The B2B Marketing Ignite 2018 event opened with a welcome from Joel Harrison, Editor-in-Chief of B2B Marketing, highlighting a record attendance of 1,200 delegates and a packed, diverse agenda.
Key logistical information covered event layout, session booking, sponsors, social media live streaming, and usage of the event app and delegate survey.
The keynote by Rory Sutherland from Ogilvy focused on the importance of behavioral science in B2B marketing, emphasizing the irrational nature of both B2B and consumer decision-making and the significance of testing counterintuitive strategies.
Attendees were encouraged to embrace creativity and context-driven marketing, and to avoid an over-reliance on purely rational or incremental improvements.
Action Items
As soon as possible – Attendees: Complete the delegate form to select and book session attendance.
As soon as possible – Attendees: Download and set up the event app (Crowd Compass Attendee Hub) for agenda access and session surveys.
During the event – Attendees: Visit the DKMS charity stand to register as a blood donor if possible.
End of the event – Attendees: Complete the delegate survey to provide feedback and gain access to session presentations.
Throughout the event – Organizers: Ensure session timings are adhered to and assist attendees with navigation between rooms.
Event Welcome and Logistics
Joel Harrison welcomed attendees, highlighted the growth and diversity of this year's event, and expressed gratitude to sponsors.
The agenda featured multiple stages (Transformation, Guru, Engagement, ABM, CX, Insight Leadership, MarTech), with sessions running in parallel except for keynotes.
Orientation provided for navigating the venue, including directions to various session rooms.
Emphasis on timely transitions between sessions due to the packed schedule and attendance volume.
Attendees urged to pre-book sessions by completing delegate forms to secure desired spots, with instructions for where to do this onsite.
The event app (Crowd Compass Attendee Hub) was promoted for accessing schedules, participating in polls, and submitting feedback; access to session slides is contingent on survey completion.
Live streaming available for selected sessions via Facebook Live, with encouragement to amplify on social media.
Sponsors and Charity Engagement
Gratitude extended to the event’s sponsors, with special mention of DKMS, a blood cancer charity partner, and an invitation for attendees to register as potential donors during the event.
Opening Keynote: Rory Sutherland
Sutherland described the main challenge in B2B marketing as overcoming the prevailing myth of rational decision-making, especially among non-marketing colleagues.
Stressed that human decision-making is largely irrational and context-driven, often justified after the fact rather than driven by logic.
Urged marketers to challenge obviousness and routine rationality, promoting a culture where counterintuitive ideas are tested.
Provided examples illustrating that product context, framing, and perceptions of fairness, certainty, status, autonomy, relatedness, and social capital are often overlooked yet critical factors in decision-making.
Emphasized that perceptions are relative, not absolute, and that psychological framing can dramatically affect customer behavior and experiences.
Discussed the negative impact of procurement-driven, economically rational processes on building long-term business relationships.
Shared case studies showing how small tweaks in context, choice architecture, or framing (e.g., pricing, delivery expectations, cancellation scripts) can yield outsized results in both B2B and B2C settings.
Warned against the digital marketing trend of excessive incrementalism and encouraged a balance between creativity and operational efficiency.
Concluded by suggesting the ultimate constraint on economic growth may be the human ability to adopt new consumption behaviors, reinforcing the centrality of marketing.
Decisions
Session presentations will only be shared with attendees who complete the event feedback survey — To ensure valuable improvements to future events by collecting actionable attendee feedback.
Open Questions / Follow-Ups
Will session booking remain open throughout the day for late registrants?
Is there a process for attendees who miss a session due to room capacity limits?
Will the Facebook Live recordings be available after the event concludes?
Will further details be provided for connecting with sponsors or charity partners after the event?