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  • Events Industry 2023, Wrapped: Our Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts

    Events Industry 2023, Wrapped: Our Top 10 Most Popular Blog Posts

    As we close the door on 2023 and prepare to launch into what will undoubtedly be another busy year in the events industry, we’re excited to take a look back. Throughout the year, the RainFocus blog has helped event leaders stay ahead of the curve. We provide thoughtful advice from our seasoned executives on the most impactful trends, as well as quick practical tips for navigating the day-to-day work of planning and executing events around the world. 

    To cap off our journey through the year, we’re counting down our top 10 most popular blog posts in 2023. Join us as we revisit these highlights and the trends that defined the year in the events industry: 

    10. Everything You Need to Know About Badge Printing

    Event success comes down to the details. To the uninitiated, badges may seem minor compared to elements like booking keynote speakers or planning a massive welcome party. But attendee badges perform a critical function. Is pre-printing or printing on demand more efficient? How should you differentiate access types? This quick guide helps your team zero in on the right choices.

    9.  The Path Forward: JR Sherman and Alicia Tillman Reflect on Pandemic Pivots and Events’ Value in Any Economic Climate 

    RainFocus INSIGHT gives attendees expert guidance on the most important events industry trends, opportunities, and challenges for the year. This blog post recapped the fireside chat between RainFocus CEO JR Sherman and Alicia Tillman, RainFocus board director and current chief marketing officer at Delta Air Lines. No matter the size of your company or your events, these experts’ reflections on customer journeys, budgets, the future of virtual events, and more continue to resonate.

    8. Early Bird Pricing Strategy: The Logic and Science Behind Scarcity and Value

    Another evergreen favorite, this post dives into the strategy behind offering early-bird pricing for your event. With events under pressure to deliver ROI and meet attendance goals, it’s more important than ever to hit the ground running with a strong response to your special offers for attendees who register early.

    7. Conversations: A Look at Today’s Event Trends with Ashleigh Cook 

    The Conversations series, a signature part of the RainFocus blog, features candid Q&A sessions with RainFocus’ most knowledgeable executives. This 2022 post with Ashleigh Cook, now our CMO, zeroes in on opportunities and challenges that continue to factor heavily into events leaders’ planning. Readers found valuable advice on everything from attendee engagement to smart content reuse to ongoing efforts to increase personalization.

    6. Fifteen Points of a Great Recap Video

    After an event wraps, it’s time for measurement, analysis, marketing and sales follow-up … and putting together a fun recap video to showcase your success and keep the enthusiasm going. Readers appreciated the detail in this blog post and the provided client examples.

    5. How to Structure Cancellation Fees at a Conference

    Like badge printing, early-bird pass offers, and recap videos, cancellation fees represent another event element that may seem minor but can have a big impact. Balancing ongoing relationships with financial realities — and making the whole process as efficient as possible — requires the right approach. This popular blog post covers all the nuances.

    4. What Should You Look for in a Modern Event Management Platform?

    When exploring options for any new technology, buyers often turn to leading analyst firms’ reviews and reports comparing leading platforms. This year, Forrester compared RainFocus and 13 competitors for The Forrester Wave™: B2B Event Management Technology, Q1 2023 report, and we were named a Leader. But this popular blog post is about more than boasting — it also lays out a few key recommendations from Forrester’s analysts for what to look for in any B2B event management technology.

    3. How to Supercharge Your Marketing Channel With Event Data

    Omnichannel marketing is making big waves this year in the events industry, so it’s no surprise that this blog post ranked near the top in popularity. The end of third-party cookies, meanwhile, has spotlighted the importance of zero- and first-party event data like never before. Best of all, we also co-wrote an entire (free!) e-book with Adobe if you’re ready to take the next steps.

    2. A First Look at RainFocus INSIGHT 2024: What to Expect 

    It’s clear the excitement around RainFocus INSIGHT continues to build! Since this post was first published, we’ve also released a lot more information about the event. Check out the session catalog and preliminary speaker list, bonus excursion offerings, and more. There’s still plenty of time to get the primer through this blog post and then register to join us in Salt Lake City.

    1. How to Harness the Power of Events to Drive Business Growth 

    Finally, our most read blog post in 2023 — by far — tackles a universal, timely theme. Whether or not your organization faced budget cuts and other economic challenges this year, turning to your events channel to fuel marketing and sales success is a smart strategy. Our experts delved into exactly how to make sure those events deliver maximum (and measurable) ROI. For even more guidance, check out the accompanying free e-book!

    We’re looking forward to another year of bringing you another year of thought-provoking discussion and practical guidance on the blog. We can’t wait to see what 2024 brings!

