In-Person Event Program Drives Customer Retention and Recurring Revenue

Over my six-year tenure overseeing the marketing program for a rapidly expanding property-tech company, one of the highlights each year was our touring event series, a strategic initiative that consistently delivered positive results to the business.

Background

The company faced intensified competition in its core business, with rivals commoditizing a transaction-driven data product. To safeguard and differentiate its substantial market share, the company executed a pivotal transition, reshaping its product into a SaaS workflow solution. This transformation necessitated our team to educate customers on the benefits of adopting this innovative approach, particularly amid industry-wide regulatory and policy changes.

Event Strategy

The half-day events were strategically scheduled across 20-30 cities in the United States annually.

Here is a snapshot of a typical agenda:

• 8:00 am: Check-in & Breakfast

• 9:00 am: Technical Industry Track

• 10:30 am: Networking Break

• 11:00 am: Market Update

• 12:30 pm: Closing Remarks

• 12:45 pm: Optional Lunch and Product Presentation

The half-day format allowed our target audience to attend without disrupting their afternoon commitments. While the technical and market content drew the majority of attendees, a significant portion stayed for the product presentation.

Results

These events consistently attracted between 45 and 150 attendees, varied by location, encompassing about 75% of the company's customer-base by account revenue. Post-event analysis revealed that accounts represented at these events exhibited a spending increase of over 10% compared to those that did not attend. Notably, the attrition rate for event attendees was virtually zero. Year after year, this event series demonstrated a remarkable return on investment, playing a pivotal role in supporting the company's successful go-to-market transition.