Getting out into the market and meeting people in person helps you understand not just the organisations in your industry but the people driving them.

A few years ago I was fortunate to work alongside two great colleagues, Markus and Roman, at OneNet.

Markus was a recent graduate. Roman had a deep passion for IT. Together we made it a habit to attend major executive events like the CIO Summit, CFO conferences, and other C-level gatherings where our potential customers were spending time.

Those events weren’t cheap.

But they were worth it.

One tactic that worked surprisingly well was running a prize draw at the events.

At the time, BlackBerry dominated the market for mobile email. Apple hadn’t even launched the iPhone in ANZ yet.

So we gave away a BlackBerry device.

It was an expensive prize but the strategy was simple.

The winner didn’t just get a phone.

They needed our help to connect it to Microsoft Exchange and BlackBerry Enterprise Server so it actually worked for their business.

That single giveaway created conversations…

Those conversations created relationships…

And those relationships turned into new clients.

The lesson?

If you’re going to invest in events:

Don’t just show up. Stand out.

Create something memorable that sparks conversations and gives people a reason to engage with you.

Because the real ROI from events doesn’t come from attendance.

It comes from the conversations you create.

www.Victors.nz | youtube.com/@Steve-Victor

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