Gianna's Gems: What Executives Want from Events - Cracking the C-Suite Code

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Hi there,

Last week I had coffee with a CMO who told me "I get 50 event invitations every month. I attend exactly three."

This conversation reinforced a topic I love to discuss - what truly motivates C-suite executives to not just attend events, but to engage, connect, and ultimately take action with your brand. After working with dozens of executives and analyzing the most successful corporate events I've planned, I've uncovered the secret sauce that transforms good events into game-changing experiences for the corner office crowd.

Getting Inside the Executive Mind: Understanding the C-Suite Personality Matrix

Here's the truth about executives: they're not all cut from the same cloth. Each C-suite role comes with distinct motivations, pressures, and success metrics that directly impact what they find valuable in an event experience.

The CEO: The Visionary Connector CEOs are constantly balancing strategic oversight with the need to stay ahead of industry disruption. Research shows that only 10 percent of Fortune 250 CEOs have marketing experience, which means they're often looking for ways to understand markets and customers better. They attend events to:

  • Gain strategic insights that could reshape their industry landscape

  • Position themselves as thought leaders and in their space

  • Build relationships with other visionary leaders

  • Stay informed about disruptions that could impact their long-term strategy

The CMO: The Growth Unifier CMOs are being moved to executors of strategy rather than being the ones to help create the strategy, making them hungry for content that elevates their strategic role. They're seeking:

  • Data-driven insights that demonstrate marketing's ROI impact

  • Networking and partnership opportunities with other growth leaders

  • Cutting-edge tools and technologies that can transform customer experiences

  • Validation of their strategies from successful peers

The CTO: The Innovation Scout CTOs attending events focused on artificial intelligence may learn about potential applications of AI in their industry, enabling them to explore new avenues and drive innovation. They're motivated by:

  • Technical insights with authorities in the space on emerging technologies before they hit mainstream

  • Peer discussions about implementation challenges and solutions

  • Opportunities to scout talent and partnership opportunities

  • Understanding how technology trends will impact business strategy

The CRO: The Revenue Accelerator Today, only 11 percent of Fortune 100 companies have a CRO, making this role particularly focused on proving value. They attend events to:

  • Learn about tools and strategies that can directly impact pipeline growth

  • Network with potential customers and partners

  • Stay ahead of sales and marketing technology trends

  • Share best practices with other revenue leaders


The Executive ROI Equation: What Motivates Attendance

The Bottom Line Truth: A little over half of CEOs believe that event marketing generates more ROI than other marketing channels. But what does ROI mean to executives attending events?

Time ROI: Executives value their time like gold. They need to know that attending your event will deliver insights they can't get elsewhere, in a format that respects their packed schedules.

Relationship ROI: The connections they make must be at their level and directly relevant to their challenges. Meet your peers at your career level for 4–5 hours in a private environment with high-quality content.

Learning ROI: The content must be immediately actionable and ahead of the curve. They want to walk away knowing something their competitors don't or getting access to someone they couldn’t get access to otherwise.

Strategic ROI: Everything must tie back to business outcomes. Abstract concepts and experiential without clear business applications simply won't cut it.


Making Events Irresistibly Memorable: The Magic Multiplier Approach

Remember my mantra: "How can I make this moment more magical?" This question becomes even more powerful when applied to executive events, because these leaders experience dozens of events that all start to blur together.

The Arrival Transformation: Instead of standard check-in, create a moment of recognition. Have a concierge approach them by name before they even reach registration. "Ms. Chen, we've been looking forward to your insights on AI transformation." This simple acknowledgment that you know who they are and why they matter sets the entire tone.

The Content Elevation: Executives don't want to hear about what happened last quarter—they want to understand what's coming next year. Structure content around:

  • Exclusive data and insights not available elsewhere

  • Peer-to-peer case studies from comparable organizations

  • Interactive scenarios where they can apply learning in real-time

  • Access to thought leaders they couldn't normally reach

  • Stories from other CXO’s who have gone through challenges and how they navigated them (crisis stories are always hot here, even though controversial, i.e. the CEO whose company was cyber-hacked)

The Network Navigation: The main goal is to find those CEOs who inspire and motivate you, believe in what you believe in, share similar values and know your industry. Create structured networking that goes beyond cocktail hour:

  • Curated introductions based on shared challenges or interests

  • Small group dinners with specific topics and skilled facilitators - I love a Jeffersonian Style to ensure everyone at the table is engaged

  • "Office hours" and book signing with keynote speakers for intimate Q&A sessions

  • OCTO (Office of the CTO) members setting up meetings to delve into personal strategies

  • Follow-up facilitation to help maintain valuable connections

  • High-End Networking Activities in the am before content such as group biking, racing, etc.

