Episode #289)

Use Vector to identify conference attendees who visited your website and send personalized follow-up. When running ads to a conference attendee list, use Vector to track which attendees visited your website. After the conference, send personalized follow-up emails to those visitors referencing their site visit and offering to meet. This creates warm follow-up based on demonstrated interest rather than cold outreach. (Source: Tess Pfeifle, Episode #341)

Segment event attendees by ICP tier and deploy targeted nurture campaigns. After capturing leads at an event (especially trade shows), do not send all attendees into a generic company nurture. Segment the lead list by job function, deal size, and ICP tier, then deploy targeted nurture campaigns tailored to each segment's specific interests and buying stage. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)

Create a unique, personalized offer for each post-event follow-up based on attendee context. Rather than sending generic follow-up emails, create an offer tailored to each attendee's context from the event. If you discussed a specific pain point, reference it in your follow-up and offer a relevant next step (a call to dive deeper, a custom demo, a relevant resource). This demonstrates you were listening and increases engagement. (Source: Stephanie Christensen, Episode #227)

Create a shared Slack channel with event attendees to sustain post-event engagement. After intimate dinners or VIP gatherings, create a dedicated Slack channel and invite attendees to join. Use it to continue conversations, share follow-up resources, and maintain relationships beyond the event. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)

Recognize that the event doesn't end when attendees leave — follow-up is where the real value is created. The event itself is just the beginning. The real ROI comes from post-event follow-up. Without strong follow-up, all investment in getting people to the event is wasted. (Source: Stephanie Christensen, Episode #227)

Where Experts Disagree

When should you send the initial post-event follow-up — same night, or with no specific same-night urgency?

Support summary: 3 vs 1

This is a genuine tactical disagreement about whether speed or strategic quality should be the primary driver of post-event follow-up timing.

Position A: Send initial follow-up the same night of the event (1 supporter)

"Drop event leads into your CRM and send initial follow-up communications the same night of the event, not the next day or later. Being the first to respond signals that your company is responsive and on top of things. This timing advantage matters for conversion and perception."

• Sydney Sloan (Episode #289) argues that same-night follow-up creates a competitive timing advantage and signals responsiveness. In her view, lead capture, CRM entry, and initial outreach should all happen within hours of the event ending.

Position B: Pre-planned strategic follow-up, with no specific same-night urgency (3 supporters)

"Post-event follow-up should be planned before the event starts as part of the overall event strategy, with ownership assigned and messaging mapped out in advance. The emphasis is on deliberate, personalized execution rather than speed on the night itself."

• Stephanie Christensen (Episode #227) emphasizes assigning a dedicated follow-up owner, planning the strategy before the event, and monitoring execution daily — but does not specify same-night timing as a requirement. Her focus is on personalized, context-specific outreach rather than immediate generic follow-up.
• Anna Vermillion (Episode #294) stresses mapping out all post-event deliverables (slides, recordings, sponsor recaps, follow-up emails) before the event starts, treating follow-up as a planned program rather than an urgent same-night sprint.
• Stephanie Christensen (Episode #227) (second point) emphasizes creating unique, personalized offers based on attendee context — which implies deliberate crafting rather than same-night speed.

Context dependency: These positions may not be mutually exclusive in all cases. Same-night follow-up may matter more for high-volume trade shows where speed-to-lead is competitive and first-mover advantage is real. Pre-planned strategic follow-up may be more relevant for intimate executive dinners or owned events where relationship quality matters more than speed. However, both contexts involve the same underlying tactical question, so there is a genuine tension in how to resource and prioritize the post-event workflow.

Trend note: No chronological trend was identified in the source data.

What this means for you: When helping a user plan post-event follow-up, surface this disagreement explicitly. Ask whether their event is a high-volume trade show (where same-night speed may matter more) or an intimate owned event (where personalized, pre-planned outreach may be more appropriate). Do not present either position as settled consensus.

What NOT To Do

• Do not skip pre-event demand validation. Committing to venues, speakers, and budgets before testing audience interest de-risks nothing. Validate demand first. (Source: Dave Gerhardt, Episode #164)
• Do not wait for the official announcement to start building event awareness. Starting promotion only at launch wastes the 2–3 month window when you could be building pent-up demand. (Source: Dan Murphy, Episode #147)
• Do not send all event attendees into a generic company nurture. Unsegmented follow-up wastes the context you gathered at the event. Segment by ICP tier, job function, and deal size. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)
• Do not assume sales or content teams will own post-event follow-up. Without a dedicated owner, leads go stale and follow-up doesn't happen consistently. Assign explicit ownership. (Source: Stephanie Christensen, Episode #227)
• Do not scramble post-event deliverables together after the event ends. Slides, recordings, sponsor recaps, and follow-up emails should be planned before the event starts. (Source: Anna Vermillion, Episode #294)
• Do not send event photos days or weeks after the event. Photos sent more than a day or two after the event have minimal social amplification value. Deliver within 24 hours. (Source: Sydney Sloan, Episode #289)
• Do not use SMS for general B2B marketing. SMS is appropriate only for time-sensitive, transactional messages (like event reminders) to audiences who have explicitly opted in. (Source: Jess, Episode #312)
• Do not rely on Slack channels alone for internal event communication. Slack becomes noise. Present event updates in regular team meetings to create real visibility and engagement. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)
• Do not send generic post-event follow-up emails. Reference specific conversations and pain points from the event. Generic follow-up signals you weren't listening. (Source: Stephanie Christensen, Episode #227)
• Do not invite executives to events with generic content. If the agenda doesn't address what's top-of-mind for them, they won't attend. (Source: Kristina DeBrito, Episode #227)

Sources