  • Proven Networking Strategies That Boost Event Value

    Proven Networking Strategies That Boost Event Value

    Networking has consistently ranked as a key value driver for event attendees, making it a top priority for event professionals. Our own Events and Marketing Strategy Survey confirms that event professionals are committed to providing these opportunities, with 71% increasing the amount of time dedicated to networking and 47% increasing networking space. Earlier this year at INSIGHT 2025, keynote speaker Erica Spoor, SVP of strategy at Sparks, presented findings that also demonstrated the power of networking.

    Which strategies are most successful? Based on thousands of client events, we’ve found that the following areas are important for ensuring maximum networking effectiveness:   

    Structured Meetings Programs

    Dedicated meeting programs provide the guidance attendees need to maximize their time on-site. Meeting programs are typically scheduled in advance with limited time slots, creating a sense of exclusivity. Common meeting programs include meetings with an executive, expert, or exhibitor. We are also seeing rising popularity for some newer meeting program uses such as job fair interviews, speaker rehearsals, and 1:1 speaker prep.

    Attendee Catalogs

    Dedicated meeting programs provide the guidance attendees need to maximize their time on-site, including networking. Meeting programs are typically scheduled in advance with limited time slots, creating a sense of exclusivity. Common meeting programs include meetings with an executive, expert, or exhibitor. We are also seeing rising popularity for some newer meeting program uses such as job fair interviews, speaker rehearsals, and 1:1 speaker prep.

    Badge Configuration

    Many teams are using QR codes or Bluetooth/NFC encoding on badges to enable attendees to share contact information or social media profiles. These technologies are now easier than ever to set up and can significantly boost attendee networking. Similarly, we’ve seen a rise in the number of event teams using distinct badge designs for different personas to help attendees quickly recognize those they may be especially interested in connecting with. This badge approach is another effective way to help facilitate conversations.

    Sales Enablement

    Integrating event data with CRM systems like Salesforce, Marketo, Adobe, and HubSpot enables organizations to use networking interactions for sales enablement and marketing campaigns. Some Salesforce apps even allow sales teams to schedule meetings with attendees directly from Salesforce. These networking insights have proven to be highly effective for driving upsells, referrals, and customer acquisition.

    Given the importance of real-life relationships, networking will remain a top priority as events continue to evolve. Event professionals must remain agile and embrace new technologies to keep up with attendees’ desires for more meaningful connections. A holistic view of attendees’ past networking experiences will be crucial in crafting events that resonate with attendees and offer unmatched value. 

    Stay tuned for our next post on networking to learn more about how networking integrates into journey-based event planning.

  • Choosing the Right Event Platform: Top Questions and Leading Research Sources

    Choosing the Right Event Platform: Top Questions and Leading Research Sources

    When it’s time to invest in any new technology, information from trusted third-party sources is invaluable. A vendor’s own claims provide useful initial information, but for more verification as the pool of contenders shrinks, many buyers turn to expert research firms, trade publications, industry association resources, and real-life customers of all the platforms they’re considering.

    For event platforms, the new 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Event Marketing and Management Platforms will undoubtedly help event teams (and their colleagues on the marketing, sales, and executive teams) make the right buying decision.

    We’re excited to announce that RainFocus was just recognized as a Leader by Gartner in the 2025 Magic Quadrant. This is our second consecutive placement in the Leaders Quadrant. According to Gartner, “Leaders execute well against their current vision and are well positioned for tomorrow.”

    We think these recognitions are a fitting reflection of our ongoing innovation and commitment to helping our customers elevate their events and deliver event ROI. A few recent comments on Gartner Peer Insights™ also speak volumes.  

    For example, advantages like industry know-how and cooperative support can only be truly verified by clients. These are the people who have worked alongside our team in onboarding meetings, during pre-event planning sessions, seated behind on-site registration desks, and everywhere else along each step of their event journey:

    “[RainFocus’] dedication to customer service and satisfaction is one of their top priorities. The product offering is strong, reliable and trustworthy. They are experts in their field and can be relied on to not only meet one’s needs but push the envelope in strategic ways to improve processes and stay on top in the field.”

    -Program Manager, Software Industry ($1B–$3B)

    “The platform is customizable and easy for the users to navigate. The support we have received from our customer success manager and solution consultant has been outstanding. We have been able to make successful updates to our event using the RainFocus technology, including adding more personalization and increased opportunities to engage with our customers.”

    -Director of Marketing, Software Industry ($500M–$1B) 

    Buyers evaluating event platforms should also always look deeply into the specifics, especially in an era of rapidly developing AI capabilities and an increasing need for seamless integrations and data access.

    A sea of customer testimonials or a full-length research report may seem overwhelming. Make sure to zero in on what features and capabilities matter the most for your organization. If you’re experiencing challenges or incompatibilities with your current solution, those are an ideal starting point.

