How do events become a strategic business tool?
Events only work as a strategy when they stop being just production and become clear business instruments. This requires intention, diagnosis, and direct connection with objectives such as sales, brand positioning, or relationships with strategic clients.
I have been working with events since the beginning of my career, back at Unicamp. I am not an event producer — and that is intentional. I always walk alongside excellent producers when the goal is to generate real impact. My work focuses on strategic conception, that layer which connects the event to the organization's strategy.
What business problem does the event need to solve?
Before thinking about the stage, scenography, or guests, the central question is always the same:
What strategic challenge does this event need to solve?
The answers vary:
- Increase sales to existing customers
- Conquer new markets
- Launch a product
- Position the brand in a new territory
Based on this diagnosis—and the available budget—it is possible to define what kind of event makes sense and what role he should play in the business plan.
When do content events make sense?
Content events work when the goal is authority, reputation and positioning. In these cases, curation is the heart of the strategy.
The focus is not just on well-known speakers, but on those who truly drive the sector's agenda. Recently, I supported a client with their content strategy for Febraban Tech, Brazil's premier banking and technology event.
Building on connections forged back in the days of Unicamp Ventures, we brought together experts who are on the front lines of technological development in the banking sector. The result was clear:
- Auditorium full all day long
- Strengthening brand reputation
- Consolidation of the strategy of Account-Based Marketing (ABM), bringing strategic clients to the stage
When are relationship events most effective?
For brand launches in multiple countries or cities, Exclusive experiences tend to generate more impact than large auditoriums.
At Sabiá, we have been creating experiences in different Latin American countries with a clear objective: to make CIOs and executives want to be present—and leave with a lasting memory and a closer relationship with the brand.
This model presents relevant challenges:
- Budget management in different markets
- Selection of reliable suppliers
Execution of bolder concepts without losing consistency
But when executed well, the return comes in the form of bond, trust, and real closeness.
Why are events not an end, but a means?
An event does not exist on its own. It is:
- Business tool
- Relationship instrument
- Reputation lever
- Cultural construction element
When well-structured, it can become a recurring milestone in strategic planning of the organization. Looking only through the lens of production is limiting its potential.
Events have many layers. Ignoring the strategic layer is wasting the opportunity.
