Foundry growth playbook

Rebuild the page around what a sponsor decides on: the next twelve events with date, city, audience profile and expected seniority; three package levels with "from" prices or ranges; what the guarantee actually is (attendee numbers, meetings, leads); two sponsor results with numbers; and a form that asks which event. Give every event in the calendar a "Sponsor this event" link to the same page with the event preselected.

Sponsors buy specific rooms of buyers. Showing the rooms, the guarantee and proof lets a marketer shortlist Foundry before a call, and the form tells sales which event to sell.

1. Headline: Meet the IT leaders who buy, in the room
2. Next 12 events: date, city, audience, seniority
3. Packages: Partner / Premier / Host (from prices)
4. Our guarantee: what we commit to, by series
5. Results: two sponsor stories with numbers
6. Form: name, company, event of interest, budget range

• Publishing prices weakens negotiation

  Show "from" prices or ranges.

• Guarantees differ by event

  State each series' guarantee separately.

• Your websiteEvent sponsorship page (checked twice on October 21, 2026): a headline, "Technology decision-makers rely on Foundry Events", one sentence ("Foundry offers meaningful guarantees to sponsors, plus customized packages to meet your branding and lead generation needs") and a HubSpot form. The page lists no events, audiences, packages, prices, guarantees or sponsor results.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketing Specialist (temporary, posted October 19, 2026, Boston, 32 hours a week to cover a maternity leave): executes "the event campaign strategy" that "drives sponsorship bookings, and pipeline for our events" across email, social, paid and web; builds HubSpot email programs, "landing pages, forms, lists, and workflows"; writes copy "that drives sponsor bookings"; reports on registrations, attendance and "pipeline influence".Source
• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source
• Your websiteGlobal events calendar: about ten upcoming events from October 28, 2026 to March 2027, including CIO 100 Awards & Conference ASEAN & HK (Singapore), CIO ForwardTech Munich, CSO Cybersecurity Awards & Conference UK (London), CIO 50 Japan (Tokyo), Hamburg IT-Strategy Days and CIO Leadership Live India and Atlanta. Each "Learn more" link leaves foundryco.com for the event's own site.Source

Agree one current figure for events, history and audience, update every page, and keep the figures in one shared list for sales decks.

Consistent numbers make claims believable, especially on comparison pages read by careful buyers.

• Counting rules differ

  State what counts as an event.

• Your websiteHomepage: "28M+ Monthly visitors", "800+ Industry-leading events bringing together IT decision makers around the world each year", "96% Visitors take action towards purchasing", brands "at the forefront of global tech innovation for more than 50 years" and Foundry "at the forefront of the technology sphere since 1964". The DemandScience comparison page says "60 years in tech publishing" and "150M+ proprietary audience profiles".Source
• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source
• Your websiteCompetitor comparison hub (/vs/): "Vs. TechTarget", "Vs. 6Sense" and "Vs. DemandScience". The 6Sense "Compare" button opens a software demo booking page, not a comparison; a separate Intentsify comparison page exists (/vs-intentsify/) but is not listed on the hub.Source

Publish a factual 6sense comparison, add Intentsify to the hub, date each page and add one customer quote per page.

A broken promise on a comparison page costs trust at the moment of choice.

• Out-of-date claims

  Review quarterly.

• Your websiteCompetitor comparison hub (/vs/): "Vs. TechTarget", "Vs. 6Sense" and "Vs. DemandScience". The 6Sense "Compare" button opens a software demo booking page, not a comparison; a separate Intentsify comparison page exists (/vs-intentsify/) but is not listed on the hub.Source
• HiringSales hiring: an Account Executive, US Enterprise (posted October 14, 2026) selling "media solutions, demand generation programs, and industry-leading events" to tech companies with "contract values of $200K+"; a Sales Director in Singapore (posted October 5) for "advertising, media, sponsorship, and event marketing opportunities"; and a Japanese and English speaking Account Executive in Japan.Source

Add standard campaign tags to every outbound event link, carry them into HubSpot and Cvent forms, and build one report of sponsor enquiries and registrations by source.

Clean attribution shows which campaigns sell sponsorships, which matters even more while the role is covered part-time.

• Cross-domain cookies blocked

  Rely on tagged links and form fields.