    Here are some core questions for event platform vendors: 

    1. Versatility: Does the platform flex to meet the needs of your in-person, virtual, and hybrid events? Will it accommodate everything from global conventions to exclusive executive meetings? Can it scale up to accommodate your anticipated event growth? Will you be able to reuse components and workflows for efficiency? 
    1. Integrations, data, and reporting: Are there integrations with the rest of your tech stack? Martech and salesforce automation platform integrations will likely be the most important. How is data shared between the event platform and other tools? What level of custom reporting is available? 
    1. All things AI: Does the event platform incorporate AI tools that solve users’ common challenges? What are the agentic AI capabilities? Are each company’s ongoing inputs to generative AI tools secure and private? 

    To access the full Gartner Magic Quadrant for Event Marketing and Management Platforms and research the current platforms in greater depth to discover which is right for you, click here.

    GARTNER is a registered trademark and service mark of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and internationally, MAGIC QUADRANT and PEER INSIGHTS are registered trademarks of Gartner, Inc. and/or its affiliates and are used herein with permission. All rights reserved.

    Gartner Peer Insights content consists of the opinions of individual end users based on their own experiences, and should not be construed as statements of fact, nor do they represent the views of Gartner or its affiliates. Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in this content nor makes any warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this content, about its accuracy or completeness, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

    Gartner does not endorse any vendor, product or service depicted in our research publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner research publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s research organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this research, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose.

    Gartner, Magic Quadrant for Event Marketing and Management Platforms, By Christy Ferguson, Precious Ozokpo, Amy Jenkins, Halle Stern, 10 June 2025

  • The Modern Virtual Event: Advice From DocuSign's Ghazwan Almoazen

    The Modern Virtual Event: Advice From DocuSign’s Ghazwan Almoazen

    Many event teams (and attendees) agree that the magic of in-person events can never be fully replicated online. But virtual events offer unique benefits for host organizations and their attendees. They remain a critical strategic component of most event portfolios. 

    Hosting an engaging, effective digital event in 2025 starts with identifying their specific purpose and target audiences. In a recent episode of Event Perspectives — our video series featuring interviews with today’s top event leaders — Rodney Hart, VP of events at RainFocus, delved into virtual event strategy with Ghazwan Almoazen, director, global experiential marketing demand and communication at DocuSign.

    Here are a few key takeaways:

    1. Align the event to an attendee engagement need. Virtual events can serve to fill the gaps between major in-person events, creating continuous engagement and communicating product updates. 

    Almoazen explained that DocuSign recently used digital events to support the launch of a new solution. Given the ease of attending compared to traveling to an in-person conference, these events successfully expand the organization’s reach beyond DocuSign’s in-person event attendees, which are more focused on those with past engagement or local audiences. 

    1. Don’t skimp on planning and budget. Both the planning requirements and costs can be surprisingly high for a high-quality virtual event. 

    Recording and streaming needs, rehearsals, paid marketing, speaker preparation, and other elements all need budget and careful attention. Of course, using the same event platform for both in-person and virtual events helps streamline the process.

    1. Make attendance easy. Moving on to the specifics, Almoazen recommended keeping digital events short. For some, less than an hour is sufficient. Breakout sessions might be under 20 minutes each. 

    Registration should also be short. Unlike in-person events, which may require long forms covering everything from role-based fields to the attendee’s dietary needs, digital events often need just the person’s name and email to sign up. Reducing sign-up barriers can expand reach, Almoazen explained. 

    For more best practices on virtual events — including measurement, differentiation, and even whether getting a celebrity speaker is worth it — check out the full Event Perspectives interview here! You can also discover Almoazen’s journey to the events industry and get his advice for aspiring professionals.

  • Elevating Event Marketing Through Micro-Events: Tips and Considerations

    Elevating Event Marketing Through Micro-Events: Tips and Considerations

    Micro-events are on the rise. These events, which are defined by personalized tailored experiences for niche groups, more frequently appear on organizations’ event calendars in addition to a large-scale event — or even in place of it.

    Rodney Hart, VP of events at RainFocus, recently discussed the benefits and challenges of hosting micro-events on the Event Industry News podcast, hosted by Event Industry News co-founder Adam Parry. 

    A key advantage of micro-events is that they are much easier to attend than large events. Typically, they are shorter in duration and hosted in cities closer to attendees’ hometowns. “At a time where we’ve got so much else going on in our personal lives and work lives, committing to three-day, four-day programs is actually quite a big ask,” Parry said. 

    Even with the smaller time commitment for micro-events, organizations must ensure the experience meets attendees’ expectations. Here are some top tips for planning impactful micro-events, as discussed on the podcast: 

    Tip #1: Use Event Data to Identify Target Audiences  

    Because micro-events are intended to cater to specific, niche groups, an important early step is to identify attendees with similar interests and challenges. Data from your past large events can help you identify these connections. Actions such as session attendance and meeting participation are easy data points to reference when creating guest lists for micro-events.  

