INTO MarCom Playbook overview

Planning calendar

The countdown

T-16w to T+180 in one place: what happens when, who owns it, and which gate it has to clear.

HorizonT-16w → T+180Steps56Gates15Holds1 · T-3w

One calendar for the whole event, assembled from the twelve chapters. Milestones carry a star on the rail; the single hold is the T-3w downgrade gate, where an event that has not booked its meetings gets smaller. Lead times: 12–16 weeks minimum for a sponsored booth presence, 8–12 weeks for a workshop, 6–8 weeks for an executive dinner. Every step links to the chapter that explains it.

Decide

Is this room worth money, and what must it produce?

6 steps · 4 gates
  1. T-24w+Scout: CFPs close 3–6 months out, so scout two quarters ahead. Every scouted event gets a row in the register.Event Manager01 · Strategy and event selection
  2. T-16wGateGo / no-go. Scorecard scored on evidence: ≥70 go · 50–69 go cheap · <50 pass, filed with its score.CMO + Event Manager01 · Strategy and event selection
  3. T-16wBig commitments decided — early-bird pricing, booth position and speaker slots all expire earlier than teams expect.Event Manager01 · Strategy and event selection05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  4. at commitGateResponse objectives locked (P1–P5 + S1–S4) and the crew manifest named — including the follow-up owner. Objectives set at the airport are decoration.Event lead02 · Objectives, goals, and jobs
  5. at commitGateBudget approved on the base case: pipeline multiple ≥3×, CPQC under the mode benchmark, beats the alternative. Over the envelope is Class C — CMO + Jay. Last-refund date recorded.CMO (+ Jay)03 · Budget and ROI
  6. at commitGateAny traveller needing a consular visa is identified now, not at flight-booking.Manifest owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel

Prepare

Book it, brief the team, and fill the calendars before anyone flies.

26 steps · 3 gates
  1. T-16wSponsorship / exhibitor contract signed; venue hold for owned events (capacity, layout, AV, real wifi bandwidth, power, sound level).Logistics owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  2. T-12wSpeaker slots and agenda commitments confirmed. Hotel block or reservations — note the block release date.Logistics owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  3. T-10wFlights booked. Arrive the day before on the first sensible flight, never the last one; split load-bearing execs across flights.Logistics owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  4. T-8wBooth / stand design locked → Graphic Designer brief. Catering contracted with all four numbers in writing: minimum, what counts toward it, hard end, overtime rate.Logistics owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  5. T-8wExecutive dinner pack opens (6–8 weeks lead; 8–12 weeks for a workshop).Event Manager05 · Logistics, booking, and travel12 · Workshops and evening events
  6. T-6wGateComms plan opens — touch 1. Senior calendars lock 4–6 weeks out; starting inside 4 weeks gets “I’m booked solid”.Comms owner07 · Audience comms
  7. T-6wInsurance: COI issued to the venue / organiser with its exact legal name. Print and swag ordered.Logistics owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  8. T-4wExec-to-exec dinner invitations go out; invite ~1.5× the seats and confirm 12 for 10.Exec sponsor12 · Workshops and evening events
  9. T-4wSocial B1: “we’ll be at X” + meeting CTA, so the outbound touches feel ambient.SMM08 · Social amplification
  10. T-4wShipping / drayage booked (advance-warehouse deadline); AV and production orders in before exhibitor services close.Logistics owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  11. T-4wComms review 1: sent, replies, meetings booked vs the P2 target.Comms owner07 · Audience comms
  12. T-3–4wComms touch 2 — the value add, landing while attendees plan their schedule.Comms owner07 · Audience comms
  13. T-3wHoldDowngrade gate: pre-booked meetings under 50% of quota → fewer travellers, cancel activation spend, keep the booked meetings.CMO + Event lead02 · Objectives, goals, and jobs03 · Budget and ROI07 · Audience comms
  14. T-3wRegistration / badge tech and the capture app licensed and tested.Logistics owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  15. T-2–3wComms touch 3 — the meeting ask, with two specific times from the reserved exec blocks.Comms owner07 · Audience comms
  16. T-2wBriefing call, 45 minutes, recorded: one-pager out loud, target map, talk-track role-play, capture mechanics, quotas.Sales captain06 · Team onboarding
  17. T-2wRun-of-show locked for owned events. Staff badges registered; setup passes issued.Event Manager05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  18. T-2wSocial B2 speaker card + B4 newsletter block; company LinkedIn post. Broadcast makes the 1:1 spine feel ambient — it never replaces it.SMM07 · Audience comms08 · Social amplification
  19. T-1wGateReadiness gate: pack read, briefing attended, pre-booked meetings ≥ target, manifest green. Anyone red on meetings gets help or stays home.Sales captain06 · Team onboarding
  20. T-1wSpeaker check-in call — the single highest-value no-show prevention. Hold every deck locally.Event Manager05 · Logistics, booking, and travel12 · Workshops and evening events
  21. T-1wFinal counts to the caterer; dietary and accessibility list; on-site contact sheet circulated.Logistics owner05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  22. T-7dKnow-before-you-go pack to travellers: confirmations, agenda, the team meeting schedule, maps, dress, expectations, contacts.Event Manager06 · Team onboarding
  23. T-5–7dComms touch 4 — brief, polite last call to non-responders.Comms owner07 · Audience comms
  24. T-3dLogistics note to everyone booked. Guest know-before-you-go for owned formats.Comms owner06 · Team onboarding07 · Audience comms
  25. T-48hThe host’s personal note to VIP guests — the strongest show-rate lever there is. Reconfirm dietary needs.Exec sponsor06 · Team onboarding12 · Workshops and evening events
  26. T-48hFinal run-of-show distributed, on paper too. Wifi fails at exactly the wrong moment.Event Manager05 · Logistics, booking, and travel

Run

The room is the product. Capture is a job, not a hope.

