What happens when you’re not just managing a brand’s presence at an event? but becoming the face of it?That’s the question I had to answer when I stepped into a visible role representing Samsung Electronics at industry events across Europe. Not just as a speaker or marketer, but as a strategic bridge between product, positioning, and partnership.
And as I’ve discovered time and again since then — whether for startups or multinational tech firms — your event strategy is never just about the event. It’s about market presence, executive trust, and narrative control.
Let me explain.
In a world that’s increasingly digital, remote, and flooded with on-demand webinars, it’s tempting to downplay the importance of physical presence.
But here’s the paradox: the more virtual our world becomes, the more powerful strategic presence feels in person.
When representing Samsung, it wasn’t about smiling at a booth or handing out flyers. It was about:
- Reading the room: Who’s leaning in during the keynote? Who’s asking technical questions? Where are the buyers hanging out?
- Orchestrating influence: Ensuring alignment between the public story (presentations, panels) and the private one (1-on-1 meetings, corridor talks).
- Closing loops: Turning feedback from the field — partners, resellers, even competitors — into valuable insights that shaped future campaigns.
Here’s what many marketing teams (even well-funded ones) get wrong about events:
1. They outsource the message to “booth staff” or junior marketers.
➤ At Samsung, I was often the most senior marketing person on site, guiding the story in real-time.
2. They treat events as one-offs.
➤ We treated them as a strategic listening post: Which messaging resonates? Which offers fall flat? Which competitor narratives need countering?
3. They forget the power of presence.
➤ My role wasn’t just visibility, it was credibility. A familiar, competent face who could navigate tech, talk strategy, and represent leadership.
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Here’s what “representing your brand at events” actually means when done right:
- 🎤 Speaking with clarity: Not over-polished slides, but memorable, relevant messages that buyers recall post-event.
- 🧭 Navigating complexity: From vendor lock-in discussions to EU data regulations, these conversations often go deeper than surface-level demos.
- 🔄 Building trust loops: A handshake from someone with deep product knowledge and strategic insight carries 10x the weight of a brochure.
Samsung didn’t just send me out for visibility. They saw it as embedded brand building. And it worked.
After each event:
- We refined positioning for our digital campaigns.
- Internal sales teams had stronger, sharper narratives to build on.
- We identified new partnership opportunities — often from unexpected verticals.
In short: event representation became a competitive advantage.
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Absolutely, and I’ve since done the same for firms like Destiny, Altran, and others. Whether as a Fractional CMO or interim advisor, I guide companies to:
- Turn one event into a six-month content engine
- Empower leadership to become visible voices
- Align field insights with boardroom strategy
So here’s my challenge to you, whether you lead marketing for a SaaS scale-up or an industrial powerhouse:
Are you showing up as the face of your brand or just shipping roll-up banners?
Because in B2B, who shows up matters as much as what you show.
And if you need a partner who doesn’t just advise from the sidelines, but steps onto the floor with you?
You know where to find me.
- Samsung Partner Day 2013 – “The Opportunity of Large Display Solutions”
- Distributor Event: Meet IT 2014
- ISE 2014 – Included VIP hosting package
- IFMA Belgium Chapter Presentation
- Multiple smaller, dedicated partner events
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