Proof That B2B Summits Still Work in 2025
The online business world feels... kind of weird right now. Evergreen funnels are quieter, launches are smaller, and there's this general uncertainty about what actually works anymore. If you're running a B2B business and wondering whether virtual summits are still worth your time and energy, I have some very encouraging news to share with you.
I'm recording this fresh off hosting our Membership Momentum Summit in August, and honestly? I went into it feeling pretty uncertain about how it would go. But it went so much better than I thought it would! This tells me that B2B summits absolutely still work. But there are some key elements that matter more than ever before, so today we're going to talk about that so you can see more B2B summit success too!
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Why I Was Feeling Uncertain About B2B Summits
Going into this summit, the messaging I was seeing everywhere was that launches don't work like they used to, summits are harder to pull off, and B2B audiences are especially challenging right now.
I'd even had someone reach out on Instagram recently accusing me of inflating summit numbers and setting unrealistic expectations. They pointed to a "big name" who hosted a summit and only made a certain amount, using that as "proof" that summits don't work anymore.
Here's the thing though: that person wasn't using our strategies. You can't compare results from someone who isn't following our methodology with what our Launch with a Summit Accelerator® clients achieve. It's apples to oranges.
But still, I was seeing a pattern of B2B summits that weren't positioned quite right: topics that were too general, overdone, or just not very exciting. So when $10k or $20k summits were leaving hosts disappointed, I wasn't entirely surprised.
The Results That Proved Me Wrong
Going into Membership Momentum, my secret hope was that we'd hit around $40k total, and that I could still say summits work. But we didn't just match our previous year—we almost doubled our revenue and broke our own internal records!
We actually had 500 fewer attendees than the previous year, but our backend converted significantly better. And that's an important lesson: it's getting harder to get thousands and thousands of attendees for B2B summits than it used to be, but when you nail the strategy, the offer launch more than makes up for it.
The Keys to a B2B Summit That Works in 2025
After this experience, here's what I believe are the non-negotiables for a successful B2B summit right now:
Everything That Always Mattered Still Matters
The fundamentals haven't changed: you still need the right strategy, a solid all-access pass offer, the right speakers, and a solid virtual summit marketing approach. If anything, these basics matter even more now. I wouldn't recommend winging it in the current online business climate.
Clear, Attention-Grabbing Positioning
You absolutely cannot host a generic summit to help business owners "make more money" or "be more productive." It has to be something specific for a specific group of people.
We worked closely on positioning tweaks both before and during our event, optimizing based on what was resonating. In the B2B space especially, where we've all seen it before, you need something that genuinely grabs attention and feels unique.
A Human Touch
I think a huge part of our success was that attendees got face time and support with me each day. There was genuine human connection—they weren't just buying from a faceless person sending emails.
People are cautious about who they buy from right now. We all know we're being marketed to, and we want to feel like more than just a number in a funnel. When you truly care for your speakers and attendees (not just as an act), that shows through.
We had people join the Summit in a Box® program and the Launch with a Summit Accelerator® who had only been in our audience 10-20 days, coming straight from Facebook ads. That kind of fast conversion happens when there's real human connection!
A Solid Backend Offer
This might be the most important point for B2B summits right now: our backend offer launch made about five times more revenue than our all-access pass. While some people would have been thrilled with our all-access pass numbers alone, for where our business is at, that backend offer was essential.
Our all-access pass did cover all expenses and generated profit, which meant everything from the backend launch was pure profit. That's one of my favorite things about summits: you're not paying to grow your list and launch; you're being paid to do those things.
If you're looking to hit $25k, $40k, or even six figures with a B2B summit these days, that backend offer (whether it's a course, membership, or group program) is going to be critical to helping you get there.
Don't Give Up on B2B Summits!
If you've been feeling unsure whether virtual summits still work, please don't let the "launches are dead" messaging get to you. Strategies that used to work can still work; you might just need to get creative and innovative in how you execute them.
Sometimes making it further just means riding the waves of the industry and getting creative with what you're doing. That's exactly what we did with this summit, and I'm excited to support our clients in doing the same thing.
Resources
- Episode 233: A 4 Step Process for Positioning Your Summit for Success
- Membership Momentum
- Summit Host Hangout® Facebook group
- Summit in a Box®
- Launch with a Summit Accelerator®
- 6-Figure Summits Workshop Bundle
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5-Minute Virtual Summit Roadmap
The 5-Minute Summit Roadmap leads you through the 7 essential questions that will guide the rest of your summit planning process and help you finally start making meaningful progress toward a profitable event.