What Event Marketers Can Learn From TikTok

November 23, 2022

JR Sherman

JR Sherman is the CEO of RainFocus. With more than 20 years of leading highly impactful service and SaaS businesses, he is highly regarded for his expertise in SaaS, events, marketing and experiential marketing. Sherman was named one of the 25 Most Influential Executives by Business Travel News.

What started as an app to share videos of friends and family dancing and lip-syncing to popular songs and other mediums has quickly become an all-in-one app for trending news, tutorials and connecting with brands in new and interesting ways. The social media platform is a great example of how communication and marketing have changed in just a few short years, especially as more users spend time on the app. According to a Data.AI study, TikTok is expected to reach 1.5 billion monthly active users by the end of this year.  

Some marketers have taken notice. According to a Hootsuite Social Trends Survey published this year, 24% of marketer respondents had considered using TikTok to reach business goals, compared to 3% in 2021 (a 700% increase). 

Event marketing leaders can learn fundamental lessons from TikTok to better influence B2B event marketing. Just take a look at almost any trending video on the platform, and you’ll see that the most successful videos offer personalization, interesting content and an experience that is hard to replicate.  

Repurposing TikTok’s “For You” page (FYP): Personalize and recommend better

In this day and age, event marketers sending blast emails instead of personalized correspondences are falling behind on providing thoughtful recommendations and possibly icing out current and prospective users.

 In the event space, no two people’s reasoning to join an event, no matter the form it takes, should ever be considered the same. Some may join to learn a skill or witness exciting content, while another may want to have a chance to meet an industry leader, and some want a combination of the two. Event marketers must offer all of these aspects and do it exceptionally well (more on that below). An important aspect for event marketers is being sure to add a layer of personalization so consumers don’t think twice about the event’s purpose or why they should attend. Suppose a user engages heavily in collateral that teases a certain element like a virtual networking component. In that case, they must be able to access that networking option and receive reminders until the event takes place.  

In order to achieve that synergy, event marketers must invest in better AI and machine learning models that integrate directly into the event marketing platforms. This will enable marketers to easily see attendee data and better understand the customer and where they are in their event journey. 

The beauty of TikTok’s FYP is that it enables users to see content they want. Event marketers should enable those same experiences by offering consumers the options and opportunities that make the most sense for them.  

Getting inspiration from TikTok: Lessons we can learn to improve content 

While we should take inspiration from TikTok’s style of content, removing trivial details and diving into the “good stuff,” we shouldn’t cut speakers’ sessions to 10-30 seconds. But there are steps that we can take now to ensure attendees are being heard. Clearly, time is of the essence. Event marketers who have collected meaningful insights and analyzed attendee data can gauge how long an attendee may stay at one session before leaving for another, effectively gathering the level of engagement. While sound and video quality will always be important, low engagement can always be pointed back to the content. Thankfully, event organizers are beginning to listen. According to a recent Speaking Industry Benchmark Report from All American Entertainment, organizers are beginning to limit virtual presentations to only last 30-45 minutes. In-person event presentations should be a maximum of 60 minutes.

No matter the length or whether you’re hosting a hybrid, in-person or virtual event, content needs to matter for it to be considered successful among your attendees. Though event marketers can invest in various parts of the event, they also must remember what the value of the event is for users: B2B professionals attend events to network and learn. No matter how many frills you add to an event, it can still fail if your content isn’t meaningful and personalized to attendees, virtually, in-person or somewhere in between.   

Content will continue to take on an increasingly elevated role for events. It won’t matter, however, if attendees aren’t able to find the content they care most about and then interact with it. It is important that events invest in relevant and thoughtful content that is personalized for each attendee based on their unique backgrounds, interests and even the stage of their customer journey with the brand. My mantra: It’s more important to have 10,000 unique experiences at an event rather than have an event for 10,000 attendees. 

