What's New for B2B Events in 2023

We’re returning to face-to-face, but we won’t be going back to the pre-pandemic past.

Life is finally starting to return back to normal – a new normal. Everyone is going back to face-to-face. However, things will not be the same. We won’t be going back to the pre-pandemic past. As humans, we change, we adapt, and we will be doing things differently moving forward into the coming years.

For B2B events, things are also looking a bit different. With virtual and hybrid events getting more popular, people have more flexibility in their event choices, and as B2B marketers, we have to learn to be agile and resilient and learn to adapt to these ever-changing needs. Things will be different. We won’t be doing the same things again. Looking forward, what’s new for B2B events in 2023? How can we take advantage of these changes and make the most impact in the upcoming years?

In this episode, Brianna Haag shares her valuable thoughts and insights on what’s new for B2B events in 2023.

Brianna Haag was the third marketing hire at Hopin and currently leads the Demand Generation team. She is the ultimate marketer to marketers, and her team uses multiple levers to drive demand and revenue at Hopin, including hosting a variety of in-person, hybrid, and virtual experiences. Prior to Hopin, she spent time at Eventbrite and Yelp and most recently led the global events and field marketing team at Hired.

Podcast Timestamps/Outline

01:16 – Introduction

01:54 – About Brianna Haag

03:48 – What’s new for B2B events in 2023? Agility and Resiliency

06:15 – Hybrid events

08:56 – Manpower needed for doing two events simultaneously

11:29 – “Experiential” marketing

13:38 – Returning to face-to-face but not the pre-pandemic past

15:36 – Demographics for events in 2023

18:19 – Creative things in events you can leverage in 2023

21:09 – The impact of events in the business going forward in 2023

25:38 – Where in the organizational hierarchy should event marketers focus on going forward in 2023?

29:37 – What NOT to do in events in 2023

33:17 – Community

35:10 – One thing B2B Digital Marketers should be thinking about

36:00 – Connect with Brianna Haag

Memorable Quotes

“Events and marketing professionals that have events as a part of their strategy have become flexible and been able to make changes on the fly.”

“Events are the most direct way that you can communicate with your audience and your community.”

“Event experiences can be really impactful and powerful, so it’s really important for event organizers to be agile and really think through based on the goals what type of event makes the most sense.”

“There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to hybrid.”

“Hybrid isn’t always the answer.”

“Digital has rewritten the playbook when it comes to events, and virtual events are here to stay.”

“When you’re putting together a plan on creating an experience, you want to think about what format makes the most sense.”

“Focus on the experiences that you want to really drive that impact and knock it out of the park.”

Episode Links and Resources

Brianna’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/brianna_haag

Brianna’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briannahaag/

Hopin website: https://hopin.com/

Hopin Twitter: https://twitter.com/Hopin

Hopin Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hopinofficial

Hopin Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hopinofficial/