Personalization Approaches for Event Marketing

I’ve been having a lot of conversations with clients that need help with creating VIP experiences on tighter budgets. Sound familiar? I’m going to share some strategies for “smart luxury” so you can create more of those win-win premium experiences while keeping you on-budget and driving the results you want! But first…I love this quote: “Luxury means just giving more; hospitality means being more thoughtful”. Powerful, huh? But what does that mean? Example #1: Rather than spending $100 more on caviar for every attendee, investing in an “event concierge” who will sending a personalized email to every attendee before a special dinner to ask them if they have any special requests, share with them who they can expect to meet, the format, how much you’re looking forward to making personalized intros to them...  Why does this work? If you take the time to invest in getting to know your attendees and showing you’re invested in their personal experience, they are more likely to show up, be engaged, remember to take the action you want them to take after the event. Example 2: Rather than providing fancy but generic gifts, do a little time “researching” guests and personalize a welcome amenity to set the tone for the event. I once bought-out a hotel for an event, and they sent up a “blind tasting” wine experience to my room when I arrived since I had recently passed the Court Master Sommelier exam. They had researched that about me. It was so fun to have a playful moment where I got to taste wine and guess what they had selected for me (it was a Robert Sinsky pinot gris and yes, I still remember 10 years later because it was so personalized and unique!) Why does this work? That bottle of wine cost them roughly $30, but the thoughtfulness that they put into covering the bottle, printing out a blind tasting test from the Court master sommelier site, and delivering it with some nuts/olives and a fun note made such an impact on me, I’ve shared this story so many times! They could have instead sent up a $150 bottle of champagne, but I probably wouldn’t have opened it and also probably wouldn’t have remembered it from all the other bottles of champagne I’ve received. Fancier isn’t always better and thoughtfulness counts! Example 3: Listen and respond. I was once managing a Google Executive event and I noticed in our event app’s chat one attendee was complaining that he was really craving his afternoon Diet Coke fix. So I went to the nearest vending machine, and bought one to hand deliver to him. That Google client was so surprised/delighted that we had delivered what he was craving in the moment, that he booked a meeting with our SVP afterwards, and we closed a major deal! Hospitality is about making your guests comfortable, anticipating their needs, and then delivering a personalized and delightful experience. It can involve luxurious treats, but doesn’t need to. All it takes is time, intentionality and good old fashioned hospitality.

Event Season Insights: How to Elevate Your Follow-Up Game 🚀 I'm back from an incredible week at SaaStr and there's something I couldn't help but notice 👀 Many companies are missing a golden opportunity when it comes to event follow-ups Too often it's just a race to scan badges, hand out swag, and move on. But here's the thing Sending out templated, soulless emails saying "Hey, I saw you at our booth" just doesn't cut it. It's like sending a message that screams I don't remember you but I have to do this 🙅♂️ So here's a game-changer for your event strategy 🔑 Don't just scan badges; connect and build relationships. Find 1 to 3 unique things about each person you meet. It could be their goals, their thoughts on the event, or anything else that sparks a real conversation. For example I met Tom at our booth. Instead of just scanning his badge, I had a chat with him. I learned about his goals, his event experience, and even what kind of swag he liked. Then I made sure to jot this down in our CRM. Fast forward to the follow-up I could reach out to Tom and say, "Hey Tom, great meeting you at the booth. Sarah mentioned you were interested in XYZ. By the way, hope you liked those awesome socks! 😉 This approach isn't about sending hundreds of templated emails and hoping for the best. It's about personalizing your follow-up and showing that you care. 🤝 It's time to change the game. Next time you're at an event remember It's not about collecting names. It's about making meaningful connections. Drop a 👋 if you're ready to level up your event follow-up game! And if you are at Dreamforce come say Hi! I'm here! It's my 1st one lets go 💪😎

Your target accounts deserve more than a generic event landing page. Think about it: you're spending thousands to create an intimate, high-touch experience for your top accounts at your flagship event, but leading up to it, you're sending them to the same landing page as everyone else. While you're running paid and outbound promos to get your TAL to register, the moment they hit the page—it’s a one-size-fits-all experience. But what if it wasn’t? What if, when your target account hits the page, they see their company name in the hero and why this event matters to them woven into the copy? Here’s what I spun up in Tofu: → Took RevPartners’ flagship event Southbound landing page and plugged it into Tofu  → Selected exactly where I wanted the personalization to show up  → Reviewed the AI-generated options and picked the ones that hit best for the account No dev work. No new templates. Just one prompt. This is how you can give every target account a VIP invite experience—without blowing up your ops team. Just one way to deliver a personalized experience for your invites this event season.