Creating the Next Action Catalyst

The difference between a good event and a great one isn't just what happens during the event—it's what happens after. Here's how to create momentum that leads to business action and will make sure your investment drives real impact:

The Strategic Takeaway: Design a personalized action plan for attendees. I once did this for Google Performance Ad marketing and we created a custom website for every Exec with relevant videos, use-cases specific to their vertical, industry, region, etc. and a vanity link. To make it EXTRA special, we made a custom bobblehead of their “Androidified” self (email me to learn more about this separately) with a link to the website on the base, so they could sit it prominently on their desk and be reminded of us daily. What exec can resist putting a custom Android version of themselves on their desk? It worked brilliantly and we won a marketing Gold award plus closed more business than any other Exec event had that year. 

A simplified version could be a personalized debrief / action document for them with:

  • Three key insights they gained

  • Two strategies they want to implement

  • One person they want to continue conversations with

  • Specific next steps with timelines

  • What they want you to check in with them on in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months.

The Continuation Strategy: Within 48 hours, send a personalized follow-up that includes:

  • Any photos of their specific participation moments or of them (they will use, share, etc and best if your logo is also somewhere in there!)

  • Contact information for the people they connected with (with permission)

  • Relevant resources based on the sessions they attended

  • An invitation to an exclusive follow-up meeting, event or community (more on this below)


The Community Connection Create an ongoing executive community that extends far beyond the event. CEO peer advisor board meetings offer a comprehensive suite of opportunities for growth and leadership development. Here’s further proof by Fast Company that these communities really drive business impact. This could include:

  • Monthly peer advisory sessions

  • Exclusive private slack channel or Whats app 

  • Early access to industry insights

  • Quarterly intimate dinners

  • Mentorship or Coaching Cohorts

De-Risking Executive Attendance: The Guarantee Strategy

Executives are risk-averse with their time. Here's how to remove every barrier to their attendance:

The Value Guarantee: Offer a specific, measurable value promise: "If you don't walk away with at least three actionable strategies that could impact your quarterly results, we'll personally conduct a follow-up strategy session at no cost."

The Agenda Transparency: Share detailed learning objectives and outcomes for each session. Let them see exactly what they'll gain and why it matters to their specific role.

The Peer Validation: Share attendee lists (with permission) showing other executives at their level. Successful CEOs understand that networking is essential, and they want to know the quality of their peer group.

The Incentive: Offer something they must attend to receive (i.e. we won’t be record the session as it’s chatham house rules), or I’ve once sent attendees one bespoke cufflink or shoe (really anything with a pair works here) but they had to attend the event to receive the other.

Successful Event Formats by Executive Type

For CEOs: The Strategic Salon

  • Intimate groups of 12-15 CEOs maximum

  • Half-day format respecting their time constraints

  • Chatham House rules for candid conversations

  • Focus on long-term trends and strategic challenges

  • Anything that focuses on de-risking and expanding company growth and building partnerships and alliances

  • Include a private dinner component for deeper relationship building

Example: A "Future of Ai" breakfast series where 12 CEOs spend 3 hours discussing industry disruption, followed by quarterly follow-up dinners.

For CMOs: The Growth Lab

  • Interactive workshops with real-time application

  • Case study deep-dives with peer Q&A

  • Lots of networking - CMO’s tend to be more extroverted and into experience/mingling than some other C levels (CHROs as well)

  • Demonstrations with hands-on experience

  • ROI measurement and other workshops

  • Remember - CMO’s plan events, so the experience should be high quality and top notch and potentially also offer content about event strategy and marketing mix

Example: A "Marketing ROI Accelerator" where CMOs work through real scenarios using new attribution models, with immediate takeaways for their teams.

For CTOs: The Innovation Showcase

  • Technical deep-dives with live demonstrations

  • Peer-to-peer troubleshooting sessions

  • Early access to emerging technologies

  • Security and implementation-focused content

  • Small group problem-solving sessions

  • Access to “Office Hours” with your technical team and products

Example: An "AI Implementation Intensive" featuring live coding sessions, security workshops, and peer advisory groups tackling real implementation challenges.


The Ripple Effect of Executive Event Excellence

When you create truly magical experiences for executives, the impact extends far beyond the event itself. These leaders become advocates who:

  • Refer other high-level executives and their teams (champions) to your future events

  • Engage more deeply with your brand and solutions

  • Provide case studies and testimonials that attract similar leaders

  • Become advisors and partners in your continued growth

70% of consumers expect tailored experiences, and executives are no different—except their expectations are exponentially higher. They want experiences that honor their expertise, respect their time, and deliver value that matches their investment.

The most powerful feedback I've ever received from an executive event wasn't about the celebrity speaker or the luxury venue. It was from a CEO who said: "For the first time in months, I left an event feeling energized instead of drained. Every conversation was valuable, every session was relevant, and every connection was meaningful. This is what executive events should feel like."

That's the ultimate power of understanding what executives truly want from events. It creates experiences that don't just fill calendars—they transform businesses.

What I’m Loving this week:  For all my favorite vendors, partners and products, visit: https://www.giannagaudini.com/gianna-recommends


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Gianna's Gems is a weekly exploration of ideas that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. If you found this valuable, please share it with a fellow event professional, and subscribe for more insights delivered directly to your inbox.

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