#227: Events | In this episode, Dave hosts a live Exit Five session with Zuddl and panelists Stephanie Christensen (Event Marketing Leader) and Kristina DeBrito (Director of Strategic Events at Iterable) to break down how B2B marketers should be thinking about events in 2025. From small VIP dinners to large customer conferences, events are making a big comeback—but without a solid strategy, they can be a massive waste of budget.

Dave, Stephanie, and Kristina cover:

The key metrics to track to prove event ROI in 2025
How to get executive and stakeholder buy-in for your event strategy
What’s working in B2B events right now (and what’s not)
How to follow up post-event to drive engagement and pipeline

Timestamps

(00:00) - – Intro to Stephanie and Kristina
(03:34) - – Why events are making a big comeback in B2B marketing
(07:01) - – The biggest mistakes marketers make when planning events
(09:49) - – How to align your event strategy with business goals
(12:34) - – The key metrics to track for proving event ROI
(15:46) - – How to get buy-in from executives and key stakeholders
(18:59) - – What’s working right now in B2B events (and what’s not)
(23:15) - – The role of micro-events, VIP dinners, and executive meetups
(27:47) - – Sponsoring vs. hosting your own event — how to decide
(32:07) - – The importance of post-event follow-up and engagement
(35:49) - – Virtual events: lessons learned and how they fit into 2025 strategies
(39:42) - – Live Q&A: Expert answers to audience event strategy questions
(45:07) - – Final takeaways on making B2B events worth the investment

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The B2B Event Playbook: Building Revenue-Driving Events in 2025

The Exit Five CMO Podcast (Hosted by Dave Gerhardt)