It’s been a while since we had the opportunity to meet face to face, and whilst we have all done phenomenally well keeping our companies and, frankly, sectors and economies running on Zoom, Teams, Skype, or any other videoconferencing platform, I think we all agree something has been missing. With this in mind, after a two-year absence, I am excited to invite you all back to our face-to-face event for B2B marketing, sales, and product leaders, B2B Summit EMEA.

B2B Summit EMEA will provide marketing leaders with the opportunity to immerse themselves in ideas, conversations, and data that illuminate today’s goals and inspire breakthroughs. This year’s event takes place on 11–12 October in London. It continues a tradition of providing an exciting array of topics, insights, and formats aimed at expanding marketing leaders’ current thinking and fueling discussions that will power their marketing organisations to new heights.

Whether you are a repeat attendee or new to B2B Summit EMEA, there are several exciting things you can look forward to. Aside from getting back to face-to-face sessions with Forrester and your peers, here are my top reasons why you should attend:

  • We should never stop learning. At the best of times, marketing leaders have limited opportunities to engage with peers or experts; although, I am sure, no end of advice on what to do will have been provided over the past two years, this limited opportunity was further eroded. B2B Summit EMEA provides leaders with the opportunity to get away from their desks and video calls, get their heads up, look to the horizon, and think strategically about where they are taking marketing in their organisation.
  • It’s all in one place. Over two days, attendees will have the chance to participate in 25 sessions explicitly designed for marketing leaders. The sessions cover the spectrum of marketing disciplines, including channel, demand, and ABM, and deliver insight into strategic initiatives, the latest thinking, and best-practice approaches to a range of challenges. Forrester knows what marketing leaders are facing. And don’t worry if you think it will all be too much, as Forrester has prerecorded the content and will make it available for 90 days post-event, so you don’t have to miss a thing.

And if that wasn’t enough, here are just some of the session highlights for marketing leaders:

  • Are You In The 6%? In a recent survey, Forrester identified that customer-obsessed B2B organisations outperform their customer-naïve peers in critical areas. But when we look at the data, only 6% of companies achieved a customer-obsessed rating. As a leader, does that seem low? The challenge with customer obsession is that the bar is set very high. In this session, Forrester will provide attending leaders with insight into leadership lessons gleaned from your peers in the companies that are in that 6%.
  • Losing The Status Quo. Anyone expecting this session to provide a 1960s rock and roll retrospective will be disappointed. But for those leaders looking at how to instigate, lead, or support vital change, this session will provide insight into the levers that make change happen and stick. The last two years have reinforced the value of change, and most of us have found ourselves adopting new thinking, new ideas, and even new values. As B2B professionals, we’re taught to drive positive change. This requires momentum and socialization, however. We must foster curiosity, motivate support, and build movements that evolve into widespread adoption of the new vision.
  • Seize The Strategic High Ground: A CMO’s Guide. Companies often overlook the opportunity for marketing executives to play a role in strategic planning. This is partly due to the perception of the leader’s role as a service provider instead of an orchestrator. This session will provide guidance for CMOs and marketing leaders to gain a greater presence and be recognised as strategic and growth partners for the business.
  • Solving The Marketing Planning Mystery. This is a more hands-on session covering that annual challenge of developing an annual marketing plan. Do you and your team have a consistent, foolproof way to approach this? To build an effective marketing plan that supports the company strategy, marketing leaders and those who support them must play detective to find essential strategy, product, and revenue information. This can be challenging, as such information is often elusive and disguised. In this session, we will solve the mystery.

Whether you are new to your leadership role or have been there a while, I encourage you to make the time to get out of your slippers and join us at Forrester’s B2B Summit EMEA, October 11-12 in London. For more details on the summit, including the agenda and how to attend, please visit us at the link below or speak to your Forrester team.

B2B Summit EMEA