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

#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 2025How to get executive and stakeholder buy-in for your event strategyWhat’s working in B2B events right now (and what’s not)How to follow up post-event to drive engagement and pipelineTimestamps(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 Send guest pitches and ideas to [email protected] the Exit Five Newsletter here: https://www.exitfive.com/newsletterCheck out the Exit Five job board: https://jobs.exitfive.com/Become an Exit Five member: https://community.exitfive.com/checkout/exit-five-membership***Today's episode is brought to you by Customer.io.You know that feeling when you open your inbox, and it’s just… noise? Bad marketing. Spam. Most companies are out here just talking at customers, not talking to them.Marketing messages should do more than just land in an inbox – they should create impact and drive real engagement.Customer.io helps companies send smarter, more personalized messages using first-party data. Their platform enables brands to reach customers at the right time, in the right place, on the right channel—whether that’s email, SMS, push notifications, or beyond.And the best part is that it’s all automated, so you’re not just blasting campaigns and hoping for the best. You’re running a machine that delivers real, human engagement at scale.7,000+ brands already trust Customer.io to make their marketing feel less like noise and more like connection. Join them by visiting Customer.io to get started. ***Thanks to my friends at hatch.fm for producing this episode and handling all of the Exit Five podcast production.They give you unlimited podcast editing and strategy for your B2B podcast.Get unlimited podcast editing and on-demand strategy for one low monthly cost. Just upload your episode, and they take care of the rest.Visit hatch.fm to learn more