As the World Evolves, So Do We

As our routines and plans quickly changed in what seems like the blink of an eye, we have all been forced to rethink how to conduct business in an environment that is anything but usual. Like many, my home office environment has required a juggling act of work and family life while I work alongside my husband, 4 year old daughter, and our new puppy, Lady. While this adjustment hasn’t been seamless, I am learning that through every personal and professional challenge there are lessons to be learnt and opportunities to be apprehended.

As those who are able to have shifted to a more remote lifestyle, I have seen companies work at quickly adapting to better serve the needs of their clients and customers through a digital event approach. Similarly, our team at Landmark Ventures has swiftly taken our planned Q1/Q2 portfolio of in-person, multi-day conferences and VIP Dinners and transformed them into virtual experiences to continue driving what makes events so important in the first place: convening. As the world evolves, so do we.

I want to share how our Events team is navigating these unprecedented times by tapping into our strengths as a multi-dimensional strategic and financial advisory firm, which includes a robust network in the emerging tech, enterprise, and investor communities. We serve as a connector and intermediary to accelerate growth for public corporations, private equity sponsors, software and hardware technologies, and digital media organizations, so we’ve learned a lot recently about how to maintain that same relationship-building through a virtual format.

In sharing more about what we have experienced through this unexpected pivot to digital events, we hope that it not only helps your business, but reminds us all that we are in this together.

We’ve learned to tap into the skills that we had already mastered through in-person events.

Recently, Landmark’s Industrial IoT expert Isaac Brown kicked off our webinar series by moderating an insightful digital debate with top corporate CIOs. With more than 100 industrial leaders tuned in, they explored critical topics like what is the right business model for digital industrial technology vendors and how do enterprises deal with the skills gap and change management. The event was a success, but our team realized it had nothing to do with going digital and everything to do with tapping into the skills that we had already mastered through in-person events. Our mastery of bringing the right people together to drive business results!

As a company that has mastered in-person events, we are approaching digital events with the same mindset – companies need a way to meet key industry players and engage with other thought leaders in their space.

It’s not the platform (digital vs. in-person) that determines the event’s success, but the curation of people that join and ultimately grow to trust your brand and expertise. It’s the strategic partnerships, accelerated deal flow, and unparalleled insights that we curate at Landmark for each of our clients and customers through our Rolodex of Fortune 500 executives, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists that distinguishes our virtual events from the rapid rise of webinars. Despite being behind a screen, professionals still crave human interaction and partnership. Now more than ever, businesses are looking for a way of communicating shared learning, best practices, and advice as we all face similar obstacles.

Whether it is in-person or digital, the objective remains the same – mold your event to match the customized needs of the client.

During our 20+ years executing strategic in-person events, one of Landmark’s greatest strengths has been our unwavering focus on the client, consumers, and partners. We mold our playbook to each event’s unique audience, speaker line up, and program, bringing the same level of excellence each time without losing the essential art of customization for the client’s needs. In unison with our Banking and Advisory teams, Landmark’s Events team has always been committed to helping our partners see direct sales and business growth by putting the right people in the room (even if it’s a Zoom Room) – this is a passion for us and we strongly believe that getting this right should be the most important tool in your events playbook too. Looking through the unique lens of today’s world, it is even more important now to listen, learn, and provide support to your partners.

The success in events is not the event itself, but the business outcomes that follow.

From Board Meetings to Sales Incentive Trips and Intimate Dinners designed for networking, the goals remain the same for us at Landmark Ventures. We do more than simply host events, we maximize our client and customer experiences through thoughtful and professional matchmaking to drive results. This can and will still be done in the digital interim, because we are leveraging our in-person event expertise and staying steadfast on our business values. After each digital event, we are following up, reaching out, and helping our attendees with their business needs because despite being apart we can still stay connected and work together.

Do not overlook your business strengths as you shift to a digital landscape.

Leverage your unique capabilities and apply them to this new remote world. From an events perspective, don’t lose sight of the importance of the attendees just because they are behind a screen. The foundation of events has and always will be the quality of who joins and impactful and focused content, because this is what creates meaningful partnerships and drives initiatives far beyond the event itself.

Seize the moment.

It is never easy to face change, especially one this monumental to our home lives, businesses, and routines. But where there is change, there is growth and opportunity. Whether it is a cancelled event or a shift in client’s needs, use this opportunity to think outside the box and to allow your business to shape a new future. In just a few weeks, Landmark has pushed ourselves to execute digital events and now we are a company with the hybrid capability of both virtual and in-person events. Success comes when you make the most out of every situation.

These times are trying and confusing for us all, but I’m sincerely proud of our incredible Landmark Ventures team that has persevered by evaluating what makes us unique to our clients and how we can continue to bring authenticity to everything we do through our global investment banking services, business advisory, and strategic in-person and digital events.

While there is no playbook for navigating a historic moment like this, I am confident that by coming together and focusing on our assets, we can emerge stronger as a community.

I would love to hear your experiences and ideas during these uncertain times as you transition to an online world, and as always please let me know if I can help you personally or professionally because we are all in this together.