81% of IT Pros Would Avoid an Event Sponsor If a Tech Event Seemed Like a Sales Pitch

UBM Tech research emphasizes the importance of useful, relevant content at technology events

May 1, 2014

SAN FRANCISCO, May 1, 2014  /PRNewswire/ -- Business technology professionals attend an average of four events annually to gather in-depth information on emerging technologies, network with their peers, and learn about new products and services to help them make smart decisions for their businesses. However, not all technology events deliver on their promise of presenting valuable information about the subject matter and focus on the sales pitch instead.

UBM Tech conducted a comprehensive survey of nearly 600 business technology professionals in order to learn more about why they attend IT events and their expectations of vendors before, during, and post event.

Key study takeaways:

  • 66% say the number one draw is interest in the subject matter; security, mobility, big data and cloud are the favorite topics for IT professionals in 2014
  • 64% say they want a combination of objective industry trends and vendor specific content
  • 70% say that information from a vendor that addresses an attendee's current needs will lead to follow up conversations
  • 43% would like post event communities to exchange ideas with fellow attendees

Event experts, Brian Gillooly, VP and Editor in Chief of Events, and Robyn Duda, VP of Events, at UBM Tech's marketing services group, Create, will present more of this research during next month's webinar "Why Tech Events Fail or Succeed." 

For more detailed information on the webinar, visit: http://bit.ly/1l9aKXE

"IT professionals only attend a few events each year, so it's critical that marketers understand what their prospects and customers want in order to make the short list," said Brian Gillooly, VP & Editor in Chief of Events. "This webinar will cover why successful events are built around great conversations, not just presentations, and give tech marketers actionable advice for their next event."

For a sneak peek at the research and insights from the webinar, visit the infographic "How to Get IT Professionals to Say Yes to Your Events."

About UBM Tech

UBM Tech is a global media business that brings together the world's technology communities through live events, online properties and custom services. UBM Tech's community-focused approach provides its users and clients with expertly curated research, education, training, community advocacy, user-generated content and peer-to-peer engagement opportunities that serve the Electronics, Security, Enterprise IT and Communications, Network Infrastructure and Applications, Game and App Developers, and Tech Marketing communities. UBM Tech's brands include Black Hat, DesignCon, EE Times, Enterprise Connect, Game Developers Conference (GDC), HDI, InformationWeek, and Interop. Create, a UBM Tech full range marketing services division, includes custom events, content marketing solutions, community development and demand generation programs based on its content and technology market expertise. UBM Tech is a part of UBM (UBM.L), a global provider of media and information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion. For more information, go to http://tech.ubm.com/.

For more information on UBM Tech please contact:

Monique Luttrell, Director of Marketing

T: (415) 947-6958, E: monique.luttrell@ubm.com

SOURCE UBM Tech