Play to Win: The Firefly Playbook for High-ROI Events
Hosting an event is like stepping onto the pitch in a championship final. Your brand’s on full display. Your team’s in the spotlight. And your audience, clients, prospects, partners, are the toughest crowd of all: busy, discerning, and hard to impress.
You only get one shot to make it count.
At Firefly, we’ve planned and executed dozens of events that have directly led to new deals, deeper relationships, and a measurable pipeline. But they didn’t succeed because we had the flashiest venues or the fanciest food; they worked because we treated every event like a strategic play, not a box-ticking exercise.
In this post, we’re sharing some of the key principles behind events that deliver real ROI.
We break it down the way we run them:
Pre-game (strategy and planning),
Game-on! (the experience itself), and
Post-game (the follow-through that turns connections into clients).
Because let’s be honest, no one remembers second place. If you’re going to do an event, make it a win. Here's how.
🏁 Pre-Game: Plan Like a Pro
This is where 90% of the success happens. If your planning is weak, the event doesn’t stand a chance.
Strategy First
Don’t start with the venue. Start with the goal. Why are you running this event? Are you trying to build a pipeline, deepen relationships, or drive awareness in a specific partner ecosystem? Your objectives will shape every decision, from the format to the follow-up. If you can’t answer “What does success look like?” in a sentence, stop and rethink.
Know Your Audience
Not all attendees are created equal. A breakfast roundtable for C-level execs in financial services looks very different from a lunch-and-learn for enterprise ops leaders. Know their seniority, their pain points, their calendar pressures, and local customs, too. (A Thursday evening works in London. In Germany? Maybe not so much.)
Be Realistic About Scope
More attendees don’t mean more value. In fact, smaller events often deliver higher ROI. Why? Because you get to curate who’s in the room and have meaningful conversations. Focus on quality over quantity. If your sales team can only follow up with 20 leads properly, don’t invite 200.
Choose the Right Co-Hosts
Co-hosting can be powerful - if the value alignment is right. Bringing in another ecosystem partner (or Salesforce themselves) can expand reach and credibility. But make sure you’re not stepping on each other’s messaging, and that everyone understands their role. Shared events only work when they’re co-owned, not crowded.
Assign a Single Owner
This is where most companies fall down. Events planned by a committee tend to fall apart. One person should own the plan, drive the logistics, and make the calls. That doesn’t mean they do everything, but they make sure everything gets done.
Pre-Game Checklist:
What’s the objective?
Who’s the audience (and what do they care about)?
What region and industry considerations matter?
What’s the best format and timing?
Should we co-host? With who?
Do we have at least 5 weeks to promote?
Who owns the event?
How targeted is our invite list?
🎉 Game On!: Make It an Experience, Not a Pitch
This is where many companies default to “boring but safe.” If that’s your approach to hosting an event, you can expect mediocre results out the back of it.
Prioritise Quality Over Quantity
Often, when it comes to driving real ROI from events, less is more. A well-curated group of 12 decision-makers beats a room of 100 randoms every time. You’re looking for people who are either close to buying, key influencers, or strategic contacts you want to build with. Spend more time on the guest list than you do on the PowerPoint. This is where the value starts.
Tips for curating the list:
Focus on accounts that align with your sales priorities
Mix current customers with high-value prospects
Include ecosystem partners (e.g. Sales Account Executives) to increase impact
Avoid “filler” attendees who won’t engage - vet your RSVPs carefully, free-loaders are a big no
Create Space for Conversation
Don’t lock people into an hour-long slide deck. That’s not why they came. Instead, use short, impactful “trigger moments” to spark discussion, like a 10-minute intro from a customer or a short POV from a partner. Then, get out of the way. Structure your event so that dialogue, not downloads, is what drives the agenda.
Personalisation Matters
Forget branded pens, peak caps and USBs (remember those?). You’d be surprised at the difference a handwritten note and a simple box of chocolates make as an event gift. Want to stand out? Show your attendees you’ve thought about the attendee experience, and that you care.
Sounds super simple, but the most important question you should ask yourself when deciding on which gifts to give event attendees should always be “Would I want to receive this?”
If the answer is “no way”, then go back to the drawing board and come up with something you’d love to receive in an event goodie bag.
Simple ways to personalise:
Pre-event prep packs with attendee bios
Custom place cards with tailored notes
Thoughtful gifts (skip the branded pens)
A brief intro to each guest at the start of the event
Match the Vibe to Your Brand
There’s nothing worse than trying to be something you’re not. A five-star dinner is great if your brand leans toward premium.
If you’re more straight-talking, no-nonsense and down-to-earth, then a cool local spot with great wine and zero pretension might land better. Your event should feel like an extension of how you do business.
✅ Game-on! Checklist:
Have you planned clear “trigger moments” to spark conversation?
Does the agenda create space for two-way dialogue?
Will the format help attendees answer the big buyer question: How does this add value to my business?
Does the venue and tone feel authentic to both your brand?
Have you taken personalisation into consideration?
🏆 Post-Game: Follow Up Like It’s Your Job (Because It Is)
Most companies fumble the ball right here. Great event, great vibe, but then… nothing.
Move Fast
The first 48 hours after the event are critical. That’s when people still remember who they spoke to, what was discussed, and what next steps were mentioned. Wait too long, and that window closes.
Build your follow-up plan before the event so you can hit send right after and make sure the key players from your team who attend the event know exactly what post-event follow-up expectations are.
Learn and Improve
Within 48 hours, debrief. What worked? What didn’t? Which conversations are worth tracking? Events are too resource-intensive not to extract every last drop of insight. Build a short wrap-up doc, track metrics, and carry your learnings forward.
Segment Your Leads
Not every attendee needs the same follow-up. Some are ready for proposals. Others need more nurturing. Some were there as ecosystem allies, not prospects. Segment them immediately and assign next steps to the right people.
Post-event segments:
Hot leads (ready for next steps)
Warm leads (need more engagement)
Ecosystem contacts (ongoing relationship building)
Think Long-Term
Follow-up isn’t a single email. Build a nurture plan for those who aren’t ready now, but have potential. It could be a check-in in 3 months, a targeted piece of content, or an invite to the next event. Keep them in the loop - strategically.
✅ Post-Game Checklist:
Debrief the team within 48 hours
Send personalised follow-ups immediately
Segment attendees into action lists
Send thank-yous and supporting content
Book next steps (or next event)
🤝 Final Thought: Events Are About People
Here’s what it comes down to: people do business with people. Not companies. Not booths. Not brochures.
The best events aren’t the flashiest. They’re the ones that make people feel seen, heard, and understood. They create conversations that matter. And they leave the door open for the next step, whatever that might be.
Ready to Make Your Event Count?
At Firefly, we don’t do cookie-cutter events. We build experiences that actually move the needle. From ecosystem dinners to multi-market campaigns, we turn one night into months of opportunity.
Planning something soon? Let’s make it your most valuable event yet.