Annual budget planning is coming up—if you’re not already in the thick of it now—and somewhere in your budget spreadsheet is a line item for events. Maybe you’ve increased it by 5% from last year. Maybe you’ve allocated roughly the same amount to the same shows you always attend. And maybe—if you’re being honest—you’re hoping this year’s investment will somehow deliver better results than last year’s without changing much about your approach.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: most B2B2X companies treat event marketing like a recurring expense rather than the strategic opportunity it is. They book booth space, design displays, and show up hoping for the best. Meanwhile, a smaller group of manufacturers are using this exact planning window to build event strategies that transform their competitive position.
The difference isn’t budget size. It’s timing and intention. There are really only three decision windows for event marketing:
- Right after shows end (did you take advantage then and record your thoughts?)
- During annual planning (you’re in it now),
- Starting tactical execution at least 90 days before showtime (where you’ll end up if you don’t plan strategically now)
The companies that win at events make their strategic decisions now, during planning season, when they have time to align resources, coordinate with dealers, and create integrated experiences that stand out.
The Strategic Opportunity Hidden in Your Event Budget
You’re probably already investing significantly in events. The question is whether you’re maximizing that investment.
Many marketing leaders approach event budgeting with a “last year plus X%” mentality. They look at what they spent, whether it seemed to work, and adjust incrementally. But this misses the bigger opportunity hidden in your existing event investment.
In B2B2X industries, events serve multiple critical audiences simultaneously: dealers evaluating your commitment to the market, end customers comparing your brand to competitors, industry influencers forming opinions about your direction, and even competitors assessing your market position. Every event where your brand is present is an opportunity to demonstrate what you care about and where you’re headed.
This is where the “dress for the job you want” principle becomes crucial for event strategy. Your event presence should reflect where you want to be in the market, not just where you are today.
Take a recent example: when Legend showed up at Work Truck Week 2025, they didn’t just display products—they created a comprehensive brand experience that positioned them as a serious player in new segments. Their approach included:
- a visually compelling display
- strategic partnerships (showcasing products integrated with exclusive vehicle partnerships)
- interactive experiences (axe throwing to demonstrate durability)
- industry leadership (hosting awards that recognized ecosystem peers)
- strategic product launches (introducing their truck bed segment expansion)
What made Legend’s approach strategic rather than just tactical? They treated the event as a business tool that served specific strategic purposes: market positioning, relationship building, and revenue generation—all integrated into a single, memorable experience that didn’t require the biggest, most expensive space at the show.
The strategic reframe is this: instead of asking “How much should we spend on events?” ask “How do we maximize value from our significant event investments?”
The Strategic Opportunities Most Companies Miss
Here are the creative and strategic possibilities that most of your competitors aren’t considering.
Make the right splash. Your competitors will show up the same way they always have. This creates opportunity for you, if you’re willing to break conventional participation rules. Whether that means rethinking your booth designs, creating unexpected partnerships, creative hospitality approaches, or timing announcements strategically around industry gatherings—the opportunities to show up differently are there.
Use events to highlight products. The most successful event strategies align new product launches with these very events, naturally generating excitement and coverage. When the timing doesn’t match event schedules, sophisticated manufacturers create their own hands-on experiences with new products.
Consider all event types. Every industry has a different ecosystem of events—some more trade-focused (serving B2B2B companies), others more consumer-focused (serving B2B2C companies). But in all industries, there’s an opportunity to leverage both types of events to drive the outcomes you want. The key is understanding which events serve which audiences and crafting different value propositions accordingly.
Integrate your dealers. In distributed sales models, events become a place to build critical relationships. Smart manufacturers use industry gatherings as opportunities to strengthen dealer partnerships, coordinate market development strategies, and provide shared VIP experiences that build loyalty beyond financial incentives.
Most importantly, industry flagship events represent rare convergence moments where your entire competitive landscape is visible and accessible. These aren’t just marketing opportunities—they’re a chance for intelligence-gathering, partnership development accelerators, and brand positioning inflection points that happen only once or twice per year.
Questions to Consider During Planning
As you’re building next year’s event strategy, here are the key questions that will determine whether your event investments drive real business results:
What does “winning” look like for your event calendar next year? Define this specifically for each event based on audience type and strategic purpose. A dealer-focused trade show should generate revenue commitments and strengthen channel relationships. A consumer show should drive qualified leads and brand preference. Mixed events require different approaches for different audience segments.
When should you create standalone events where you have more control over the whole experience? Sometimes the strategic opportunity isn’t about showing up bigger at industry events—it’s about creating your own moments where you control the timing, audience, and experience. This can be about seizing opportunities to stand out while possibly saving money without sacrificing impact or outcomes.
How will you coordinate and partner with your dealer network? Industry events provide rare opportunities for joint marketing efforts, shared hospitality experiences, and coordinated messaging. The strongest event strategies recognize that both OEMs and dealers benefit when they work together to create compelling experiences and share the investment in meaningful ways.
Should you pay for a booth space at all? Sometimes the “dress for the job you want” principle means rethinking your entire approach. Instead of paying for real estate, consider having your best people on the ground having meaningful conversations, attending key sessions, and building relationships without the overhead of a physical presence. This approach can free up significant budget for other strategic initiatives while still achieving your networking and intelligence-gathering goals.
Three Non-Negotiable Recommendations
Based on our experience with successful event strategies, here are three specific practices that separate strategic event marketing from tactical event spending:
First: Don’t do another event without knowing exactly what you want to measure and why. Whether that’s leads, meaningful conversations, or revenue commitments, your event metrics need to integrate with your existing sales and marketing measurement systems. Too many manufacturers spend six figures on events and then struggle to connect those investments to pipeline because they treated event measurement as separate from their broader business metrics.
Second: If you’re investing in physical displays, make smart capital investments. Consider using capital expenditure budgets to invest in durable structures that can be rebranded and reconfigured for multiple years. Look for modular elements that work for different event footprint sizes. Focus on display components that create impact without requiring the most expensive real estate at every show. The goal is building event assets, not renting temporary presence.
Third: Try new things. Many industry events have repeat visitors each year. People will remember if you do the same thing year after year—and so will your competition. Strategic manufacturers use annual planning cycles to introduce new elements: unexpected partnerships, creative audience engagement, product demonstration innovations, or hospitality approaches that create memorable, brand-associated experiences.
The advantage goes to early planners who make strategic decisions during annual planning cycles. Most competitors will default to “same as last year” approaches, creating differentiation opportunities for manufacturers willing to think strategically about their event investments.
Ready to transform your event marketing from budget line item to growth accelerator? The strategic advantages are available to manufacturers who plan early and think systematically about their event investments. While your competitors are booking the same booth space they had last year, you could be building integrated event strategies that drive measurable business results and strengthen your entire dealer ecosystem.
The window for strategic event planning is open now—but it won’t stay open long.
