Prediction 2: Marketers Infuse More Creativity Into Their Events

By Mary Shea, Global Innovation Evangelist at Outreach

Prior to the pandemic, 73% of marketing and sales leaders said webinars were one of the most reliable ways to generate leads.?

But after more than 20 months of working in a primarily remote world, “Zoom fatigue” has more than set in, and the traditional webinar is bearing the brunt of our collective exhaustion.?

Live attendance for webinars declined in the second half of 2021 as participants sought out fresher formats and consumed content on-demand.?

More innovative providers created highly immersive experiences where attendees, as active participants, became the event itself.

We all hoped next year would mark the return of our favorite marquee events, but with the recent emergence of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, it's unlikely attendees will flock to these large shows.?

While Salesforce has remained quiet about its Dreamforce plans, word on the street is that the industry stalwart will likely provide some in-person options.?

SXSW will be back in person for nine days with 15 different tracks and 160 sessions. It also added to its lineup Conference Summits , two-day events for smaller groups with more targeted interests.

To maximize the impact of one of their largest budget line items, marketers will need to experiment with more engaging, immersive virtual formats and to differentiate with smaller highly curated in-person events.

Keep event participants engaged in 2022:

• Forgo the large in-person annual industry conference
• Deliver smaller, tailored, and exclusive in-person events
• Leave the traditional static webinar behind

Want to skip ahead? Missed an earlier prediction? Review Mary Shea’s five sales and marketing predictions for 2022 on the Outreach blog.