Why Experiential Events Are the Future of B2B Marketing with Josh King & Daniel Curtis

How are B2B SaaS companies adapting to a market where traditional growth channels are failing?

What does the shift from a channel mindset to a network-based strategy mean for go-to-market teams?

How can companies leverage experiential events to drive deeper engagement and real business impact?

Those are the three big topics we’re covering in this episode of GTM News Desk. Josh King and Daniel Curtis from emc3 join us to break down the power of events, the pitfalls companies face in planning them, and how to create meaningful brand experiences that drive results.

Jump into the action:

(00:00) Welcome to GTM News Desk

(01:48) The challenges facing B2B SaaS and venture-backed companies

(04:22) Why companies need to move from channels to networks

(06:57) AI hype, DeepSeek, and security concerns

(09:10) The future of AI-first companies and go-to-market strategies

(12:26) The power of experiential events in B2B marketing

(15:14) How companies get events wrong and how to fix it

(18:09) The debate: Large flagship events vs. smaller targeted gatherings

(21:24) KPIs for experiential event marketing

(24:03) Exclusive content preview and closing thoughts

To hear Josh and Daniel’s insights on event strategy, sales and marketing alignment, and the future of experiential marketing, check out the extended conversation on TACK Insider: https://tackinsider.com/

Connect with Josh King: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshkingemc3/
Connect with Daniel Curtis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielemc3/ 

Our sources from today’s headlines:

Segment 1: https://techcrunch.com/2025/01/26/2025-will-likely-be-another-brutal-year-of-failed-startups-data-suggests/ 

Segment 2: https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2025-01-27/china-s-ai-deepseek-shows-silicon-valley-s-huge-blindspot 

Produced in partnership with: https://shareyourgenius.com/

What is GTM News Desk?

No BS news about B2B Go-To-Market. 



This is GTM News Desk - the show that keeps you ahead with marketing and sales strategies that win and clarity on the experience buyers want.

Mark Kilens and Rachel Elsts Downey give it to you straight - what you’re doing wrong, what you’re doing right, and how to level up your GTM game. They dish out the latest trends, buyer behaviours, and proven plays you can put into action now. From aligning sales, marketing, and RevOps to closing deals at a clip you didn’t think possible, this podcast gives you B2B’s greatest playbooks and lays out the ‘tactics’ to avoid like the plague.

Mark and Rachel take their decades of collective experience working with top B2B brands like HubSpot and Drift and combine them with the GTM expert insights you need to create an impactful GTM strategy for your business.