In B2B marketing, perspective-changing ideas are a currency. They inspire people to think differently, trust more deeply and make more confident choices. That’s why thought leadership is more important than ever – and why events remain one of the most underrated ways to bring those ideas to life.
At one of my team’s annual events, the most memorable speaker wasn’t a best-selling author or a former world leader. It was Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind man to climb Mount Everest. His story challenged every assumption about what is possible – and stuck with audiences long after the coffee cups had been cleared away.
Connecting to ideas that change your perspective is the core of thought leadership – live events can make those ideas memorable.
Why B2B thought leadership is more important than ever
Marketers who adhere to the 95:5 rule understand that in order to get shortlisted to the 5% of companies that are willing to buy their products, they must memorably stay with the 95% that don’t. The challenge has become even more complex: many of those prospects you are trying to influence are now completely hidden from view.
According to Edelman-LinkedIn The 2025 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report shows that 71% of hidden buyers – the internal stakeholders who influence purchases but remain invisible to sales and marketing teams – trust thought leadership more than marketing materials. They rely more on assessing your company’s capabilities than on your product sheets.
These decision makers, from financial to operational to legal, consume as much thought leadership as target buyers, but remain harder for sales teams to reach. However, 95% of them will be more receptive to sales activities when the time comes – as your thought leadership game is strong.
“Thought leadership makes me puke a little too,” he said Anna Handleychief content officer at MarketingProfs, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and the voice behind AnnHandley.com.
“Calling yourself a thought leader is like calling yourself a good mother or a great partner: it means nothing from you and everything when it comes from someone else.”
Thought leadership 101: Show up as yourself
Every improbable achievement starts with a goal. Weihenmayer climbed mountains blind, skied the Alps and kayaked solo through the Grand Canyon. Clarity of purpose makes the impossible readable.
Purpose is at the heart of Katie Robbert’s work. The co-founder and CEO of Trust Insights provides leaders with pragmatic ways to tackle complex problems through repeatable systems, like the 5P Framework, for data-driven decision making.
The first P is purpose – start with why. Her advantage comes from combining deep technical knowledge with genuine empathy for a non-technical audience. She overcomes her natural introversion by focusing on teaching, so keynotes and workshops end with worksheets and concrete action plans.
Robbert said she had to find authentic ways to put herself forward – even if public speaking isn’t her comfort zone. For her, education is a way to make room for more voices at the table, because, as she puts it, “The more diverse the voices, the better whatever you do will be.”
Dig deeper: why the best thought leadership doesn’t sound like thought leadership
Handley’s hallmark as a journalist and author is noticing the unnoticed: small details that reveal larger truths. How does she translate that goal to the stage?
“For me, the connection between the page and the stage is in service of connection,” she said. “Whether I’m writing a book or giving a keynote, the goal is to connect. Connection comes from honesty, storytelling and specificity.”
Handley is still looking for stories that she enjoys sharing on stage. “The more personal I get, the more universal it feels,” she said.
How to choose the right speaking events
“Not every stage is my stage,” Handley said. “I only say yes if I feel I can add value and really connect with the audience.”
An event should answer two questions: “Can I help this group see themselves or their work differently? Can I give them something useful that they will remember long after the event is over?”
‘If the answer to both questions is yes, I’m in. If not, I’d rather pass by than show up half-heartedly,” she said.
Her advice to speakers: “Think about the issues the audience is struggling with and how your experience can provide clarity, encouragement, or a new lens. The best thought leaders are not the loudest voices, but the most generous.”
When Robbert thinks about choosing events, she asks herself, “Is it someone who is really going to give me the opportunity to do something good and help the public learn something, have something that they can take with them and start using right away in their own daily lives?”
Event speaking strategies that build lasting connections
Both speakers measure success through connection, not conversion.
Robbert said she rarely goes to an event where she expects new customers, because people usually come to learn and not to buy. Instead, she tracks engagement metrics like newsletter signups and framework downloads – indicators that her content is resonating.
She also borrows one of Handley’s favorite metrics, the email response rate, as a measure of audience health and trust. When readers respond to a newsletter, it means the message led to something real.
To deepen that connection, Robbert builds synthetic ideal customer profiles for each event audience, recognizing that a MarketingProfs B2B audience is different from a MozCon audience.
Rather than leaving audiences with what she calls “big ideas and lots of happiness,” she designs content programs that target single pain points and appeal to multiple levels of expertise.
Dig deeper: 5 tactics to ensure your B2B content hits harder and sticks around longer
Interactive elements determine Robbert’s presence at the event. Sometimes that’s a quick professional tip that builds trust. Often it is a decision-making tool such as the 5P Framework or the TRIPS framework to determine what should be outsourced to AI.
She jokes that her next lecture might be subtitled “I have a framework for that” – a running joke that reflects her teaching style.
“But I feel like it’s a really simple way to help people understand a concept and organize the information. If I can get my hands on something, I’m going to learn it better.”
Handley’s philosophy centers on what she calls the gloriously inefficient nature of live events: “You can’t fast-forward eye contact. You can’t automate high-fives.”
Where Robbert systematically builds bridges through frameworks, Handley creates connection through vulnerability and shared experiences.
“People don’t come to hear a perfect performance. They feel less alone in their challenges,” Handley explains. “If you are honest, specific and willing to connect, the leadership part will take care of itself.”
Getting started with thought leadership speaking
To start, both experts offer the same guidance: “Don’t chase the biggest stage or the flashiest event. Start where you can really be of service,” says Handley.
“Know that not every piece of content will immediately lead to a sale. And that’s fine. That’s actually a good thing,” says Robbert.
In a world where hidden buyers increasingly influence purchasing decisions, authentic thought leadership through events is becoming more than a marketing tactic. It’s a bridge to the influential voices you can’t see but desperately need to reach.
Dig Deeper: Beyond Presence: Unlocking B2B Growth with Event-Led Strategies
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