Going live

With live industry events set to return in the second half of the year, founder of the Glazing Summit Andrew Scott discusses why they play such a vital role in the fenestration industry, and why getting your brand seen at them is a must this year.

With restrictions starting to lift after one of the toughest years in living memory, being able to take life ‘off hold’ has never felt so good.

It’s also tremendous news for the industry, not least its live events calendar, which has been badly missed during the last 12 months.

To be able to get together in person in 2021, and get that energy and buzz of a live event back, will be brilliant, and live events present the perfect opportunity to get your brand back out there after a long hiatus.

Live events are unique marketing opportunities and should play an integral role in your marketing strategy. It’s no coincidence that when the most successful brands, such as Apple, want to make a major announcement, they do so through a live event.

Last year may have pushed businesses online, but we must not forget the importance of face-to-face contact, even as we exploit the online space.

Many of us will love Spotify but will be chomping at the bit to get out to music festivals, while fans will be desperate to get back to watching sport live instead of from their sofa.

We’re social animals, and while the likes of Zoom and Microsoft Teams have been a godsend to customers, we need that human contact. The fenestration industry has been built on face-to-face contact, with deals being done on a handshake, not over a video chat.

Marketing will be more important than ever before as things start to get back to normal, and live events play a crucial role in allowing you to connect with your audience and get your brand seen by the people who matter.

At the last Glazing Summit, for example, we had more than 400 industry leaders representing more than £1 billion in combined revenue, and this year’s event, despite restrictions, is set to be a sell-out as companies make up for lost time.

Live events provide you with a chance to network and interact with prospective customers and can be a great place to win new business. It will be important for you to engage and get your face out there again.

Digital marketing may only secure a few moments of attention from its target audience. Perhaps a prospect will glance at a paid ad or take a minute to skim through a blog post before something else catches their eye.

Live events, however, provide you with an opportunity to craft a compelling brand message or narrative to a more attentive audience than other marketing channels.

Consumers will always gravitate towards brands they trust, and live brand experiences are more capable of engaging audiences effectively and building trust.

You are not just competing for market share and brand recognition today; you also need to build strong and long-lasting relationships with customers.

Live events allow prospective customers to interact with your brand on a more personal and tangible level, which cannot be achieved through digital marketing, and allow you to make a more meaningful, personal, connection as a result.

After a tough 12 months, it will be the companies who invest in building their brand through offline marketing, alongside their online activity, who emerge as the winners moving forward.

The Glazing Summit will be returning to Edgbaston Stadium and Conference Centre, Birmingham on Thursday, October 21 to bring together industry leaders for a series of panel debates and discussions on the biggest issues affecting the industry, and a whole host of networking opportunities.

For tickets or sponsorship opportunities visit
www.glazingsummit.co.uk