Conference Strategy

---
name: conference-strategy
description: >-
  Plans a conference program: event selection, sponsorship ROI, speaking (CFP)
  submissions, booth strategy, and team preparation. Use when the user is
  choosing which events to attend or sponsor, submitting a CFP, or analyzing
  conference ROI. Triggers on: "conference strategy", "event planning", "trade
  show strategy", "sponsorship ROI", "CFP submissions".
license: MIT
compatibility: Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Gemini CLI, OpenCode, Goose, Hermes, Windsurf, Zed
metadata:
  version: "1.0.0"
  author: LeadMagic
  category: events
  tags: [events, conferences, event-strategy, sponsorship, speaking]
  frameworks:
    - "Forrester (SiriusDecisions) — Demand Waterfall"
    - "ITSMA — Account-Based Marketing"
    - "Chris Walker — Self-reported attribution"
  related_skills:
    [
      event-driven-outreach,
      field-marketing,
      pipeline-management,
      sales-enablement,
      partnership-strategy,
    ]
---

# Conference Strategy

## Overview

Conferences are the single biggest line item in many B2B marketing budgets —
and the least measured. This skill covers event selection, sponsorship evaluation,
speaking submission strategy, booth design, and team preparation to maximize ROI.

## Authoritative Foundations
- **Forrester (SiriusDecisions) — Demand Waterfall** — Measure events by the pipeline stages they create and accelerate, not by badge scans.
- **ITSMA — Account-Based Marketing** — Choose and staff events by target-account attendance, and pre-book meetings with named accounts.
- **Chris Walker — Self-reported attribution** — Add a 'How did you hear about us?' field so event influence that never appears in last-touch reporting is still captured.

## When to Use

- "Plan our conference strategy"
- "Which events should we sponsor?"
- "Submit a CFP"
- "Conference ROI analysis"

## Step-by-Step Process

### Phase 1: Event Selection Matrix

Score events on 5 dimensions (1-10 each):

1. **ICP concentration (×2):** % of attendees matching your ICP.
   Check past attendee lists, ask peers who attended.
2. **Decision-maker presence (×1.5):** Are buyers there or just practitioners?
   Practitioner conferences build brand; buyer conferences build pipeline.
3. **Competitor presence:** If 3+ competitors sponsor/speak, you should too.
   If none, you might pioneer a category — or there's no market.
4. **Cost per qualified conversation:** Total cost / expected qualified meetings.
   Target: <$500 per qualified meeting for $10K+ ACV products.
5. **Content/PR value:** Speaking slot? Press coverage? Industry credibility?

Score >35: Sponsor/speak. Score 25-35: Attend only. Score <25: Skip.

### Phase 2: Sponsorship Evaluation

- **Booth:** Only worth it if you have 2+ dedicated staff and a lead capture
  process. Badge-scanning without qualification = waste of money.
- **Speaking slot:** Highest ROI of any sponsorship. Negotiate it into your
  package. A 30-min talk is worth more than a 10x10 booth.
- **Sponsored happy hour / dinner:** High cost, high reward for relationship
  building. Invite specific target accounts, not open bar for randoms.
- **Branding only:** Logo on lanyard/tote bag. Low ROI unless you're a
  household name in the industry. Skip.

### Phase 3: Speaking Submissions (CFP)

- **Submit to 3-5 events:** One talk abstract, customized per event theme
- **Talk structure:** Problem story → counterintuitive insight → framework →
  results data → specific takeaways. No product pitch.
- **Co-speak with a customer:** 3x acceptance rate vs solo. Event organizers
  love practitioner stories.
- **Submit early:** CFP deadlines are real. Late submissions are ignored.
- **Rehearse:** Do a dry run with internal team. Record it. Watch it. Fix it.

### Phase 4: Booth Strategy

- **Lead capture:** Badge scan + 1 qualifier question ("What brings you to
  [Event]?" → scoring). No generic "tell me about your role."
- **Booth staff:** Train on qualification questions, demo flow, and data entry.
  No phones. No sitting. No eating. 2-hour shifts max (it's exhausting).
- **Giveaway strategy:** Something useful (charging brick > stress ball).
  Require badge scan to get it.
- **Demo station:** 1-2 dedicated demo stations with good chairs. 5-minute
  targeted demo, not a full product tour.

### Phase 5: Post-Event Debrief

Within 48 hours of event end: what worked, what didn't, revenue influenced,
cost per meeting. Update event scores for next year's selection.

## Output Format

Conference strategy document with: event selection scores, sponsorship package
negotiation points, speaking submission abstracts, booth plan, and post-event
debrief template.

## Quality Check

Before delivering, verify:

- [ ] All required sections are complete
- [ ] Output matches the user's stated need
- [ ] Named frameworks are cited for key recommendations
- [ ] No vague claims — every recommendation has a specific action
- [ ] Deliverable is ready for operational use, not just conceptual

## Common Pitfalls

1. **No pre-event outreach.** Showing up to a conference without booked meetings wastes the investment. Fix: scrape attendee lists, research targets, and book meetings 2-3 weeks before.
2. **Booth staff without training.** Untrained staff give generic demos and fail to qualify. Fix: train on qualification questions, demo flow, and data entry before the event.
3. **No post-event follow-up system.** Leads go cold within 48 hours. Fix: Day 1 personalized follow-up, Day 3 value-add, Day 7 soft CTA.

## Implementation Depth

Use this section when the user asks for a finished asset, not a high-level explanation.

### Diagnostic Questions

1. What is the primary motion: founder-led, sales-led, product-led, partner-led, or lifecycle-led?
2. Which ICP tier is the output for: small business, mid-market, enterprise, or mixed?
3. What proof is available today: customer stories, usage data, third-party validation, screenshots, or none?
4. What system will execute the work: CRM, sequencer, warehouse, support desk, product analytics, or manual workflow?
5. What decision will the user make from this output: launch, prioritize, route, rewrite, score, coach, or measure?

### Framework Application

Map the recommendation explicitly to the named frameworks in this skill:

- B2B Event ROI Framework: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
- Conference Strategy Playbook: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.
- Bizzabo — Event Experience Framework: apply only the part that directly improves the requested deliverable.

### Deliverable Standard

A strong output from this skill includes:

- A crisp diagnosis of the current situation
- A recommended path with tradeoffs, not a generic list
- A concrete artifact the user can use immediately: table, script, checklist, scorecard, sequence, dashboard spec, or implementation plan
- A measurement plan with leading and lagging indicators
- Risks and edge cases called out before execution

### Adaptation Rules

- For small business: reduce complexity, shorten time-to-value, and prioritize owner/operator clarity.
- For mid-market: include workflow ownership, handoffs, integrations, and enablement assets.
- For enterprise: include governance, risk, procurement, stakeholder mapping, and proof requirements.

## Execution Artifacts

- `references/framework-notes.md` — Named frameworks and reference tables
- `templates/output-template.md` — Deliverable shell for agent output
- `scripts/check-output.py` — Lightweight deliverable validator

## Related Skills

- event-driven-outreach, field-marketing, pipeline-management, sales-enablement, partnership-strategy