Not the Main Event: Where Conferences Actually Fit in Your Marketing Strategy
Let’s start with the obvious.
Yes, UKREiiF is a fantastic opportunity and should be a staple of your teams’ calendars. You’ll see people, hear things, say things and maybe – just maybe – walk with away with something more meaningful than a tote bag and a hangover.
But here’s the problem: too many businesses treat UKREiiF (and its conference cousins) as the strategy, not part of it.
And if your entire marketing (that is, satisfying and retaining customers) effort peaks in Leeds for one week in May, it’s not a strategy. It’s a field trip.
So why do conferences feel like “the big one”?
There’s a seductive logic to treating conferences as your flagship marketing moment:
All the right people are in attendance
It looks like marketing (Badges! Lanyards! Logos on stages!)
It feels productive.
But while conferences do offer value, they’re still just a channel. They sit alongside PR, social, owned content, BD outreach, your sales team, speaking slots, sponsoring Place North West, sponsoring an Insider award, winning an Insider award and whatever else makes up your marketing mix.
Over-indexing on one three-day event is like scoffing all your calories in one meal and wondering why you’re starving when it’s time for your next meal.
UKREiiF is prototypical here, everyone’s out in force and networking like it’s an Olympic sport, handing out business cards like confetti. Your visibility spikes. People remember you. For about…a week.
Then comes the great post-event fade. Reality bites. The inbox returns with a vengeance. Your name disappears back into the murk of the wider market.
Unless, unless! You’ve built a plan around the event, not just for it.
Before, during, after: the real value of conference marketing
If you like generating new business, and are serious about using UKREiiF (or any event) as part of a strategy, you need to work the full timeline:
Before, you should’ve been…
Publishing thought leadership aligned with event themes
Letting your audience and network know you’re attending (and why)
Booking meetings in advance, rather than winging it on the Crooked Clock terrace
Nailing your messaging – what do you want people to think about you?
During, hopefully you…
Didn’t just attend, but spoke, hosted and contributed
Shared live takeaways on social (not just selfies)
Created pull, not just push – being the one people come to see.
Now, after, you can…
Follow up intelligently – it was surely more than just “great to meet” them
Repurpose content – blogs, videos, quotes, insights
Use your learnings to inform future content and campaigns
Keep the momentum going – leverage the visibility as a springboard.
Putting it into numbers
Let’s be brutally honest. For some businesses, an event like UKREiiF costs the entire marketing budget. Travel, passes, hotels, sponsorship – it adds up fast.
If that’s you, you need to ask: Are we spending money on noise…or are we investing in visibility and opportunity?
Because the best event strategy doesn’t blow the budget. It allocates enough to be present and memorable, while preserving budget for everything else – content, comms, campaigns and the quiet but consistent drumbeat of marketing that works all year.
Events matter – but only if they echo
UKREiiF is worth going to. Absolutely. But treat it like a moment within a bigger plan, not the plan itself.
If your entire visibility hinges on one event, you’re missing the bigger picture. And worse — you’re handing the rest of the year to competitors who know how to show up again and again.
Big moments can turn heads. But it’s consistency that builds brands.
Need help tracking the impact of your UKREiiF activity? We’ve put together a handy spreadsheet with some easy-to-follow instructions. If you need some help tracking your impact or using the sheet, give us a shout!
You can access the spreadsheet here.