Why it’s time to rethink your B2B thought leadership strategy — especially around events

In B2B marketing, ideas that shift perspective are currency. They inspire people to think differently, trust more deeply, and make more confident choices. That’s why thought leadership matters more than ever — and why events remain one of the most underappreciated ways to bring those ideas to life.

At one of my team’s annual events, the most memorable speaker wasn’t a bestselling author or a former world leader. It was Erik Weihenmayer, the first blind person to summit Mt. Everest. His story challenged every assumption about what’s possible — and stayed with the audience long after the coffee cups were cleared.

“Live events often land harder than anything else,” said Ann Handley, chief content officer at MarketingProfs, Wall Street Journal bestselling author and the voice behind AnnHandley.com. “The message becomes a memory people ask me about years later… and the experience becomes part of the story people carry forward.”

Connecting with ideas that change your perspective is the heart of thought leadership — live events can make those ideas unforgettable.

Why B2B thought leadership matters more than ever

Marketers who live by the 95:5 rule understand that to make the shortlist with the 5% of companies ready to buy their products, they have to stay memorable with the 95% who aren’t. The challenge has become even more complex: many of those prospects you’re trying to influence are now hidden from view entirely.

According to the Edelman-LinkedIn 2025 B2B Thought Leadership Impact Report, 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 on it to assess your company’s capabilities more than your product sheets.

These decision-makers, from finance to operations to legal, consume just 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 outreach when the time comes — if your thought leadership game is strong. 

“‘Thought leadership’ makes me barf a little, too,” said Handley. “Calling yourself a thought leader is like calling yourself a good mom or a wonderful partner: it means nothing from you and everything when it comes from someone else.”

Thought leadership 101: Show up as yourself

Every improbable accomplishment begins with purpose. Weihenmayer climbed mountains blind, skied the Alps and solo kayaked the Grand Canyon. Clarity of purpose makes the impossible legible.

Purpose is the heart of Katie Robbert’s work. The Trust Insights cofounder and CEO offers leaders pragmatic ways to tackle complex problems through repeatable systems, such as the 5P Framework, for data-driven decision-making. 

The first P is purpose — start by asking why. Her edge comes from pairing deep technical knowledge with genuine empathy for nontechnical audiences. She overcomes her natural introversion by focusing on teaching, so keynotes and workshops conclude with worksheets and concrete action plans.

Robbert said she’s had to find authentic ways to put herself front and center — even when public speaking isn’t her comfort zone. For her, education is a way to make space for more voices at the table because, as she puts it, “The more diverse the voices, the better whatever it is you’re doing is going to 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 bigger truths. How does she translate that purpose to the stage?

“The throughline between the page and the stage for me is noticing 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 still searches for stories that delight her to share onstage. “The more personal I get, the more universal it tends to feel,” she said.

How to choose the right speaking events

“Not every stage is my stage,” Handley said. “I say yes only where I feel I can add value and genuinely connect with the audience.” 

An event has to answer two questions: “Can I help this group see themselves or their work differently? Can I give them something useful they’ll remember long after the event is over?” 

“If the answer is yes to both, I’m in. If not, I’d rather pass than show up half-hearted,” she said. 

Her advice to speakers: “Think about the problems the audience is wrestling with and how your experience can offer clarity, encouragement, or a new lens. The best thought leaders aren’t the loudest voices — they’re the most generous ones.”

When Robbert thinks about choosing events, she asks herself, “Is it someone who’s really going to give me the opportunity to do some good and help the audience learn something, have something they can take away and immediately start using in their own day-to-day?”

Event speaking strategies that build lasting connections

Both speakers measure success through connection, not conversion.

Robbert said she rarely goes into an event expecting new business because people typically come to learn, not to buy. Instead, she tracks engagement metrics such as newsletter signups and framework downloads — indicators that her content resonates.

She also borrows one of Handley’s favorite measures, email response rate, as a proxy for audience health and trust. When readers reply to a newsletter, it means the message sparked something real.

To deepen that connection, Robbert builds synthetic ideal customer profiles for each event audience, recognizing that a MarketingProfs B2B crowd differs from a MozCon one.

Instead of leaving audiences with what she calls “big ideas and good luck,” she designs content programs centered on single pain points that address multiple levels of expertise.

Dig deeper: 5 tactics to make your B2B content hit harder and stick longer

Interactive elements define Robbert’s presence at the event. Sometimes, that’s a quick pro tip that builds trust. Often, it’s a decision-making tool like the 5P Framework or the TRIPS Framework for determining what to outsource to AI.

“I’m actually working on a talk right now that’s going to be subtitled, ‘I have a framework for that,’ because it’s sort of become a running joke,” she admitted. “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 builds systematic bridges through frameworks, Handley creates connection through vulnerability and shared experience.

“People don’t come to hear a perfect performance. They come to feel less alone in their challenges,” Handley explained. “If you show up with honesty, specificity and a willingness to connect, the leadership part takes care of itself.”

Getting started with thought leadership speaking

To get started, both experts offer the same guidance: “Don’t chase the biggest stage or the flashiest event. Start where you can be of real service,” Handley said. 

“Know that not every piece of content is going to immediately lead to a sale. And that’s OK. That’s actually a good thing,” Robbert said.

In a world where hidden buyers increasingly influence purchasing decisions, authentic thought leadership through events becomes 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 attendance: Unlocking B2B growth with event-led strategies