From Customer Conference to Industry Event
07.11.25
Claire Carroll
Senior Strategist
From Customer Conference to Industry Event
Using the Customer Event Spectrum to align, contextualize, and market the right event type for your brand
In today’s competitive landscape, every brand is striving to define its space and shape what’s next. It’s common to hear ambitions like, “We want to be the next Dreamforce”—or another cornerstone industry event. But the truth is, not all customer-facing events are created equal—and that’s perfectly okay. One format isn’t inherently better than another. A customer conference doesn’t need to evolve into an industry event to be considered successful.
That’s why we created the Customer Event Spectrum—to help our clients find clarity. The goal isn’t just to name what type of event you’re hosting today, but also to determine if you want to evolve beyond that—and if so, why. What’s the business case?
Why the Customer Event Spectrum Matters
Using the Customer Event Spectrum to align your internal stakeholders—from marketing to sales—can be a powerful tool. It drives alignment around critical questions, including:
· What is our purpose?
· Who is our audience?
· What are our objectives?
· What level of investment are we making?
· What are the must-have experience elements?
Once you understand where your event falls on the spectrum—from a focused customer conference to a broad industry-defining event—you can design more targeted experiences, set clearer goals, and communicate your value proposition more effectively.
Customer Event Spectrum
The chart above outlines the defining characteristics of each event type, serving as a guide to evaluate where your event stands today and where you want it to go. From there, you can prioritize the shifts needed in strategy, programming, and marketing. For example:
Customer Conference → Cornerstone Industry Event
If you currently host a customer conference but aim to become a cornerstone industry event, consider rebalancing your speaker lineup—reducing internal voices and bringing more external thought leaders to the main stage.
Customer Conference → User Conference
If you're moving toward a user conference format, ask: Does your agenda provide real value to prospects, not just current customers?
Cornerstone Industry Event → Industry-Defining Event
If you’re aiming to lead the industry conversation, a robust media and analyst strategy is essential. How will you ensure your event’s influence extends beyond attendees and signal your leadership to the broader market?
Want to find out where you stand or get strategic recommendations on how to evolve to the next level? Reach out to your Account Director or info@iv.com to learn how we can help you get there.