Having represented India at numerous international forums, including the prestigious World Franchise Forum in Thailand in 2005, Sachin has been associated with Franchise India for over two decades now, and has been at forefront of its growth journey so far.

We are living in a dynamic world, one in which each morning ushers-in some form of new technology. But while all this is supposed to ease our life, and I won't deny the fact that it even has, the reality is that pouring-in so much technological innovations has somewhat boggled our minds. In such an era, there are certain things which must better be left to traditional ways. And I believe that no amount of technology can ever replace the knowledge that one can gather through what is shared.

In this scenario, one must also consider how the tricks of the trade and the modus operandi for B2B marketing are constantly changing. Whether it takes the shape of digitization responding to the changing appetite of a new generation of business customers or just trying to be different from the league, there has never been a more challenging landscape for marketing teams to engage with customers and prospects in a meaningful way.

These challenges have never been more apparent than they are today. Technology may have made the flowchart of our lives more arranged, but when you are leading teams, you need to pass-on personalised and customised knowledge to your subordinates, which they further

pass-on to their clients. In today's corporate space, innovation becomes synonymous with relevance. The best marketing activities are the ones that take a considered approach to industry collaboration and digital integration.

One of the areas that are undergoing change is that of industry-driven events. In this space, content is king, and ensuring relevance to the industry is the only way to ensure a captive audience. Industry events offer a great opportunity for organisations to expand their footprint in certain marketplaces.

Based on my learning that has been absorbed from over two decades in the business, following are the benefits of industry events from a B2B marketing perspective:

The best marketing activities are the ones that take a considered approach to industry collaboration and digital integration

• Knowing what your customer's customer wants: It is imperative to know of your customer's needs and demands to build a long-lasting collaboration. But do you go about doing it? Actually, it is quite simple. Know and support what their customers would want. Industry events support this. In 2019, everything revolves around the `customers' and supporting this important discourse places your brand in a position where it can listen and respond. This enables your team to become a solution driver when engaging with the market.

• Putting your points in perspective: Thought leadership just doesn't add-up to the discourse to make your perspective more relevant. It also gives your market an opportunity to really understand what your business ethics stand for.

• Reach-out beyond your ecosystem: Industry events are a great place to go beyond your ecosystem and engage with people who your team otherwise don't have an opportunity to touch base with. This kind of engagement is useful when seeking new prospects. And this also suffices the needs of your current clients, as you have the opportunity to exceed beyond your assigned contact base.

• Zeroing on the business development: Industry events are great for your business development activities as the entire event infrastructure such as content, venue, attendees, and digital marketing addons is sup-plied ­ you have bought it and don't have to build it! This helps you and your sales team to build a strong and powerful pipeline.