• Your websiteGlobal events calendar: about ten upcoming events from October 28, 2026 to March 2027, including CIO 100 Awards & Conference ASEAN & HK (Singapore), CIO ForwardTech Munich, CSO Cybersecurity Awards & Conference UK (London), CIO 50 Japan (Tokyo), Hamburg IT-Strategy Days and CIO Leadership Live India and Atlanta. Each "Learn more" link leaves foundryco.com for the event's own site.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketing Specialist (temporary, posted October 19, 2026, Boston, 32 hours a week to cover a maternity leave): executes "the event campaign strategy" that "drives sponsorship bookings, and pipeline for our events" across email, social, paid and web; builds HubSpot email programs, "landing pages, forms, lists, and workflows"; writes copy "that drives sponsor bookings"; reports on registrations, attendance and "pipeline influence".Source
• HiringSenior Events Marketing Manager, Germany (posted September 30, 2026, Munich): delivers "high-quality audiences" and registration targets for Foundry's German conferences, awards and roundtables through email, social, paid media and telemarketing; a super user of Adestra, Cvent and WordPress event sites; "may also support campaigns designed to attract potential sponsors"; reports to the VP Marketing, Events.Source

Publish a short post after each event (attendance, themes, winners, sponsor highlights) and a monthly note from the research team. Reuse in newsletters and LinkedIn.

Fresh news shows momentum to sponsors and feeds search and social with content Foundry already produces.

• Workload

  Short recaps only.

• Your websiteSitemap (745 URLs, checked October 21, 2026): 178 blog posts with the latest on July 15, 2026; 30 news items with the latest on December 9, 2025; 148 "tools for marketers" resources updated as recently as October 15, 2026; a 15-page Japan section; research such as the 25th annual State of the CIO; 122 event region and topic pages; no German-language pages, although the footer lists Germany as a region and a translation plugin is installed.Source
• Your websiteGlobal events calendar: about ten upcoming events from October 28, 2026 to March 2027, including CIO 100 Awards & Conference ASEAN & HK (Singapore), CIO ForwardTech Munich, CSO Cybersecurity Awards & Conference UK (London), CIO 50 Japan (Tokyo), Hamburg IT-Strategy Days and CIO Leadership Live India and Atlanta. Each "Learn more" link leaves foundryco.com for the event's own site.Source

Create cloneable HubSpot templates for each event type (summit, roundtable, awards), with copy blocks, lists, workflows and a launch checklist.

Templates cut launch time and keep quality steady through staff changes.

• Templates drift

  One owner updates them.

• HiringGrowth Marketing Specialist (temporary, posted October 19, 2026, Boston, 32 hours a week to cover a maternity leave): executes "the event campaign strategy" that "drives sponsorship bookings, and pipeline for our events" across email, social, paid and web; builds HubSpot email programs, "landing pages, forms, lists, and workflows"; writes copy "that drives sponsor bookings"; reports on registrations, attendance and "pipeline influence".Source
• HiringSenior Events Marketing Manager, Germany (posted September 30, 2026, Munich): delivers "high-quality audiences" and registration targets for Foundry's German conferences, awards and roundtables through email, social, paid media and telemarketing; a super user of Adestra, Cvent and WordPress event sites; "may also support campaigns designed to attract potential sponsors"; reports to the VP Marketing, Events.Source

Write a one-page result for each series (CIO 100, CSO Awards, ForwardTech, roundtables): who attended, meetings held, pipeline reported by the sponsor. Use them on the sponsor page and in proposals.

Numbers from peers shorten sales cycles for large sponsorships.

• Sponsors decline

  Use anonymised results.

• Your websiteEvent sponsorship page (checked twice on October 21, 2026): a headline, "Technology decision-makers rely on Foundry Events", one sentence ("Foundry offers meaningful guarantees to sponsors, plus customized packages to meet your branding and lead generation needs") and a HubSpot form. The page lists no events, audiences, packages, prices, guarantees or sponsor results.Source
• HiringSales hiring: an Account Executive, US Enterprise (posted October 14, 2026) selling "media solutions, demand generation programs, and industry-leading events" to tech companies with "contract values of $200K+"; a Sales Director in Singapore (posted October 5) for "advertising, media, sponsorship, and event marketing opportunities"; and a Japanese and English speaking Account Executive in Japan.Source
• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source

Create sponsor products around the community: hosted roundtables with a guaranteed number of Top 300 CIOs, contributor interviews published on CIO.com and Computerwoche, and small-group briefings, each with clear guarantees.

Guaranteed senior attendance is the scarcest thing in event marketing and supports premium prices.

• Over-asking CIOs

  Limit requests per CIO per year.