    Tip #2: Offer Timely and Engaging Content

    Micro-events are ideal for reacting to market changes in real time. Generally, smaller events take less time to plan than their larger counterparts, so they’re effective for quickly sharing the company’s updates, messaging, and product offerings. However, audience engagement requires more than just engaging content. While it’s important to plan content that resonates with your audience, reserve enough time for networking and fun. 

    Tip #3: Piggyback on Larger Events

    Organizing your micro-events around your larger events or conferences is a great way to increase participation in your micro-events. Attendees will likely find it easy to add on a micro-event if they have already dedicated time to your larger event. Examples of piggyback events include dinners and workshops within conferences to provide more intimate engagement opportunities for attendees.

    Tip #4: Collaborate With Partners 

    Partners can help you expand your reach to the niche audiences you’d like to target. By collaborating, you can multiple resources, shares, and reduce the logistical burden of micro-event planning. Partners also bring diverse perspectives that can enrich event content.

    Tip #5: Evaluate Your Micro-Events Frequently

    Micro-events can generate a tremendous ROI, but given their additional expenses, organizations must continuously analyze attendee behavior, engagement, and outcomes. Assess cost per head, sales generated, and pipeline movement to measure each event’s impact. Minimizing food and beverage costs and being mindful of employee expenses is also important. Evaluating micro-events one by one can be time-consuming. Using a single platform for every micro-event will save you time and allow you to easily track trends for every new event.

    The Future of Micro-Events

    We expect to see continued growth for micro-events, especially as they offer organizations flexibility  to respond quickly to market changes. Micro-events will also play a role in the transition from traditional campaigns to journey-based marketing by providing targeted, personalized experiences that align closely with business objectives and audience needs. 

    Visit our website to learn more about optimizing micro-events for business growth.

  • RainFocus AI Survey Sentiment Analysis: Speedy Survey Support

    RainFocus AI Survey Sentiment Analysis: Speedy Survey Support

    After your event ends, survey data provides a wealth of valuable information. Organizations can get a jumpstart on their planning for future events by getting answers to the biggest questions: What did your attendees think of the event? Did they like Session A or Session B better? Which networking approaches were most effective? Should you pick a new venue for next year’s conference? 

    In particular, survey questions that allow open-text responses can surface deep, specific information from attendees that fuels ongoing event improvements and innovation. But of course, first you have to wade through all that text — something that many of our clients said took them way too long.  Although manual analysis could work for small events, it couldn’t scale for enterprise events that might involve processing thousands of open-text survey responses.  

    Analyzing open-text survey responses is now much, much easier with RainFocus AI Survey Sentiment Analysis, introduced late last year. 

    The tool was developed to address the cumbersome manual analysis needed for open-text survey data. The burden often meant clients would just skip those types of questions, explains Adam Blaylock, product marketing manager at RainFocus. 

    “They had to serve another question type instead, such as multiple choices or assigning a rating,” he says. “Many were relegated to more niche or narrowly scoped surveys, just because they needed to avoid the hassle of dealing with text-based questions. This affected the availability and usability of qualitative input.” 

    Now, AI-powered analysis gives instantaneous scoring and sorting so that teams can zero in on what matters.

    “Being able to immediately sort feedback into categories — positive, negative, neutral, and invalid — can be especially useful when teams are using surveys as part of gamification,” Blaylock says. “Some attendees will tear through the survey questions just for the points without providing any real information, which makes their input useless.” 

    Instant survey data for every stakeholder

    Event data has always been especially valuable because it serves so many teams: marketing, sales, executives, and more. 

    To get all the vital information from attendee surveys to everyone faster, AI Survey Sentiment Analysis generates convenient executive summaries. There’s no need to wait for the survey to close: Teams can run sentiment analysis manually whenever they’d like and easily export the results for interim reports or decision-making for on-the-fly changes. 

    Analysis can also occur automatically after the survey ends. For earlier surveys, teams can even retroactively run the analysis to glean new information. 

    Given the strong guardrails needed to always protect user data — especially for events — RainFocus’ product team took steps to ensure the addition of generative AI maintained full digital safety and privacy for both clients and their event attendees.

    “Most importantly, we have a closed, private instance of our AI cloud model,” Blaylock notes. “Inputs and other content are never used to train the model. They are also not shared with others, and data is segmented by client for full competitive protection. Of course, all features and tools are fully vetted by our security team.”

    Looking ahead

    Like many RainFocus features, AI Survey Sentiment Analysis can be flexibly applied to address each event team’s unique challenges. As clients move through their event calendar, they’ll undoubtedly discover new applications. 

