In the past we were so focused on the event delivery. Now, the event is part of an integrated set of activities that build communities. Events are no longer isolated and no longer just about the event.

We sit down for a long overdue chat with our good friend Nick Laurence, Marketing and Demand Gen Leader at Sage. Our association with Nick goes back more than fifteen years and if you think, coupled with us idiots, this is an old dog conversation, then be prepared to learn new tricks as Nick charts the evolution of events over the past two decades. Nick tells us “We’re human, we’re social, we want to be together. The advent of digital marketing has given us the opportunity to expand the reach of events we’re running” and helps us answer the question "What’s right for event growth?"

We’re doing too much. We’re rushing and we’re struggling to measure success” sighs James Houselander, EMEA Marketing Director Hewlett Packard Enterprise Aruba Networks - this weeks esteemed Bums on Seats guest. “However, there is one HPE story has enabled Aruba Networks to leverage a fully engaged, wider audience.”

James, Dom & Martin dive head-first into discussions around openly sharing event strategy with sales, marketing, and channel - sharing responsibility to vastly improve outcomes and how content, networking and experience combine to guarantee a powerful event.

If you’re struggling to align sales, marketing to improve event outcomes, you need to listen to this episode. James brings experience, proven success stories and a sense of humour to this episode.

“As an organisation we’re trying to veer towards to what I refer to as Account Based Everything” declares this week’s guest Chris Willman, EMEA North Marketing Director at global cyber resilience firm Commvault. “The more we think: how does this fit into everything we’re doing, the better it performs”

The ‘this’ Chris is talking about is The Event: how do events fit into everything you do as a marketer? That’s the key question.

To answer this Dom and Martin dive into an engaging conversation with Chris about the power of aligning events and marketing strategies. If you’re grappling with the challenges of audience acquisition and long-term engagement, Chris brings valuable ideas to the table for streamlining these efforts. Plus, we explore his take on personalization, audiobooks vs. podcasts, and ask the big question: if events are the answer... what’s the question?

“I hate doing one-off events”, says this week’s guest Jennie Becker. That’s odd, coming from a powerhouse in the events world; but the key word there is ‘one-off’. As Jennie explains, you’ve got to do more.

How much more? And what does more look like? To find out, Dom and Martin sit down with podcast royalty Jennie to discuss how to balance creative ambition with shrinking budgets. If you’re struggling to get the resources and authority you deserve, it’s time to shift your approach.

From orchestrating iconic events for the British Fashion Council, LTK, and Stella McCartney, to her more recent role as Director of Events & Activations at WeWork, Jennie has built a career blending creativity with sound commercial strategy. In this episode she talks to us about building community to drive loyalty, why there’s no ‘one big thing’ for success, and the power of strategic evaluation behind every great event.

Ask any marketeer what matters most to them, and they’ll probably say ROI. That’s particularly true with events; they want the best return possible. At the same time there’s the need to prioritise education, growth and connecting with new audiences, so how do you balance both?

To find out, Dom and Martin are joined by Carla Barker, Marketing Manager for Kodak Alaris.

Together they discuss:

• How events connect partner networks and end user customers
• Confidence in trade show attendance and thinking beyond
• The importance of engaging with your audience before the event
• And crucially – how do you better understand your audience?

Find out more at tenthousandhours.agency

Long-term creative partners Martin Richardson and Dom Garner have spent a decade powering events to be more strategic and objective-led. They’ve inspired event leaders and agencies to be accountable for success, and now they’re sharing some of that knowledge.

They join leading figures in marketing, brand and communications to share how they succeed with events: attracting more event attendees, saving money, creating better engagement and gaining greater audience insights.