• HiringEvents & Media Community Manager, Germany (posted September 30, 2026): builds "a repeatable process to manage the database and communications for the Top 300 CIOs in Germany" for Hamburg IT Strategy Days, CIO des Jahres, IT Strategy Days Masterclass and CIO Leadership Live; recruits CIOs as speakers and "media contributors" for CIO.com, CSOonline.com and Computerwoche; works with associations such as VOICE, Münchner Kreis and Bitkom.Source
• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source
• Your websiteBrand pages: CIO reaches "more than 4 million chief information officers and IT thought leaders" in 72 countries; Computerworld "an audience of 12 million enterprise-level IT managers, in 47 countries"; other brands include CSO, InfoWorld, Network World, Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, TechHive, Computerwoche and Computer Sweden.Source

Publish German sponsor pages for the German events with audiences, packages and a German form, and link them from Computerwoche.

German sponsors and agencies search and buy in German, and local pages support the German team.

• Machine translation quality

  Native review.

• Your websiteSitemap (745 URLs, checked October 21, 2026): 178 blog posts with the latest on July 15, 2026; 30 news items with the latest on December 9, 2025; 148 "tools for marketers" resources updated as recently as October 15, 2026; a 15-page Japan section; research such as the 25th annual State of the CIO; 122 event region and topic pages; no German-language pages, although the footer lists Germany as a region and a translation plugin is installed.Source
• HiringSenior Events Marketing Manager, Germany (posted September 30, 2026, Munich): delivers "high-quality audiences" and registration targets for Foundry's German conferences, awards and roundtables through email, social, paid media and telemarketing; a super user of Adestra, Cvent and WordPress event sites; "may also support campaigns designed to attract potential sponsors"; reports to the VP Marketing, Events.Source
• HiringEvents & Media Community Manager, Germany (posted September 30, 2026): builds "a repeatable process to manage the database and communications for the Top 300 CIOs in Germany" for Hamburg IT Strategy Days, CIO des Jahres, IT Strategy Days Masterclass and CIO Leadership Live; recruits CIOs as speakers and "media contributors" for CIO.com, CSOonline.com and Computerwoche; works with associations such as VOICE, Münchner Kreis and Bitkom.Source

Target event invitations and telemarketing at organisations showing intent on each event's topics, and compare registration and attendance rates with the standard lists.

Using the product on Foundry's own events improves audiences and gives sales a live case study.

• Consent rules in Germany

  Use only consented contacts.

• HiringSenior Events Marketing Manager, Germany (posted September 30, 2026, Munich): delivers "high-quality audiences" and registration targets for Foundry's German conferences, awards and roundtables through email, social, paid media and telemarketing; a super user of Adestra, Cvent and WordPress event sites; "may also support campaigns designed to attract potential sponsors"; reports to the VP Marketing, Events.Source
• Your websiteCompetitor comparison hub (/vs/): "Vs. TechTarget", "Vs. 6Sense" and "Vs. DemandScience". The 6Sense "Compare" button opens a software demo booking page, not a comparison; a separate Intentsify comparison page exists (/vs-intentsify/) but is not listed on the hub.Source
• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source

Create three named bundles per buyer goal (launch, pipeline, thought leadership), each combining one event, content and a lead program, with indicative pricing in proposals.

Bundles raise deal size and make the integrated story concrete.

• Bundles too rigid

  Allow swaps.

• HiringSales hiring: an Account Executive, US Enterprise (posted October 14, 2026) selling "media solutions, demand generation programs, and industry-leading events" to tech companies with "contract values of $200K+"; a Sales Director in Singapore (posted October 5) for "advertising, media, sponsorship, and event marketing opportunities"; and a Japanese and English speaking Account Executive in Japan.Source
• Your websiteSponsorship packages page: advertising, content, research, newsletters, events, lead generation and video sponsorships, "Surround all 25 members of the IT buying team", with a single "Contact sales" link.Source
• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source

Audit tags in Tag Manager, remove unused ones, load chat and maps only when needed, and give campaign pages a light template.

Faster landing pages raise form completion from paid traffic.

• Breaking tracking

  Test each change.

• Google PageSpeedHomepage on a phone: speed score 62, main content in 3.2 s in the lab test, 1.4 s of blocking scripts, 6.8 MB over 165 requests and 23 third-party services (Google Tag Manager alone 889 KB). Real visitors pass Core Web Vitals (main content in 1.6 s at the 75th percentile), so this matters for heavier landing pages more than for the homepage.Source
• HiringGrowth Marketing Specialist (temporary, posted October 19, 2026, Boston, 32 hours a week to cover a maternity leave): executes "the event campaign strategy" that "drives sponsorship bookings, and pipeline for our events" across email, social, paid and web; builds HubSpot email programs, "landing pages, forms, lists, and workflows"; writes copy "that drives sponsor bookings"; reports on registrations, attendance and "pipeline influence".Source

Offer related newsletters after each sign-up, recommend brands in welcome emails, and track subscribers per reader, not per brand.

