What it Takes to Manage a Successful Digital Events Program

Event Marketing Hero: Alex Trimble, Global Digital Events Manager, Apptio

Banzai’s Event Marketing Hero series profiles leaders in the event, demand generation, and field marketing fields who are changing the marketing game through B2B events and webinars.

I had the opportunity to chat with Apptio’s Global Digital Events Manager, Alex Trimble. Alex’s passion for events has led to her a variety of exciting roles within the tech industry.

Every day is different for Alex, and her ability to be creative, think on her feet, and be open to change has enabled an effective global digital events program to evolve at Apptio.

Get to know Alex in Banzai’s latest Event Marketing Hero profile:

Hi Alex! Can you tell me a little bit about your role at Apptio?

Sure! I moved into the Global Digital Events Manager role about 6 months ago and began running the company’s Digital Events program. I work in conjunction with our campaign leads and subject matter experts to execute on global demand gen webinars which span across the Americas, EMEA and APAC. We also run regional and product focused webinars. There are a TON of tasks to get a webinar up and running so this role requires a significant amount of project management to wrangle all the moving parts.

How did you get started in events?

I was working as a vendor for Microsoft at the Yammer office in San Francisco as an Events and Catering Manager. I decided I wanted to move into an event marketing role since my Bachelor’s degree is in Marketing. I was searching for a role that combined both the planning/logistics aspect of events and the metrics to calculate an event’s success. I ended up moving to Seattle a few years ago, started working at Apptio in the Field Marketing department as a marketing program associate supporting direct mail, Apptio hosted, and 3rd party events, and then moved into my digital events role.

What’s the first thing you do when you get to your desk?

Check email while drinking some coffee. Make a to-do list for the day and go!

Can you describe a day-in-the-life for you at your current job?

Sure! It should be known though that it differs every day. I usually get into the office around 8:30 am and check what meetings are on my agenda for the day. I’ll respond to emails then start working on my to-do list which usually consists of upcoming webinar deliverables.

I’ll also take a pulse on registrations for upcoming webinars. Most days are chock full. You can find me doing anything from filming a promo video to leverage as a sneak peek in our email invitations, to crafting a full program recap after our webinar airs, to working with our sales and marketing team asking them to follow up on hot leads.

Sounds like your days are super interesting and busy. Do you have a favorite marketing tool that helps you keep track of everything?

Salesforce is my favorite tool right now. It allows me to easily track webinar actuals to goals, pull up-to-date reporting on registrations, leads, targeted prospecting lists, etc. There is a lot of creativity and organization that goes into webinars but ultimately it’s about the metrics achieved and Salesforce is consistently there to prove their success.

What is your favorite thing about events and webinars?

I love seeing all the hard work and moving pieces come together. I’ve also worked with a variety of different people in this type of role - our customers, prospects, vendors, and other Apptio employees who I wouldn’t normally interact within other roles. We have a lot of passionate customers and employees who are excited to spread the word about what we do and I enjoy capturing their passion in our webinars.

A lot of people think your job ends when the event ends, but that’s just not the case. Event follow-up is critical to the success of any marketing program.

What is your dream job?

I would love to be a cast member on SNL. I’ll also settle for tickets. I also love event planning and have thought about starting my own event planning business.

What are you currently reading?

I love to read! Currently reading 1Q84 – It’s a sci-fi novel based in Tokyo during a fictionalized year of 1984. It’s kind of weird but I like it.

What about music and podcasts?

I just started listening to the podcast The Dropout about the downfall of Silicon Valley’s Theranos (a blood-testing startup) and Elizabeth Holmes, their deceiving founder and CEO. It’s mesmerizing. I’m always on the hunt for interesting podcasts so if anyone has any great recommendations send them my way! As far as music goes, I’ve been really into Shakey Graves. They’re this blues/folk/rock band from Texas. They’re coming to Seattle in August!

Apptio’s software helps technology and finance leaders make smart decisions as they plan, analyze, and optimize technology investments in digital transformation. By translating raw costs, utilization, and billing data into business-centric views, IT leaders shift spending from maintenance to growth. For more information visit www.apptio.com.