November 13, 2025 – MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW), the leading independent digital source for news and information in the Microsoft AI Business Solutions space, has announced its role as a launch partner for the first-ever “Directions North America Marketing Day,” a dedicated pre-conference event created in collaboration with Directions North America and PartnerTalks.

The event will take place on Sunday, April 26, 2026 in Orlando FL, kicking off the Directions North America 2026 conference week with a full day experience designed to help Microsoft channel marketers sharpen their strategy, connect with peers, and explore new opportunities for growth in the year ahead.

“We’re excited to bring this new experience to life at Directions North America,” said Adam Berezin, CEO of MSDW. “Directions North America Marketing Day will give channel marketers a chance to learn from r, peers and industry experts, access exclusive new research, and leave with clear, actionable ideas that align with Microsoft’s  priorities. We can’t think of a better venue to host a day dedicated entirely to marketing tactics and strategy in the Microsoft partner ecosystem.”

“Our goal at Directions North America has always been to provide meaningful learning and networking experiences for every type of partner,” said Amy Homan, President of Directions North America. “Marketing Day does exactly that, and it brings the partner marketing community together to share ideas, get inspired, and walk away with practical strategies they can put into practice.”

The one-day event will feature a mix of exclusive research reveals, interactive workshops, and expert-led sessions covering key topics such as AI-driven SEO, content strategy, ABM, trade show ROI, and go-to-market alignment with Microsoft.

“Marketing Day is about creating a dedicated space for marketers in the Microsoft channel to share ideas, data, and proven tactics,” said Rick McCutcheon, Microsoft MVP and Founder of PartnerTalks. “This collaboration brings together great minds from across the ecosystem, and that’s what makes it powerful.”

Registration for Directions North America Marketing Day is now open, and you can get your tickets here: https://www.directionsna.com/  

About MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW)

MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW) is the world’s largest independent digital publication covering the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem. MSDW delivers original reporting, expert analysis, branded content, and digital events to more than 100,000 subscribers worldwide, with a focus on Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and the broader Microsoft Cloud.

About Directions North America

Directions North America is the premier event for thousands of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central partners, ISVs, and service providers. The annual conference focuses on partner enablement, education, and networking opportunities designed to drive success within the Microsoft channel. Directions North America is the only Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central event created by partners, for partners, in the Microsoft community.

About PartnerTalks

PartnerTalks is a multimedia thought leadership series showcasing the people, organizations, and events shaping the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem. Founded by long-time Microsoft MVP Rick McCutcheon, PartnerTalks helps Microsoft partners elevate their sales, marketing, and channel performance through expert interviews, educational content, and community-driven events.

The post MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW) Partners with Directions North America to Launch Marketing Pre-Conference Day at Directions North America 2026 appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

On May 13, 2025, marketing leaders from across the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem converged on the Hyatt Regency Chicago to participate in the Partner Marketing Event (PME) at DynamicsCon 2025. Now in its third year, PME continues to grow, tripling its attendance from 2024 and solidifying itself as a must-attend event for new insights, thought leader perspective, and exclusive networking in the Microsoft Business Applications ecosystem.

Why PME Stands Out

PME originally emerged from conversations between the teams at MSDynamicsWorld (MSDW), PartnerTalks, and the Dynamics User Group (DUG), about the marketing needs and experiences they saw in the Microsoft Business Applications channel. Unlike most trade shows, where booth sponsors wait for attendees to approach, PME flips the model. Here, the marketers are the ones learning, sharing, and building strategies through engagement with data, content, and community.

This year’s agenda was shaped with input from the first-class selection committee made up of Kelly Mazur (Evenica), Monica Hoyer (emfluence), and Sam Bush (Netstock), and featured some of the most insightful sessions PME has delivered yet.

Key Sessions and Takeaways

1. Microsoft Keynote: Marketing in the AI Era

Microsoft senior product marketing manager Anne Krupke opened by sharing her view on how partners can leverage co-marketing programs in a world increasingly shaped by AI. Her session highlighted new resources, programs, and alignment opportunities that can help marketers do more with Microsoft’s ecosystem.

2. MSDW Survey Insights & P2P Strategy

Rick McCutcheon, Jason Gumpert, and Adam Berezin unveiled findings from MSDW’s latest partner marketing performance study. Key topics included sales-marketing alignment, evolving buyer behavior, and the growing influence of AI across digital campaigns.

