The in-person event is no longer just a gathering — it’s a strategic, high-value experience powered by data and technology.
With 65% of consumers stating they better understand a product or service when they experience it live, today’s event planners are under pressure to do more than just deliver a great agenda. They must create personalized, tech-powered, immersive experiences that not only captivate attendees but also drive measurable ROI.
Check how event professionals can stay ahead of these expectations by:
- Simplifying content and speaker management with smart tools
- Delivering high-quality content that builds lasting thought leadership
- Using technology to streamline the content lifecycle and enhance on-site experiences
- Automating meeting management with platforms like Jifflenow to boost engagement and conversion
Let’s dive in.
1. Personalization at the Core: Creating Bespoke Event Journeys
Attendee-First Planning
Gone are the days of one-size-fits-all agendas. Today’s attendees arrive with distinct goals in mind — some are there to network and build relationships, others are eager to learn from industry leaders, and many are seeking hands-on access to new products, demos, or behind-the-scenes experiences.
Cvent’s event management platform helps planners collect intent data before, during, and after registration.
Personalization in Action
- Use post-session chats, roundtables, reviews, and live polling to get immediate feedback and fine-tune your event in real-time.
- Offer AI-driven recommendations for sessions and meetings based on attendee behavior.
2. Technology as the Backbone: Elevating Event Execution
High-Impact, High-Touch Experiences
Today’s face-to-face events must deliver experiences that justify both time and travel. That means:
- Live 1:1 meetings with prospects
- Peer-led discussions and shared activities
- Smart check-ins and seamless agenda management
These interactive formats foster connection and community — the true differentiator of in-person events. Here’s where Jifflenow comes in. Instead of manually chasing down attendees or juggling spreadsheets:
- Automate scheduling and approvals
- Enable inbound and outbound meeting requests
- Access real-time availability and resource allocation
This transforms your event booth or meeting space into a high-performance engagement hub.
81% of trade show attendees have buying authority, but only 6% of marketers feel they convert these leads effectively. Jifflenow bridges that gap.
3. Data-Driven Decision Making: Building Smarter Agendas
What Gets Measured, Gets Improved
From session attendance rates to NPS scores, the modern event is a goldmine of insight, if you’re set up to capture it.
Drive the Future with Feedback Loops
Use post-event surveys and sentiment analysis to inform:
- Future content strategy
- Speaker selection
- VIP experience enhancements
This closes the loop between on-site engagement and long-term marketing impact.
4. Extending Value Beyond the Venue
Events as Content Engines
Today’s events live far beyond the ballroom. Savvy planners are reimagining every live session as a launchpad for year-round engagement. From keynote recordings to breakout discussions, these moments are being repurposed into webinars, on-demand videos, e-books, blog posts, and social media content, all designed to extend the life and impact of the event long after the last attendee leaves the venue. This strategy not only reinforces key messages but also supports broader marketing and demand generation efforts
Stat to note: 65% of B2B buyers say they prefer on-demand video content when researching solutions.
Cvent plays a key role in helping planners extend the value of their in-person events. By making it easy to capture and tag session content, manage speaker approvals, and sync assets with CMS and marketing tools, it streamlines the post-event workflow, turning live moments into scalable, searchable content that continues to drive engagement across channels.
Meet Once, Engage Often
Using tools like Jifflenow, your team can follow up immediately post-event with:
- Meeting recaps and next steps
- Custom content tied to session interests
- Real-time performance dashboards for sales enablement
This ensures every live touchpoint turns into a relationship-building opportunity.
5. Planning for the Future: Hyper-Personalization & Strategic Tech Stacks
What’s Next for Event Marketing?
Looking ahead, event experiences will continue to evolve with AI-curated agendas and booth visits becoming the norm. Planners will need to offer more high-touch, tailored experiences for VIPs and key accounts, while also coordinating with a broader set of internal stakeholders — including sales, customer success, and executive teams — to ensure events align with business goals and audience expectations.
For top-of-funnel teams, automating and optimizing meeting workflows is critical to maximizing event impact. That’s where platforms like Jifflenow come in, enabling full lifecycle meeting automation, delivering enterprise-grade analytics, and integrating effortlessly with key marketing and sales systems like Salesforce and Marketo to ensure a connected, data-rich experience.
Why it matters:
- 92% of trade show attendees are actively looking for new solutions
- With real-time meeting data, your sales team can prioritize the highest-converting leads
Conclusion: Turning Engagement into Impact
With 85% of organizers seeing increased attendance at in-person events in 2024, the experiential comeback is in full swing. But success now depends on how well you integrate content, technology, and personalized engagement into a seamless on-site journey.
Key Takeaways for Event Planners:
- Simplify content planning and speaker coordination with tools like Cvent, so you can focus on elevating the attendee experience.
- Create high-value, personalized moments that drive authentic engagement and build long-term brand affinity.
- Boost lead conversion and streamline post-event follow-ups by automating meeting workflows through Jifflenow.
- Use actionable data and insights to fine-tune your event strategy and prove ROI at every stage.
Want a deeper dive into maximizing on-site experiences with tech?
Download our latest white paper on Leveraging Tech & Tapping Into Experiential On-Site Event Marketing and explore how leading planners are combining automation and insights to drive results.
