From the Editor: Do you know the CMO?

When was the last time you talked to a CMO? For that matter, do you even know what a CMO is? You should. (It’s a chief marketing officer.) According to Staging & Gauging: Do Events Pay Off?, a study by the CMO Council, nearly 70 percent of CMOs say they play an active role in mapping and evaluating event marketing programs. Not only that, 82.4 percent of CMOs said the marketing department manages and controls event expenditures.

Most of us are probably talking to the event or exhibit manager or maybe the marketing director. And sometimes, that’s O.K. But event managers don’t always know the company’s global marketing strategy, and if they do know it, they don’t always feel empowered to share it.

It’s more important than ever to reach and understand how we can influence these decision makers. How?

We can start by understanding their pain. According to the report, CMOs say the biggest challenge and risk of doing events is that they’re “expensive and time-consuming.” Nearly half said “analyzing return on investment,” and 44.4 percent cited “unpredictable outcomes.” While you may not agree, it is their perception. So how do we fix their problems?

One way is to provide them with tools for developing an event strategy. For example, in 2004, Reed Exhibition Cos. launched Exhibitor University, a one-day workshop that teaches customers how to set and meet objectives. To date, about 90 percent of exhibitors from the first graduating classes have signed up to exhibit again at Reed events. (See Best Practices, page 26.)

We can also invest more in quality research and market analysis. We can become exhibitors’ partners instead of their suppliers. Give them access to attendee lists and help them reach their key prospects. For example, some shows are inviting key buyers and hosting pre-show conferences sponsored by exhibiting companies.

Others are setting up appointments between exhibitors and attendees. And some are providing attendee data and helping exhibitors to identify leads — a great way to prove ROI. Especially since just 31 percent of CMOs believe they’re supplied with sufficient information to truly evaluate marketing value and return.

It’s time to get to know CMOs. It may not be easy to find them. And it may be harder still to get their attention. But these are not people to add to a database and send promotions to. CMOs are not “telemarketable.” It’s going to require personal visits from you and others to truly build relationships and gain the trust of CMOs. Agree to sign a nondisclosure agreement to make them more comfortable sharing their goals with you. Be an expert on your industry so you can truly advise them, and they can value your input.

Adding a new layer of contacts may seem daunting, and it won’t happen overnight. But this is a task where you get the return on investment.

Danica Tormohlen, Editor
dtormohlen@ascendmedia.com