Accelevents

What’s the top tip you’d share with someone building their 2026 event strategy right now? Brands are already shaping next year’s event-marketing playbooks - and one thing is clear: without a clear strategy, you won’t deliver impact. In our latest article - Inside the Minds of Industry Leaders: Top Tips for Building Your 2026 Events Strategy - gamechangers from Amazon, SXSW, SentinelOne, Moody’s and more shared their most valuable insights. Here are a few standout ideas to shape a more strategic and impactful 2026 roadmap. Full article linked is linked in the comments 👇 Mia Monroe MTA, CSEP, CMP, DES - Amazon Top tip: Start with the “why.” Before you touch ideation or logistics, bring stakeholders together to align on clear, measurable goals. Early alignment creates shared ownership and sets the foundation for success. Bethany Murphy, CMP - SentinelOne Top tip: Build a unified scorecard. Budgets and agendas matter, but alignment determines success. A shared scorecard gives every stakeholder a common language, clear priorities and a shared definition of winning. Bridgette Birdie - Moody's Corporation Top tip: Avoid vanity metrics. Headcounts and hashtags feel good but rarely influence leadership. Focus on engagement depth, commercial impact and loyalty - the metrics that drive business decisions. Alexandra Casolaro - SXSW Top tip: Define your X-factor. If your audience can’t summarise your unique value in one line, refine it. Listen to your community, use imperfect data if needed and iterate relentlessly. Anna Monogarova - Later Top tip: Treat events as mini viral launches. Every touchpoint - creators, content, social - should build momentum. Create human-centred experiences that feel hybrid-ready and built for amplification. Timothy Calder 🌏 - Achievers Top tip: Lead with outcomes. The biggest mistake isn’t overspending  - planning without knowing what success looks like. Outcomes should shape your audience, format and investment from day one. Sarah Kahn – iCIMS (formerly Cognitiv) Top tip: Let AI streamline the work, not replace the magic. Automate logistics and personalisation - then design moments that feel purposeful, emotional and unforgettable long after the event ends. Jonathan Kazarian - Accelevents Top tip: Build trust-driven experiences. Events aren’t cost centres - they’re engines for deep conversation. Prioritise quality connections over quantity to drive long-term commercial impact. Steph Pennell - INGÉNUE Top tip: Balance content with peer learning and connection. It’s not just who’s on stage - it’s who’s in the room and why they’re there. Curate intentionally and anchor every decision in business outcomes. Looking for a proven framework to elevate your 2026 strategy from planning to performance? Our 2026 Event Strategy Template is used by leading brands to drive clarity, alignment and measurable impact - and you can access it via the link in the comments 👇 What top tip would you add? #eventprofs

Event management is the job that is the easiest to have an opinion on and hardest to execute. Not every marketer or admin who’s “helped run an event” is ready to own the full show. Because running an event is like building a company. I’ve been there. I’ve done both. Event profs need to think like a marketer, budget like a CFO, operate like a producer, and sell like a CRO. On top of it all, no one realizes how much tech there is. They see the iPads at check-in. Or the polished mobile app. But don’t realize every decision that went into crafting the experience. That's why we built Accelevents for event managers who care about the details. The best planners don’t just “run” events. They run a start up within your company.

I don't normally due shoutouts to vendors, but when I do 😉 ... I don't think I have ever expierenced better customer service and support than I have from Accelevents and their online chat! Within seconds (yes, seconds!) they respond and from what I can tell, it's a real person (shout out to Ken who just helped me fix a bunch of things!). They walk you through your question(s) and help you by using screenshots and asking you clarifying questions. None of this "Here's a manual, go read it, and figure out the problem yourself!" Thank you Accelevents, and Ken, for the amazing support! 👏