Stop Treating Events as a Box-Ticking Exercise
Most agencies host events because they feel like they should. They’ll say it’s good for “agency awareness” or that they “need to get their point of view out there.” But scratch the surface and you’ll often find there’s no defined theme, no confirmed guest speakers, no venue — just a date on the calendar and a vague hope that something useful will come from it.
The truth is, most agencies treat events as a marketing activity, not a sales one. Big enterprise brands take the opposite approach. They run events specifically for clients and prospects, and those events exist for one clear reason: to drive sales conversations.
At Illuminate, we see events as a prospecting exercise — designed through a lead generation and sales lens. Think of your event as a funnel: an activity that draws in your target audience, builds engagement, and ultimately leads to qualified 1-to-1 conversations after the event.
That means setting clear KPIs before you start. How many registrations do you want? How many attendees will you need to hit that target, accounting for drop-off? And most importantly, how many post-event meetings do you want to secure?
“Think of your event as a funnel: an activity that draws in your target audience, builds engagement, and ultimately leads to qualified 1-to-1 conversations after the event.”
1. Plan before you pick a date
Confirm guest speakers first, then build around their diaries. Once they’re locked in, sort the essentials — venue, catering, AV — so you’re not rushing the details later.
2. Choose a topic that actually matters
Your subject needs to feel fresh and relevant to prospects, not recycled industry chatter. If every agency has talked about AI this year, find something with a sharper point of view.
3. Give yourself proper lead time
Don’t finalise your final speaker three weeks before the event and then panic about attendance. Successful events need time to build momentum and registrations.
4. Have a clear follow-up plan
The event isn’t the finish line — it’s the start. Know exactly how you’ll follow up, what content or insights you’ll share, and how you’ll turn attendees into 1-to-1 meetings.
5. If you can’t do it properly, don’t do it at all
Events are a big lift. Done right, they’re one of the most powerful prospecting tools an agency has. Done half-heartedly, they’re just noise that drains time and resource.