10 Hard-Hitting, Not-So-Subtle New Year Thoughts for the Events Industry
By: Tony Compton
Tags: Public Speaking, Marketing, Sales, Events, Trade Show

I’ve read a few articles on predictions for the global events industry in 2022. Enjoyable reads from those associated with an industry hit hard by COVID. But, in my humble opinion, those articles stop short. They’re incomplete. Off target, at least from my point of view.

There are some chronic problems with events that never seem to get addressed. Others issues are just gaining traction. At events, large and small.

So I decided to offer 10 thoughts of my own, based on my experience as an event director, conference producer, corporate and product marketer, broadcast and streaming media professional, trade show booth set-up and tear-down guy, TV and film background actor, voiceover talent, exhibit hall presenter, CRM industry keynote speaker, writer, content creator, speaking coach, materials handler, frequent flyer… you get the drift.

But they’re not predictions. I wanna be different. 10 thoughts.

I could offer so much more, but here are 10 thoughts, for starters:

1. Public Speakers Will Continue to be Ill-Prepared

Ok, allow me to clarify. The vast, vast, vast majority of public speakers won’t be prepared for their sessions. Not all, but most. This was a problem long before the pandemic, and it’s not changing anytime soon. The evidence is out there for all the world to see and hear as more and more companies decide to go online with event activities. It’s clear and obvious when corporate speakers don’t prep or rehearse. It’s clear when they don’t attempt to use their body language or their voices. While they read slides, waste your time, etc.

You know it 10–15 seconds into a session, and you have an hour to go…

2. Audiences Will Continue to Accept (and Pay for) Bad Presentations

Again, this is a problem that’s been around forever. Nobody checks on what an audience learns — or doesn’t. I’ve been a part of more terrible event, conference, and trade show sessions where the speaker loses an audience from the start, yet receives a polite round of applause from the crowd playing on phones and laptops. Add in the cost of travel, hotel, and food to the price of an event ticket and somebody, somewhere is flushing their money down the drain.

But it usually isn’t the attendee.

3. Panel Discussions Should be Regulated by the FDA

Because they’re putting people to sleep not just in the USA, but across the planet. We may have a new pharmaceutical on our hands.

Years have gone by and I’ve yet to hear somebody say, “WOW! I was blown away by that panel discussion!” Check your next event schedule. Do you see a panel discussion?

Ugh.

I’m guilty of having panel discussions on my programs in the distant past. I’m not sure where the notion of having three to six (or more) people sit in comfy chairs on stage and drone on for an hour became engaging and entertaining. And I’m sure as hell unaware of how anybody can put the same number of people online and called that entertaining. Panel discussions look good an paper, and are very easy to do. It’s a way to accommodate high-paying sponsors and placate know-it-alls with a spot in front the crowd. It’s also a phenomenal way to phone in your next appearance.

Did I mention they’re easy, time fillers… and you’re paying for that…

(In the United States of America, FDA stands for Food and Drug Adminstration.)

4. Investors, CEOs, and CMOs Continue to Struggle with Events

Having been in and around this business for decades, I know what costs what. Investors clearly pay the bill — but they rarely ask questions about event outcomes. Or they wait until it’s too late.

CEOs may actually attend an event — for a moment or two, but they’re rarely around for booth set-up or tear down. And CMOs will stroll into the convention hall with a cup of coffee while the booth is being set, finger point, and they’ll leave just before this exhibit hall closes…with the false sense of knowing they did a great job, but without knowing all there is to know about the results from a just-completed event.

This event and conference stuff costs money.

And if more investors took an interest, and if more CEOs and CMOs had a handle on the totality of their events, expenditures, and outcomes, a different, more engaging and more productive event landscape may exist.

But it doesn’t.

How else can you explain why the business world is offered such outdated, cookie-cutter conventions and boring virtual activities while at the same time finding companies to pay the freight of the high-price tags to participate?

In 2022, some will start to pay attention. Finally.

5. Sales Enablement Continues to Enable… Not Very Much

We’re now in a pandemic age of supporting sales across multiple channels. This includes events. But companies are more concerned with the usage of software platforms to deliver stale content then they are with genuine sales team readiness.

Meanwhile, more time is wasted and there are numbers to be hit.

External sales must be able to speak to content. Inside sales. Executives. Marketing. All front-line personnel, to start. Tech usage for learning is good, but if that’s the major concern, you’ll be left standing on the one yard line.

Sales Readiness is essential for event success.

Example… Think about the last demo you saw. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m sure there were award-winning graphics and sound. Scripted material. Innovative tech.

But how about the presenter? Storytelling skills…audience interaction…hybrid formats…endurance… If the computer crashed, could the demo continue? Sales Enablement, indeed. You need team readiness for all event formats.

Try it without the tech to exercise personal communication skills.

6. Filler Language Expands its Footprint

Ummm, you know what I mean, uhhh… right?

Filler words are the vocabulary of the unprepared public speaker. Or panelist. Or podcast host, and their guests. Filler words have now expanded into business podcasts. Into virtual and hybrid presentations. You’ve heard them; maybe you use them.

