B2B ANNUAL CONFERENCE: Hear from this year’s speakers

B2B Marketing’s premier event of the year is packed full of thought leading presentations from B2B industry figures, along with best practice sessions providing marketers with takeaway lessons and ideas

Following last year’s successful ‘peak performance’ themed conference, B2B Marketing is delighted to be holding its annual event again. Taking place on 1 November, this all-day convention is the leading forum for new ideas, insight and creative thinking in the B2B arena.

The focus of this year’s conference is innovation, and how brands and marketers can transform their communications using new ideas, concepts and channels.

Rapid reactions needed

Over the last five years, B2B marketers have continually been challenged by change, a struggling global economy and the digital revolution – this is an environment where the old techniques of marketing are curtailing as more rapid reactions from marketers are needed. 

But how are they meant to navigate, contextualise and, ultimately, identify what channels are right for them? Marketers need to choose the right path based on their insight and understanding. James Farmer, publisher at B2B Marketing, says selecting the right channels is increasingly important to the future of organisations, “The worm must turn, marketers need to re-own the high ground and unpick their way out of the exposition of new marketing channels – otherwise things could shortly grind to a halt.”

Speaking about why the theme of the event was selected, Farmer says the event aims to evoke a “clear mind” to enable marketers to reappraise and tune into the channels that are relevant to them.

The conference, aimed at senior marketing professionals who are concerned with strategy and deliverables, is designed to help marketers contextualise industry developments. Farmer adds, “Marketing needs to be steered expertly from the top if it is going to continue to be effective. We are here to support those people at the conference.”

The information and insight marketers need to successfully do their job continues to evolve, and presentations and case studies from leading B2B thinkers will give them a new perspective on current drivers in this dynamic market.

Here, 11 of the event speakers provide their thoughts on the biggest challenges facing B2B marketers, as well as what they hope will be the event’s key takeaways.

Speaker: Hanne Tuomisto-Inch, industry head for B2B, Google

“My session, ‘Winning the moments that matter on mobile’, will share recommendations on what marketers should do to engage with customers across the purchase funnel on mobile devices. They are the primary business communications device for C-level executives and up to 20 per cent of searches are coming from mobile devices. However, three out of four websites are not yet optimised for mobile leading to missed opportunities and poor customer experience. My advice for those attending the conference is to choose topics you feel uncomfortable but excited about. Also, the real value comes out of networking, so don’t be a wallflower.”

Speaker: Fiona Stevens, partner, The Crocodile

“How best to harness new approaches, technologies and strategies to deliver genuine value in B2B marketing is still a challenge in the industry. Using them is easy. Making the absolute most of them and getting the best ROI is the challenge. I look forward to contributing to a fun and lively debate that will question established wisdom, and entertain conference delegates, as well as meeting like-minded marketers willing to be open-minded. Assume you don’t know anything and are starting afresh. Ask every question, no matter how stupid you think it might be. And always stay for drinks at the end.”

Speaker: Paul Cash, director, OTM

“I admire the guts and energy of entrepreneurs and marketing leaders who are prepared to follow their passions and instincts, and take the path of most resistance. It’s not easy to go against the risk adverse nature of our industry and do something unique, disruptive and remarkable. We need to inspire more B2B marketers to be storymakers, not just storytellers. I’ll be getting people to think about every touchpoint of their brand. From their brand positioning and story, to website data capture forms, trade events and tender proposals – each one offers the chance to do it in a different and unique way. My advice is don’t take notes. Listen, think about what’s being said and try and apply some of the things you hear to your own business.”

Speaker: Stan Woods, managing director, Velocity

“During my session, I’ll be discussing both the importance of storytelling and putting personality into content marketing. One of the biggest challenges I’m seeing in B2B marketing right now is getting marketing directors to understand that the world has changed and traditional methods of reaching audiences need to be reshaped. This not only affects team structure, how you work with sales and the type of campaigns you run, but also how you measure, how much you spend and where.”

Speaker: Anna Fenten, marketing director, Sodexo Prestige

“On the panel debate, I’ll be looking at B2B marketing over the next five years and arguing that the marketing landscape is already changing with the digital natives coming into the workplace, better CRM technology and braver creative. Is there going to be a difference between B2B and B2C? I don’t think so. Obstacles currently facing B2B marketers include how to identify brand values that have true resonance with clients, as well as how to cut through all the marketing noise – there’s so much identical stuff being pushed out in the
B2B marketing arena at the moment.”

Speaker: Andrew Nicholson, head of online, Sodexo Prestige

“The title of my presentation is ‘Social media – taming the tiger in 2012 and beyond’. B2B marketers have always known that the secret ingredient to successful social media is relationship building. It’s what we do day-in, day-out; but how has social moved the goalposts and how will that impact us in the future? For the first time in a long time, B2B businesses have been dealt a winning hand thanks to the rise of social media. It’s up to us now to clean up. Understand the people and you understand the business. Educating the C-suite in the paradigm shift that social has created, and harnessing the opportunities that this creates remains a challenge.”

Speaker: Keith Hardie, head of marketing communications, Bird & Bird

“During my panel discussion, I’m hoping to both share and gain better insight into B2B marketing generally. Economic uncertainty, commoditisation, new technology, new competitors, integrating new communication channels effectively and delivering differentiation in a more crowded market seem to be the key issues facing B2B marketers right now.”

Speaker: Andrew Fitzgerald, global technology services marketing leader, IBM

“I’m looking forward to arguing that B2B marketers should rip up the rulebook. I hope to be provocative during the panel debate – during which I’m looking to gain some good ideas and networking opportunities. Delegates looking to get the most out of the conference need to make the effort to talk to people they don’t already know.”

Speaker: Heather Westgate, client partner, TDA

“There are lots of hurdles marketers face when it comes to defining and understanding audiences thoroughly. This means actually listening to them. B2B organisations that do manage to achieve this are going to be best placed to flourish over the coming years. I’ll be approaching my session with a ‘test-and-learn’ strategy. Intelligent marketing evolves and improves over time, which means you sometimes need to take a step back and reflect on what you’re doing. That doesn’t mean you can’t live and act in the moment. It’s about harnessing the immediacy that is the hallmark of the current environment but still deliver at a strategic level. We don’t need to change the rules; we just need to apply them differently. I advise delegates to look through the agenda in advance, decide who you most want to connect with – and get there early. I’m looking forward to meeting some of the other speakers as there is an excellent line-up this year.”

Speaker: Geoffrey Barraclough, head of corporate propositions, WorldPay

“I’m hoping to achieve a knock-out win in the debate with my argument that there is a perfectly good rulebook and you know what best practice is – you just need to get on and implement it. If you are asking yourself, ‘How can I make marketing relevant in my organisation?’ you should find a new employer. If your CEO doesn’t get it, go find a new CEO to work for. At the conference, make sure you ask lots of questions and introduce yourself to unfamiliar people during the breaks.”

Speaker: Nick Lawrence, head of editorial and broadcast strategies, Waggener Edstrom

“Creating exciting, valuable content for the sales team is a huge challenge for B2B marketers, which is why my presentation, entitled ‘Oh no, not the corporate video!’ will be focusing on delivering integrated broadcast content. Reinventing corporate video will not only deliver a return on investment but it can also help build an audience for your brand. At the conference, I’m looking forward to getting a snapshot of the B2B landscape and how current trends towards content creation are being utilised.”

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