Beyond the Booth: How Simbe Turned Events into Pipeline Machines

The Front Lines

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Caitlin Allen & Lexie Sirak.

SVP of Market & Growth Marketing Manager · Simbe Robotics

Caitlin Allen is the Senior Vice President of Market at Simbe Robotics, where she leads brand, communications, and commercial strategy. With two decades of experience scaling companies from startup to $200M ARR, Caitlin has a track record of successful exits, including one IPO and two acquisitions. Her previous roles include Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, Director of Enterprise Marketing at Lyft, and Vice President of Marketing at Happy Returns (acquired by PayPal). Caitlin is also the co-founder of OPEN Imperative, an organization advocating for pay equity. She holds a Bachelor's degree in English and Spanish from UCLA and has pursued further studies at Stanford Continuing Studies. Lexie Sirak is the Growth Marketing Manager at Simbe Robotics, where she focuses on demand generation, event marketing, and account-based marketing strategies. A graduate of The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, Lexie has a background in finance and has previously held marketing roles at OpenComp. She is known for her dynamic approach to tech marketing and her passion for fostering collaboration and innovation within the industry.

Guest

Caitlin Allen & Lexie Sirak

SVP of Market & Growth Marketing Manager

Company:

Simbe Robotics

Location:

California, United States

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In this episode of The Marketing Front Lines, SVP of Market Caitlin Allen and Growth Marketing Manager Lexie Sirak from Simbe Robotics reveal how they've built a powerhouse event marketing strategy that drove 70% of the company's net new pipeline in 2024 - more than all previous years combined. They share their three-tiered approach to market development through events, creative booth strategies (including turning half their booth into a podcast studio), and practical frameworks for maximizing ROI without massive budgets.

Topics Discussed:

Building a three-tiered event strategy mapped to market development stages
Using a "crawl, walk, run" approach for resource-efficient event participation
Creating differentiated experiences that transcend traditional booth presence
Maximizing ROI through strategic pre- and post-event activation
Implementing a 10x ROI measurement model for event investments
Generating 70% of net new pipeline from event-driven strategies
Executing effective event follow-up that converts prospects into customers

Seven takeaways from this conversation.

Actionable for Retail Tech Builders founders

Think Beyond The Booth as "Anchor, Not Focal Point"
While many companies over-invest in elaborate booths, Simbe treats their booth as an anchor point, not the centerpiece of their event strategy. They think creatively about how to show up larger than their physical footprint, strategically partnering with others to secure multiple placements, and focusing event resources on creating connections rather than just aesthetics.
Approach Events Through Three Strategic Lenses
Simbe filters all event decisions through three strategic priorities: establishing market leadership in core verticals (grocery/supermarket), expanding into adjacent segments (home improvement, farm supply), and elevating their existing customer relationships. This framework prevents reactive event participation and ensures all investments align with company objectives.
Leverage Creative Partnerships to Multiply Your Presence
At major industry events like NRF, Simbe secured presence in three different booths - only one being their own - by strategically partnering with complementary companies. This allowed them to appear on the main floor without paying the premium typically required, significantly amplifying their visibility while managing costs.
Create Event-Adjacent Experiences That Match Audience Mindset
Instead of forcing traditional sales conversations in environments where executives aren't in buying mode, Simbe creates adjacent experiences matched to attendee priorities. Examples include hosting a spa day for retail executive award winners and converting half their booth into a podcast studio featuring industry thought leaders - attracting exactly the right audience without interrupting their primary reason for attending.
Transform Events into Multi-Channel Campaigns
Simbe's most successful events are treated as omnichannel campaigns spanning weeks, not days. For their NRF announcement, they created an "echo chamber" effect through podcast placements, earned media, partner amplification, and targeted outreach before the event, followed by at-event amplification and structured follow-up campaigns. This integrated approach ensures maximum impact from each event investment.
Implement "Blitz" Philosophy for Maximum Visibility
For marquee industry events, Simbe deploys a comprehensive "blitz" strategy - combining strategic pre-event announcements, VIP preview events, omnichannel activation, and coordinated on-site presence. This approach creates an impression of omnipresence that helps them compete with much larger companies who have significantly larger budgets.
Certify Every Team Member as an Event Ambassador
Simbe requires every event attendee across departments to complete an "elevator pitch certification" before representing the company at events. This ensures everyone can effectively communicate the company's value proposition, maximizing every interaction opportunity regardless of the team member's primary role.

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