    “One use case is applying filters to reduce legwork,” Blaylock says. “For example, if you wanted to know more about pain points that attendees experienced during check-in, you could filter feedback to show only negative comments and then zero in on the check-in topic without having to sift through as much.” 

    By now, tasks like analyzing text-based responses and answering questions based on data represent solidly established AI use cases. RainFocus’ product teams have already built on this foundational work to develop more nuanced, advanced uses of the technologies. 

    Most importantly, every feature will be aligned with client needs and the industry’s most pressing challenges. 

    “There’s a lot that AI can do, but you don’t want to do everything with AI just because you can,” Blaylock says. “Instead, we want to specifically solve problems that we know event managers face.” 

    Discover RainFocus’ latest AI-powered innovations — and more product enhancements — with this keynote from RainFocus INSIGHT 2025.

  • What Is Agentic AI, and How Does It Improve Event Engagement?

    What Is Agentic AI, and How Does It Improve Event Engagement?

    The events industry can’t stop talking about AI and its potential uses. Many conversations in recent years have centered on generative AI, but a major new focus is agentic AI. 

    What exactly is agentic AI? In short, agentic AI is an autonomous learning model that proactively addresses users’ needs rather than just reacting to them. In a recent AI Journal article, RainFocus CMO Ashleigh Cook noted, “Agentic AI is reshaping how brands interact with audiences—and those who embrace it stand to gain a significant competitive edge.”

    This emerging technology presents event teams with several game-changing possibilities, some of which were briefly introduced during our opening keynote at INSIGHT this year. In this post, we’ll dive into what forward-thinking event teams are already doing with agentic AI and share considerations for getting started. 

    How Teams Are Currently Using AI Agents 

    Event teams are always seeking to improve their attendee experience. Many used a “more is more,” approach, planning year-round to ensure attendees had an expansive selection of sessions, networking opportunities, meals, and activities to choose from. However, they often found attendees became overwhelmed by needing to decide where to go and who to meet with. 

    Enter agentic AI. Now event teams can prescribe the right experience to every attendee and help them efficiently get to where they need to go — even if event schedules shift or other elements change. Here’s how:

    Session scheduling: Rather than browsing a catalog, attendees can rely on AI agents to recommend and then schedule sessions for them. AI agents predict which session attendees will enjoy based on their registration responses, session favorites, and other actions. They can optimize attendees’ agendas, avoiding scheduling conflicts and preventing wasted time.  

    Matchmaking and meeting planning: Attendees don’t always know who they want to meet with. AI agents help by matching like-minded individuals who are interested in the same topics, working in the same role, or attending similar sessions. For scheduling, agents detect which times work for both attendees and book an available room. Likewise, agents can help attendees find and book meetings with subject-matter experts.

    Wayfinding: AI agents can guide attendees around events. Using room details, agents can answer common questions such as “Where is lunch being served?” or “Where is my next session?” Furthermore, agentic AI prevents attendees from wasting time in transit by identifying which sessions or activities are nearby. Beyond the event venue, it can answer questions about local attractions and provide travel tips. 

    Facial authentication: Agentic AI can verify attendees’ identities based on their facial features and then instantly check them in. In addition to registration, facial authentication has several other applications, including session access control, gift redemption, and meeting sign-in. 

    Event logistics and problem-solving: Because AI agents are always learning, they can provide bespoke solutions for less common attendee problems. For example, if an attendee joins a waitlist for a session but doesn’t make it in, an agent can recommend similar sessions, provide a session summary, or schedule a 1:1 meeting with the speaker. 

    Post-event analysis and engagement: Using what they’ve learned about your attendees, AI agents can offer personalized event recaps and follow-up reminders to drive engagement post-event. They also provide insights into your attendee behaviors, enabling you to make data-driven decisions for future events.

    Considerations for Agentic AI

    Agentic or otherwise, all AI relies on accurate, updated data to function properly. Fortunately, modern event technology provides ample amounts of behavioral data for AI to sort through, structure, and repurpose. 

    This is what makes events ideal for agentic AI. That said, human guidance is still very much needed to instruct AI agents on what data to use. Here are a few things to consider as you implement agentic AI into your events:

    Centralized data is a must-have. Although AI is powerful enough to pull data from multiple event management technologies, having a single platform for all of your events ensures that data is collected in a consistent format. This makes it easier for agentic AI to recommend experiences and answer questions based on past attendee behaviors. A single platform also maintains security and privacy with attendees’ personal information. 

    Integrate events into the customer journey. Attendees’ experiences don’t start and end with your event. Whether they are customers, partners, or prospects, they have likely interacted with your brand several times before the event and will continue their journey afterward. Integrating sales and marketing data into your event management technology gives agentic AI a clearer understanding of the entire customer journey, enabling it to personalize experiences further. In return, marketers can expect greater insights into what drives customer behavior. Agentic AI will help them anticipate customer needs and eliminate redundancy in the buyer’s journey. 
    Request a demo to learn about RainFocus’ AI capabilities.

