How to run a successful customer advisory board (CAB) event

This article is based on a presentation given by Crystal at our Customer Marketing Summit in Las Vegas, in May 2023.

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Have you ever rushed to pull together a customer advisory board event, only to have it flop? Been there, done that! No customer marketer wants that. Instead, we should be providing customer experiences that give them something to talk about!

In my career, I've planned, hosted, and followed up on countless in-person, and virtual, customer advisory board (CAB) events... but I wish I'd had a clear, easy-to-follow playbook to ensure my CAB is impactful and runs like clockwork.

I've not got to where I am today without a few missteps along the way. That's life! But what I have learned is how to create memorable, impactful CAB experiences that my customers simply couldn't stop raving about.

In this article, I want to share some of my bets practices for planning, executing, and following up on customer advisory boards. Giving you my best advice on everything from securing buy-in and choosing locations to crafting agendas and follow-ups that drive major outcomes.

Are you ready to become a CAB pro? Great, then let's dive in! 👇

Why customer advisory board events are valuable investments

I won't pretend that planning CAB events is easy. It takes many months of preparation, late nights and weekends, and a heck of a lot of coffee!

But the effort pays off in terms of deeper customer connections and insights that directly inform our strategy. Here are a few of the key benefits we see:

Validating plans and priorities

Nothing beats getting candid feedback directly from customers on what's working – and what's not. We shape our roadmap around our customer needs and pain points.

Increasing executive face-time

I'll never forget the shock I felt reading a Harvard Business Review study finding only 3-10% of CEOs regularly engage with customers. Pretty shocking, right? Our customer advisory board events aim to help close that gap.

When customers get 1:1 time with our executives, it makes them feel valued. Plus, it helps our leaders make better decisions based directly on customer perspectives always at. This kind of thinking is how we strive to maintain a customer-centric culture in our org.

Strengthening relationships

One of my favorite customer advisory board moments was seeing two of our top customers, Princess Cruise Lines and Sleep Number, hit it off and explore the opportunity for a potential partnership on onboard amenities.

That never would’ve happened without our CAB bringing them together!

This strengthening of relationships is crucial because you're building advocates and about 80% of your advocates will then increase their opportunities with you, whether that's an upsell or renewal.

Reducing churn

We also use our CABs to get ahead of potential churn risks. Feedback might reveal a customer success gap we weren't aware of, and so, by being proactive, we've saved accounts that otherwise might have left.

Clearly, CAB events deliver tremendous strategic value. But you have to lay the proper groundwork. Let me walk you through it.

Crafting a customer advisory board strategy that drives impact

You might be tempted to jump straight into date-picking and swag-ordering. But slow down! Building the right CAB strategy is absolutely essential. Here are some of the key elements our team makes sure to address:

Getting cross-department buy-in

I make sure to sit down early with sales, customer success, product marketing, and our CEO to understand their goals for the CAB. Where can it make the biggest difference?

Getting their input and aligning your objectives upfront prevents conflicts down the road.

Setting your budget

First off, you need to decide the type of CAB you want to host: virtual or in-person.

Then, figure out what types of activities or collateral you want. Deciding on these mediums first helps understand what budget is required. I typically map out costs early on and get approvals before going too far down the planning road.

You don't want to have to pull the plug on your CAB meeting in NYC because your Chief Financial Officer hasn't signed off on your event.

@cm_alliance launching a CAB event? Slow down before you start ordering your swag! This is what you should focus on first. ☝️ #MarketingConference #MarketingTok #BizTok #MarketingData #Marketing ##FYP #ForYouPage #CAB #CustomerAdvisor #CustomerEvent #EventMarketing #EventPlanning #B2BEvents ♬ original sound - Customer Marketing Alliance

Defining guidelines

What I've found helpful is to create a guidebook for your CABs that covers things like:

Target outcomes
Criteria for selecting members
Logistics methodology
Guiding principles

It's a great reference as we build agendas and recruit advisors.

Building your timeline

CAB planning is not for the faint of heart! I tend to try to start six to nine months out. Key milestones include:

Recruiting
Nominating members
Sending invites
Completing prep work

💡

Word to the wise: Make sure to move fast on the logistics that vendors require - things like securing venues and room blocks

Picking your CAB location strategically

Try to think ahead to really maximize the impact – both professionally and personally – of your CAB. For instance, there was this one time I hosted a CAB in Savannah and I made sure it aligned with the Savannah Jazz Festival that was coming up.

This foresight meant we were able to give attendees something fun to do together after hours, on top of our agenda.

💡

Life hack: Always, always, always have a Plan B location, or a back-up virtual option. I've had to make last-minute changes before that were pretty hairy in the moment, so make sure you’re able to pivot and adapt quickly!

