Marketers face longstanding event planning and execution challenges
In the ever-evolving B2B marketing landscape, events continue to dominate marketing program spend. However, many event marketers struggle to fully benefit from the value of their investments due to long-standing challenges. The good news is that the future holds enormous potential for harnessing artificial intelligence to overcome these barriers and unlock new opportunities.
One of the key challenges facing marketing teams is underutilizing event content. Despite creating high-quality content for events, valuable resources often go to waste once the event is over. A significant 63% of marketers admit to failing to maximize the value of event content, with large enterprises facing an even higher figure of 72%.
Another challenge lies in maximizing the value of event data. As limited access to audience data becomes more common, event data is a valuable source of zero- and first-party audience information. Unfortunately, 55% of marketers admit they fail to extract the full potential of this data. Personalization is another hurdle for event teams. The next generation of attendees, particularly Gen Y and Z, expect events to provide digital and personalized experiences. The majority of marketers, however, admit that this is an area they struggle with.
Artificial intelligence will help marketers overcome challenges and maximize event value
Current adoption of AI for B2B events is low, with 87% of marketers saying they are in learning mode, but the majority believe AI will fundamentally change the way they plan and execute events within next 24 months. In upcoming research, I have identified nine priority event use cases for AI in the three event phases, pre-event, in-event, and post-event:
- During the pre-event phase, AI can improve productivity and efficiency by improving audience targeting and selection. By leveraging data analytics and predictive intelligence, marketers can ensure their event reaches the right audience. Additionally, AI can streamline event content creation and streamline event management processes, saving time and resources.
- At the event itself, AI can deliver highly personalized and immersive experiences. Through deep analysis of attendee data, AI can provide personalized recommendations and unique event journeys. AI-powered chatbots can offer improved levels of assistance, while areas such as captioning and AI translation will offer more inclusive experiences.
- In the post-event phase, AI can help maximize ROI through data analysis and content repurposing. AI-powered tools can help marketers get quick answers to complex questions that were previously out of scope for all but the most data-savvy event teams. In addition, AI can simplify the process of repurposing and repurposing event content, allowing marketers to extend the life of their content and deliver it to a wider audience.
By embracing AI, marketers can overcome longstanding challenges and unlock new opportunities through their events. Artificial intelligence improves event team productivity, delivers improved attendee experiences, and helps maximize event value.
This article was written by Senior Analyst Conrad Mills and originally appeared here.