I had the opportunity to attend a discussion amongst an eclectic panel of marketers at the AV Marketers Meetup at Integrate 2023 Sydney on 1 September. 

I thoroughly enjoyed the discussions and debate over a whole range of topics in tech marketing, key challenges faced by marketers and the opportunities that lie ahead for marketers' and their role being pivotal as strategic partners to the business.

The discussion opened with @Dan Goldstein, the moderator of the session, presenting the results of a survey conducted by AVIXA amongst marketers to understand trends and their priorities. Notable findings include increased marketing budgets, a focus on lead and demand generation, return of physical events, opportunities and challenges in converting reach into leads.

The conversation shifted to the panelists - @Devyani Sharma , Zann Hong and Mariella Mejia, who shared their insights, anecdotes and take on technology, both from an AV and Security industry's perspective.

Here are the key highlights of the discussion:

• Emphasis on demonstrating the value of marketing internally within departments. The conversation largely centered on how as marketers, what we do is crucial to the business objectives being the focus of all marketing efforts. The panel also discussed the significance of transparency and openness in marketing efforts.
• Importance of video content in marketing, especially in the AV industry was also discussed. Content strategy and inbound marketing is definitely going to be a win-win for organizations in the long run. Digital marketing strategy is now on an upswing in companies of every size. However, the core still remains in customer centricity and understanding the customer's needs.
• A segue into the topic of customer centricity went into exploration of the role of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) in driving sales and personalizing content. Here the marketers differed in their opinion of which part of the funnel ties into their marketing strategies of audience acquisition or growth. However, with the right analytical tools and data, ABM can work wonders for an organization ready to implement. This heralds the convergence of marketing and sales, with technology enabling more data-driven strategies.
• The biggest challenge that brands have this year and oncoming is actually relevance and the reach. The key takeaway for marketers is to really delve to the people aspect of it, who are your people? What do they like? What do they feel, what do they wear? And how are you helping? Even if we are in B2B marketing, we are still targeting real people.
• The physical and digital world are merging quite nicely, and this mean along with creating value for trade show exhibitors and visitors there is a constant need to engage with the audience all year round to create an experience. 
• The panel also debated on the relevance of Channel Marketing and how the marketing mix includes channel marketing strategies and collaboration with channel partners. The need for a symbiotic and supportive approach towards building the channel was discussed. 

Overall, the speakers emphasized on the importance of aligning marketing strategies with business objectives, staying relevant, and maintaining transparency and openness within marketing teams. Finally, we need to remember that marketers are a personal brand, and we represent the brands we market as its advocates!