Carolina Verone, Field Marketing Manager for the DACH region at SoSafe, discusses her transition from customer success, operations, and sales into field marketing. Carolina argues that field marketing is far more than event logistics, defining it as “strategy on site” that demands cross-collaboration between sales and global marketing functions. She details how SoSafe leverages a psychology-backed approach to cybersecurity awareness, evaluates trade shows via ideal customer profile (ICP) attendee auditing, and drives DACH demand generation, proving field execution remains irreplaceable by AI.
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Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn:
- Defining field marketing as “strategy on site”: Successful field execution demands anchoring every physical event or digital campaign in strategic market knowledge while acting as the operational glue between sales and marketing teams.
- Auditing trade shows via ICP criteria: Choosing the right external events requires evaluating brand maturity, demanding attendee list audits from organisers, and ensuring clear thought leadership components align with revenue goals.
- Leveraging human-centric differentiation: Differentiating a B2B SaaS platform in crowded markets relies on unique content perspectives and human psychology rather than standard product feature demonstrations.
- Preserving human connection in the AI era: While AI automates communications and lead processing, it cannot replace on-site stakeholder alignment, physical booth execution, or face-to-face relationship building.
- Leading with empathy in competitive tech spaces: Maintaining career longevity and leadership impact requires balancing sharp strategic capability with authentic, human-centric empathy.
Carolina Verone’s path into technology marketing was built on a broad operational foundation. Originally from Italy and based in Berlin for over a decade, Carolina gained experience across customer success, operations, and sales before transitioning into her true passion: field marketing. Today, as Field Marketing Manager for the DACH region at SoSafe, a B2B SaaS cybersecurity awareness platform, she directs public sector demand generation, digital campaigns, and flagship event strategy, driving net-new pipeline across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
How does a human-centric focus differentiate cybersecurity awareness platforms?
Carolina shares SoSafe’s unique market positioning and core demand generation priorities.
“I’m Carolina, and I am the Field Marketing Manager for the DACH region at SoSafe, where I focus on the public sector. Originally from Italy, I moved to Berlin 11 years ago. I’ve been in field marketing for over four years, having previously worked in customer success, operations, and sales. I always knew I wanted to join the marketing department, and I’ve been loving it ever since.
SoSafe is a B2B SaaS cybersecurity awareness platform. Our headquarters is in Cologne, and we are a Series B company with over 500 employees. We offer phishing simulations and e-learning modules to companies of all sizes. What makes SoSafe unique is our focus on the human factor. Our C-level leaders are psychologists, and we have a very human-centric approach to empowering organisations with cybersecurity awareness.
My current focus is on demand generation. My role is all about acquiring net new leads through our events and digital campaigns, whether that’s a webinar, a white paper, or a third-party media campaign. I’m also supporting the planning for our next flagship event, ‘Human Firewall Con,’ helping to sign up sponsors and shape the agenda.”
How do you evaluate and select external trade shows for pipeline generation?
Carolina outlines her criteria for vetting events, including ICP attendee list requirements and revenue goals.
“The first question you have to ask is, ‘How well are we known in the market?’ If your brand is already well-known, like SoSafe is in the DACH market, you don’t need events for brand awareness; you need them for lead generation, which changes your selection criteria.
When I’m evaluating an external trade show, I always require the organisers to send me a list of attendees to ensure our ICP is there. I also look for a thought leadership component, and I consider who else will be there and how well-known the event is. Ultimately, an event’s success is tied to revenue, so it’s about how many net new MQLs we bring in and how much pipeline we create.
In the DACH market, it’s really about the content we bring to the event and our human-centric approach. Our brand is not just about what we show at a booth, but what we talk about in our sessions. People get very excited about our perspective. Our product and our amazing customer success department are also key differentiators. I recently attended a major trade show, and most of the people who came to our booth were existing customers who were excited to tell us how happy they were working with us.”
Why is field marketing irreplaceable by artificial intelligence?
Addressing technological shifts, Carolina explains why “strategy on site” requires human interaction.
“AI is the buzzword that everyone is talking about. However, I believe that field marketing will never be replaced by AI. Yes, AI can help with event comms or automate lead processes, but can it go to an event and make sure the booth looks good or that all the stakeholders are aligned? No.
The future I see for marketing is a rise in roles that are more tied to revenue, like customer marketing and customer lifecycle marketing. And for field marketing, the role is everything, it’s email, CRM, product marketing, content, events, and digital. It’s not just about logistics; it’s about the strategy behind things.
If I were to describe the role of a field marketer in one word, it would be ‘strategy on site.’ First, you need to strategise everything you do based on a deep understanding of your market, your company, and your goals. Then, you have to bring that strategy ‘on site,’ whether that’s at a physical event or in a digital campaign. The other key part of the role is cross-collaboration. You cannot have a field marketing role without it. You have to be the glue between all the marketing functions, as well as the sales team.”
What core advice guides early-stage marketeers and executive leaders today?
In a final thought, Carolina offers perspectives on career flexibility and leading with authentic empathy.
“For those just starting, be flexible and stay flexible. The world is changing, and we don’t know how AI is going to take over our roles. Don’t get stuck in one bucket like CRM or marketing ops. Be open, watch the trends, and understand what is replaceable and what is not.
For marketing leaders, look at what other companies are doing well and try to emulate it in your own way. But also, stay human in a world full of sharks. What I love about my current company is that we have an incredibly charismatic and human leader in marketing. Especially as a woman in a SaaS environment, seeing that you can be human on top of being a strategist is a great gift.”
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Across Carolina’s insights on executing “strategy on site,” auditing event attendee lists, and maintaining human connection, one pattern is clear: modern field execution cannot rely on isolated logistics. It requires a peer-level perspective and high-trust dialogue that transcends routine campaign administration.
Her vision of human-centric field marketing reflects a broader operational reality: today’s growth heads cannot depend on automated digital channels alone to capture enterprise buyer trust. The most effective executives, especially those managing cybersecurity awareness, SaaS, and public sector portfolios across the DACH region, actively seek out peer dialogue as a strategic necessity to test their go-to-market models against real-world conditions.
At The Ortus Club, we host curated executive roundtables that bring together senior leaders facing these exact challenges. Step away from the daily noise of transactional lead generation and engage in the kind of open, high-value conversations that align your field strategy with authentic business growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What does “strategy on site” mean in enterprise field marketing?
A: “Strategy on site” refers to grounding every physical event, conference, or digital campaign in strategic market analysis and company revenue goals, then translating that strategy into flawless on-site execution and cross-team alignment.
Q: How do field marketeers audit third-party trade shows before investing?
A: Field marketeers audit trade shows by requesting detailed attendee lists from event organisers to verify the presence of their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), evaluating session thought leadership opportunities, and calculating potential MQL and pipeline generation returns.
Q: Why are customer lifecycle and customer marketing roles gaining prominence?
A: Customer lifecycle roles focus directly on revenue retention, account expansion, and turning existing clients into active brand advocates, providing measurable commercial outcomes across extended SaaS sales cycles.
Q: How does a psychology-backed approach benefit cybersecurity marketing?
A: Focusing on human psychology addresses the human factor in security breaches, framing cybersecurity awareness around empowering employees rather than purely pitching technical software features.
Q: Why is cross-functional collaboration vital for field marketing managers?
A: Field marketing managers act as the primary bridge between regional sales reps, global product marketers, digital teams, and external event contractors, ensuring all commercial messaging aligns with sales priorities.
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