The canals of Amsterdam provided the backdrop for a gathering unlike any other this spring. On 3 April, over 200 B2B marketers and sales professionals from across Europe came together for the very first European ABM Forum.
Hosted by B2B Marketing (UK) in collaboration with B2B marketing agency SPOTONVISION, the event offered more than just presentations; it delivered moments of clarity, sparks of inspiration, and some well-earned real talk about where ABM stands today.
As the venue filled and the hum of anticipation turned into lively conversation, it became clear that the day would not just be about strategies and frameworks. It would be about mindset, shared challenges and the power of small changes.
Morning moments: intent signals and intelligent scaling
Leanne Chescoe from Demandbase opened the day with a panel on scaling ABM using intent data. What followed was an honest conversation about what happens behind the scenes. Claire Maybank from TomTom highlighted the internal work needed to align teams: “Scaling is change management. We are still working on the shared language.”
Mark Norbruis from o9 Solutions echoed the need for clarity between departments. “Sales understands ‘pole position’, so we use that to mark our hottest accounts.” This shift in language isn’t just clever; it makes collaboration real.
Over in the next keynote, Thomas Allgeyer of Frenus reminded us that AI is no silver bullet. In fact, up to 30 percent of AI-driven data can be off the mark. His takeaway was simple: treat AI like a colleague; one that only works well if you train it, spend time with it and check its work.
ABM in practice: from Roche to Autodesk
Case studies throughout the day gave real weight to the concepts being discussed. Luisa Alzola-Wegmüller from Roche Diagnostics spoke about moving from ABM to ABX. With their long sales cycles and complex, decentralised structure, Roche has embraced cross-functional collaboration and design thinking to connect with key accounts. “We stopped using the word ‘campaign’. It is an ongoing relationship now.”
Christian Weiss of Autodesk offered another perspective, one centred around trust. For him, the real breakthrough came when marketing and sales aligned around a single business goal. His emphasis on dashboards, shared metrics and team-wide visibility struck a chord with attendees facing similar alignment challenges.
A symphony of people, process and tech
Few metaphors hit home like the one used by Ricky Wolff of Adyen. Comparing their ABM efforts to a Formula 1 team, he explained how precision, feedback and collaboration were crucial to their success. Their approach is structured yet flexible, rooted in a clear tiering model and enhanced by smart use of data. His advice? Start small, optimise, then scale.
Later in the afternoon, Adobe offered a peek into the future. Their vision of marketers as “experience makers”, supported by AI agents and intelligent orchestration, may have sounded futuristic. But the focus remained deeply human: creativity, growth, and differentiation will always belong to people.
ABM in action: workshop reflections
In one of the hands-on sessions of the day, SPOTONVISION’s Ingrid Archer and Tamara den Hartog led a practical workshop on how to kick-start an ABM strategy. Delegates rolled up their sleeves to build their own ABM plans, working in pairs and small groups. The session was energetic and packed with insights.
From account selection to internal buy-in, participants came away with actionable next steps and, in many cases, a new appreciation for how ABM can be positioned more effectively inside their organisations.
Reflections from the room
The day ended with a keynote by performance coach Jamil Qureshi. His message? Purpose drives performance. Small changes, repeated with intention, deliver the biggest impact. His words about mindset, consistency and clarity left the room buzzing, not just with ideas, but with energy.
As the sessions wrapped and the conversations moved into the networking area, the atmosphere was one of excitement and confidence. This wasn’t just a one-off event; it felt like the start of something. A European ABM community, curious and committed.
While the AI photo booth and technology demos brought a fun close to the day, it was the exchange of ideas, the honesty in the room and the sense of shared ambition that stuck with us most. No one claimed to have all the answers, but everyone left with better questions.
