How Chirp Reimagined a Static B2B Customer Event to Attract Global Media, Analyst and Influencer Attendees and Company Coverage
A global leader in digital reality solutions turned to Chirp to help formulate and execute a plan to tell its complex story and position the company as a technology leader.
About Hexagon
Hexagon is a global leader in digital reality solutions, combining sensor, software and autonomous technologies. The company uses data to boost efficiency, productivity, quality and safety across industrial, manufacturing, infrastructure, public sector, and mobility applications. Its technologies shape production and people-related ecosystems to become increasingly connected and autonomous – ensuring a scalable, sustainable future.
Profile
Hexagon is a global leader in digital reality solutions, ensuring a scalable, sustainable future across multiple vertical industries and global geographies
Challenge
Despite large-scale news announcements and executive engagement, the company was never able to attract top-tier press, analysts or influencers to its global customer user group, HxGN LIVE
Solution
Create an exclusive and engaging VIP experience for top-tier press and analysts to secure attendance at HxGN LIVE, as a must-attend event that’s focused on solving some of the world’s most pressing challenges
Benefits
A flexible and agile partner who understood that strategy and execution were equally important if HxGN LIVE were to standout and secure target attendees
Results
Doubled number of media attendees, achieving highest quality participation since inception
Increased quality and quantity (+86%) of unique (non-wire) stories
More than doubled tier-one industry analyst participation
Enhanced reach & credibility with social media influencers
SITUATION
In 2018, Hexagon’s corporate marketing team identified an opportunity to reimagine the media program at its annual flagship end-user group event, HxGN LIVE Global.
Over the years, Hexagon evolved its cross-industry conference to engage a wide range of audiences, including trade media, to help capture and tell the company’s stories. More than a conference, HxGN LIVE stimulates new thinking and motivates attendees to write new stories about disrupting the status quo, fostering innovation and driving growth across organizations and industries.
Since Hexagon’s solutions span multiple verticals and industries, they could easily attract trade media to previous events. While Hexagon achieved fair trade media coverage for its landmark user-group event, there was a lack of interest – and therefore coverage – from tier-one media and industry analysts. With just two events under their belt before the pandemic canceled the 2020 and 2021 events, there was a tremendous opportunity for Hexagon to reimage how it leveraged its 2022 event – the first in-person HxGN LIVE since 2019 – to up-level media and analyst engagement, attendance and coverage.
Having worked with Hexagon for five years, Chirp had developed multiple engagement strategies to cultivate longer, more strategic relationships with the tier-one business press, including a multiple-page profile in the Financial Times. Based on this ongoing counsel and results, Hexagon engaged Chirp to assess its current efforts and develop new ways to further maximize its investment in HxGN LIVE regarding media attendance and coverage.
Chirp completely reimagined the media program by forming and implementing a structured, strategic framework to attract tier-1 press, industry analysts and social media influencer attendees, which increased the quantity and quality of coverage of the event and the company.
“We’ve greatly benefited from Chirp’s expertise and counsel over the years. I’m particularly grateful for the consistent senior-level partnership and engagement during our long-term relationship.”
BUILDING AN EXPERIENCE
Chirp benefited from working with Hexagon for five years and attending previous HxGN LIVE events. Where previous events focused on sharing company news and advancements by division, there was an opportunity to align the divisions around one uniform approach to tell a cohesive and compelling company narrative. To do this, Chirp worked with Hexagon to create a mutually beneficial VIP experience, including compelling content, executive engagement and hands-on exposure to products and solutions, to attract top-tier media and analysts to HxGN LIVE 2022.
Audiences were still somewhat hesitant to attend events in person, but compelling content with the ability to engage executives and subject matter experts (SMEs) in dialogue helped pique interest. To ensure a cohesive “One Hexagon” approach, the company aligned around five overarching themes for news announcements, product showcases and executive presentations.
STRATEGY INTO EXECUTION
With Hexagon aligned around a completely reimagined media program, Chirp leveraged the newly developed VIP experience to engage existing contacts and expand to include new press and industry analyst targets by offering them a truly unique experience. The VIP experience included backstage experiences, VIP meal settings, complimentary travel, a dedicated on-site concierge, access to C-level executives, a dedicated press & analyst lounge, access to video/audio equipment, subject matter expert interviews, VIP tours, and much more.
“Thank you all for your wonderful can-do attitudes and positive support. We couldn’t have done any of it without you.”
RESULTS
Doubled the number of media & analyst attendees, achieving the highest participation since inception.
Increased top-tier media and industry analyst attendees
Increased quality and quantity (+86%) of unique (non-wire) stories
More than doubled tier-one industry analyst participation (Gartner, Forrester, IDC, Frost & Sullivan); secured first-ever CEO 1:1 with Gartner while on-site
Enhanced reach & credibility with social media influencers
