In light of the recommendation era and the acceleration of AI tools, b-to-b event marketers this year are focused on taking personalization from buzzword to practice, customizing content, and making connections with attendees that speak to their business needs and the individual at every step of the journey.
It’s an imperative that’s coming from the top down. In fact, Fast Company has declared 2025 “the year of personalization,” and its report cites data from McKinsey which found personalization strategies in business lead to revenue increases and “marketing spend efficiencies.”
Of course, events are a rich environment for personalization, where touchpoints are mapped out and connection is the goal. For Siemens, the process is beginning well before the trade show floor opens. The brand is leaning on data to help tailor presentations and experiences in its trade show booths to meet the needs of the attendees. At CES 2025, the brand pre-booked tours and used that registration process to collect insights, ensuring each group received customized information.
Salesforce is managing the needs of a diverse and massive Dreamforce attendee base through Personalized Trail Maps in the event app featuring recommendations. This year, the brand incorporated AI and machine learning-generated session recommendations tailored for each attendee. A recap of all of their activity was also available in the app. How’s that for seamless post-show memory recall?
- A Look Inside the Evolution of AI in Events and Trade Shows
- Nine Ways to Make First-time Attendees Feel at Home
Letting attendees essentially drive the experience is another route for personalization. Google Cloud at its virtual 2024 sales kickoff, Generate, turned attendees into “protagonists,” where they demonstrated their individual impact and influenced transformations by learning and interacting with AI-fueled installations, rather than congregate in breakout session rooms.
And finally, don’t forget about the art of the personal touch. There’s a growing focus on accommodations at conferences and trade shows. At Dreamforce, more than 400 sessions were made available on-demand, so attendees could listen or watch on their own time. Event marketers are also focusing on accommodating specific groups, like first-time attendees, tailoring communications, generating learning maps and hosting pre-show receptions, all to show attendees why that b-to-b event is “made for me.”
