Breaking B2B - B2B Marketing & Demand Generation Podcast #466 Best B2B Event Marketing Strategy to Drive Leads (2026)
Nov 24, 2025
In this episode, Michael Kilcullen, VP of Marketing at WZA and B2B SaaS marketing expert, shares his insights on effective event marketing strategies. He discusses the ongoing relevance of in-person events and which companies should truly invest in them. Michael provides a detailed pre-event checklist, tips for selecting optimal booth locations, and creative tactics like themed merch to drive engagement. He emphasizes the importance of pre- and post-event networking and offers essential follow-up strategies to convert leads into demo opportunities.
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In-Person Is A Competitive Advantage
- In-person events are regaining momentum because people want a different experience than remote meetings.
- Michael Kilcullen argues in-person presence creates stronger relationships and ideation than Zoom.
Spend Beyond The Booth Fee
- Do invest more than just the booth fee: budget for creative merch and activation to win attention.
- Michael emphasises that deeper investment turns a sponsorship into a word-of-mouth engine at events.
Run A Pre-Event Creative Session
- Do run an internal creative session 30–60 days before the event to design trend-relevant activations.
- Involve non-marketing stakeholders to validate ideas that will drive word of mouth on the floor.