Advocating for events: Insights from Dahlia El Gazzar

Part of Beyond the Venue: Event Marketing Bootcamp

Event professionals face unique challenges when promoting the value of their work within organizations. Dahlia El Gazzar, founder of Dahlia Plus Agency, recently shared her expertise during our recent Event Marketing Bootcamp on how to advocate for events and elevate their strategic impact. 

Here are key takeaways from her conversation with Jordan Arnold, Head of Global Sales & Strategy at RingCentral:

Redefining event purpose

Dahlia emphasized three crucial steps for event professionals:

1. Revisit your event’s purpose: “Even if you think you know the purpose behind your events, you need to revisit it,” Dahlia advised. She encouraged a “reset or refresh” approach, especially in light of changing circumstances.
2. Collaborate across departments: “Don’t do it in a vacuum,” Dahlia stressed. She recommended creating task forces with diverse perspectives, moving beyond the usual suspects.
3. Embrace unconventional ideas: “No idea is a crazy idea,” Dahlia stated. She urged professionals to consider new partnerships, formats, or scales for their events.

Gathering meaningful feedback

To ensure events resonate with audiences, Dahlia suggested:

• Stakeholder mapping: Consider different audience types, from first-time attendees to seasoned participants.
• Emotional engagement: “What is the emotion that you are trying to evoke?” Dahlia asked, highlighting the importance of emotional outcomes.
• Real-time feedback: Implement impromptu evaluations during events to capture immediate reactions.

Transitioning to business strategist

Dahlia outlined key mindset shifts for event planners:

1. Overcome imposter syndrome: “Get rid of the imposter syndrome that you’re going through,” Dahlia advised. “You know your stuff, so you’ve got to keep on going.”
2. Leverage existing skills: Dahlia emphasized that event professionals already possess many strategist qualities.
3. Build a support network: “Create yourself an entourage, create yourself a posse,” Dahlia suggested, stressing the importance of collaboration.
4. Harness cross-departmental data: “Your biggest ammunition is data and your data does not live within the event data itself on its own,” Dahlia noted.

Measuring event ROI

When demonstrating event value to skeptical stakeholders, Dahlia recommended:

• Resetting expectations: Clarify goals beyond lead generation, such as brand awareness or strategic partnerships.
• Transparent communication: “Get on the same level and actually be very transparent with all the stakeholders,” Dahlia advised.
• Customized KPIs: Work with exhibitors and participants to define meaningful success metrics.
• Consider new metrics: Dahlia introduced the concept of “Return on Exhaustion (ROE)” as a valid KPI affecting post-event marketing.

Final thoughts

Dahlia concluded with an empowering message, encouraging event professionals to embrace transitions and believe in their potential for an amazing next era in their careers.

By implementing these strategies, event professionals can better advocate for their work, demonstrate value, and drive strategic impact within their organizations.

Missed our Event Marketing Bootcamp? Sign up and watch the replay of the entire conversation with Dahlia.

Watch the replay

Originally published Jan 06, 2025, updated Jan 31, 2025