Taking HubSpot Marketing Events Offline: Conferences and Trade Shows
Ever wondered if HubSpot's Marketing Events tool is *only* for webinars? Alexagatiss in the HubSpot Community asked the same question: "Is anyone using Marketing Events for conferences/trade shows that we are going to throughout the year? It seems like it's mostly for online events like webinars?"
Turns out, you *can* absolutely leverage HubSpot for in-person events – and it's getting better all the time. Let's dive into how.
Beyond Webinars: HubSpot for Real-World Events
STierney, a Senior Community Moderator, pointed to an existing thread on tracking in-person events as a starting point. It's a good resource, but the real gold lies in the experiences of other HubSpot users.
JLi77709 chimed in, confirming they use HubSpot to manage *all* their events, both online and offline. They highlighted how HubSpot supports the entire process for offline events, from lead generation to post-event nurturing. This is key: HubSpot isn't just a webinar platform; it's a full-fledged event management system.
The Game Changer: Recent HubSpot Updates
Karstenkoehler really brought the heat, highlighting *two* crucial HubSpot updates that make Marketing Events a powerhouse for offline activities. These updates are all about automation and flexibility. Let's break them down:
* **Workflow Automation for Event Registration:** You can now automatically register contacts for manually created Marketing Events using workflows. Previously, this required manual imports or custom API solutions. Now, you can seamlessly integrate lead capture with event enrollment. Think about it: someone fills out a form on your website indicating interest in a trade show, *boom*, they're automatically registered in your HubSpot event.
* **Direct Contact Record Updates:** Update contact registration and participation status directly from the contact record. No more time-consuming imports! This allows you to segment contacts based on attendance, maintain accurate registration statuses (registered, canceled, attended, no-show), and improve your reporting.
Karstenkoehler also suggests searching the product updates section for "Marketing events" to stay on top of new features and private betas. It's clear HubSpot is investing heavily in this area.
Actionable Tips for Offline Event Success with HubSpot
Karstenkoehler provided some excellent actionable tips:
1. **Register for Betas:** Get early access to the latest features and improvements.
2. **Import Historical Data:** Bring your past event data into HubSpot for a more complete picture. Use this resource:
https://knowledge.hubspot.com/integrations/import-marketing-event-participants
3. **Leverage Event Data in Engagement Scoring:** Use event attendance and participation to boost lead scores. Find out how here:
https://knowledge.hubspot.com/scoring/understand-the-lead-scoring-tool
ESHOPMAN Team Comment
We at ESHOPMAN see this as a huge win for HubSpot users. The ability to automate event registration and track participation directly within HubSpot significantly streamlines the event management process. For e-commerce businesses using HubSpot, this means better lead nurturing, more targeted follow-up, and ultimately, increased sales. It's great to see HubSpot investing in features that bridge the gap between online and offline marketing efforts.
Putting it All Together: Your Trade Show Playbook
So, how do you put this all together? Here's a simple playbook:
1. **Create a Marketing Event in HubSpot:** Define your conference or trade show as an event.
2. **Set Up Registration Forms:** Embed these forms on your website or landing pages.
3. **Automate Registration:** Use workflows to automatically register contacts who fill out the forms.
4. **Track Attendance:** Manually update contact records or use integrations to track attendance in real-time.
5. **Segment and Nurture:** Create lists based on event participation and tailor your follow-up campaigns accordingly. Consider using **ecommerce automation software** to trigger personalized emails after the event.
6. **Analyze and Report:** Use HubSpot's reporting tools to measure the success of your event and identify areas for improvement.
By using HubSpot's Marketing Events tool effectively, you can transform your trade shows and conferences from simple networking opportunities into powerful lead generation and nurturing engines. Now go forth and conquer those in-person events!
