| As more B2B marketing teams adopt B2C strategies to engage and convert business customers, electronics giant Panasonic has found success in focusing on engaging customers where they are. And during the COVID-19, that includes virtual events. “We’ve had to adjust, think as entrepreneurs and, as a company, look at how some of the other big brands have chosen to shift,” said Panasonic’s VP of Marketing Brian Rowley. “The ability to be agile is the way we approach the business and our marketing.” When the 2020 NAB Show was impacted by the pandemic, Panasonic teamed up with virtual production company DisruptAR to create a virtual event. They used the Panasonic AW-HE42 video camera and green screen technology, and hosted the event on Microsoft Teams. Panasonic went on to host 33 virtual events in 2020, and with some uncertainty about the return of live events in the short term, they are embracing a hybrid approach. “We took our [existing events] team and actually shifted to being a virtual production team,” said Rowley. “Some of the team that’s more vertically within the business shifted skills to support that events team.” Panasonic didn’t have to reduce their marketing team or hire new members. To support the new hybrid events, they determined what the virtual assets were that would replace the print materials, Rowley said. His team is watching attendance rates closely and finding that virtual events are producing more qualified leads, in many cases. Read more here. | 