B2B event marketing is a way to attract business clients and build trust with them through seminars, hackathons and forums. It delivers PR, a lead base and live meetings at the same time. If you sell an IT, ERP or SaaS product worth $10,000+, it's one of the strongest tools you have.
But many people think of an event as "renting a hall and a nice banner" — and end up with empty chairs. The 6 steps below are the process that worked at our events. The result: at the Odoo Business Forum, $380 in ads brought ~400 business owners instead of the expected 250.
In short:
- An event is the sum of earlier content and trust — it doesn't start from zero.
- Prepare proof: success stories, numbers, client testimonials.
- Call every person after they register — that's what decides attendance.
- An event is the start of the funnel, not the end.
Contents
- Why events beat ads in B2B
- What types of events are there?
- 6 steps
- In numbers
- The most common mistakes
- FAQ
Why events beat ads in B2B
A business owner buying an expensive product wants to see the company with their own eyes. At an event they see you, your team, your clients and your results in one place. No ad creative can give that kind of trust.
In the DeepVision case, the very first step was a seminar: 200+ leads → 126 calls → 101 attendees. That seminar and the events that followed made the company Uzbekistan's first Odoo Gold Partner in 9 months.
What types of events are there?
| Type | Goal | For whom |
|---|---|---|
| Seminar | Sales and a lead base | Business owners who could become clients |
| Hackathon | Hiring and partners, showcasing the technology | Developers, integrators |
| Business forum | Reputation, large clients, big deals | Business owners, company owners, partners |
| Podcast / live stream | Expertise and content | A broad audience |
Step 1: define the goal
Give every event one main goal. At DeepVision, the seminar was for sales, the hackathon at PDP (200+ developers) for hiring and partners, and the forum for moving from $100,000 deals to million-dollar contracts. Without a clear goal, both the audience and the offer get blurry.
Step 2: warm up the audience in advance
Publish useful content for at least 2–3 months before the event: YouTube tutorials, podcasts, Reels. With a warm audience, registrations cost several times less. Announcing a forum to a cold audience is the expensive, slow path.
In short: forum ads cost just $380, because a base had been built over 9 months through content, seminars and a hackathon.
Step 3: prepare proof
At the event, evidence should do the talking — not the phrase "a reliable company": client testimonials, success story videos, numbers. Before the forum we spent 3 months filming documentaries at companies in the regions that had implemented Odoo: which processes were automated and what it gave the business.
If you can run the event together with an international vendor or partner, that's the strongest proof. For the Odoo forum, we worked directly with the international Odoo team on marketing.
Step 4: speed up registrations with ads
A simple phone-shot video and a clear offer are enough. You don't need to reinvent the wheel with creatives — what matters is the right promise to the right audience: "what you'll learn at the forum and who you'll meet".
Put 3–5 questions in the registration form: name, company, role, industry. You'll need them for the follow-up call and for selling after the event.
Step 5: call every registration
This is where most people go wrong: they collect registrations and wait to see who shows up on the day. The result — a half-empty hall.
The right way is a confirmation call after registration and a reminder the day before the event:
"Hello, you registered for tomorrow's forum. We've reserved your seat and we're expecting you. Will you be able to come?"
The person feels "they're expecting me", and attendance jumps. At the DeepVision seminar, 101 of 126 confirmed people came.
Step 6: plan the follow-up
Follow up with every attendee: a call, a meeting and a commercial proposal. Sales close in the following weeks, not on the day of the event. That's why your sales team must be ready before the event. How — in the B2B sales funnel article.
After the forum, our client said:
"I have enough projects for 6 months. For the next 6 months I don't need targeting or ads — I won't be able to keep up anyway."
In numbers
| Event | Result |
|---|---|
| Seminar (May 2025) | 200+ leads → 126 calls → 101 attendees |
| Hackathon (PDP) | 200+ developers |
| Business Forum (January 2026, with international Odoo) | $380 in ads → ~500 registrations → ~400 attendees (plan: 250) |
The most common mistakes
- Announcing the event straight to a cold audience. Expensive, with little result.
- Registrations without calls. Attendance stays around 30–40%.
- Trying to sell at the event. The event is for trust; the sale happens at the next meeting.
- Silence after the event. Not working the attendee base is the most expensive mistake.
Conclusion
Make the event part of a system, not a one-off campaign:
- Goal — one and clear.
- Audience — warmed up in advance.
- Proof — success stories and numbers.
- Ads — a simple video and a clear promise.
- Calls — to every registration.
- Follow-up — meetings and proposals.
Then the event becomes a sales machine in its own right.
About the author. Safarmurod Abduroziqov is the founder of AURA Digital. He has run the marketing for 2 seminars, 3 hackathons and a business forum with international Odoo. Telegram · LinkedIn
Frequently asked questions
What is B2B event marketing?
A way to attract business clients and build trust through events such as seminars, forums and hackathons. It delivers PR, a lead base and live meetings at once, and is especially effective for expensive IT/ERP products.
How much does it cost to bring attendees to a business forum?
It depends on how warm the audience is. At the Odoo Business Forum, ~500 people registered on $380 in ads, because the base had been warmed up with content beforehand.
How many registered people actually come?
If you call them — most of them. At the DeepVision seminar, 101 of 126 confirmed people came; at the forum, ~400 came instead of the expected 250.
How far in advance should you prepare?
At least 3 months for a large forum, 3–4 weeks for a small seminar.
What should you do after the event?
Follow up with every attendee: a call, a meeting and a commercial proposal. Sales close in the following weeks.