Cross-brand sign-ups grow the owned audience that all revenue lines depend on.

• Unsubscribes

  Offer, never auto-add.

• HiringSenior Vice President & General Manager, Audience & Growth (open, New York, San Francisco or Boston, about $300,000 plus bonus): "scale audience reach, engagement, and consumer revenue across a portfolio of 10+ global digital media publications"; owns "affiliate commerce and subscription businesses", "paid subscription and premium membership strategy" and paid acquisition across search and social.Source
• Your websiteBrand pages: CIO reaches "more than 4 million chief information officers and IT thought leaders" in 72 countries; Computerworld "an audience of 12 million enterprise-level IT managers, in 47 countries"; other brands include CSO, InfoWorld, Network World, Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, TechHive, Computerwoche and Computer Sweden.Source

Build one shared testing and buying-guide system: tested once, published per brand and country, updated on a schedule.

Shared testing lowers cost per guide and keeps guides fresh, which drives affiliate revenue.

• Brand voice lost

  Each brand writes its own verdict.

• HiringSenior Vice President & General Manager, Audience & Growth (open, New York, San Francisco or Boston, about $300,000 plus bonus): "scale audience reach, engagement, and consumer revenue across a portfolio of 10+ global digital media publications"; owns "affiliate commerce and subscription businesses", "paid subscription and premium membership strategy" and paid acquisition across search and social.Source
• Your websiteBrand pages: CIO reaches "more than 4 million chief information officers and IT thought leaders" in 72 countries; Computerworld "an audience of 12 million enterprise-level IT managers, in 47 countries"; other brands include CSO, InfoWorld, Network World, Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, TechHive, Computerwoche and Computer Sweden.Source

Record or note key sessions, publish CIO interviews on CIO.com and Computerwoche within a week, and give sponsors a branded summary of their session.

Event content extends sponsor value and feeds editorial with original senior voices.

• Off-the-record sessions

  Agree rules in advance.

• HiringEvents & Media Community Manager, Germany (posted September 30, 2026): builds "a repeatable process to manage the database and communications for the Top 300 CIOs in Germany" for Hamburg IT Strategy Days, CIO des Jahres, IT Strategy Days Masterclass and CIO Leadership Live; recruits CIOs as speakers and "media contributors" for CIO.com, CSOonline.com and Computerwoche; works with associations such as VOICE, Münchner Kreis and Bitkom.Source
• Your websiteBrand pages: CIO reaches "more than 4 million chief information officers and IT thought leaders" in 72 countries; Computerworld "an audience of 12 million enterprise-level IT managers, in 47 countries"; other brands include CSO, InfoWorld, Network World, Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, TechHive, Computerwoche and Computer Sweden.Source
• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source

Launch a CIO membership: full research access, member-only roundtables, event passes and a peer network, priced for individuals and teams.

Membership adds recurring revenue and deepens relationships that make events and media more valuable.

• Conflicts with free content

  Keep news free; charge for depth and access.

• HiringSenior Vice President & General Manager, Audience & Growth (open, New York, San Francisco or Boston, about $300,000 plus bonus): "scale audience reach, engagement, and consumer revenue across a portfolio of 10+ global digital media publications"; owns "affiliate commerce and subscription businesses", "paid subscription and premium membership strategy" and paid acquisition across search and social.Source
• Your websiteSitemap (745 URLs, checked October 21, 2026): 178 blog posts with the latest on July 15, 2026; 30 news items with the latest on December 9, 2025; 148 "tools for marketers" resources updated as recently as October 15, 2026; a 15-page Japan section; research such as the 25th annual State of the CIO; 122 event region and topic pages; no German-language pages, although the footer lists Germany as a region and a translation plugin is installed.Source
• HiringEvents & Media Community Manager, Germany (posted September 30, 2026): builds "a repeatable process to manage the database and communications for the Top 300 CIOs in Germany" for Hamburg IT Strategy Days, CIO des Jahres, IT Strategy Days Masterclass and CIO Leadership Live; recruits CIOs as speakers and "media contributors" for CIO.com, CSOonline.com and Computerwoche; works with associations such as VOICE, Münchner Kreis and Bitkom.Source

Put three fixed-price packages per event online with availability and checkout, and route larger buyers to sales.

Self-serve opens a long tail of smaller sponsors and frees sales for large deals.

• Undercuts sales

  Only small, fixed packages online.

