How to market a B2B event effectively

Planning a successful B2B event requires more than great content and logistics. If your ideal attendees never hear about it, or don’t see the value, they won’t show up. This guide answers a key question for event professionals: What are the most effective marketing tactics for a B2B event?

From account-based outreach to strategic content and paid campaigns, here’s how to make sure your B2B event attracts the right audience and delivers business results.

What is the best way to market a B2B event?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer, but the most effective approach combines multiple channels. Key tactics include personalised outreach, value-led messaging, strategic partnerships and audience-specific content. For UK-based businesses, tailoring messaging by region and sector can also help improve relevance and conversion rates.

Define a clear value proposition for your audience

What will attendees gain by participating? Start by answering this before you promote anything. Common value drivers for B2B events include:

• Exclusive industry insights
• High-profile speakers or panels
• Networking with peers and prospects
• CPD (Continuing Professional Development) accreditation or learning takeaways

Use this value proposition consistently in your email campaigns, landing pages and social media posts.

Use account-based marketing (ABM) to target decision-makers

If you're trying to attract senior professionals or specific companies, ABM is an ideal tactic. This involves:

• Identifying a list of target companies or roles (e.g. heads of procurement, IT directors)
• Creating tailored outreach with personalised messaging
• Aligning marketing and sales teams to coordinate follow-ups

This is especially powerful for industry-specific events or those with limited capacity.

Publish content that answers common questions

Creating high-quality, useful content is one of the best ways to improve your event’s visibility in search and answer engines. Think about what potential attendees might be searching for, such as:

• “Best B2B events for fintech leaders in London”
  
  
• “How to network effectively at business conferences”
  
  
• “Upcoming B2B events for marketing professionals in the UK”
  
  

Your blog, speaker Q&As, short videos, and LinkedIn articles should aim to answer these types of queries. Don’t forget to include location-specific keywords (e.g. “in Manchester”, “UK-based”, “for SMEs”) where relevant.

Amplify reach through partners and speakers

Speakers, sponsors, and event partners can multiply your reach if you give them the right tools. Share:

• Pre-written posts for LinkedIn or X (formerly Twitter)
• Event banners for email signatures
• Short video clips or teaser graphics
• Personalised referral links (if you're tracking conversions)

This not only extends reach but increases trust, word-of-mouth or peer recommendations carry weight in B2B.

Use paid advertising to reach your ideal audience

Paid social and search advertising works well for targeted exposure, especially on LinkedIn, which allows filters for:

• Industry
• Job title
• Company size
• Region

Start small, test creatives and copy, and scale what works. Be sure to track conversions with UTM links and Google Analytics.

Nurture leads before, during and after the event

The attendee journey starts long before event day. Here’s how to keep engagement high:

• Before: Use drip email campaigns with agenda highlights, speaker insights, and FAQs.
• During: Encourage live interaction with polls, social media hashtags, and real-time Q&A.
• After: Send thank-you emails, on-demand content, and a feedback survey.

This approach turns first-time attendees into long-term connections.

Track performance with the right metrics

Monitor more than just registration numbers. Important KPIs include:

• Cost per registration
• Email open and click-through rates
• Social media engagement
• Conversion rate from landing pages
• Attendance-to-registration ratio

If you're running recurring events, compare results year-over-year to spot trends.

Final thoughts

Marketing a B2B event in the UK is all about strategy, clarity and consistency. By focusing on your audience’s needs, leveraging partnerships and using a mix of organic and paid channels, you’ll not only boost attendance, but also create meaningful engagement that supports long-term business growth.