There’s a certain kind of optimism that kicks in during January. You’ve got the best of intentions. You’re going to do things properly this year, not just reactively chuck together campaigns, but actually plan.
When it comes to events, that mindset matters more than ever.
Because let’s be honest, too many recruitment businesses treat events like a last-minute box to tick.
Book a stand? Tick.
Post a selfie? Tick.
Collect a few business cards and hope something sticks? Tick.
But events, whether you're sponsoring, speaking, or just attending, can (and should) deliver far more than that. If you put in the prep, they can build a pipeline, attract candidates, spark sales conversations, and create months of quality content.
And right now, in January, is exactly when that planning should start!
The best opportunities aren’t won by the people who hustle hardest on the day; they’re won by the teams who start planning months in advance.
Create a shared calendar of relevant events your agency could attend this year:
Don’t just note the event dates - look at sponsorship deadlines. The earlier you get in, the better your options for stand placement, speaking slots, and exposure.
Top tip: Ask your best clients and candidates which events they rate. You’ll get far better intel than Google can give you.
There are two ways to approach events: make a splash as a sponsor or make connections as an attendee. Both work. But both need a plan.
If You’re Sponsoring:
Don’t just rock up with a roller banner and a handful of pens. Treat it like a campaign:
If You’re Attending (Not Sponsoring):
You can still extract value - if you treat it like a content opportunity.
Top tip: Nominate a “content captain” from your team for each event. That way, someone’s responsible for capturing the moment.
An event should never sit in isolation. Done right, and it should fuel your wider marketing and sales efforts.
Events can be content gold, but only if you plan for them!
Don’t let all that good energy go to waste. You can squeeze a lot of content from one well-attended event:
The content should live beyond the day itself. With a bit of planning, it can feed your marketing for weeks to come.
This is the part most people skip. Yes, it was fun. Yes, the merch looked good. Yes, the team got some nice selfies.
But did it deliver?
Set goals before the event:
Use HubSpot (or your CRM of choice) to:
Otherwise, it’s just an activity. And here at Marmalade, we’re only interested in impact.
Most recruitment agencies will keep doing what they’ve always done with events turning up, crossing fingers, and hoping to get lucky.
But the ones who win? They’re thinking about ROI before the lanyards are even printed.
In a market where attention is hard to win and even harder to keep, every touchpoint matters.
Make your events count.
And if you’re not sure where to start, whether that’s choosing which events to go to, making your sponsorship pop, or turning event days into weeks of content, that’s exactly what we help our clients with.
Let’s make 2026 your best year yet. Get in touch with us today to start planning your marketing strategy.