Rebecca Carmody

Most B2B marketing teams think they're hiring an event planner when what they actually need is an event strategist. The distinction sounds like semantics. It isn't.   Here's the simplest version of the difference:   An event planner executes what you tell them to do. An event strategist tells you what you should be doing — and then executes it.   WHAT A PLANNER DOES   A traditional event planner is a logistics expert. Give them a budget, a guest list, and a date, and they will find you a...

Hiring an event planner is one of those decisions that looks low-stakes until something goes wrong.   When it goes right, your event runs smoothly, you look great in front of leadership, and your attendees leave with a stronger connection to your brand. When it goes wrong, you're fielding vendor complaints at 11pm the night before your SKO.   The difference usually comes down to what you asked — and what you didn't — before you signed the contract.   Here are the questions that matter.   1....

Most companies know exactly how much their trade show cost. Very few can tell you what it returned.   That gap is the single biggest reason event budgets get cut. Not because the events didn't work — but because no one measured them in a language leadership could act on.   Here's the framework I use with every client to measure, report, and defend trade show ROI.   STEP 1: SET YOUR OBJECTIVES BEFORE YOU BOOK ANYTHING   ROI measurement starts long before the show floor. Before you sign the...