  • Seven Keys for Efficient Digital Event Branding

    Seven Keys for Efficient Digital Event Branding

    Digital event branding plays a critical role in optimizing your event attendees’ journeys. It helps you build recognition, establish authority, and communicate your organization’s key messages. 

    However, developing a comprehensive branding strategy for the entire event can be time-consuming and complex. In several presentations during the INSIGHT 2025 conference, RainFocus product experts addressed this challenge with a range for best practices for optimizing event design. 

    Whether or not you are currently using RainFocus to design your digital event experience, consider these seven guiding principles for efficient event branding:

    1. Understand the purpose of the event. From vision to design, your event’s purpose shapes every element of your event experience, including branding. Different goals, such as establishing thought leadership, building your community, or generating brand awareness, each require different approaches. A good place to begin is aligning with stakeholders to understand their needs, and then designing your event accordingly. 
    2. Keep your layout consistent across all web pages. As a rule of thumb, elements such as button placement and sidebars should remain uniform from one event page to the next. This consistency makes it easier for attendees to navigate your experience. 
    3. Build event branding to last. When possible, design elements that can be repeated year after year. Examples include registration forms, thank-you pages, content catalogs, and digital signage. Doing so will create a familiar experience for return attendees. 
    4. Adopt a “series” mindset rather than focusing on single events. Strengthen your brand presence by creating a recognizable identity across all your events. Ask, “How will this design scale?” Create templates that provide value across different teams. Consider applying consistent branding elements from large events to smaller events to save time across the event portfolio. 
    5. When using custom code, employ CSS variables and web components. CSS variables are lines of code that, when changed, will apply across your website. These might include primary and secondary colors, fonts, or other brand elements. Applying them can reduce branding complexity and developer overhead.
    6. Prioritize simplicity. Just because webpages can be customized to look a certain way, that doesn’t mean they always need to be. Aim to reduce security risks and tech debt by using available tools to build simple, intuitive experiences for attendees. Overly designed websites take more time to create and maintain, and they can confuse attendees.
    7. Think of your event as part of a larger customer journey. Beyond events, seek to establish consistent brand standards across all of your marketing platforms. This encourages a unified brand experience for customers and prospects. 

    We’ve covered seven keys to optimizing your digital event branding, but why is all of this so crucial right now? As our speakers emphasized at INSIGHT, we’re in a digital era in which attendees expect intuitive design. Your event branding should feel like a natural extension of their daily online routine. As you fine-tune your digital event branding, you’ll improve attendees’ experiences, build recognition year after year, and be better equipped to meet your event goals.

  • Attendee Engagement Strategies for Creating Memorable Events

    Attendee Engagement Strategies for Creating Memorable Events

    How do you create a memorable event? There’s the quick, obvious answer: Just add high-profile guest speakers, splashy entertainment experiences, and other big-budget offerings designed to dazzle. But experienced events leaders know that attendee engagement requires much more than pricey gimmicks. In an era of busy schedules, tight budgets, and an abundance of content competing for everyone’s attention, there are no shortcuts. 

    But prioritizing a few best practices for attendee engagement from the start of the planning process — long before the registration desks open at your event — makes all the difference, as an all-star panel of industry leaders shared at RainFocus INSIGHT earlier this year. 

    The Experts

    • Michele Cole: Director, Global Event & Experience Marketing, Esri
    • Rocky Citti: Sr. Marketing Technology Manager, Workday
    • Sanya Khera: Senior Product Manager, Intuit
    • Ashleigh Cook: CMO, RainFocus (panel moderator)

    Here are the experts’ top tips from their INSIGHT discussion: 

    1. Weave personalization into every facet of the event.

    Even at massive conferences with hundreds of thousands of attendees, everyone wants to feel that sessions and experiences were crafted specifically with them in mind. By mapping attendee personas and leveraging them from the start, event planners can tailor experiences to meet needs and interests. VIP attendees and key clients, for example, might want opportunities for exclusive one-on-one meetings. Personalized content recommendations and agendas help all personas create their ideal schedule. During the event, segmented notifications for attendees, staff, and sponsors ensure everyone stays informed and engaged. 

    2. Encourage networking and interactivity.

      As RainFocus executives JR Sherman and Doug Baird emphasized during their opening keynote at INSIGHT, events are all about relationships. Make the most of the unique power that comes from gathering in person by creating dynamic human-to-human experiences.

