Chairman Lars Sørensen brings interaction and energy

Energy! Come and get some yourself and experience some of his. We are proud to present our chairman Lars Sørensen. As chairman of the B2B marketing forum he will make use of all possibilities to focus on the content of the day instead of focusing on the clock. Are you curious what he has in store for you? We spoke to him about his role as ‘transfer manager’ and on his thoughts on the theme of this year’s forum.

This year the forum’s theme is the ‘great journey to customer growth’, what is your vision on this?

“Whatever you nurture, will grow. That includes your business by current customers. I believe that the B2B market really has had a wake-up call during the past years and that companies have come to understand that you cannot just count on large clients coming back year after year if you don’t pay attention to their needs. Often 80% of profits are generated by 20% of the customers, yet 80% of the marketing budget goes to attracting new customers. Regularly new customers are welcomed with all sorts of introduction offers whereas existing customer keep paying the same higher price. I think this thinking needs to be turned around; we can see that new, small disruptor companies are emerging in the marketplace and this can change the whole ball game in one blast. This makes it essential to cherish customers and reward them for their loyalty. There is clearly a role for B2B marketing here.”

What will you bring the B2B marketing forum?

“On March 17th I am the chairman of the forum and obviously this is a different role to that of the speakers. Even though I myself have a background in communications and marketing and I conduct my business in the B2B market, I am not there to show off my knowledge but to shed the best possible light on others. My challenge is to connect the speakers’ key messages and to help the audience really digest the information. This is what I sometimes call transfer management. To actually take the information on board, one has to process it in an active manner. For instance exchange thoughts with your forum neighbor on what you learnt from the speakers. Or use the opportunity to ask your own questions and share your own experiences. Participants of the forum are smart marketers who have been in the business for a while. What could be better than sharing some of their hands-on experience with other participants? During the B2B marketing forum there will be ample opportunity to dialogue with peers about the sessions. In my opinion this is what is needed for an interesting and stimulating program.”

What will participants have to say about your chairmanship at the end of the day?

“Hopefully they will find that content and sharing thoughts on content has been leading throughout the day. I will do my best to help speakers show the best of themselves, but also challenge participants to show what they are worth. My contribution will be in creating an open atmosphere where there dialogue, interaction, energy and creativity is encouraged.”

Why should marketers visit the B2B marketing forum?

“If you take your profession seriously, you need to be there. This is such a chance to engulf yourself in educative cases and to meet colleague marketers and discuss opportunities and threats in your business with them or exchange practical tips and ideas.  The program allows for plenty of interaction – introduction breakfast, masterclasses but also simply because there are enough breaks where you can network with others. Add the experienced speakers to the stage and you will be sure to enjoy a meaningful day.”