What do I mean ‘maybe’?

Play a game with me. When watching or listening to a session (of any kind) you’ll know within the first 15–30 seconds if a speaker is ready. The filler words will start to fly. Count them. Use your fingers and toes and a pen and paper to count the ummms, uhhhs, you knows, rights…odds are you’ll run out of fingers and toes within a few minutes.

Maybe, ummm, quite possibly, sooner. Ya know?

That’s unfortunate. Filler words are so easy to eliminate.

7. On Podcasts… The Astonishing Lack of Creativity Endures

I read somewhere that the average podcast lasts seven episodes. No surprise, because the average business podcast sounds like, acts like, looks like, and feels like every other podcast… and they’re hard work to produce.

How about some generic music at the beginning?

How about some long-winded bio introductions?

Some poor quality audio, with phone lines or concrete walls?

Brought to you by your host, thrown to wolves on a microphone by those who think a good performance just happens, just because…

… and you expect me to listen for more than 60 seconds?

When the going gets tough and the podcast becomes a marketing pain, most take the path of least resistance. They stop doing them.

Podcasts can play a fun, creative, competitive part in any event activity. But they’re hard work. Good audio, is hard work. Speaker prep, is hard work. Creative usage at events doesn’t come easy. And for those who truly believe that you’re being creative just by having a podcast studio set-up in your booth, that’s old news. That’s been done for decades — in various forms. The world won’t come running to your booth, just because. There are dozens of ways to use creative audio at events, anchored by exceptional podcasts. In-person, virtual, and hybrid.

Show your audience something other than the typical podcast painted-by-number.

8. Sales Kickoffs Need to Adjust

Beyond the safety blanket and the misguided notions behind sales enablement software and learning platforms being the immediate priorities, you’ve got a sales or company kickoff scheduled for early 2022. Of course you do. And I challenge you to think and act differently before, during and after your next kickoff.

But what do you have planned, for this next round? Lemme guess…

Sessions with your CEO, CMO, and Product VPs given an hour each.

Maybe a customer or two and and an analyst, or a special guest, also with an hour each.

Some sales stories. A few case studies.

And a dash of product marketing…as in “Here’s Tony, at 9:30 Wednesday morning, to tell you everything you need to know about GTM strategy, messaging, positioning, content, alliances, and competitive intel, and how this will play out at events… after his 30 minutes, we’ll break at 10.”

Throw that away. For those who want an idea for 2022 sales kickoff, try the Product Marketing Gauntlet.

With Omicron at the outset of 2022, you need an agile, fully-prepared sales team to excel in any format of market interaction. Then again, you’ve needed that all along and you still offered the same cookie-cutter sales kickoff format.

This year, get into the sales and team readiness game and try something else.

9. Alternatives to Trade Shows and Conventions Will Increase

As much as I can’t stand senior leadership’s obliviousness when it comes to events, there are some rumblings from some business people about long-in-the-tooth event formats, their effectiveness, and time and wallet-draining expenses.

in 2022, you don’t have to jump back into any single industry event and spend a boatload of your marketing money. I suggested 10 Alternatives, and your options are only increasing. And nobody is going to think you’re going out of business if you don’t have a 30’ x 30’ booth or spend six and seven figures at the next Vegas or Northern California event. There are newer, better, and more cost-efficient and effective ways to engage audiences vs. the tired exercise of fighting your way through a pandemic to Midtown Manhattan or the Chicago Lakefront for a week-long marathon.

Especially in explosive arena of B2B Tech Marketing.

10. Understanding Event Selection, Prep, Execution, and Measurement is Critical

Some want the Vegas boondoggle. Others want to play the role of big shot sponsor in Northern California. Still others just buy what some event producers are selling…just because.

Great, enjoy.

For those serious about their events, faced with choosing when and where to place their investments in 2022 and 2023, you must apply critical business perspectives to all event activities. That time is now.

You’re spending limited resources, and this affects how you choose events, how well your speakers are prepared, the depth of your content, how sales skills are strengthened, exhibit hall, branding, and booth activities, opportunity generation, on-line and in-person engagements, measurement and reporting… and so much more.

As we enter 2022, possessing this business acumen around events has never been more important. For astute investors and executives, it’s all table stakes now.

—

Marketing, is under duress. CMOs have short windows of opportunities, and short tenures.

The process of how events are approached, executed, and measured plays a huge role in marketing and sales success. And event shortcomings have only been exposed and exasperated during the pandemic.

For those who wish to keep doing what you’re doing with events, I wrote about my experience here. All the best to you in 2022.

For those who understand the Event Gauntlet that will challenge you in 2022, welcome to a new business landscape like you’ve never seen before.

I predict radically redesigned sales and marketing opportunities involving events will be endless.

Tony Compton holds two degrees from Loyola University Chicago: a 1987 B.A. in Communication and a 1995 MBA. He’s held a number of marketing and business leadership positions over the past three decades. And he knows a thing or two about events.