      Pre-event surveys and opportunities for starting to build connections with attendees who share interests or business goals (e.g., through browsing attendee lists and chatting in the event’s mobile app) set the foundation. The panelists also recommended interactive elements, such as Braindates and live polls, to boost attendee engagement during the event. 

      3. Adapt based on signals and preferences. 

      Surveys, quick polls, and similar elements not only foster engagement by making attendees feel involved, but also provide clues on what they want to see. Ideally, teams can build in opportunities for flexibility to meet their audiences’ needs on the fly and use real-time data to adapt.

      By monitoring attendee signals, such as recurrent themes within questions asked during session Q&A programs, app usage patterns, and other data, they can identify topics and approaches that are the most strongly resonating — and potential additions or modifications to offer, even within the same event.

      For example, if a particular session draws unexpectedly large demand but cannot accommodate every interested attendee, repeating the session in a previously designated flex slot on the event’s last day demonstrates attentiveness to attendees’ needs and increases satisfaction. 

      4. Supercharge analysis through technology.

      Everyone wants to attend an event to interact with people — not robots or machines. However, data and technology play a pivotal role in creating memorable event experiences.

      The panelists emphasized the importance of data integration to connect data from event registration, session attendance, and countless other sources with marketing platforms and the rest of the tech stack. This connection provides a deeper understanding of attendees, powering personalization and optimizing interactions. Likewise, using generative AI to process and analyze volumes of attendee feedback makes this critical evaluation step more efficient. 

      5. Keep the community flourishing.

      Finally, a memorable event should leave every attendee feeling valued, connected, and inspired. To maintain that positive impression long after everyone has flown home and returned to their daily office routine, continue cultivating a sense of community.

      Hosting online spaces for attendees to gather, creating an on-demand library of content for replaying a selection of conference sessions, actively responding to post-event feedback, mailing out distinctive event-related items, and, of course, continuing targeted communications can all boost attendee engagement.

      Organizations that take the time to foster lasting connections rather than dropping off after the event ends will build a healthy base of loyalty and excitement by the time registration opens for the following year’s event!

      Discover more key takeaways from RainFocus INSIGHT by visiting RainFocus On Demand!

    1. “The Nexus of Marketing and Sales”: How to Leverage Event Data

      “The Nexus of Marketing and Sales”: How to Leverage Event Data

      At Adobe Summit 2025, RainFocus’ win as the Adobe Digital Digital Experience B2B Technology Partner of the Year marked an exciting milestone. Fittingly, our executives’ popular conference session, “2025: Revolutionizing B2B Buying Journeys With Meeting and Event Data,” highlighted how events are, more than ever, a critical driver of business impact. 

      During their session, RainFocus’ Brian Gates and Marius Milcher discussed the impact of integrating events and marketing data using tools like Adobe Experience Platform (AEP) and RainFocus. Co-presenter Hannah Macking, director of digital architecture at Red Hat, followed with an inside look at how her organization leverages event data pre-, during, and post-event to drive customer behavior. 

      Here are some of the biggest takeaways:

      Events Far Outshine Other Marketing Channels in ROI

      Most enterprise organizations host anywhere from 500 to 2,000 events each year. These events represent a substantial portion of B2B marketing spend, often ranging from 40% to 50%. This is comparable to the investment in digital channels, which account for 50% to 60% of the budget. However, traditional marketing technologies fall short of addressing this significant spend, making dedicated event technology a necessity.

      Events offer much higher levels of customer engagement compared to other marketing channels. The amount of time customers spend reading an email or a digital ad is often seconds, whereas at events, they will often spend upwards of 800 minutes fully engaged with marketing content, Gates and Milcher explained. 

      Therefore, events provide an unparalleled opportunity to capture first and zero-party data. As technologies advance and preferences evolve, the depth of behavioral data gathered through events is even more critical for understanding customer intent and driving personalized experiences.

      Events Are the Nexus of Marketing and Sales

      Events can streamline marketing and sales efforts. By integrating events, marketing, and sales technologies, organizations can leverage customers’ touchpoints at events to create a seamless customer journey. Research has shown that event attendance contributes to higher campaign conversion rates, increased deal velocity, and, ultimately, more deals closed. 

      Red Hat’s Cross-Sell Opportunity Success

      Red Hat uses event data to drive customer engagement at every stage of their journey. The process begins with cross-functional alignment around objectives and business requirements. 

      As Macking explained during the Summit presentation, she and her team then reach out to partners like RainFocus to determine what data will be ingested into AEP and Customer Journey Analytics (CJA). Once the data is integrated, they can recommend data-backed actions to stakeholders based on their event data. 

