In these hectic times, intensive communication with your existing customers is of great importance. IT is now widely regarded as a theme of strategic importance. And because developments are moving at a breathtaking pace, clear, timely and practical information for your customers is crucial.

Over the past 20 years, I have been involved as a keynote speaker in hundreds of D365 events throughout Europe. In addition, I have experienced brilliantly organized events. But of course also many events of average level. And unfortunately also a few mediocre ones.

In this blog I share some of my experiences and best points for improvement.

I hope these tips help you and your team make Customer Day 2025 your best event ever.

7 Tips that can make the difference

1. Customer days traditionally follow the 'Sit down, Shut up & Listen' model. But modern customers don't feel like that anymore! They are looking for interaction. They want to share and compare. And learn from their peers. Good customer days therefore contain a lot of interaction! Where your visitors can share and test their opinions through panels, voting rounds and/or round tables. Do you offer little or no interaction? Then count on a low turnout.
   
   
2. During the Corona period, customers have experienced that they can easily follow software demonstrations online. Without the inconvenience, cost and energy of travel. Therefore, always check for each potential agenda item whether it adds sufficient value to what is already available online. If you don't do this, chances are that your customers will just stay at home.
   
   
3. The quality of the agenda determines whether customers sign up. Unfortunately, not every partner recognizes this. A good agenda starts with a leading theme. Each session deserves a strong title, which is NOT about software products. Ideally, you should introduce the speaker(s) per session by using photos and LinkedIn profiles. And explain for each session what the visitors can learn and what they can gain from it. With a meager agenda, you shoot yourself in the foot!
   
   
4. One size fits all oftentimes ends up in One size fits nobody. Different personas simply have different interests. Therefore consider introducing parallel sessions into your agenda. So that you communicate the right messages in the right format to the right target groups
   
   
5. Subject Matter Experts aren't always great speakers. That's why it's a good idea to organize so-called 'dry run' sessions. Two weeks in advance, you test both the content and the storyline, as well as the way of presentation. That takes time and energy – certainly! But your visitors will be very happy with it. Remember: presenting unprepared can be experienced as an insult to your audience.
   
   
6. Customers also want to know how your business is doing. What your strategy is. Whether you earn money. How you invest in innovation. Which new solutions and services you will add. Which companies you partner with. What you do to improve your project approach and customer focus And so on. Interviewing your CEO is a great way to share these important insights.
   
   
7. No-show is the biggest enemy of your events today! We all know the arguments by now. I have experienced events where less than half of the registered people actually showed up. So you have to work to turn 'registrants' into concrete 'visitors'!

If you don't act ...

If you don't organize anything at all, there is of course a chance that your customers will sign up for your competitor's event.

Need some help?

I am available to help Dynamics 365 partners across Europe organize their best event ever. I do this as a keynote speaker, chairman and panel moderator, among other things. But also as your wise advisor in the preparation phase.

Check out what I can offer you here.

Interested? Then let's discuss how we can best approach this together.