3. Building Content That Converts

A standout panel featuring Kelly Mazur (Evenica), Sam Bush (Netstock), Susana Ramos (Coffee + Dunn), and Trevor Metcalfe (Resco) tackled the overwhelming demands of content marketing today. The key message: modern B2B buyers, most of whom are millennial or Gen Z, want authenticity, personalization, and frictionless experiences. They also want to consume their informational and educational content in the formats that they are most comfortable with, not in ways that marketers prefer.

Buyers consume an average of 20 pieces of content before filling out a contact form—and 72% of B2B buyers in the ISV space are millennials.

4. Microsoft Partner Benchmarking Report

Erica Hakonson of Maven Collective Marketing presented exclusive findings from their newly released Partner Benchmarking & Insights Report. The session showed how leading Microsoft ISVs and SIs set themselves apart by investing in marketing, embracing AppSource and Azure Marketplace listings, and securing Microsoft designations. Erica also shared unique segment findings just for the Microsoft Business Applications audience, where MSDW was recognized as the top media source for ISVs and partners using digital media—a proud moment for our team.

5. Email CPR: Reviving Your Outreach Strategy

Monica Hoyer (emfluence) and Aimee Keenan (The ISV Society) offered practical guidance on how to boost email performance using AI, segmentation, and timing. Their “CPR” approach to email ensures campaigns stay relevant, valuable, and human.

6. Strategy Isn’t Just for Marketing Campaigns

Alana Ashurst and Scott Rich of DynamicWeb delivered a fresh and motivating session on how Partner Marketing Managers can play a more strategic role in partnership success. They shared how marketers—while not always the ones leading partner relationships—can still make a big impact by supporting their partner teams with creativity, collaboration, and strategic thinking. Moving beyond the standard “campaign-in-a-box” approach, Alana and Scott encouraged attendees to think differently about how they engage with partners to drive stronger outcomes. The session offered fresh ideas and practical advice for marketers looking to elevate their impact and contribute more meaningfully to joint success.

7. ABM: Strategy Beyond Campaigns

Sam Bush (Netstock) and Hannah Horning (ArcherPoint) shared their first-hand experiences in the world of Account-Based Marketing (ABM). They shared basic principles, the lessons they have learned along the way, advanced execution techniques, and tips on how to get started with low-risk techniques. Their message? ABM isn’t just another marketing trend; it’s a long-term strategic investment that requires clear goals, integrated systems, and serious commitment.

8. AppSource Optimization Field Guide & Success Stories

Khaled Nassra of Enki Consulting brought a practical, hands-on perspective to his session on optimizing Microsoft AppSource listings. He walked attendees through smart strategies to boost discoverability—like fine-tuning keywords, sharpening descriptions, and making the most of customer feedback. Drawing on real-world partner experiences, Khaled showed how even small tweaks can lead to meaningful improvements. Whether you’re just getting started with AppSource or looking to take an existing listing to the next level, his session offered clear, actionable advice to help partners cut through the noise and connect with the right customers.

9. Case Studies: The Unsung Hero of Content Strategy

A tactical session led by Mary Miller (PayTrace), Kelly Mazur (Evenica), and Marie Wiese (Marketing Copilot) revealed how to identify, capture, and repurpose customer stories. Case studies were emphasized as one of the most influential content types in the later stages of a buyer’s journey. These expert marketers shared organizational and execution methods and tips to maximize the value of a case study investment beyond the original write-up.

73% of buyers consider case studies influential in their final decision.

10. Event Marketing Mastery

Sam Bush (Netstock) wrapped up the day with smart, actionable advice for maximizing ROI from events. Her session focused on setting meaningful goals, designing interactive experiences, measuring revenue impact, and building long-term relationships from one-time engagements.

Real-World Impact

Now in its third year, PME has carved out a special role both for the organizing team and the growing audience. Attendees left with practical strategies, lessons from their peers, an expanded network of like-minded professionals, and hopefully renewed motivation for themselves and their teams. Many expressed how PME reenergized their approach to marketing, helping them align more effectively with sales and customer success teams.

“It felt like a reset button—finally, a day just for marketers in the Microsoft space,” said one attendee.

Looking Ahead

As DynamicsCon continues to expand, PME is becoming the go-to companion event for marketers who want to stay ahead in the competitive Microsoft ecosystem. With exclusive MSDW data, peer-led insights, and tactical sessions, PME offers a rare opportunity to explore what’s really working in the field. Whether you’re refining your content strategy, reworking your analytics, or building your first AppSource listing, PME provides the guidance and community to take your next step.

