The B2B Event Playbook: Building Revenue-Driving Events in 2025

03/13/25 • 54 min

#227: Events | In this episode, Dave hosts a live Exit Five session with Zuddl and panelists Stephanie Christensen (Event Marketing Leader) and Kristina DeBrito (Director of Strategic Events at Iterable) to break down how B2B marketers should be thinking about events in 2025. From small VIP dinners to large customer conferences, events are making a big comeback—but without a solid strategy, they can be a massive waste of budget.

Dave, Stephanie, and Kristina cover:

The key metrics to track to prove event ROI in 2025
How to get executive and stakeholder buy-in for your event strategy
What’s working in B2B events right now (and what’s not)
How to follow up post-event to drive engagement and pipeline

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Stephanie and Kristina
(03:48) - – Why events are making a big comeback in B2B marketing
(07:15) - – The biggest mistakes marketers make when planning events
(10:03) - – How to align your event strategy with business goals
(12:48) - – The key metrics to track for proving event ROI
(16:00) - – How to get buy-in from executives and key stakeholders
(19:13) - – What’s working right now in B2B events (and what’s not)
(23:29) - – The role of micro-events, VIP dinners, and executive meetups
(27:47) - – Sponsoring vs. hosting your own event — how to decide
(32:07) - – The importance of post-event follow-up and engagement
(35:49) - – Virtual events: lessons learned and how they fit into 2025 strategies
(39:42) - – Live Q&A: Expert answers to audience event strategy questions
(45:07) - – Final takeaways on making B2B events worth the investment

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***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Grammarly.

Ever have one of those weeks where you spent more time replying to Slack and email than doing actual marketing work?

You’re not alone. The average marketing team spends 28+ hours a week just keeping up with comms.

That leads to burnout, frustration, and a whole lot of performative productivity that doesn’t actually move the needle.

AI-fluent marketing teams are changing that. Grammarly’s 2025 Productivity Shift Report shows how they’re using AI to:

– Cut down on back-and-forth

– Automate content, research, and reporting

– Eliminate busywork

– Make space for strategy

We’re marketers because we love crafting campaigns, driving revenue, and proving impact – not spending all day buried in messages.

Get the report and see how top teams are making AI actually useful.

Visit go.grammarly.com/exitfive to grab it.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Dave, Stephanie, and Kristina cover:

The key metrics to track to prove event ROI in 2025
How to get executive and stakeholder buy-in for your event strategy
What’s working in B2B events right now (and what’s not)
How to follow up post-event to drive engagement and pipeline

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Stephanie and Kristina
(03:48) - – Why events are making a big comeback in B2B marketing
(07:15) - – The biggest mistakes marketers make when planning events
(10:03) - – How to align your event strategy with business goals
(12:48) - – The key metrics to track for proving event ROI
(16:00) - – How to get buy-in from executives and key stakeholders
(19:13) - – What’s working right now in B2B events (and what’s not)
(23:29) - – The role of micro-events, VIP dinners, and executive meetups
(27:47) - – Sponsoring vs. hosting your own event — how to decide
(32:07) - – The importance of post-event follow-up and engagement
(35:49) - – Virtual events: lessons learned and how they fit into 2025 strategies
(39:42) - – Live Q&A: Expert answers to audience event strategy questions
(45:07) - – Final takeaways on making B2B events worth the investment

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Grammarly.

Ever have one of those weeks where you spent more time replying to Slack and email than doing actual marketing work?

You’re not alone. The average marketing team spends 28+ hours a week just keeping up with comms.

That leads to burnout, frustration, and a whole lot of performative productivity that doesn’t actually move the needle.

AI-fluent marketing teams are changing that. Grammarly’s 2025 Productivity Shift Report shows how they’re using AI to:

– Cut down on back-and-forth

– Automate content, research, and reporting

– Eliminate busywork

– Make space for strategy

We’re marketers because we love crafting campaigns, driving revenue, and proving impact – not spending all day buried in messages.

Get the report and see how top teams are making AI actually useful.

