Moments That Matter: The Power of Event Marketing

Published on July 20, 2026

Financial marketers and communicators gathered at Franklin Templeton's Manhattan headquarters on July 15 for Moments That Matter, a Cocktails with Communicators conversation on the power of event marketing. The panel's message was direct: the events that move the needle are built around the audience's needs first, measured well past the day itself, and never treated as a one-off moment in isolation.

>>> VIEW THE EVENT GALLERY <<<

Our panelists traced the full lifecycle of a great event: designing around what the audience actually needs rather than what the brand wants to say, choosing partners and preparing spokespeople with the same rigor as a media interview, and knowing when a third-party conference, a curated bespoke event, or a fast-turn virtual format is the right call.

AI came up as both a creative tool, from an AI co-host built for a major show stage to a CEO's AI clone reading his own earnings script, and an operational one, replacing guesswork with real engagement data. On measurement, the panel pushed past attendance counts toward event-over-event tracking and sales data pulled months after the fact, and closed on the discipline of extending a moment's value through before, during, and after content planning tied to a clear call to action.

Watch the full conversation above for the panel's specific frameworks, examples, and the event that most changed each speaker's own approach.

Special thanks to our insightful panelists:

>> JACQUELYN REARDON, Head of US and Global Strategic Marketing, Franklin Templeton
>> STEPHEN LECHNER, Creative Director, Money20/20 USA
>> TED BIRKHAHN, Managing Director, Vested
 

 

 

 

 

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