We switched vendors after the Marcus Evans Summit

“We have placed a large part of our promotional work with an organisation we met at the Marcus Evans Summit. They have become our preferred supplier, and we would not have known about them if we had not attended” said Craig Hockley, Head of Marketing, Guild Insurance, a delegate at the Marcus Evans CMO Summit in Australia.

What business opportunities did the Summit bring your way?

There were many interesting presentations with really helpful content. The one-to-one meetings were helpful. I was initially a little sceptical, we receive a lot of unsolicited business calls, so I wasn’t sure how valuable I would find the organised appointments with suppliers, but I actually started a fairly significant relationship with one of the companies I had a meeting with. We do a lot of promotional items, but had not heard of them before.

We also met a few people we already had relationships with but had never met face-to-face. The Summit helped strengthen those relationships.

Would you have given them the same chance if they had called or emailed you?

Absolutely not. I get five to ten phone calls and emails every week, and it has become white noise for me. Unless something remarkable comes through, I do not have the time or energy to look closely at what they offer. The reason this worked is because they had 30-minutes of scheduled time with me, and had my undivided attention. I would have most likely ignored their email if they just had sent one to me.

Is it a tough process to become one of your vendors?

Yes, it can be. I understand the time, effort and money that vendors put into attending events, so I try to listen to what they have to say, but at the same time I value existing relationships and past interactions. If I have worked with a company before and they have not let me down, it is quite hard to get me to entertain competitive approaches. There needs to be a good reason for us to switch partners.

Did you find the one-to-one meeting format efficient?

It is very efficient; I gave each company 100 percent of my attention for half an hour. It all came down to who put on the right show and impressed me. Some of them absolutely nailed it. The Summit was definitely worth my time.

How would you compare the Summit with other industry events?

I have attended many events that turned out to be organised by suppliers, providing thinly veiled sales pitches but I avoid them now when I can. I only attend events that can add value to what I do; this one had a good mix of content, supported by some quality supplier partners.

Why were you sceptical at the beginning? Did the Summit exceed your expectations? How?

Yes, it did. I was quite sceptical initially because I received a call from Marcus Evans out of the blue, I was just waiting for the catch. Once I was there and I saw how the event was planned, I felt much better about it. By the second day, I was actively talking to suppliers, even those I did not have an appointment with. It was one of the first events where I genuinely did network, not just standing there going through the motions, having awkward conversations with people that I’d probably never speak to again.