HOST
Singapore
LOCATION
24
ATTENDEES
Marketing
INDUSTRY
SINGAPORE, APRIL 4, 2024 — The Ortus Club brought together marketing leaders for an exclusive roundtable discussion at the elegant Keyaki Restaurant, Pan Pacific Singapore. The evening focused on the future of event marketing and how the next phase of B2B event marketing will be shaped by personalisation, creativity, and authentic connection.
THE SETTING
A Peaceful Start in Keyaki’s Garden Setting
The party was held in the peaceful Japanese garden restaurant Keyaki, which has a tranquil but motivational atmosphere. Cards were given out to the guests that were designed to suit their history with The Ortus Club. This created a sense of intimacy and thankfulness immediately. The day began with a sake-tasting session, by which the Ippaku Suisei Junmai Daiginjyo and Nanbu Bijin Tokubetsu Junmai were paired with fresh sashimi, which went very well with the sake. The unforced atmosphere, which was yet of such taste, drew forth the opinions before talking became general.
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THE GUESTLIST
Asia’s Marketing Leaders Under One Roof
The executive roundtable Singapore gathered top marketing professionals from various industries, including technology, e-commerce, manufacturing, finance and media, attended the event. Attendees included CMOs, heads of marketing and regional leads of marketing operations. Each person brought unique personalised experiences in B2B, from the global and local markets, but all the attendees represented many of Asia’s leading brands. They present a diverse, yet united group, who are all dedicated to improving the interaction of companies with their market audience. The Ortus Club demonstrated its continued strength in assembling communities of decision-makers for the facilitation of these proven open marketing leader’s discussion.
THE DETAILS
Sharing Ideas Over a Seven-Course Dinner
The evening commenced with a warm welcome from co-founder Jess Circi, who set the stage for partnership and focused discussion. Guests feasted on a seven-course dinner, each course designed with careful attention to a dish which captured the style and flavour of Japanese cuisine. This included Grilled Lobster with Cod Roe Sauce, Grilled Wagyu with Sanshio Pepper, and Sakura Shrimp Clay Pot Rice, ending with Short-necked Clam Miso Soup, a warming and soft end to a luscious meal. As courses were served, co-founder Samuel Adcock was master of ceremonies, enticing thoughts from guests with interesting questions, encouraging the marketing leaders to share opinions and dispute each other’s attitudes.
THE TOPIC
Why Personalisation Is The Standard
The central discussion focused on the evolution of B2B event marketing from scale and visibility to increasingly more personal and bespoke events. At the core of marketing leaders‘ discussion amongst leaders was the fact that today’s methods give precedence to meaningful engagement and custom experiences that create lasting connections, utilising both traditional and new-age techniques and technologies. Personalisation has gone from a trend to becoming the new benchmark for success.
THE INSIGHTS
New Challenges In Reaching Audiences
Marketing leaders were also asked about the evolution of the industry and how it responds to changing expectations, and many concurred that today’s best events use a combination of traditional practices, including networking dinners and conferences, with progressive ideas, including storytelling, invitation for interaction, and digital engagement post-event. This dual approach provides familiarity with innovation and excitement for each convention.
It was also stated that the effectiveness of marketing events should not be overstated in relation to the figures and information given as results of the bespoke events. While the measuring of results is important, the measure of success is in the making of relationships and trust, which occurs more through the smaller and more intimate affairs than the larger bespoke events. Morgan Katz, keynote speaker and founder, Ticketnology, felt that the emotional experiences now conducted are more valued for the deeper sense of connection to all clients than the gifts of merchandise. The feeling they had feels more memorable than what was given. Technology through AI and analytics becomes part of this process of assisting marketers in the measuring of results and also of future planning, but all agreed that such marketing is only as they can aid the human element of connection, but never as a substitute.
Group members reported that the changing privacy regulations and audience behaviours, such as GDPR, make it much more difficult to reach the audience through cold calling or some traditional outreach methods. This has led the marketing team to take more initiative in lead generation and have more involvement with sales to create cleaner customer journeys. While most of the leadership prefers to conduct the bespoke events in person, they say that virtual events serve a purpose, especially with teams living in different regions, or if there is only a small budget available. With the tighter budgets becoming normal, marketers are coming up with more creative ways to achieve great results by telling great stories, creating great experiences and gathering a few people but of a high-impact nature.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- It is all about personalisation. Smaller, more targeted bespoke events built around true human interactions are the best events.
- People count. Technology can help by way of planning for and measuring the success of bespoke events, by AI and analytics; however, the imperative is to concentrate on the people and the real relationships that generate real benefits.
- A different approach to ROI. The real success is in sustainable partnerships and not just the number of participants and total clicks.
- Budget cuts generate smarter ideas. Creativity and community are the new best weapons in a marketer’s arsenal.
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