Make It Memorable - Shared Moments Beat Swag in MSP Event Marketing

How Evergreen Wins at Pax8 Beyond with Memorable MSP Marketing

Turning conversations into connections—and connections into community.

By Carrie Richardson

“Make a memory. That to me is always key.” — Craig Fulton, M&A Advisor at Evergreen Services Group

There’s a reason most post-event follow-ups get ignored. It’s not because the product wasn’t interesting or the booth wasn’t well-designed. It’s because the experience was forgettable. When the event badge comes off and the emails pile back in, what really sticks isn’t the branded tumbler or the well-lit headshot—it’s the memory. That moment of laughter, honesty, surprise, connection.

That’s what Craig Fulton chases—and what he thinks every sponsor should aim to create.

Craig isn’t your typical dealmaker. He’s an M&A advisor at Evergreen Services Group who shows up to conferences like Pax8 Beyond with a fishing rod and a plan to make friends, not just contacts. We caught up ahead of Pax8 Beyond, where his approach to MSP event marketing is less “check the boxes” and more “change the game.”

You’re Not Just Attending—You’re Hosting a Moment

“I rented a Porsche once because I knew someone who always wanted to drive one. We still talk about it.”

That story stuck with me. Not because it involved a fancy car, but because of the thoughtfulness behind it. The best event interactions aren’t transactional—they’re personal. That drive wasn’t about a sale. It was about connection. That’s the kind of interaction that gets remembered, talked about, and followed up on—not out of obligation, but because it meant something.

Craig doesn’t wait for connection to happen organically. He plans for it. Whether it’s a pre-event fly fishing outing or trying to bring a mariachi band into the expo foyer (yes, really), he’s thinking about what’s going to make someone light up—and then taking the extra step to make it happen.

You Need a Plan—But Make Room for Serendipity

“Look at the agenda. But don’t cram your schedule. Give yourself time to actually be present.”

Craig’s been to enough events to know that the best conversations usually don’t happen during sessions. They happen in between—in hallways, foyers, lounges, and fire pits. But you don’t find those moments if you’re sprinting from panel to panel with no time to breathe.

You also don’t find them if you go in with no plan at all. Craig’s advice is simple: carve out the sessions you’re truly excited about, the ones that align with your goals, and protect that time. Then leave space for everything else—the unplanned, the spontaneous, the late-night roundtable that turns into something real.

I’ve come to call this the “structured improv” of MSP event marketing. Know what you need, but stay open to what you didn’t expect.

Forget Booth Numbers. Find People.

“I stay off the interstate. I start a conversation with a stranger every day.”

That’s Craig’s mantra from road tripping with his kids, and it works just as well at a conference. Most of us default to talking to people we already know—or waiting for someone to make the first move. But some of the best insights, collaborations, and friendships come from the first awkward “Hey, where are you from?”

At events like Pax8 Beyond, where the energy is high and the crowd is wide-ranging, there’s always a pocket of people just looking for a reason to connect. The invitation doesn’t have to be grand. It just has to be off the beaten path.

Craig’s strategy? Find the gathering spots with the best vibe—the foyer, the patios, the bar with the good bourbon—and let conversations unfold. “People gather around down there,” he said, describing the fire pits at Gaylord Rockies. “And that’s where the good stuff happens.”

Sponsors: Your Job Isn’t to Impress—It’s to Create

“Make memories for people. Go off-road. Do something different.”

This should be printed on every sponsor packet. It’s easy to fall into the trap of doing what’s expected: rent the booth, host the happy hour, give out the branded notebooks. But that’s just checking boxes. And no one remembers who had the best pens.

Instead, think about what your audience wouldn’t expect. A quiet coffee hour before sessions start. A bourbon tasting in a suite. A group walk at sunrise. You don’t need to blow your budget—you just need to care enough to create something worth talking about.

And yes, sometimes it’s over the top. Like Craig trying to hire a mariachi band to follow people around who weren’t smiling. “We were at dinner, the band played seven songs, and I said: can you come to the conference tomorrow?”

That band didn’t end up getting past hotel security, but the story lives on. That’s the power of doing something just a little weird, a little delightful, and totally human.

The Real Conversations Happen When the Schedule Ends

“Evenings are when the good conversations happen. That’s when people drop their guard.”

I used to think that if someone didn’t want to talk business by 8 p.m., they weren’t that interested. Now, I know better. After-hours is when people stop performing and start being real. It’s when they tell you they’re worried about making payroll. Or that they’re burned out. Or that they’re thinking of selling.

That kind of conversation doesn't happen on the expo floor. It happens on patios. Over cigars. Around a fire.

We’ve started hosting informal evening hangouts at the events we sponsor—not to pitch, but to talk. To listen. We don’t ask for anything. But the trust built there is what carries us into the months and years that follow.

Final Word: Make the Most of It, or Don’t Bother Going

“This whole industry is built on trust. Take advantage of that when you're at these events.”

Whether you’re a founder, a marketer, or a sponsor, events like Pax8 Beyond are rare chances to build something that doesn’t fit on a spreadsheet. Don’t waste it. Don’t let your time there be just another blurry conference in a crowded season.

Plan just enough to have a direction. Then look for the detours. Make a memory. Tell a story. Be the reason someone says, “That was the best part of the conference.”

If you don’t know where to start? Come find me. Or find Craig. Or follow the sound of the mariachi band. Either way, we’ll help you get off the interstate.