What was GAINED? My unfiltered recap of the premier conference for business-to-government marketers

This week GovExec, the market-leading publisher and information services company the covers the US public sector, hosted the annual GAIN Conference in Tysons Corner, Virginia.? It is a gathering of more than 400 industry and field marketers who work for technology-based companies that sell products and services to federal agencies and/or state and local municipalities.

The event was hosted by Juliana Slye, CEO of Government Business Results.? In her introductory remarks, she unveiled the conference theme of Birth of the Self-Educated GovBuyer.? Slye promised a bold agenda to help attendees navigate a transformative phase in public sector marketing.? Would GAIN make good on that promise?

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The Unease of Disruption

Context is key to assess the value and impact of an event.? It sets tone.? It defines mood.? It influences the experience of everyone in the room -- speakers, panelists, sponsors, exhibitors, and, most important, attendees.

GAIN was uneasy for understandable reasons.? A combative and contentious US presidential election is weeks away.? There is military conflict in eastern Europe and the Middle East.? Tensions are high on the Korean peninsula, and in China and southeast Asia.

This domestic and global instability seeps into the mind-set of the corporate executives who set the strategies, priorities, and budgets of their company’s government business lines.? Many at GAIN are in an excruciating period of corporate malaise defined by a wait and see mindset.

The hyped rise of generative artificial intelligence (AI) also weighs heavily on public sector marketers.? Oh sure, there is the issue (or fear) that AI will one day make marketers obsolete.? Yet, a more immediate consideration is the transparency requirement that must be adhered to by companies that sell to government agencies.? AI is new and that makes people nervous – especially in the conservative government segment.

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Handley Storms the Stage

GovExec booked Ann Handley for GAIN’s morning keynote.? Handley is as big a “get” as they come in the world of industry marketing.? She is a polished and professional speaker, an accomplished author, and Chief Content Officer at MarketingProfs, an online training, publisher, and events provider.

Handley rallied up the audience with her energized stage presence and idealistic presentation about the increasingly important role marketers play to a company’s sustained success.? She explained we are in a “great marketing renaissance” in which authenticity to foster relationships trumps merely attracting audience.? Handley referred to this as the “return to real.”

To illustrate her contention Handley cited a social media program from a sewer and water district in Ohio.? The honest, personable, and heart-warming interactions between the district and its customers in digital and social environments revealed the power of intimacy in a public sector context.

Yet, I found this example lacked relevance to the GAIN audience.? While it is true that fostering relationships is important for marketers, those connections need to translate into sales leads and pipeline.? For industry and field marketers, the “return to real” is measurable revenue opportunities.

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Presentations with Punch

GAIN got its start as an event produced by the Government Marketing University with an emphasis on real-world, best practices oriented content from marketers for marketers.? Thankfully, under GovExec’s ownership its programming continues to subscribe to that foundational philosophy.

A few highlights from the presentations and discussions:

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1. Humanizing your B2G ABM Strategy; by Colby Proffitt and Tanner Bokor, Shift5

-Account based marketing (ABM) is not a content only tactical approach.? It is defined by every touch point your marketing and sales teams have with the customer.

-ABM is a go-to market strategy, not a marketing strategy.

-Through ABM, a company can appear much bigger to the customer than it actually is for not a lot of money.? This point was made within the context of Shift5’s competitive environment.? Shift5 is a 130 person company that often competes against much larger vendors for contract opportunities.

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2. Government Marketing Career Growth; by Allan Rubin, Granicus, and Stephen Ellis, ServiceNow

-Take on side projects that you are passionate about, even if your employer doesn’t recognize or appreciate its value.? Ellis shared a story about how a side project he promoted on LinkedIn led to a new job opportunity.? Rubin discussed his creation and moderation of a LinkedIn group for employers to post government marketing job openings.? (Disclosure:? Allan Rubin is a friend and long-standing customer of my digital media company.)

-Foster mentoring relationships within your company, as well as with peers, vendors, and industry influencers.

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3. Blueprint for B2G Success:? Branding and PR Strategies for Contract Pursuits; by Sunny Singh, Aeyon, Scott Aukema, Sigma Defense Systems, and Robin Vaitonis, Grafik.

-When it comes to a corporate brand strategy in the public sector (or other market segment), focus on your company’s “why,” rather than what it does.? The what will evolve.? The why remains constant.

-Aukema shared a gem when he encouraged the audience to identify opportunities to “explode the impact” of your content through multiple channels of promotion. ?(Disclosure: Scott Aukema is also a customer of my digital media company.)

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A Very AI Conclusion

As GAIN lurched towards its conclusion, generative AI had received glancing references and acknowledgment from most of the speakers and presenters.? Yet, it was during the closing keynote by Natalie Lambert, founder and managing partner of GenEdge Consulting, that its relevance to and applications for public sector marketers promised to take center stage.

Lambert’s arrival was announced with a pop-ish style song she created with generative AI exclusively for GAIN.? My hopes were high, as Lambert and the event host Slye encouraged the audience to clap along as they danced on stage.? It was endearing (and a bit awkward), yet the AI-created musical introduction was memorable.

The presentation served as a how-to primer in utilizing generative AI tools to concept, create, edit, and promote content.? The pragmatic orientation of the talk was as informative as its substance.? I was left to conclude that while generative AI offers exciting promise, its adoption by public sector marketers will be cautious and experimental in the near future. ?????