Visit go.grammarly.com/exitfive to grab it.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Previous Episode

What’s Your One Key Message? Mastering B2B Messaging & Copywriting with Diane Wiredu, Founder of Lion Words

#226: Messaging | In this episode, Dave sits down with Diane Wiredu, messaging expert and founder of Lion Words, a consultancy that helps B2B tech and SaaS companies achieve message-market fit so they can stand out, market more effectively, and sell more. Diane breaks down why most B2B messaging falls flat, how to fix it, and why messaging is more than just copy—it’s the bridge between positioning and execution.

Dave and Diane cover:

The difference between positioning and messaging (and why both matter)
How to create a messaging strategy that actually resonates
Why most B2B messaging sucks and how to fix it
How to structure homepage messaging for maximum impact
How to get the most value from customer research for copywriting

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Diane
(03:43) - – What is message-market fit and why does it matter?
(06:57) - – The biggest messaging mistakes B2B companies make
(09:23) - – The difference between positioning and messaging (and why both matter)
(12:51) - – How to create a messaging strategy that actually resonates
(16:08) - – Signs your messaging isn’t working and how to fix it
(19:42) - – The role of customer research in B2B messaging
(23:15) - – How to structure a homepage message hierarchy that converts
(28:33) - – What makes a great value proposition vs. a generic one
(31:07) - – How to test and validate your messaging with real customers
(34:51) - – Why messaging needs to be clear, not clever
(38:22) - – Common struggles B2B teams face when implementing new messaging
(41:58) - – Final takeaways

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Grammarly.

Ever have one of those weeks where you spent more time replying to Slack and email than doing actual marketing work?

You’re not alone. The average marketing team spends 28+ hours a week just keeping up with comms.

That leads to burnout, frustration, and a whole lot of performative productivity that doesn’t actually move the needle.

AI-fluent marketing teams are changing that. Grammarly’s 2025 Productivity Shift Report shows how they’re using AI to:

– Cut down on back-and-forth

– Automate content, research, and reporting

– Eliminate busywork

– Make space for strategy

We’re marketers because we love crafting campaigns, driving revenue, and proving impact – not spending all day buried in messages.

Get the report and see how top teams are making AI actually useful.

Visit go.grammarly.com/exitfive to grab it.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more

Next Episode

LinkedIn Ads & Strategy for B2B with Anthony Blatner

#228: LinkedIn Strategy | Anthony is one of the nine LinkedIn Certified Marketing Experts in North America. He’s also the Managing Director of Speedwork, a B2B LinkedIn Marketing Agency, and hosts the LinkedIn Ads Radio Podcast.

He and Dave discuss

LinkedIn Ad Creative & Consistent Branding
Thought Leader Ads & Organic Reach
Niche Audiences & Custom Content
Nurture Campaigns
Expert LinkedIn Ads Tips

Timestamps

(00:00) - - Intro to Anthony Blatner
(08:53) - - Focusing on LinkedIn and Future Expansion
(12:18) - - Effective Social Media Advertising and Organic Content
(15:42) - - The Overlooked Importance of Creative Content in Advertising
(17:50) - - Targeting Personas with Top-of-Funnel Ads
(24:06) - - Creating Unique and Targeted Content: Pros and Cons
(25:22) - - Lead Generation Strategies for Small Budgets
(29:35) - - Effective Funnel Strategies for Small Budgets
(33:04) - - Using Paid Advertising and Lead Magnets to Grow Your Newsletter
(37:57) - - Building Long-Term Memory with Consistent Branding in Marketing
(40:18) - - The Power of Narrow Focus for Audience Growth
(43:25) - - Content Planning Based on Sales Cycle Length
(45:14) - - Connecting with Anthony Blatner on LinkedIn

***

Today’s episode is brought to you by Grammarly.

Ever have one of those weeks where you spent more time replying to Slack and email than doing actual marketing work?

You’re not alone. The average marketing team spends 28+ hours a week just keeping up with comms.

That leads to burnout, frustration, and a whole lot of performative productivity that doesn’t actually move the needle.

AI-fluent marketing teams are changing that. Grammarly’s 2025 Productivity Shift Report shows how they’re using AI to:

– Cut down on back-and-forth

– Automate content, research, and reporting

– Eliminate busywork

– Make space for strategy

We’re marketers because we love crafting campaigns, driving revenue, and proving impact – not spending all day buried in messages.

Get the report and see how top teams are making AI actually useful.

Visit go.grammarly.com/exitfive to grab it.

***

Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.

They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.
Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.
Visit hatch.fm to learn more