We’re already looking forward to next year—and the continued evolution of this unique event. Stay tuned for 2026 PME announcements and join a community that’s shaping the future of Microsoft Dynamics marketing.

The post The Magic of a Marketing Event: Takeaways from the 2025 Partner Marketing Event at DynamicsCon appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

The partnership will offer numerous benefits to the Microsoft business application community, extending beyond Summit

MSDynamicsWorld (MSDW), the leading independent digital news and information resource for Microsoft Business Applications, announced an agreement with Dynamics Communities (DCI) to join Community Summit North America 2024 as the conference’s official media partner.

Running from October 13-17 in San Antonio, TX, DCI’s Community Summit NA is the largest independent innovation, education, and training event for Microsoft business applications, delivered by expert users, Microsoft MVPs, and Partners. The event is expected to attract over 6,000 attendees.

As the official media partner of Community Summit NA, MSDW will deliver comprehensive on-site event coverage from the co-branded MSDW / DCI News Desk. This coverage will include exclusive speaker and partner interviews, original reporting, podcasts, and more.

“As the leading in-person gathering for the Microsoft business applications user community, Summit serves as the perfect platform to launch our exciting partnership with DCI,” said Adam Berezin, co-founder and CEO of MSDW. “Having attended the event for more than fifteen years, it’s remarkable to witness its evolution, not only in terms of the growing number of attendees and speakers but also the expanding scope of content. It’s impressive to see how the event has broadened to encompass not only Dynamics but also complementary Microsoft technologies such as Power Platform, Fabric, and beyond. We’re thrilled to collaborate with the DCI team on Summit NA 2024 and other initiatives beyond events,” Berezin added.

“I have admired and respected the Microsoft business applications ecosystem news and analysis from MSDW for years, and it is awesome to officially align Community Summit North America with this pace setting digital media brand as we continue our mission to serve and dazzle the Microsoft biz apps community”, said John Siefert, CEO of DCI.

This partnership between MSDW and DCI marks a significant milestone in their ongoing commitment to fostering innovation, education, and community within the Microsoft business applications ecosystem. Both organizations are dedicated to enhancing the experience and knowledge of Microsoft users and partners, ensuring that Community Summit North America 2024 will be an unmissable event. Attendees can look forward to unparalleled insights, networking opportunities, and comprehensive coverage from the co-branded MSDW / DCI News Desk.

About MSDynamicsWorld

MSDynamicsWorld (MSDW) is the world’s largest independent digital source for news and information in the Microsoft business applications ecosystem, providing its 100,000+ subscribers with original reporting, expert features, branded content, and online events related to Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and the broader Microsoft Cloud.

About Dynamic Communities

Dynamic Communities (DCI) is the leading independent innovation, education, and training platform for the Microsoft business applications ecosystem of customers, users and partners that delivers year-round engagement through events and digital offerings.

The post MSDynamicsWorld (MSDW) and Dynamic Communities (DCI) Forge Strategic Partnership, Announce MSDW as Official Media Partner for Community Summit North America appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

The BBC Event makes sense for a simple reason: Marketing professionals in the ERP and CRM space deserve their own virtual event.

Not a tech event focused on product features. Not a generic digital marketing event that has nothing to do with our industry.

Marketers in the Dynamics, Acumatica, and Sage channels have specific requirements. Now, more than ever, they need relevant training and community support. Long-time marketers have valuable knowledge to share. New marketers need to be welcomed to our channel and be helped to succeed.

This first event on June 23rd is a half day with a keynote, five sessions and 4 panel discussions. All of the speakers are marketers working directly in our industry. You will leave with actionable insights you can use in your business right away.

View the session list

Register now

The post A New Channel Event, By and For Marketers appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

• When it comes to researching third-party Dynamics solutions, 47% of users think very highly of YouTube and other forms of video. ISVs and partners, less so. Only 14% of marketers showed preference for them in attracting users.
• As for the virtual trade shows that came to dominate online marketing programs during spring and summer of 2020, marketing professionals got more jazzed than Dynamics users (especially when comparing vendors (48%) thought virtual formats were most attractive to their potential customers)…ironically, although users by large (71%) percent favored the reduced business travel and working from home that spurred virtual events in the first place only 21% elected virtual trade shows over in-person trade shows.
• As for LinkedIn, the situation is reversed with only 20% of users showing strong interest in this platform for researching online—versus close to 50% of marketers indicating this social media resource as much more valuable to users.
• Dynamics users, (57%) pass along white papers within their organizations about third-party Dynamics solutions- much more aggressively than marketers appreciate.

