Engagement and media coverage are the top objectives for B2B events, survey says

B2B marketing is looking to PR to drive media coverage at trade shows, conferences and events; here are some practical ideas to help communicators succeed

Customer engagement and PR – coverage – were the top goals for B2B events, according to a survey by Event Marketer. Sales (lead generation), which is traditionally the top objective for trade shows, dropped several pegs on the priorities list, as the report on the survey said:

“This year, sales dropped from the No. 1 seed to fifth place, with just 27% of respondents claiming it as a core objective—versus 73% in 2024. We suspect (and hope?) that this is a sign of shifting funnels as marketers are growing more savvy about the long-tail sales impact of a strong media showing at their events.”

Major trade shows and conferences provide a target-rich environment for stories and networking. It’s a chance to meet with executives face-to-face, see products first-hand, listen to industry analysis in the sessions, and generally speak with people to get a sense of the vibe.

PR needs to get ahead of this

The B2B focus on PR at events is an interesting twist on things. PR has traditionally played an important yet supporting role at conferences and trade shows. Marketing usually leads the preparation, and the sales team is the primary focus on the ground.

PR professionals should lean into this trend and get ahead of it. If media coverage is the top objective, you need to do some research to come up with your own list of the top events frequented by reporters and journalists.

Without PR input, someone else on the marketing and sales team will select the events your business will attend, yet you are still on the hook for coverage.

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B2B event budgets are set to grow in 2026

Overall, across all event marketers, 86% of respondents indicated their event budgets would grow in 2026 by at least 1%. B2B event marketers were no exception – 93% of respondents indicated they expect their event budgets to grow in 2026.

Here’s the breakdown for B2B:

26% said their event budget will grow 1-4%;
26% said their event budget will grow 5-7%;
23% said their event budget will grow 8-11%;
8% said their event budget will grow 12-15%;
3% said their event budget will grow 15% or more;
7% said their event budget would be flat; and
Finally, just 7% said their event budget would decline.

The bump in budget is broadly consistent with projections for modest gains across the B2B marketing portfolio – as detailed in a blog post reviewing five different surveys on B2B marketing budget forecasts for 2026 published previously.

Events bring humanity, amid the drive for automation

The renewed focus on live events makes a lot of sense. Businesses have been adding more and more automation for years. Artificial intelligence (AI) naturally has a starring role in that automation.

But all that technology comes with a downside: Automation removes the interpersonal interaction with prospects and customers. In effect, businesses everywhere are putting machines between them and their customers.

That’s leaving a gap in facetime. Events are a sound way to bring a sense of humanity back amid the sterility of automated “engagement.”

PR’s place at trade shows is NOT staffing the booth

If coverage is among the top goals for B2B events, PR obviously needs a ticket to attend. When you arrive, your place is not in the booth. PR should be out and about – networking, attending sessions and meeting reporters.

Sure, you can check in with the booth – several times a day, even – just don’t hang out there sitting in a chair. Getting out and about will advance your industry knowledge, build creative ideas and expand your networking and contacts.

To be sure, I’m not saying just do your own thing and ignore sales and marketing. On the contrary, being out and about is how you can best align with those teams and contribute in a way those teams traditionally do not. It’s a complementary effort, not an opposing one.

Below are a few considerations for before, during and after the show.

PR tasks before the event:

Ask for a media list of media registered to attend the event from event organizers – many don’t provide these anymore – but it’s still important to ask; do your own research and outreach if they don’t. You should already have a solid hunch anyway, because you monitor the news.

Get a handle on announcements or product launches to be made at the show and think through supporting materials like press releases, fact sheets, FAQs, graphics and screenshots.

Many conferences have a (free) place where exhibitors can upload press releases (scheduled), which gives reporters a single place to find all the news coming from the show.

Review the conference schedule and make a plan for people to meet, sessions to attend, and competitors to recon; take stock of any happenings where you think an executive should attend.

Review the conference layout so you have a sense of where things are in the conference location.

Put together some thoughtful ideas for pre-planned content – social media, blogs, images and graphics – and get these scheduled.

Scout out alternative ‘third spaces’ where you can get coffee, meals and drinks at the end of the day; these may be in the conference center, or in the surrounding area.

Develop a checklist of items you (or the team) might need at the show – extra chargers, extension cords, power banks, mouthwash, gum and breath mints; nobody wants to chat up a PR person with halitosis; I carry a toothbrush, floss, mint gum and Listerine strips when I’m on PR duty.

Solicit and prepare content about the show – to be published before the show; this is things like preview interviews with executives, predictions, roundups; you can even reach out to speakers in advance and see if they’ll do a Q&A that previews their upcoming talk – that’s building relationships with content.

PR tasks during the show:

Check in with the booth, but don’t linger unless it’s necessary; strive to hobnob with reporters, influencers, analysts and generally other smart people; keep an eye out for folks that might be future interviews, webinar guests or other co-marketing campaigns.

Meet as many customers as possible face-to-face and have a conversation; this is a huge opportunity to listen, learn and develop relationships without having an account manager play gatekeeper. Listen to understand their hopes, fears, challenges and opportunities. Avoid asking for anything now but keep a tab of who might be willing to provide quotes and case studies in the future.

Attend sessions, take notes, and if possible, live tweet, blog, and post lessons and epiphanies you have from the sessions to social; tag the speaker’s handle to link to their website whenever possible; short-form videos are big right now if that’s your thing – lean into it.

Monitor hashtags and commentary about the show; engage, share and comment when you have something insightful and relevant to say; add value not noise.

Wait in line to meet the speakers or pundits after their talk – build familiarity – and don’t be afraid to ask questions if time permits.

Take stock of what’s driving buzz at the show – identify industry trends, threats and opportunities.

Look for opportunities to make introductions to contacts you know, but do not know each other; people will remember such gestures and often strive to reciprocate.

PR tasks after the show:

Follow up, follow up, follow up. Make sure you let every new person – reporters, influencers, customers, potential partners – you met it was nice to meet them at the show; be sure to look for them at the show next year too.

Write a recap of the show for publication – you can round up news and articles, pick out interesting social media posts and include your own business’s news as well.

Update your media lists with details about who you met and what you talked about; be sure to include any personal details you learned, so next time you see them, you can ask them about how ABC or XYZ is going; show a genuine interest.

Develop an after-action review of the show – recap the key objectives and summarize what went well and what can be improved for next year.

Last but not least, promote the coverage you earn at the show; what you do with coverage after you earn it is just as important as earning it in the first place. Here are 12 things you should do to amplify a media mention once you’ve earned it.

That events are back is good for PR

It’s been a long and windy road since the global pandemic removed the event marketer’s line item from the B2B marketing budget. It’s also another reason for PR to be optimistic about 2026.

The PR community is already having a moment with generative AI. Events are a tool in the kit to show your clients or employers what you can do to help the business meet its goals.

EventTrack conducted this survey in June and July of 2025. The full report is available for download – EventTrack 2026: Experiential marketing forecast & benchmark study.

I first learned about this report from an article published in December 2025 by Marketing Charts: Event marketers report spending increases.

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