B2B events, whether large-scale conferences like Salesforce’s Dreamforce or smaller executive roundtables, are a critical part of business growth. However, running these events comes with significant challenges, from driving attendee engagement to proving ROI and keeping up with evolving industry trends.
To better understand these challenges, we recently surveyed marketing professionals at the RainFocus INSIGHT conference. Their insights provided a direct look into the biggest frustrations and priorities shaping B2B event strategies today.
One thing was clear: engagement is everything. According to the survey, 58.6% of event marketers cite attendee engagement as their biggest challenge, and 95.6% agree that low engagement negatively impacts event ROI. With in-person events continuing to dominate as the preferred format, event professionals need solutions that go beyond traditional tactics to ensure success.
Keeping attendees engaged and participating
Let’s be honest. No one wants to sit through another dry keynote or aimlessly wander through an expo hall collecting branded stress balls. Attendees expect more. With 41% of marketers identifying engagement as the most critical success factor for B2B events, it’s clear that simply attracting attendees isn’t enough.
Gamification and interactive content are becoming key strategies for keeping audiences engaged, with 18% of marketers citing these as top trends shaping the future of events. Komo enables event organizers to integrate these elements seamlessly, from live trivia and digital puzzles and challenges, to interactive polls that encourage participation. A little friendly competition or an instant prize can turn passive attendees into active participants who stay longer and engage more.
Komo gives event organizers all the tools they need to create a fully-branded and interactive space where attendees can engage with games, competitions, and live activations. This hub can be used before, during, and after the event, ensuring continuous engagement rather than a one-off interaction. Features like Live Trivia, Scavenger Hunts, and Instant Win Games give attendees an incentive to interact with sponsors, speakers, and each other, making the experience more dynamic and rewarding.
Beyond gamification, creating a personalized experience that resonates with attendees is essential. When event organizers tailor content, session recommendations, and networking opportunities to match attendee interests, participation and satisfaction rates increase. If attendees feel like they’re just another name on a registration list, they’ll disengage. But when the event feels like it was designed just for them? That’s when the magic happens.
Demonstrating event ROI and lead generation
We all know the struggle. You pull off an incredible event, but when it comes time to prove its impact, you’re left scrambling for numbers that actually mean something. Proving ROI remains a challenge, with 25% of marketers identifying measurable ROI as a key ingredient for success.
Traditional metrics such as attendance figures and session views often fail to provide a complete picture, making it difficult to justify budgets. Event professionals need to track deeper engagement metrics, such as time spent interacting with content, participation in activations, and lead quality. Komo addresses this issue by providing real-time data tracking, lead capture mechanisms, and post-event engagement insights, all integrated with CRM systems for seamless reporting.
Komo’s integrated market research and data capture tools allow attendees to enter competitions, unlock exclusive content, and participate in activities while providing valuable first-party data. This data can be seamlessly passed into CRMs, helping event organizers track lead quality and follow up with meaningful, data-driven conversations. With a 99% data capture response rate, Komo makes it easy for event teams to gather and act on real insights.
And let’s not forget what happens after the event. A strong post-event strategy is crucial to nurture attendees who engaged but may not be immediately ready to convert. Komo’s gamified and interactive content can also be sent post-event to ensure attendees receive personalized outreach, keeping the brand top of mind and increasing the chances of turning engagement into long-term business relationships. An engaged lead is more than just a name in a spreadsheet - it’s a future customer, and post-event communication is where the real ROI kicks in.
Attracting the right audience and increasing attendance
Getting people to show up is one thing. Getting the right people to show up is another. With 16.4% of marketers stating that audience acquisition is a primary concern, the challenge is ensuring event marketing efforts attract high-value attendees rather than just boosting headcount.
Komo helps marketers build more targeted experiences through personalized engagement journeys, content recommendations, and interactive pre-event campaigns, enabling event organizers to collect pre-event survey data and use it to curate tailored experiences.This approach ensures that attendees are matched with the most relevant sessions, content, and networking opportunities. Pre-event activations, such as polling potential attendees on speaker topics, running contests to build excitement, and rewarding early sign-ups with exclusive digital content, help marketers drive attendance while gathering valuable audience insights.
Engaging and providing value to event sponsors
Sponsors are a crucial part of any B2B event, but many brands struggle to deliver tangible value that justifies their investment. Simply displaying logos on banners or providing booth space is no longer enough. Sponsors expect engagement, insights, and measurable ROI. Komo helps event organizers create interactive, high-impact sponsorship activations that go beyond passive branding.
With Komo, sponsors can connect with attendees through branded gamified activations like instant-win games, and scavenger hunts, ensuring their presence is not just seen but actively engaged with. Branded activations allow event organizers to offer fully customized sponsor experiences (essentially a sellable greenspace), while digital coupons and games designed to drive foot traffic, encourage attendees to visit sponsor booths and redeem rewards.
Additionally, Komo’s lead capture and data insights tools provide sponsors with real-time analytics on audience interactions, allowing them to collect high-quality leads and gain a deeper understanding of attendee interests. Big screen integrations also enables sponsors to showcase branded content, live polls, and competition results, keeping their brand front and center throughout the event.
By making sponsorship opportunities interactive and data-driven, Komo helps event organizers attract high-value sponsors while ensuring they see real, measurable returns on their investment. Instead of passive exposure, sponsors can generate meaningful interactions that translate into long-term brand engagement and sales opportunities.
Adapting to evolving event technology trends
AI is transforming the event space, and marketers know it. 69% of them predict that AI-driven personalization will be the biggest trend shaping B2B events. Attendees now expect a more curated experience, with AI-driven recommendations, real-time analytics, and interactive content playing a key role in engagement. Komo’s powerful personalization capabilities, backed by real-time attendee data help event organizers create personalized experiences at scale, delivering relevant content to attendees and optimizing engagement through real-time data insights.
Technology also plays a role in sustainability. Many companies are prioritizing eco-friendly event solutions, moving away from printed materials and towards digital engagement. Komo supports this shift by giving the event organizers the power to create digital-first activations, which allow attendees to interact with content, access information and redeem prizes or offers directly on their mobile devices instead of using printed or physical materials. This not only enhances sustainability efforts but also drives sponsor ROI by increasing booth visits and activations.
The future of B2B event engagement
B2B event success hinges on engaging audiences, capturing meaningful data, and demonstrating ROI. With attendee expectations continuing to rise and engagement playing a crucial role in event impact, marketers need solutions that go beyond traditional approaches. The demand for interactive, measurable, and personalized experiences is shaping the future of events, and companies that fail to adapt risk falling behind.
Komo provides the tools to create interactive, data-driven event experiences that drive participation, increase lead generation, and enhance post-event follow-ups. As event technology continues to evolve, embracing platforms that streamline engagement and analytics will be essential in delivering high-impact events that drive long-term business success. Whether planning a conference, trade show, or exclusive roundtable, leveraging these strategies ensures more meaningful and measurable outcomes.
For marketers looking to maximize event performance, the key is a combination of pre-event engagement, real-time interaction, and post-event follow-up. With Komo’s ability to personalize attendee experiences and provide actionable insights, B2B event professionals can enhance the overall experience, prove value to stakeholders, and continue improving outcomes year after year.
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