Live events are now integral to many financial services marketing strategies. They attract clients, employees, partners, and the media, building and supporting relationships in a way that would be difficult to replicate in any other scenario, making them worth significant investment. Yet for all the money that goes into events, most companies are failing to fully leverage their marketing potential.
Unlocking the hidden content of events
Events are one of the rare environments where financial brands feel accessible and genuine. They provide a break from the carefully staged headshots, polished campaign visuals, and tightly worded corporate messaging, allowing people to see behind the veneer of perfection and access the humans who actually make the business tick. Attendees see teams interacting in real time. They observe how senior leaders respond to unscripted questions. And this allows them to develop a sense of culture: who speaks, who listens, who collaborates. There’s energy, nuance, and authenticity, showing people what the organisation is actually like, not just what it claims to be. And that’s invaluable. But that value doesn’t have to be limited to the venue experience.
While all the focus and investment go into maximising the in-room experience, little thought is given to using that for further marketing. Any content captured happens as an afterthought and used almost off-handedly in newsletters and social reels. There’s no planning, no strategy. But if properly captured, those moments could fuel months of marketing, generating a bank of credible material that can be used to showcase your business at its best. Candid leadership exchanges, sharp soundbites, client reactions, behind-the-scenes teamwork. Anything and everything that can actively humanise the brand while reinforcing company expertise.
Reporting vs. creating event content
Documentation is the closest most financial services firms get to event content creation. It’s reactive, responding to what’s happening, and summarising afterwards. And the later uses are limited. True content creation requires forethought. It looks at branding, messaging, and aims. It works with intentionality, finding opportunities within the event schedule to capture key moments – not by chance, but through careful premeditation. The moments are authentic, but they’re never missed because the photographers and videographers knew they were probably going to happen, so were in place and waiting, ready to capture the moments that reinforce the company’s ethos.
When that happens, an event ceases to be an isolated resource. It becomes a mine for interviews, insights, quotes, candid photography, and marketing shots. A pipeline of material that can be repurposed across channels for months to come. And yet most businesses just throw away that potential.
Capturing credibility
All sectors care about credibility, but in financial services, it matters more. Years of upsets and scandals have eroded public trust, making audiences wary. And the glossy façade presented in adverts and brochures does little to help that. Even something as fundamental as corporate headshots often feels impersonal — generic, overly polished studio shots that could belong to any firm. What’s needed now is more of a human touch; something that makes the brand feel more accessible. Events provide that. But only to the people who attend. And for most companies, that will only be a fraction of their target.
When you capture those moments of engagement, confidence, inclusivity, and trust, you spread that sense of credibility and authenticity far beyond the venue.
Building consistency globally
For international companies, the challenge of bringing a human face to a business increases. Not just because of the scope of the business, but because it’s difficult to maintain consistency. Events are used for the same purposes across regions, but each territory has its own market dynamics and marketing teams. So, one office may produce high-quality video interviews and polished photography. Another may rely on smartphone snapshots and last-minute posts. A third might do nothing at all. The outcome is uneven visibility and poor brand coherence. This fragmentation extends to everything from corporate headshots and team photography to event coverage and client-facing materials. Which can be tackled with a comprehensive brand marketing strategy.
When you align marketing and events right at the start of the planning cycle, you can establish clear visual and editorial guidelines that can be applied globally, while still allowing local colour. That’s where partnering with trusted production specialists can be beneficial. The aim isn’t strict uniformity – for events in Singapore to look identical to those in London or New York would feel staged and unnatural. But they should feel connected.
Financial services companies are already committing significant resources to live experiences. What’s missing is integration. When event strategy and content strategy operate in silos, the potential value of both leaks away. When they’re aligned, each event becomes a well of opportunity that can reach well beyond the actual event. And for an industry that continues to struggle with questions of trust and authenticity, anything that can instill those qualities should be grasped at.
Serge Bejjani is co-founder and CEO of Shootday, delivering global photography and video production for businesses across 150+ cities.
