Virtual Events Part 3: Choosing the right martech

All-in-one platform or build-your-own stack? You have to choose. Here’s how to get started. Editor’s note: This is the third in a series covering virtual events. In Part 1, we discussed the differences between virtual and in-person events. Part 2 focused on virtual event networking. In the early days of martech, debate raged whether deploying an all-in-one platform or assembling a “stack” of best-of-breed applications yielded the best results. That’s the choice facing virtual event producers now, and the benefits and pitfalls of each approach apply to virtual event production as well. What are you trying to accomplish? Define the objectives and […]

September 8, 2020 By Marc Sirkin Read more...

Virtual event networking: overcoming the limitations of an intermediated experience

50% of producers surveyed said their top frustration with virtual events was matching the level of engagement provided by in-person events. Creating rewarding and scalable networking opportunities that serve all constituencies is the trickiest aspect of executing events online. It’s also been the least satisfying aspect for attendees, exhibitors and other event participants. That doesn’t excuse event producers, whether for-profit trade show organizers or companies running virtual events to generate business or retain customers, from cracking the code of successful virtual networking. The “event” analogy fails… again Part one of this series concludes that the “experience (of in-person and virtual […]

August 18, 2020 By Chris Elwell Read more...

No in-person events until 2nd half of 2021, marketers say

75% said they were satisfied with virtual event experiences Marketers continue to say they won’t attend in-person events into 2021 and are overwhelmingly satisfied with virtual events, according to MarTech Today’s July Event Participation Index. Third Door Media is the publisher of MarTech Today. Only 3-in-10 marketers said they would attend an in-person event through the end of the first half of 2021, mirroring results from the June index. (At that time, we asked only about the likelihood of attending in-person events through the end of 2020.) These results suggest that the surging number of COVID-19 cases, especially in the United States, […]

July 29, 2020 By Henry Powderly Read more...

Virtual Events: What We’ve Learned

Virtual events are different; may not be “events” at all Author’s note: This is the first of a series of articles for producers of virtual events and those considering participating as an exhibitor/sponsor in a media company’s virtual event. The number of organizations producing virtual events exploded as COVID-19 spread. Innovation has been rapid. Results have been mixed. After producing two large virtual events for the martech and search marketing communities, with another martech event planned for this fall, we’re beginning to answer some questions about the characteristics and capabilities of the medium and its ability to satisfy the needs of attendees and exhibitors/sponsors. What IS a […]

July 21, 2020 By Chris Elwell Read more...

Join us for MarTech in October

In-market prospects. Thought leadership. Lead generation at scale. MarTech delivers leads at scale in a virtual environment. Here are key benefits of participating in the October 2020 event: Guaranteed leads from highly-qualified and in-market attendees to replace those you won’t meet at in-person events this fall. Inclusion in the MarTech program to showcase your thought leadership. Your presentation will be amplified to all registrants, which numbered more than 9,000 at our April 2020 edition. Multi-channel promotion of your participation to the audience visiting the MarTech website, MarTech Today, chiefmartec.com and all of their related e-mail and social channels. The MarTech editorial program, featuring conference […]

July 7, 2020 By Leslie Bacon Read more...

A data geek’s case for branding

Will the marketing pendulum reverse direction? I’m a data geek. I got my start in direct response advertising, selling direct response postcards, print and directory ads. I worked at Catalog Age, which covered scintillating topics like square-inch analysis, mailing list response rates, paper and postal rates, inbound call centers with 800 numbers, and calculating ROI. Readers were direct response nerds like me. Totally uncool. Galaxies away from Madison Avenue, where TV spots and slick 4-color centerfolds were created… to build brand awareness. LOL. eCommerce and digital marketing changed all that. Analytics and data science became hot skills.  Now, B2B marketing efforts are […]

June 24, 2020 By Leslie Bacon Read more...

Prospect for in-person conferences fades for 2020

There’s a 30% chance that marketers will attend a conference this year. The likelihood that marketers will attend an in-person conference or event before the end of 2020 continues to fade, according to the latest data from MarTech Today’s Event Participation Index. In fact, marketers on average gave the likelihood that they would attend an event in the fourth quarter a 3 out of 10 chance, compared to 4 out of 10 when we first asked the question in late April. Overall, 69% of marketers we surveyed said they would only attend virtual/online events this year unless a COVID-19 vaccine is available, […]

June 16, 2020 By Henry Powderly Read more...

Enjoy the attention glut while it lasts

Working from home has been a boon to the attention economy. But it won’t last. Across industries, producers of “virtual events” are reporting stunning rates of attendance and engagement. Let’s face it. The NFL draft typically gets good ratings, but this year experienced audience increases of as much as 40% for some sessions. Unprecedented. Recently, the team here at Third Door Media produced the virtual Discover MarTech event, which drew 5x more attendees than any MarTech conference in our history. And we did it in less than three weeks of promotional efforts. Don’t get me wrong, having nearly 9,000 registrants was something we were proud of, but it got […]

June 3, 2020 By Chris Elwell Read more...

More important than marketing

The cold-blooded murder of George Floyd has sparked global outrage. The fear, sadness and frustration that have fueled protests around the world will not abate unless we all confront racial injustice. Today, we are adding our voices to the call for equality and fair treatment for black citizens. Third Door Media is a small company of 29 individuals, a mix of men and women, who are mostly white. We know we can do more to support diversity within our organization, publications, events, and the greater marketing community. We also know we can use our privilege and this public platform to […]

June 2, 2020 By Lauren Donovan Read more...

Content Marketing in the Age of COVID

Getting results with fewer resources Even before things got crazy, content marketing teams were stretched super thin. More than half of all content marketing teams had fewer than 2 full-time people. Nearly 25% had no full time staff. Even at large companies, only 28% had more than 5 full timers, all this according to our friends at MarketingProfs and the Content Marketing Institute. Lots of you have had staff trimmed, and working from home has made coordinating projects more difficult than ever. “Sixty-two percent [of companies] have already experienced a fall in employee productivity,” according to Workfront’s Erica Gunn. “Thirty-four percent… have delayed […]

May 26, 2020 By Chris Elwell Read more...