Recreating TikTok memes: Creating experiences no matter the physical/virtual location 

As the world begins to open up again, there have been more conversations about whether or not virtual and hybrid events will cease to exist. Instead of focusing on what shape an event will take, we should consider what type of event will enable customers to create memorable experiences that best fit their needs and interests.

TikTok continues to find success as it asks its users to pick and choose what they want to experience, putting less emphasis on showing you what your friends/families and followers might be doing. Event marketers should do the same. It willl be imperative to create custom-tailored experiences that blend learnings with brand loyalty. 

While it will always be easier to create an experience via TikTok, event marketers should feel the same way about creating an experience via events. By adopting the right event marketing platform, it should be just as easy to put on memorable events. 

As event marketers, it’s important for us to look to moments and experiences to help reinvent the wheel in the industry. One such inspiration lies with TikTok’s success creating personalized, bite-size experiences delivered in memorable ways. As more events begin to pop up, we have to be smart and thoughtful around how we deliver and match personalized experiences with our customers, specific to their event journeys. That way, we’ll be able to strengthen and ensure a better customer relationship and ultimately, a long-term business impact.


Don’t miss any event-related news: Sign up for our weekly e-newsletter HERE, listen to our latest podcast HERE and engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram!

Add new comment

Partner Voices
Overview: The award-winning Orange County Convention Center (OCCC) goes the extra mile to make every day extraordinary by offering customer service excellence and industry-leading partnerships. From their dedicated in-house Rigging team to their robust Exhibitor Services, The Center of Hospitality brings your imagination to life by helping you host unforgettable meetings and events. With more than 2 million square feet of exhibit space, world-class services and a dream destination, we are committed to making even the most ambitious conventions a reality. In October 2023, the Orange County Board of County Commissioners voted to approve allocating Tourist Development Tax funding for the $560 million Phase 5A completion of the OCCC. The Convention Way Grand Concourse project will include enhancements to the North-South Building, featuring an additional 60,000 square feet of meeting space, an 80,000- square-foot ballroom and new entry to the North-South Building along Convention Way. “We are thrilled to begin work on completing our North-South Building which will allow us to meet the growing needs of our clients,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester. “As an economic driver for the community, this project will provide the Center with connectivity and meeting space to host more events and continue to infuse the local economy with new money and expanding business opportunities.” Amenities: The Center of Hospitality goes above and beyond by offering world-class customer service and industry-leading partnerships. From the largest convention center Wi-Fi network to custom LAN/WAN design, the Center takes pride in enhancing exhibitor and customer experience.  The OCCC is the exclusive provider of electricity (24-hour power at no additional cost), aerial rigging and lighting, water, natural gas and propane, compressed air, and cable TV services. Convenience The Center is at the epicenter of the destination, with an abundance of hotels, restaurants, and attractions within walking distance. Pedestrian bridges connect both buildings to more than 5,200 rooms and is within a 15-minute drive from the Orlando International Airport. The convenience of the location goes hand-in-hand with top notch service to help meet an event’s every need. Gold Key Members The OCCC’s Gold Key Members represent the best of the best when it comes to exceptional service and exclusive benefits for clients, exhibitors and guests. The Center’s Gold Key memberships with Universal Orlando Resort, SeaWorld Orlando and Walt Disney World greatly enhance meeting planner and attendee experiences offering world-renowned venues, immersive experiences and creative resources for their events. OCCC Events: This fiscal year, the OCCC is projected to host 168 events, 1.7 million attendees, and $2.9 billion in economic impact.  The Center’s top five events during their 2022-2023 fiscal year included:  AAU Jr. National Volleyball Championships 2023 200,000 Attendees $257 Million in Economic Impact MEGACON 2023 160,000 Attendees $205 Million in Economic Impact Open Championship Series 2023 69,500 Attendees $89 Million in Economic Impact Sunshine Classic 2023 42,000 Attendees $54 Million in Economic Impact Premiere Orlando 2023 42,000 Attendees $108 Million in Economic Impact