Okay, now you've got your strategy set, let's talk about elevating the experience.

Best practices for planning a customer advisory board event

You've put in the work to craft a solid CAB strategy and agenda. Time to focus on the details that take your event from good to extraordinary.

Here are some of my top tips:

1. Curation of your guest list

I like to keep a running list of potential members all year and our account managers and CSMs nominate engaged, outspoken customers continuously.By always having a fresh roster of candidates, I don't have to scramble when planning season hits.

2. Creative, personalized invitations

Formal invites, I love this one, it's very hands-on on so you can be creative with it! We like to do "save the dates," direct mail packages, and we also like to put in swag that fits the theme.

So for an event in Austin, we put a speaker in there, since Austin is all about the music, and we put earplugs in from one of our customers, Loop earplugs. We like to showcase brands that we work with, just to further emphasize the value of our customers to us.

We also get our executives to make personal outreach calls to top prospects. It makes a huge difference when the CMO calls them directly!

3. A customer-focused agenda

We interview attendees in advance to understand their priorities and build the agenda around them, so they understand the value they’ll be getting by attending the event.

We ask them what they want to learn about to ensure the agenda is customer-focused and so at least 80% of content ends up coming from customers, not our internal team.

3. Facilitation that fosters engagement

There’s a huge variety of facilitation techniques, ranging from breakout sessions to talks by external thought leaders, so you should make sure these choices are also customer-focused.

Sessions should be engaging and interactive, where customers can solve problems together and outside perspectives are provided.

3. A balanced mix of attendees

I'm careful to limit internal staff and keep our employee-to-customer ratio around 20/80, you never want too many cooks in the kitchen! After all, we're all there to learn from the customers' wisdom, not our own.

Okay, now you've got your plans and preparation in place. Here's how to flawlessly execute the big day.

Best practices for hosting a customer advisory board event

After months of planning, it's finally CAB time! Here are some tactics I use to take our events to the next level:

The "concierge" welcome experience

If you don't have a dedicated travel agency, I would highly suggest creating a custom travel itinerary that includes the hotel and flights. I also like to put the weather in there too; it’s the simple touches that matter the most.

I make sure to also confirm what networking events they're going to be at, their dietary restrictions, and even their T-shirt size, and when you send that out customers are always so thankful.

Icebreaker opportunities

I always organize a casual pre-event dinner or happy hour before things begin. Guests start connecting right away and they're much more comfortable collaborating the next day.

Ongoing ways to socialize

Add on activities. This could be anything from yoga in the morning or a run depending on how active your customers are!

Another popular one is professional headshots. A lot of the executives I've found have out-of-date headshots because they just don't have time to take it. So have a photographer there and let them get hands-on!

Dedicated handlers

I assign each guest a "handler" who helps personalize their experience, answers questions, and introduces them around, making profile sheets to push strategic conversations.

The real work takes place after the CAB wraps up though - follow-up is crucial!

Post customer advisory board event: Follow up

After an amazing CAB experience, you have fresh momentum with engaged customers. Capture it through strategic follow-up:

Thank you notes: Right after the event, send quick appreciation emails. Handwritten notes delivered to their hotel rooms also go the extra mile.
Document your learnings: Within a week, I send recaps highlighting key takeaways, feedback, and ideas. These then guide our plans moving forward.
Map product improvements: I catalog feedback on where we should improve or enhance our products and share it with our development team, s we can create concrete roadmaps.
Report back to CAB members: A few months later, I host a webinar just for our CAB members where I recap insights gained and walk through action plans they directly influenced.

Key takeaways

After executing countless customer advisory boards, I've learned more than a few lessons about what works. Here are my top three tips:

Listen and learn from customers: CAB feedback is a gift. Use it to validate plans and meet customer needs better.
Forge trusted partnerships: Building relationships should be the priority. Revenue will follow.
Stay nimble: Expect that plans will change. Be ready to adapt quickly and creatively.

The bottom line is commitment. When you invest wholeheartedly in your customer advisory board, it will pay dividends for your business and customer relationships.

Become certified in customer advisory boards

Is the idea of setting up a CAB a little overwhelming? How do you begin? Which customers would be a good fit? How will the meetings run? What’s your overall aim?

Beginning any project can come with a lot of questions, especially if involves working closely with your customers. Customer Advisory Board Masters course offers you the tools and resources you need, all in one place.

✅ Produce an awesome Customer Advisory Board.

✅ Get key customer insights.

✅ Enhance your product

✅ Keep consumers happy

✅ Boost your revenue.

Get CAB certified

A playbook for running customer advisory board (CAB) events

Crystal Anderson