Events—whether trade shows, webinars, networking mixers, or virtual summits—are a goldmine for connecting with new leads, nurturing warm contacts, and cementing your authority in the market. But there’s a big problem: most of that potential gets left on the table. Why? Because business owners wait until after the event to figure out what to do next.
At Katuva, we’ve seen firsthand that the most successful business owners don’t wait—they plan their follow-up before the event even begins.
Creating a follow-up plan before an event ends isn’t just smart—it’s necessary. Without it, your leads go cold, your message loses momentum, and your effort fades into background noise. A pre-event follow-up plan turns a single event into an ongoing sales pipeline.
In this article, we’ll break down why this planning needs to happen early, what effective follow-up looks like, and how you can build a plan that fits into your team’s workflow—even if you’re wearing multiple hats. You’ll walk away with actionable steps to keep your leads engaged, convert more sales, and actually get ROI from your event efforts.
Imagine you’ve had 150 conversations at a conference. You collect emails, exchange cards, and maybe book a few calls. But then you return to the office. Your inbox is overflowing. Your team is behind. Suddenly, two weeks have passed, and you haven’t followed up.
By this point, most of your leads have forgotten you. The excitement from your conversation? Gone.
The result: all that time, effort, and money spent at the event leads to fewer conversions than it could have.
There’s a psychological window after an event—usually 24 to 72 hours—when the connection is still fresh. If you follow up too late, your email can feel like a stranger knocking at their door. Pre-planned follow-up ensures you hit that window while it’s still open, without relying on post-event memory.
Don’t treat every lead the same. Before the event, define the types of people you’ll be talking to and how you’ll categorize them. For example:
Each of these should have a different follow-up track.
Katuva Tip: Set up tags in your CRM or spreadsheet in advance, and use a quick mobile form to sort contacts during the event itself.
Have your follow-up emails ready before the event. Here’s a basic 3-email sequence you can customize for each lead type:
For warm leads, stretch this sequence to 2–3 weeks with more educational content. For cold or referral contacts, drip them into your newsletter or nurture list.
One of the best uses of a virtual assistant is managing follow-up. Before the event, train your VA on:
This way, your follow-up runs on rails, and you only step in for high-value interactions.
Why “After the Event” Is Too LateLet’s be real: the week after an event is chaos. You’re catching up on missed work, debriefing your team, and trying to squeeze in rest. That’s not when you want to be crafting email copy or figuring out who was important.
Planning follow-up before ensures it happens even when life gets busy.
Momentum matters. Most buying decisions are made during peak interest. If you’re not in someone’s inbox (or DMs) while they still remember you, you’re out of sight and out of mind.
That’s why our SOPs at Katuva include short-term, medium-term, and long-term follow-up systems that kick off immediately after lead interaction.
One of our Katuva clients—a marketing consultant—went to a live mastermind with 60 attendees. He planned his follow-up two weeks before the event, had email sequences drafted, and his VA set up with a CRM tagging process.
Here’s what happened:
Compare that to his past events, where he waited until “Monday” to follow up and barely got replies. The difference? Pre-event planning.
What do you want to get out of this event?
Be clear about this, so your messaging and follow-up are aligned.
Write your emails, prep your outreach messages, and decide what assets you’ll share (free guides, case studies, booking links).
Pro tip: Create templates in your email platform (or VA’s tool) that just need light personalization.
Document the process. Who will:
Even a lean process—when clearly mapped—can outperform ad hoc outreach.
Once you’ve done this once, save everything: templates, workflows, CRM setups. This becomes your go-to playbook for future events.
Events can be powerful growth tools—but only if you follow through. Most business owners wing their follow-up and waste hard-earned opportunities.
At Katuva, we’ve seen how having a follow-up system that kicks in before the event ends changes everything. It’s the difference between leaving with a list and leaving with revenue.
Plan now, execute fast, and let your VA handle the details.
If you’re a business owner juggling sales, service, and operations, it’s time to stop doing it all yourself. Our Katuva VAs can implement your follow-up plan, track engagement, and turn event leads into paying clients—without you burning out.