“The survey reaffirms a number of key trends uncovered in previous MSDW marketing surveys,” says Marilou Barsam, MSDW’s marketing consultant overseeing the annual survey. “As just one example, the preferred follow-up tool the majority of marketers employ to communicate with interested users continues to be email and providing additional content (67% combined) over other communication vehicles while users indicate even greater preference for these follow-up methods as well(over 70%).”

According to Barsam, the survey also provides insights into the importance of different kinds of education at varying points of the buying cycle. Product trials remain highly popular among users at all stages of the buying cycle. However, product literature has increased in importance for users at all stages; indeed, it is now equal in importance to product trials at the final stage of the buying cycle and more in demand at the early educational stage (67% users selected it in early stage). “ISV marketers should make note of this specific demand for content and beef up their product literature offerings that educate the users about their solutions”.

Barsam will lead a panel of Dynamics marketers to explore the survey’s implications for marketers and users alike in an April 21 webcast. For details:
https://msdynamicsworld.com/event/are-dynamics-isvs-and-users-same-page-when-it-comes-online-marketing

To obtain a copy of the survey, please contact info@msdynamicsworld.com.

The post What’s Changed and What hasn’t when it comes to marketing to Dynamics Users online? appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

But here’s where the disconnect comes into play: If you ask Dynamics users which vehicles they actually rely on to research solutions and make purchasing decisions, more than 60% will point to online sources. The most popular online resources, cited by 70% of respondents, are educational an strategy-focused webinars and recorded videos (training, industry insights, and product demos). Not far behind, at 60%, are white papers and informational brochures.

What about trade shows? Only 16% of users rely on trade shows as their top product research medium.

This disparity between users and ISVs is one of the most striking results to emerge from a recent survey carried out by MSDynamicsWorld (MSDW), in which 87 Dynamics users and 74 executives of ISVs were questioned about marketing activities in the Dynamics space.

Other disparities uncovered by the survey:

• Social media rank significantly higher with ISVs as a marketing priority than with users.
• Similarly, Google ads and SEO rank significantly higher with ISVs than with users.
• In contrast, users rely much more heavily on video as a top research priority than ISVs give it in their marketing plan.
• Third-party editorial web sites like MSDW are favored by users significantly more than ISV marketers realize.

It’s never a simple matter for sellers to get inside the heads of buyers. But it’s more essential than ever that they do, because failure to do so means wasting huge amounts of budget on unproductive activities….and allowing competitors a significant advantage.

For many ISVs, the survey indicates, improving productivity means focusing their marketing efforts on the real research preferences of users: white papers, webinars, and other videos that originate on well-read outlets like MSDW.

The post The Big Marketing Disconnect Between Dynamics ISVs and Users appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

Back in 2009, MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW) developed and ran the first virtual trade show for the Microsoft Dynamics community, called Decisions. The event was successful for sponsors and attendees, but at the time, the concept of a virtual trade show was so new it never became fully adopted by tech vendors and users. Fast forward to 2020, and the pandemic has led to an outpouring of virtual events of various sorts, from traditional webcasts to marathon Teams meets to more elaborate virtual trade shows. While the full impact of a fully virtual event marketing program is not yet known, it has become clear that outcomes have changed little in a world without on-premises events. And, with that in mind, it is also clear that not all virtual events are created equal. How can ISVs and partners determine which ones are best for them? Here are key questions to ask about any virtual event you are considering participating in or sponsoring:

• How focused is the virtual event’s audience? Just as any online marketing tasks like promotional emails and Google ads should be highly targeted, so is it with virtual events. If you sign on with a virtual event that covers the Dynamics waterfront, you’ll likely wind up with attendees from lots of markets that have nothing to do with your solution focus area, which will inevitably result in a waste of your time, energy….and marketing dollars.

• How impactful is the marketing engagement? Some so-called virtual trade shows have limited trade-show features and thus offer marketers little more than glorified webcasts or banner ads. A true virtual event experience will allow and encourage attendees to do many of the things they can do at in-person events — gather collateral, attend presentations, ask questions of exhibitors, view product demonstrations, and connect in real-time with other attendees and sponsors.

