Most B2B marketers treat events like a channel.
Book a venue. Get people in. Hope something comes out of it.

And that's also why they fail.

In this episode of TLDR, I spoke with Taryn Talley (30+ events, $2.4M in revenue over 4 years).

Her approach is completely different.

She doesn't start with pipeline targets or event logistics.

She starts with: "Who do we actually want to build relationships with?"

Then she builds a system around deepening those relationships.

B2B deals need 7-12 touches to close. Events are just high-value touches in that sequence.

Her biggest deals came from people who attended 3+ different events over time.

Not one big event. A deliberate sequence of events.

Here's how the system works:

Build a network, not an invite list: Start with 100-1,000 core relationships. Track them in a spreadsheet. Document engagement history, pain points, last meaningful touch. Goal: grow this network 20% annually.

Vary the format: Mix intimate dinners (20 people), networking events (150 people), multi-day experiences (30-40 people). Don't hit the same people with the same format twice.

The real work happens after: Track every conversation. Document pain points shared. Schedule follow-ups: lunches, sports events, smaller dinners. Tag everyone in CRM. Track multi-touch progression.

Her 2023 Growth Marketing Summit: 3 days in Park City, 30-40 executives, cost ~$80K.

Result? The WhatsApp group stayed active for 12 months. Attendees invested in each other's companies. Multiple deals closed.

Here’s the shift:

Most marketers optimize event logistics (venues, catering, attendance, swag bags).

Taryn optimizes relationship infrastructure (network growth, touch sequences, conversion tracking).

That's the difference between treating events as a channel vs. treating them as systematic relationship building.

This is operator-level thinking you can't learn from playbooks.

If you're still running campaigns without direct customer context, you're just guessing.

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