• Your websiteEvent sponsorship page (checked twice on October 21, 2026): a headline, "Technology decision-makers rely on Foundry Events", one sentence ("Foundry offers meaningful guarantees to sponsors, plus customized packages to meet your branding and lead generation needs") and a HubSpot form. The page lists no events, audiences, packages, prices, guarantees or sponsor results.Source
• Your websiteSponsorship packages page: advertising, content, research, newsletters, events, lead generation and video sponsorships, "Surround all 25 members of the IT buying team", with a single "Contact sales" link.Source
• HiringSales hiring: an Account Executive, US Enterprise (posted October 14, 2026) selling "media solutions, demand generation programs, and industry-leading events" to tech companies with "contract values of $200K+"; a Sales Director in Singapore (posted October 5) for "advertising, media, sponsorship, and event marketing opportunities"; and a Japanese and English speaking Account Executive in Japan.Source

Offer sponsors a report after each event showing topic research trends among attending organisations (account level, consent-based), as an add-on.

It links event spend to pipeline and gives sponsors a reason to rebook.

• Privacy concerns

  Aggregate and account-level only.

• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source
• Your websiteCompetitor comparison hub (/vs/): "Vs. TechTarget", "Vs. 6Sense" and "Vs. DemandScience". The 6Sense "Compare" button opens a software demo booking page, not a comparison; a separate Intentsify comparison page exists (/vs-intentsify/) but is not listed on the hub.Source

Publish Japanese sponsor results and a Japanese sponsor page for CIO 50 Japan, and run a sponsor breakfast in Tokyo.

Local proof in the local language supports the new AE's pipeline.

• Small market

  Keep it lean.

• HiringSales hiring: an Account Executive, US Enterprise (posted October 14, 2026) selling "media solutions, demand generation programs, and industry-leading events" to tech companies with "contract values of $200K+"; a Sales Director in Singapore (posted October 5) for "advertising, media, sponsorship, and event marketing opportunities"; and a Japanese and English speaking Account Executive in Japan.Source
• Your websiteGlobal events calendar: about ten upcoming events from October 28, 2026 to March 2027, including CIO 100 Awards & Conference ASEAN & HK (Singapore), CIO ForwardTech Munich, CSO Cybersecurity Awards & Conference UK (London), CIO 50 Japan (Tokyo), Hamburg IT-Strategy Days and CIO Leadership Live India and Atlanta. Each "Learn more" link leaves foundryco.com for the event's own site.Source
• Your websiteSitemap (745 URLs, checked October 21, 2026): 178 blog posts with the latest on July 15, 2026; 30 news items with the latest on December 9, 2025; 148 "tools for marketers" resources updated as recently as October 15, 2026; a 15-page Japan section; research such as the 25th annual State of the CIO; 122 event region and topic pages; no German-language pages, although the footer lists Germany as a region and a translation plugin is installed.Source

Run half-day briefings of the research in five cities with one or two sponsors each, and publish city-level findings.

It reuses research Foundry already funds and creates a new sponsor format.

• Low attendance

  Partner with local CIO associations.

• Your websiteSitemap (745 URLs, checked October 21, 2026): 178 blog posts with the latest on July 15, 2026; 30 news items with the latest on December 9, 2025; 148 "tools for marketers" resources updated as recently as October 15, 2026; a 15-page Japan section; research such as the 25th annual State of the CIO; 122 event region and topic pages; no German-language pages, although the footer lists Germany as a region and a translation plugin is installed.Source
• Your websiteEvents page: "Forging valuable connections at 350+ events annually", "2027 events announced!", six conference series, formats from conferences and roundtable dinners to award evenings and custom events, and "rigorous screening" so "only the right executives are in the room".Source

Publish one audience facts page with consistent figures, methods and brand-by-brand reach, link it from every brand page, and check what assistants say monthly.

Clear, consistent facts are what AI answers quote.

• Figures change

  Date each figure.

• Your websiteHomepage: "28M+ Monthly visitors", "800+ Industry-leading events bringing together IT decision makers around the world each year", "96% Visitors take action towards purchasing", brands "at the forefront of global tech innovation for more than 50 years" and Foundry "at the forefront of the technology sphere since 1964". The DemandScience comparison page says "60 years in tech publishing" and "150M+ proprietary audience profiles".Source
• Your websiteBrand pages: CIO reaches "more than 4 million chief information officers and IT thought leaders" in 72 countries; Computerworld "an audience of 12 million enterprise-level IT managers, in 47 countries"; other brands include CSO, InfoWorld, Network World, Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, TechHive, Computerwoche and Computer Sweden.Source
• Your websiteCompetitor comparison hub (/vs/): "Vs. TechTarget", "Vs. 6Sense" and "Vs. DemandScience". The 6Sense "Compare" button opens a software demo booking page, not a comparison; a separate Intentsify comparison page exists (/vs-intentsify/) but is not listed on the hub.Source