ObserveNow Media recently hosted the second edition of its Marketeer Thinktank – Brew & Brainstorm: B2B Marketeer Roundtable Session on 10th May in Crown Plaza, Gurugram. Esteemed marketing leaders from Delhi NCR convened to discuss the future trajectory of the B2B event industry, emphasizing the significance of sustainability within these events, hybrid and physical events and the increasing role of Gen AI in Event Marketing and other relevant topics.

Participants included Nupur Sharma from Crowdstrike, Kishor Achhra from BMC, Shalini Agrawal from SAP, Vinny Sharma from Securonix, Lavika Gupta from Microsoft, Radhika Katyal from Mercer, Nikhil Thapar from Unipore, Sanjay Choudhary from Lentra, Anju Williams from STTelemedia, Namrata Nath from Exotel, Alekhya Chakrabarty from Unstop, Manisha Vasdev from Coursera, Priti Luthra from GoTo, Imrana Khan from LinkedIn, Vandana Hirani from Western Digital, and Shreya Bhatnagar from Broadcom.

The session, expertly moderated by Taniya Tikoo, Editor-in-Chief & Co-founder of ObserveNow Media, fostered a dynamic exchange of insights. She started with a context-setting presentation and introduced the vision of ObserveNow to all the attendees.

Ms. Taniya expressed gratitude for the wonderful lineup of esteemed marketeers and commented on the agenda of the session, “The Agenda is Marketeer Think Tank is to discuss the future of B2B events. Being a B2B media marketing events company, we want to take events a notch higher and transform the way people look at events. In alignment with the same vision, in the last 5 years, ObserveNow has worked with 300+ clients and with completion of 5th year, ObserveNow has also gone global, with its presence in UAE.”

Highlighting the B2B events Vinny Sharma, Marketing Director – Asia Pacific & Japan, Securonix expressed her thoughts and said, “Events are essential for everyone, and physical events remain irreplaceable. In-person interactions foster stronger connections, making it easier to build meaningful relationships.”

Additionally, the conversation began with an examination of the percentage of budget that marketers allocate to event marketing and their perspectives on the returns on investment generated from such spending. However, the session’s in-depth analysis covered various topics, including the future of personalization, the irreplaceable role of marketers despite AI advancements, strategies for agencies to differentiate themselves from competitors, the gap between promises and deliverables, preferred event formats, ABM strategies, and the importance of creativity. These engaging topics painted a comprehensive picture of the future of events.

Talking of the same, Nupur Sharma, Director – Marketing, Crowdstrike said, “Event marketing requires ongoing efforts and continuous creativity. Currently, experiential events are dominating the industry. It’s crucial to ensure that the occasion is valuable for attendees, whether through engaging content, networking opportunities, unique experiences, or simply the prestige of being part of an exclusive guest list.”

While commenting on the sustainability aspect of B2B marketing, Lavika Gupta, Senior Marketing Communication Manager, Microsoft said, “B2B event marketing is here to stay. Regardless of whether it’s B2B or B2C, the focus has shifted from tactical to thematic campaign-led approaches. Events remain a key strategy and we should always blend both digital and physical elements.”

There has been a lot of perspective on personalisation, AI as a job eater, addressing the same Nikhil Thapar, Director & Head of Field Marketing, Uniphore said, “In the future, there will be a significant emphasis on personalization, enabling marketers to develop more effective strategies. While AI is already making a positive impact in the industry, it is not expected to replace marketers’ jobs anytime soon. Instead, it will serve as a powerful tool to enhance their efforts.”

“We aim to infuse each of our events with industry-specific nuances, recognizing the unique characteristics and challenges of various sectors. This tailored approach not only enhances our ability to connect with specific industries but also enriches the overall experience for participants, fostering deeper engagement and meaningful connections within each sector” said Shalini Agarwal, Marketing Director, SAP shedding a spotlight on the evolving element of B2B events.

While commenting on the ROI of events, Manisha Vasdev, Director Enterprise Marketing, Coursera said, “We should never look at the ROI of a single event. So, it is an integral effort as we have content generated from each event that can be leveraged for lead generation in future campaigns.”

Following the roundtable discussion, attendees enjoyed cocktails and dinner, further engaging in networking opportunities. The collaborative exchange of ideas and perspectives during the session set the stage for innovative approaches that will shape the future trajectory of B2B events, ensuring they remain a cornerstone of effective marketing strategies.