• What kind of exclusivity will sponsors receive? Ideally, you’d like to be the only ISV or partner in your solution focus category at a particular show. If there isn’t exclusivity, then how many other ISVs and partners will be present on the same topics? If there are no limits, understand what that means: you will be sharing sales leads with however many competitors are present.

• What are the economics of the event? Invariably, virtual events will be much less costly to put on than in-person events simply because there are no travel expenses and trade show setup expenses. But just because they cost less doesn’t mean that all virtual events are good deals. Depending on factors described previously, like an event’s target marketing and exhibitor exclusivity, similarly priced events could vary widely in their marketing outcome. If a targeted event with sponsor exclusivity produces 500 serious sales leads, it may be a much better deal than an event that produces 1,000 leads of a more general nature.

Virtual trade shows will never replace the in-person event experience because virtual shows can never fully replicate the human interaction possible when people actually get together, face-to-face. But virtual events build on what we already know about digital marketing and the value of different investments. Whereas your executive team might have signed off reflexively on sponsorships for the annual in-person trade show calendar before, virtual events demand a higher standard in terms of data-driven decisions and quantifiable outcomes. Yes, audience sizes matter, but the best virtual event experiences will offer more than a top line, making ever-more-compelling interactions possible between Dynamics ISVs and their prospects. Banner ads and Google Ads have their place, but they are no replacement for a digital marketing strategy that blends expertise with technology value and delivers it across key media formats.

We believe an increasing amount of marketing and sales will be carried out via the virtual options. But that marketing will be driven by a demand for better and more quantifiable experiences and results.

The post For Microsoft Dynamics ISVs and Partners, Virtual Events Are Here to Stay appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

As companies of all types shift to remote work, it’s safe to say that executives are looking to understand what works and use it to reduce travel, expenses, and in-office headcounts going forward. For Dynamics ISVs and partners, these shifts will have major repercussions on marketing, both in terms of the value proposition of your solutions and how to go about attracting sales leads.

As a Microsoft channel partner, you still have to sell your solutions and services. Here are 3 tips to get ahead of the curve now:

1. Reduce your marketing risk. Make less risky marketing investments by eliminating activities that require an extensive amount of travel and in-person resource allocation. A perfect example of this is a trade show, an activity that is also susceptible to many different external factors that directly impact your ability to execute a marketing strategy.
2. Get outside of your marketing comfort zone. Now, more than ever, it’s time for you to be creative and explore new marketing activities. For some marketers, this can be difficult. If you are used to relying on the same old traditional marketing vehicles, now is the time to understand new demand gen vehicles.
3. Make it easier than ever for your prospects to engage with you. Give your prospects a diverse library of content so they can be better informed about your company, solutions, and industry trends. More importantly, publish this content where your prospects frequently visit, like MSDW. Create written content (like white papers), videos (including product demos and testimonials), and webcasts (where prospects can ask questions and engage) to ensure that you maximize your reach among your target audience.

Dynamics ISVs and partners will need to take their marketing strategies to the next level. The good news is that creating and implementing such a high-value marketing strategy is often less costly than the old travel and tradeshow-based approaches.

The post Beyond the pandemic: How marketing demands will shift for Dynamics ISVs appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

Dynamics ISVs and partners are right to be fretting about how they’ll meet ambitious marketing lead generation goals they’ve set for 2020.

Fortunately, there are proven and cost-effective options for replacing those leads lost to the grim travel and trade show outlook. All those Dynamics professionals not attending trade shows are still continuing to work….from their offices or from home. And, best of all, they still need the solutions being offered by Dynamics ISVs and partners.

One of the most effective ways to still achieve the lead gen results your sales team is counting on is by turning to the webcast and video offerings from MSDynamicsWorld (MSDW). Here are 3 ways we have honed our webcast program to maximize your results:

1. Target the segments of the Dynamics channel you wanted to draw to your trade show booth. Working with MSDW, you can select the exact market segments you want to reach according to product, geography, role, and other factors from among our 75,000+ registered members.
2. Use your booth presentation for a simple but powerful marketing campaign that combines simulive and on-demand webcasts. You planned to tell an interesting story to prospects visiting your booth, so why not deliver it to a larger audience online? With our carefully honed approach, you’ll generate more leads in less time – and with no travel.
3. Prepare to promote your webcast long term. Unlike trade show demos that are gone and forgotten once everyone leaves, an MSDW webcast continues to produce sales leads in the days, weeks, and months after it is first broadcast. Webcasts go onto MSDW’s video platform, where your prospects can easily find and watch them.

