The Year We Met You: Events Done Right

In 2019 we launched a series of CRM events under the PostFunnel brand. You loved them, so next year you'll get more. This is how it unfolded

Nitsan Peled

January 28, 2020

To be a successful marketer, you got to recognize opportunities, seize them, take risks, and try new things. Then evaluate and continue accordingly. We really don’t know of any other way to progress. In life, in business, you name it.

A year ago, we knew that the broad topic of Relationship Marketing in general, Actionable CDPs and Cross-Channel Campaign Management, in particular, sits at the crossroads of multiple burning, complex issues. We knew that professional marketers want and need to meet, discuss, and suss these topics out. And, we knew that Optimove-Postfunnel’s parent company – could facilitate such conversations, under the PostFunnel brand.

But we had no idea if any of that will actually work. That didn’t stop us.

We wanted to make it easy for our audience to meet, and to find the kind of gathering that fits their style and preferences. So, we planned three types of events to host in multiple locations:

Two intimate PostFunnel Dinners, in LA and Miami. This is where a small group of smart CRM leaders met around good food and wine and built valuable relationships through great conversation. Which sometimes touched CRM.
Five PostFunnel Forums (2XLondon, 2XNew York, 1XMalta.) These still-intimate, one-panel gatherings allow for a larger audience to network, mingle, and put one major topic on a pedestal.
One flagship Postfunnel Summit, in TLV. A two-day event where an incredibly useful first day included 6 DIY workshops was followed by a more thought-leadership focused second day, with panels, keynotes, and fireside chats.

2019: The Events in a Nutshell

The events took place all year round, in various places around the world, some required a coat and umbrella, others required a cap under the soaking sun. The goal was to feel our clients, prospects, and audience better. But, at the end of the day, we all got so much more than that.

“The best thing that happened throughout our 2019 events was how they become a ‘home’ for the B2C CRM community,” said Amit Bivas, Optimove VP Marketing, at the conclusion of the year. “These events are the one place CRM marketers can meet with their peers, network with them, and discuss each one’s challenges.”

“Our guests saw a lot of value from these events,” told us Daphna Shteinberg, North America’s Regional Marketing Manager at Optimove. “First, because we were able to bring the right people into one room and making sure it stays intimate. Second reason being a lot of valuable and insightful content delivered by our guests and speakers.”

The first-ever PostFunnel Forum started on March 27th, 2019, at the Hoxton hotel in London, where more than 70 Relationship Marketing experts, decision-makers, leaders, and practitioners gathered.

To borrow a term from the neighboring West End – Opening Night went really well. Katie O’Leary, Head of UK Marketing at Hibob, Paris Anatolitis, Casino Marketing Director at GVC Group, and Nina Dietrich, Director of Owned Channels at Culture Trip, kept the crowd listening carefully when they discussed the shift from product centricity to customer-centricity.

A week later, and across the pond in Manhattan, it was another impressive panel – with Sam Wolf, CEO & Founder at LuckyVitamin, Lindsay Bressler, COO at Hatch, Isaac Hyman, Director of CRM at Adorama, and Lauren Pica, Director of US Marketing at Outbrain – who shared thoughts, ideas, best practice, and results of the shift they have undergone from batch-and-blast email to earning customer engagement through hyper-personalized, multi-channel relationship marketing.

The July Forum in Malta focused on the Gaming industry. It revolved around the brands that have succeeded in strategically investing in CRM and how they are seeing its direct effect on customer lifetime value, brand perception, customer advocacy, and much more.

The Forums that concluded the year in December included speakers from Sweaty Betty, IL MAKIAGE, Diane Von Furstenberg, Mack Weldon, BWin, Quidco, and more. It was the perfect way to close the curtain on our first year of PostFunnel event as they reviewed the year in CRM through the lens of “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.” They concluded a year in which we put the cornerstones to what is now an emerging, lively professional CRM community and also shared thoughts on what’s to come in 2020.

2020: What’s to Come?

Actually, waiting for you in 2020 is more of what you liked, basically. More events. More locations. And a new type to be introduced to the mix.

“This year, we will continue growing our PF events franchise,” said Amit. “The Forums will be extended to half-day events, and around them, we’ll host many more dinners. We’ll also offer the new morning workshops, to be used as a platform to share and contribute actionable, practical know-how.”

“We will make sure to continue having all of these events, as we recognized there’s a lot of value in them,” concluded Daphna, “The attendees love it.” And, by “the attendees,” she means you! “We will be hosting the events in more locations, making it easier to attend as well,” she said.

So, guess we’ll see you there!