      Macking shared a simple example of this process: One of the primary goals of Red Hat Summit 2024 was to identify and act on cross-sell opportunities. Red Hat worked with RainFocus to set up registration forms that asked attendees which products they were most interested in learning about during the conference. All attendee responses were captured in RainFocus and then integrated back into CJA. With this information, Red Hat’s marketing team targeted attendees with appropriate cross-sell messaging during post-event nurture experiences. By connecting RainFocus and Adobe, they harnessed their event data to improve business outcomes.

      To learn more, check out the slides and audio from the session. 

    2. Conversations: Rodney Hart on Breaking INSIGHT Records and a Surprise AI-Powered Hit

      Conversations: Rodney Hart on Breaking INSIGHT Records and a Surprise AI-Powered Hit

      With RainFocus INSIGHT 2025 wrapped up, it’s once again time for Rodney Hart, VP of events at RainFocus, to jump into a few of the most important post-event activities: Crunch the data to quantify the multifaceted impact of this annual flagship event, (maybe) finally catch up on sleep, and, of course, sit down and talk about his biggest victories, learnings, and new best practices to share with the industry.

      Whether or not you joined us in Salt Lake City or online this year for INSIGHT, our discussion with Hart offered plenty of illuminating takeaways. You’ll also find some honest post-mortem pondering from the leader who planned and executed the INSIGHT program start to finish.

      This year marked INSIGHT’s third year as an in-person event (with hybrid and virtual offerings). Intentional, targeted attendance growth was a big story. 

      “Twenty-seven percent growth is exciting, but seeing 40 percent growth within key demographics for our customers and prospects is even more so,” Hart said. “We’ve built a reputation for a conference that people want to attend.” 

      All about the content

      Attendees packed into sessions in record numbers, too. RainFocus INSIGHT 2025 posted its highest total of concurrent sessions and highest session attendance numbers yet, with strong engagement and many popular presentations quickly attracting standing-room-only crowds. This enthusiasm reflected new heights in session quality and tracks tailored to INSIGHT’s varied attendee personas. For example, differentiated levels of session technicality accommodated attendees’ various roles and experience with the RainFocus platform. 

      Hart said he and the team have already begun brainstorming areas for additional improvements next year based on survey data. Some attendees, for instance, found the repurposing of the large mainstage space for breakouts made even well-attended sessions feel awkwardly empty. Others wanted to see more rooms more extensively built out with additional equipment for speakers.

      “We’re looking to mix around sessions and continue to refine session delivery,” he noted. Based on attendee comments, the team is also exploring ways to add more immersive experiential impact for the most anticipated mainstage sessions, such as the annual keynote from RainFocus executives JR Sherman and Doug Baird. 

      A surprise breakout hit

      One notable success from INSIGHT 2025 nearly didn’t happen: Hart said that the introduction of AI-powered session summaries from Voxo followed a last-minute rush to onboard the vendor and uncertainty over whether attendees would embrace the offering. 

      “We made it happen,” he recalled. “We gave them the speakers and abstracts, and we produced 62 summaries and had more than 2,000 downloads very quickly. This nearly approached the number of people who scanned in for sessions. We also had 10 clients who wanted to do something similar and followed up with Voxo.”  

      Human connections

      As shown by the success of INSIGHT’s instant session summaries, generative AI continues to play an increasingly important role in events. The technologies also powered and enhanced numerous other processes at INSIGHT, from session recommendations to real-time transcription to rapid sentiment analysis for post-event feedback. Attendees’ conversations and session takeaways, including intriguing early victories for agentic AI, also highlighted the usefulness of practical applications. 

      Nevertheless, the INSIGHT 2025 theme — Elevating Relationships — serves as a reminder that people attend events to interact with other people. Whether it’s industry titans, familiar longtime peers, or key clients and prospects central to their organization’s revenue goal achievement, human-to-human connections are paramount.

      The future of virtual

      Given that truth, how are virtual components faring in 2025 within hybrid events like INSIGHT? 

      “Although we’ve seen lower numbers year-over-year, that really hasn’t diminished the value of virtual,” Hart said. “What it means is that you have to think about how to build and amplify that content you’re producing. ‘If you build it, they will come’ isn’t the case anymore.” 

      He added that INSIGHT 2025 featured the longest virtual broadcast yet, with significantly elevated quality. As other industry observers have noted, virtual attendees may simply be less willing than in years past to sit and tune in for multiple sessions at an appointed time. Or, as Hart described, they’re “meeting’d out” and may instead prefer to register for the event and then plan on diving into on-demand sessions at their convenience. 

      INSIGHT’s fully virtual components, such as Premiere and Preparation, have continued to draw high attendance. “This presents more ways of leveraging virtual as we look at the activity around Premiere and Preparation,” Hart explained. “Those are the ‘calendar moments’ where you get to talk to your audience.” 

      Stay tuned for our continuing post-INSIGHT coverage! We’ve also added sessions for viewing on demand  – click here to check out any you missed or revisit your favorites.