So as challenging as the current travel and trade show situation is, it also represents an opportunity to seek out demand-gen vehicles on a more sustainable basis.

The post 3 Ways Dynamics ISVs Can Use Webcasts to Replace Evaporating Trade Show Leads appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

So when clients ask us for our opinion about aligning our digital marketing programs with their plans to sponsor trade shows, we’re often at a loss about what to advise. Whereas we are accustomed to dealing in a real and quantifiable world, trade shows tend to operate in a much less precise world — in some respects, a world of perception over reality.

Think about how trade shows are marketed. Just like a casino trying to lure you in with the possibility of winning big, trade shows stress the concept of FOMO (fear of missing out). They want you to think that trade shows are the only place where people in the Dynamics channel congregates, and that if you aren’t sponsoring, you will miss out on deals, will be perceived as not supporting the channel, or perhaps will be seen as having financial difficulty. This is all speculative, of course, since there’s no data to support any of it.

Here are three specific concerns we have about ISVs and partners over-committing their marketing budget to trade show sponsorships:

1. Too many booths in the exhibit hall. In a sea of hundreds of exhibitors, the only way to try stand out is to spend even more money, and there’s zero data to support whether you’ll generate more or better leads from that increased spend. It’s a huge gamble.
2. Putting the cart before the horse. You’re expected to reserve a booth prior to even knowing specific details about how many of your prospects will attend. Just because a trade show might have 1,000 attendees focused on Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations doesn’t guarantee they are decision makers or influencers, or if their solution needs even align with what your solution does. Like a casino, it’s a huge gamble.
3. High cost per lead (CPL). Just because a trade show has a lot of attendees doesn’t mean those attendees will even visit the exhibit hall, and if they do, they might not even be able to find your booth, or maybe they’ll just visit your competitors. Let’s say there are 1,000 AX users attending the show. Out of those, 100 (10%) could be good prospects for you. Your sponsorship (including travel costs) is $15,000. Now, the entire success of your $15,000 sponsorship relies on just those 100 people making their way into the exhibit hall and finding your booth. In reality, not all 100 will go to the exhibit hall, so let’s say that 75 of those make it to the hall. Out of those 75 people, 30 actually make it to your booth. Your cost per lead is now $500, which is insanely high, and 10x more than what the average CPL is at MSDW.

Our advice is to demand that trade show promoters provide hard data about the demographics of attendees in terms of their decision-making authority and Dynamics products interests. If you continue to pay for smoke-and-mirrors, then spending money with some trade show organizers will continue to be akin to going to a casino.

The post It’s 2020, and time to ask tough questions about your trade show plans appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

It’s not just what we see anecdotally—it’s being documented in the media. In an article entitled, “The Death of the Trade Show”, Inc. magazine suggested that technology customers find markets moving too quickly for trade shows to keep up.
https://www.inc.com/dev-aujla/the-death-of-the-trade-show.html

An organization that monitors trade show attendance reports that, despite a significant recovery in attendance from the depths of the 2008-2009 recession, “real revenue in 2017 – $10.29 billion – was still 3 percent below the peak in 2007.” https://www.tsnn.com/news/ceir-announces-2017-fourth-quarter-index-results-releases-new-industry-insight-report

These developments aren’t surprising, since the entire fabric of the trade show industry is primarily constructed around hype, almost like a Las Vegas casino. Everyone wants to be around the bright lights, extravagant convention center, and fun location. But, at the end of the day, like a casino, the house always wins. ISVs, for example, pay tons of money to be present, yet many go home with little, or nothing, in the way of positive results (i.e. sales leads). And, even if they are able to generate some leads, their cost per lead is insanely high.

When ISVs return to the casino, thinking this time will be different, it’s almost always the same disappointing results. It’s a process that’s been repeated for a long time, but we are now seeing a huge shift in the way both Dynamics users and ISVs view the value of trade shows, and the hype is wearing off.

Trade shows were useful for many years because they provided ISVs with what amounted to one-stop shopping. They could plunk down a substantial sponsorship fee, knowing the conference organizers would produce thousands of industry movers and shakers eager to research new products and even make purchases at the show of add-on software.

