By Jon Forst, Co-Founder and President, Trademark Events – Originally Shared on FastCompany.com
I’ve been noticing an interesting trend lately—something that’s come up in more than a few conversations with C-level leaders, CMOs, and strategy heads. The companies making the biggest impact with their events right now aren’t thinking in terms of tents and timelines. They’re thinking in terms of tribes.
Let me explain.
It’s Not About the Event. It’s About the Outcome.
Events used to be treated like special projects—high effort, high expense, and often hard to measure. But that’s changed. More and more, I’m seeing business leaders treat their events like strategic levers, not as standalone moments. Events are part of a broader engine for customer engagement, revenue acceleration, and even product adoption.
And it’s not just marketing driving this shift. Sales, product, HR, and yes, even the CFO—they’re all paying attention to what events are delivering, and what they could be delivering if approached differently.
Hybrid Is Here to Stay. AI Makes It Personal.
When hybrid first entered the scene, it was all about necessity. Now, it’s about opportunity. Done right, hybrid events massively expand reach without compromising experience. However, what’s truly exciting is how AI is transforming the attendee experience.
Imagine this: your customer logs in, and the event platform knows exactly what sessions they should see, who they should meet, and what content they’ll care about. That level of personalization doesn’t just impress—it converts. It makes the experience feel curated, not generic. And in the B2B world, that kind of relevance leads directly to pipeline, retention, and loyalty.
What Gets Measured Gets Funded
Another shift I’ve noticed: execs are asking smarter questions about ROI. It’s not, “How many people showed up?” It’s, “Did this event help us close deals faster? Did we improve customer stickiness? Did it move the needle on perception?”
So, we’re seeing a new vocabulary emerge: ROI (return on investment), of course—but also ROE (return on engagement) and ROO (return on objectives). When we plan an event now, we’re starting with KPIs, not closing night. Because when events are tied to real business goals, they get the buy-in and the budget they deserve.
The Best Events Don’t End—They Evolve
Let me ask you this: why should the value of an event stop when the chairs are stacked and the lights go out?
The answer is: it shouldn’t.
The most successful events I’ve seen in the last year have been the ones designed as the start of something bigger. They kick off a community, a conversation, a movement. Whether it’s a private Slack group, a content series, or a recurring workshop—it keeps your audience connected to your brand long after the last speaker finishes.
That ongoing engagement? It’s gold. It builds trust, deepens relationships, and creates advocates, not just attendees.
Purpose Isn’t a Buzzword—It’s a Business Strategy
Here’s something else that’s changed. Audiences, especially younger professionals, want to work with—and buy from—companies that stand for something. Sustainability. Inclusion. Equity. Innovation with a conscience.
When you design an event with purpose at the center—whether that means sourcing local vendors, making your content radically accessible, or tying your program to a cause—it resonates. You can feel it in the room. And guess what? Purpose-driven events outperform. People remember them. They talk about them. They come back.
Don’t Just Show Up—Show Them Something They’ll Never Forget
Experience still matters. Maybe more than ever. But it’s not just about flashy activations or big-name speakers. It’s about moments that feel personal, human, and unexpected.
I’ve seen brands create hospitality lounges that feel like living rooms, partner activations where attendees could actually use a product, not just hear about it, and breakouts that sparked more meaningful conversations in 15 minutes than a year of marketing emails. That’s the kind of value people take with them and associate with your brand.
And thanks to today’s tech stack, we’re not guessing. We can track it. We know what works.
Security and Gifting: The Details That Build Trust
Two things are often overlooked: compliance and gifting. When you’re running hybrid or digital experiences, data privacy isn’t optional. And the companies that get this right—who design for security from day one—earn trust in ways that really matter.
On the flip side, thoughtful gifting is making a comeback. Not the “branded water bottle in a swag bag” kind—but curated, meaningful gifts tied to behavior. They’re not about impressing—they’re about appreciating. That goes a long way in building relationships.
So What’s the Bottom Line?
The bottom line is this: events are no longer just about putting on a good show. They’re about moving the business forward.
At Trademark, we think of events as a kind of connective tissue—tying together brand, customer, culture, and community. When done well, they deliver something no digital ad campaign or product brochure ever could: belief.
Belief in your story. Belief in your people. Belief that your company is worth their time—and their business. Right now, that’s the kind of ROI we should all be aiming for.
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