7 steps · 2 gates
  1. T-0 −2hVenue access (dinners −1h); booth crews take the full move-in slot.On-site lead05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  2. T-0 −60mAV check complete before the first guest. Contingency kit staged: backup laptop, offline demos, adapters, printed one-pagers.On-site lead05 · Logistics, booking, and travel
  3. T-0 dailyMorning standup, 15 minutes, fixed time and place: yesterday’s highlight, today’s plan, today’s number.Sales captain02 · Objectives, goals, and jobs
  4. liveGateTier at capture, note in their words, next step agreed on the spot. A tier-A capture without a next step is a tier-B capture.Everyone09 · Lead capture and engagement
  5. liveSame-day tag rule on social: tag people the day you meet them with a substance line. 1–2 company posts a day maximum.SMM08 · Social amplification
  6. T-0 dailyGateEvening debrief, 15 minutes: capture sheet reconciled, CRM entries done, promises extracted to the ledger, quota pace read.Sales captain02 · Objectives, goals, and jobs09 · Lead capture and engagement
  7. T-0 eveningHot-lead notes leave the venue the same evening. LinkedIn requests go out tonight — 63% of acceptances happen within 24h.Follow-up owner10 · Follow-up and conversion

Convert

The follow-up is half the event. T+0 → T+21 runs like a delivery sprint.

17 steps · 6 gates
  1. ≤24hGateTier A first touch: personal, references the actual conversation, and fulfils the promise before it asks for anything.Follow-up owner10 · Follow-up and conversion
  2. ≤24hDinner debrief; every guest in the CRM with their conversation note. Personalised outreach within 48h referencing what they said.Event Manager12 · Workshops and evening events
  3. T+1A1 photo recap and thank-yous; photos to guests within 24–48h — recipients share them, and that out-markets the company recap.SMM08 · Social amplification11 · Post-event and measurement
  4. T+1“You were missed” to no-shows and registered non-attenders, with materials and a 1:1 offer. They are still leads.Follow-up owner10 · Follow-up and conversion11 · Post-event and measurement
  5. T+2Tier B touch 1 — recap plus the promised artefact.Follow-up owner10 · Follow-up and conversion
  6. T+3A2 exec insights post: “3 things we heard at X” — the highest-value single asset, and the value-add link in the tier-B sequence.Exec + Copywriter08 · Social amplification
  7. T+3dGateDebrief, 45 minutes, timeboxed: numbers vs targets, budget variance, what worked, the kill list, and pack improvements PR’d back.Team11 · Post-event and measurement
  8. ≤72hTier B sequence live: 3–4 touches over three weeks, each adding value. Tier C recap by T+1w.Follow-up owner10 · Follow-up and conversion
  9. T+7GatePromise ledger 100% clear; every tier-A has ≥2 touches; meetings-held pace read against P3.Follow-up owner09 · Lead capture and engagement10 · Follow-up and conversion
  10. T+7Scorecard note to CMO + Jay: P1–P3 and S1–S4 vs targets, spend, urgent follow-ups. ≤300 words. Budget actuals land in the pack.Event Manager03 · Budget and ROI11 · Post-event and measurement
  11. T+7A3 video recap or session cut. Strike confirmed, materials return-shipped, deposits recovered.Producer + SMM05 · Logistics, booking, and travel08 · Social amplification
  12. T+14Gate“No lead left behind” audit: every A/B row has ≥1 logged touch, gaps assigned same-day, CRM event tags verified.Follow-up owner10 · Follow-up and conversion
  13. T+14A4 long-form (800–2,200w). Tier B invitation touch — the dinner series, the workshop, the assessment offer.Copywriter → Editor08 · Social amplification10 · Follow-up and conversion
  14. T+21GateSprint close: sequences complete, breakup touches sent, board tallied, stragglers dispositioned. Nothing rides indefinitely.Follow-up owner10 · Follow-up and conversion
  15. T+30Cost / ROI check: variance explained, early conversion pace, renew or kill leaning.Event Manager11 · Post-event and measurement
  16. T+90GateROI readout: sourced and influenced side by side, pipeline multiple vs the pre-commit test, cost per opportunity → repeat / scale / shrink / kill.Event Manager + Analyst11 · Post-event and measurement
  17. T+180Revenue view. Wins to date, with the cohort’s remaining maturity stated honestly rather than pretending the story is over.CMO11 · Post-event and measurement

The gates

What each one actually stops

  • No commit without a scored scorecard. No evidence, no score — the sales deck is marketing, the past attendee list is data.
  • No spend without an approved budget sheet. All three investment tests pass on the base case, or the mode gets downgraded and the maths re-run.
  • No travel without a green manifest. Passport, visa or ETA, flight, hotel, insurance — checked per person, never assumed from nationality.
  • Not live until logistics and the sales pack are complete. A traveller without meetings is cost, not capacity.
  • Not closed until the T+90 readout carries a repeat / scale / shrink / kill decision. The register keeps the score so next year starts from evidence.
The two kill gates. Before commitment, every scorecard names what would void the decision and the budget sheet records the last refund date — if a criterion trips inside the window, withdraw. At T-3w, pre-booked meetings under half of quota downgrades the event: fewer travellers, cancelled activation spend, keep the meetings already booked. Sunk fees never justify incremental spend.