If you are like many marketing or sales leaders we work with, there are two things you struggle to find time to do:

  1. Invest time in your own development.
  2. Attend conferences that relate more to your practice than your product.

I know that was the case for me before I reentered the advisory world a year and a half ago, which got me to thinking about “Why didn’t I?” And then, reflecting on my experience as Forum host last year (a role I will happily reprise this year), I started to list how our Forum would have been a great use of my time, because it really is different than many, many of the 4,440,000 results that came from my Google search on “B2B Marketing Events.”

Here’s where my list ended up:

Concern: Too much of trade show atmosphere

Reality: Our sponsorship and speakers are as targeted as our attendees. The majority of our attendees hold director-and-above marketing and sales titles, so discussion and peer networking is substantial.

Concern: No real opportunity to meet with the experts who speak

Reality: Every Forrester analyst is available for 1-1 meetings scheduled throughout our two days together. We’re also making the breakout sessions longer and more interactive.

Concern: Unclear purpose of the event

Reality: Our Forum has a specific theme each year that is explored from a number of angles; this year is “Winning The Modern B2B Buyer,” all about customer-aligned marketing and sales to serve business consumers.

Concern: The agenda is cluttered.

Reality: This year, we’re repeating foundational and deep-dive topics including storytelling, rethinking your channel strategy, messaging, and lead-to-revenue marketing . . . which also means smaller sessions to encourage discussion.

Concern: I won’t learn anything practical.

Reality: Ninety-two percent of our attendees said they either learned “a great deal” or “quite a bit” that they could apply directly when they returned to their offices. (Everyone said they learned something.)

We’re running an early bird promotion through August 17, and since many of our most senior attendees like to bring their leadership team, we’re offering discounts. Registration, agenda, sponsor, and speaker details can be found here.

One attendee told us: “This is about the only conference series during the year that I actually learn something. The content is spot-on, and the insights are actionable. Amazing job by the entire team!” It’s our goal to have you feel the same when you join us in Austin this year — stay up to date on B2B Marketing & Sales 2018.