This October two of the largest events in financial services and fintech will bring together tens of thousands of people to connect, collaborate and learn.

Sibos and Money 20/20 Las Vegas are always noisy, crowded spaces, but that will be particularly true this year as thousands of companies look to make up for time lost during the pandemic.

To stand out, plan ahead.

Here we share five tips to getting better results from these events, informed by our expertise and also recent work serving as the agency for Money 20/20 Amsterdam.

1. Who are the influencers that you need to engage with to elevate your message?

Develop a foundation to build engagement. Research influencers and stakeholders to follow on LinkedIn and Twitter. Online listening helps contextualize the current conversation and find influencers that you should engage with onsite.

2. How are you warming up your target audience before the face to face?

Being front of mind for your target audience is crucial. Social targeting tools like LinkedIn Matched Audiences help hone-in on priority audience, aligning with account-based marketing activities and existing CRM data.

Engage these targets across multiple touchpoints and put a mix of content in front of your audience. Have experts share thoughts on the event themes or what to expect onsite. By aligning to the topics of the agenda, and the pain points of your customers, you can deliver a relevant and timely call to action.

3. What’s your PR strategy to ensure coverage and brand awareness?

Tell your company story and stand out against your competitors. Be authentic, have a purpose, clarify your culture, and relate to your audience. Create a compelling news story whether it’s a launch of a new solution or your latest thought-leadership that will interest the media and resonate with your target audience. For journalists attending the event, time is precious so it’s crucial to provide a compelling reason to engage.

A record number of accredited journalists came to Money 20/20 in Amsterdam this year. Las Vegas is in on a similar track. Identifying key relationships, both new and existing, and opportunities to connect.

4. How can you own the online conversation?

Develop daily wrap up blogs that summarize the key sessions. Bring your point of view to the forefront. Don’t just say what happened – explain why it matters to your audience. Distribute short form content across channels to boost engagement and increase share of voice.

5. How can you extend the life of your content beyond the event?

Taking a strategic approach to conference engagement will help nurture leads and build profile over a longer period. Most businesses overlook the importance of the post-event content and follow up. We recommend developing video footage during the event to use afterwards. Think about how you can gather data too, for example sentiment from your buyer community to share in innovative ways after the event.

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