Event Professionals NOW Virtual Experience Day 2 Recap: Building Smarter User Conferences & Evergreen Events Event

Nov 3

With virtual fatigue setting in and budgets tighter than ever, Day 2 zoomed in on turning live content into evergreen assets, sourcing smarter in compressed markets, elevating VIP engagements, and building user conferences that actually drive pipeline (not just applause).

The Event Professionals NOW virtual experience brought together operators and strategists to share playbooks on maximizing impact—before, during, and long after the event—while keeping the #eventpro community front and center.

Breaking Through: Secrets to Building a Standout User Conference
Speaker: Bethany Murphy
Key takeaways: Content + moments + precision budgeting.

Start early (≈9 months for a 2-day/500-person program). Secure exec buy-in first.
Pair strong content with memorable experiences (interactive, on-brand).
Track in real time, hold contingency, align revenue (tickets + sponsors).
Measure meetings held, renewals, upsell potential, and influenced pipeline—not just net-new.
👉 Watch the full session
Playbooks that Scale: Executive Buy-In, Crisis Readiness & Experience Formula
Speaker: Devin Cleary
Key takeaways: Lead with playbooks, not heroics.

Build Executive Experience Profiles to tailor comms, metrics, and risk tolerance.
Use the DUC model (Drivers, Ultimate approvers, Contributors, Key stakeholders) + weekly workstreams.
Stand up a contingency team and a 4-step crisis grid; practice it.
Experience formula = Fun + Frustration management + Surprise & delight + Anticipation + Community.
👉 Watch the full session

The VIP Shift: Strategic Experiences for Top-Tier Engagement
Speaker: Marisa Nebosky, CMP
Key takeaways: Move from transactional to transformational.

Define VIPs by influence and alignment—not just title.
The 3 C’s: Connection (advisory boards, AMAs), Content (exclusive previews), Cultivation (personalized itineraries, smart gifting).
Start small: layer VIP moments onto existing programs, then scale.
ROI also = advocacy, loyalty, and ROE (Return on Emotion).
👉 Watch the full session

Fireside Chat: Proving ROI with Metrics that Matter
Speakers: Chloe Richardson & Tamar Beck
Key takeaways: Replace vanity with value.

Define success before you launch (ROO and ROE > raw leads).
Organizers: measure reattendance, value-for-time, and engagement signals.
Exhibitors: prioritize quality conversations, content capture, and brand lift.
Attendees: align personal objectives—then measure against them.
👉 Watch the full session
Sourcing Meetings: Hot Cities, Smart Strategies & Key Trends
Speaker: Jennifer Bates
Key takeaways: Flex beats fees.

Group demand = higher rates, tighter holds, stricter room-to-space ratios.
Second-tier cities and off-peak patterns unlock value.
Expect new fees (service up to ~30%); contract eyes wide open.
Multiyear/multimeeting deals and pre-opening windows can help.
👉 Watch the full session
From Live to Evergreen: Maximizing Virtual Event Impact
Speakers: Jillian McCarthy (Goldcast), Aleksandra Panyukhina (Pixelz), Sarah Kamp (Betterworks)
Key takeaways: Turn one hour into months of content.

Plan your post-event strategy pre-event (clips, blogs, sales enablement).
Match format to funnel: thought leadership (TOFU), workshops/demos (MOFU).
Consistency wins: monthly cadence > one-offs.
Meet audience preferences: video, snippets, blogs, recap emails—serve all.
👉 Watch the full session

Looking Ahead

Core Takeaway: Events aren’t moments - they’re systems.

When you plan evergreen from the start, source with flexibility, prove impact with ROO/ROE, and design VIP/user-conf experiences that build community, you create programs that scale and perform.

The throughline across sessions? Be human-centered, data-driven, and intentional about every touchpoint—from a 30-second clip to a C-suite AMA.

For senior planners, the real question is:

How will you operationalize repurposing, VIP cultivation, and ROI tracking so your programs deliver—quarter after quarter?

Huge thanks to our speakers, panelists, and this community for pushing the craft forward.

Up next: Day 3 deep dives into experiential marketing and ROI growth.