The market landscape has shifted so significantly that trade shows are increasingly out of synch with the needs of decision makers at Dynamics user organizations. Fortunately, online resources like MSDynamicsWorld.com (MSDW) have been fine-tuning the tools those users need most often, including:

1. 1. 1. Immediate access to information. When Dynamics users have a need, they don’t want to wait several months until the next trade show to research how best to fill that need. They search Google or visit MSDW. To put this in perspective, MSDW ran 150 webcasts in 2017, which were attended by more than 15,000 Dynamics customers from around the world, who didn’t have to even leave their desk to get educated. That’s almost double the number of people who actually attended a Dynamics in-person trade show during that same year. In addition, MSDW ran 30 educational podcasts in 2017, which had over 15,000 listeners.
      2. A need for highly specific, highly targeted, content. Trade shows try and please everyone, which causes them to be specific to no one. That leaves Dynamics customers and partners struggling to find the type of highly targeted content they require to determine the best new products to fill their needs. How do we know? We recently surveyed more than 100 users and discovered that only 15% of Dynamics customers actually find trade shows effective in delivering them content that meets their specific needs. In contrast, over 78% said they prefer to consume content solely online, especially from sources like MSDW, because they can easily access content that is targeted to their whole business persona—specific role (user/partner), Dynamics platform, industry, job function, and even purchase cycle stage.

ISVs have a similar need for data—especially analytics for calculating the ROI of their marketing investments. When trade shows are unable to provide the kind of careful tracking ISVs require, and that online resources like MSDW routinely provide 24/7, trade shows become less of a marketing priority.

This isn’t to say that all ISVs will completely turn their backs on trade shows. But we’ve seen many heavily reduce their trade show investments from previous years; for example, some just go as attendees to take advantage of the positive networking opportunities that trade shows still offer.

Decreasing their trade show spend has opened up a world of opportunities for those ISVs. With the dollar savings, ISVs are becoming even more creative in exploiting online opportunities that generate amazing results. MSDW regularly works with more than 100 ISVs to construct programs that test multiple content and target market options, as well as measure and continually increase ROI. These programs aren’t dependent on a conference schedule, but rather produce results that are immediately accessible every single day.

The post It’s Not Your Imagination: Trade Shows Are in Decline—How Dynamics ISVs Can Benefit appeared first on MSDW Marketing.

“Not a single sales lead,” he said grimly to his friend as groups of conference attendees walked by. “I don’t get it. We’ve had some bad shows in the past, but nothing like this.”

It’s a lament we are hearing ever more frequently from ISVs. Not just poorly performing trade shows, but non-performing trade shows. In other words, the tens of thousands in outlay for a sponsorship fee, along with the booth hardware and employee salaries to oversee the booth…..a total loss.

What’s going on? We don’t have a definitive answer, because frankly, even though we’ve several times expressed skepticism about the ROI from trade shows in recent years, we have been surprised by the ever-more-disastrous tales of woe, and waste.

From everything we can tell, there has been an acceleration of a trend we first identified 3 years ago in a survey of Dynamics users and ISVs. To wit, users are doing ever more of their research about third-party solutions online, and they are conducting such research especially at the sites of information providers they trust, like MSDynamicsWorld (MSDW).

Our most recent survey of Dynamics users, conducted in March of this year, found that their most important resources for researching third-party solutions are found online, especially at third-party editorial web sites like MSDW. More than 60% go online for that key primary research—consuming ISV/partner white papers, webcasts, and articles. Only 16% of users surveyed indicated that they like to research third-party solutions at trade shows and conferences.

For ISVs, unfortunately, the rankings are reversed. Some 59% make trade shows and conferences their number-one priority for marketing outlays. Only 7.7% make online outlets their primary marketing outlay.

Marketing 101 tells you to sell where the prospects are. Too many ISVs, unfortunately, are marketing where the prospects aren’t. But, if trade show sponsorships are failing, why the continued heavy investment? (For more on that topic, read this!)

The trend promises to become more pronounced very quickly. By 2020, according to one analyst prediction, 80% of ISV purchases could be happening without any human interaction.

We think this is probably a tad extreme. But just a tad. The handwriting is on the wall, or on the online wall. Isn’t it time you re-examined your marketing budget priorities, and started focusing more of it on where the prospects are?

The post Trade Show Sponsorship Performance is Struggling…Here’s Why appeared first on MSDW Marketing.