Most B2B companies struggle to engage decision-makers in a meaningful way. Standard webinars often feel one-sided, and ordinary online meetings lack depth, leaving participants disengaged and opportunities missed.  

Without the right format, you risk wasting time and budget on events that don’t convert - you also miss discovering hidden risks, exchanging valuable insights and building strong peer relationships. What’s even worse is that your competitors might be the ones creating meaningful conversations and converting leads, while you're losing revenue.  

This blog post will explain everything you need to know about planning and hosting a successful virtual roundtable for your B2B organisation. Learn how to choose the right format, grow your pipeline, and maximise your post-event ROI.

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Why Virtual Roundtables Matter for B2B  

Reaching senior decision-makers is one of the biggest challenges in B2B marketing. Virtual roundtables solve this by creating small, focused environments where meaningful discussions can happen naturally.  

Let’s discuss in depth why virtual roundtables matter.  

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Relationship Building with Senior Decision-Makers  

Senior executives are always looking for opportunities to discuss business challenges with peers and find solutions, given that around 84% of them base their purchasing decisions on peer recommendations.  

Virtual roundtables are inherently interactive, encouraging open dialogue that leads to valuable collaborations, partnerships, and referral opportunities. This problem-solving approach creates strong relationships that traditional marketing can’t.  

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Positioning Your Brand as an Authority  

When you host these events, you position your brand as a thought leader.  

Demonstrate your expertise in the industry by:  

• Leading discussions on interesting topics.  

• Addressing main pain points.  

• Sharing valuable insights backed by real-world examples.  

Now that you’ve hosted a successful virtual roundtable, use post-event content to establish your position as a trusted advisor further. This content reaches clients through social media distribution to maximise ROI.  

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📖 Useful read: Virtual Event Ideas

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Generating High-Quality Leads

73% of B2B marketers say that virtual events are the best way to generate high-quality leads.  

Structure AI, as an example, converted 40% of virtual roundtable participants into qualified leads.  

This high conversion rate comes from pre-qualified interactions - meaning they filtered and matched their audience to their ICP before the event.  

Tip: Use these events to improve TOFU marketing activities.

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Planning Virtual Roundtable Discussions  

Effective planning is the foundation of valuable discussions and strong connections. In this section, we’ll cover the essential planning elements that will set your virtual roundtable up for success.  

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Define Your Target Audience  

We’ve talked throughout this post about how important it is to have the right people at your virtual event. Your audience and roundtable goals should drive every event decision.

Four aspects to look at when defining your audience:  

• Needs: Your discussion topics should cover solutions your audience actively seeks.

• Decision-making power: Target individuals who can sign deals and influence changes and decisions.  

• Urgency: Identify those who require immediate solutions to ongoing challenges.  

• Budget: Find participants who have resources to act on what they learn.  

Larger groups can drown out good ideas, while smaller ones might let one person dominate the conversation. Invite a group of 6-10 relevant people to make your virtual roundtable go smoothly. This gives you the chance to gain diverse points of view while everyone else gets the opportunity to speak up.

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Set Measurable Goals & KPIs

57% of B2B marketers host 50+ virtual events annually. They manage this by setting goals and measuring KPIs.  

Your virtual planning strategy needs clear goals to guide planning and execution. Start with specific and measurable objectives that line up with your organisation’s wider business aims.  

Ask yourself:  

• What do you want your roundtable to achieve?  

• How will it benefit your organisation?  

• What does success look like after the event?  

Clear goals also help you identify the right metrics to track. Brand awareness objectives require tracking of registrations, registration-to-attendance ratios, drop-off rates, and session views.  

Your KPIs should measure goal achievement and explain future event decisions.  

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📖 Useful read: Virtual Event Marketing Strategies for Modern B2B

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Choose a Compelling Discussion Theme  

Your topic determines if you’ll have a lively, engaging discussion or a scattered conversation. Your selected topics should be detailed enough to encourage deep conversations from multiple angles.  

Pick a theme that serves your business objectives by asking:  

• What specific issue needs to be addressed?  

• Does this matter today?  

• Can organisations add valuable insights?  

• Does this deserve everyone’s time?  

The biggest problem needs substantial industry impact. Start with a broad theme, then refine specific points as you work with confirmed participants before the event. Preparation ensures the conversation stays valuable and relevant.  

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Selecting the Right Platform & Team  

In this section, we’ll discuss platforms you can use for your virtual roundtable event and people you should hire to help your event succeed.  

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Virtual Roundtable Platforms  

Your choice of technology directly shapes how participants experience the event. Instead of going with simple video conference tools, consider platforms built specifically for virtual roundtables that give you:  

• Studio-grade video production capabilities.  

• Engagement tools, including polls and chat features.  

• Integration with your CRM and marketing automation systems.  

• Compatibility with various operating systems.  

• User-friendly interface with minimal technical knowledge.  

Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or GoToMeeting might be enough for simpler roundtable discussions; however, as your roundtables become more complex, review platforms based on your specific needs, including your budget, audience size, and the importance of networking.  

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Assign a Moderator & Support Team  

A skilled moderator guides conversations confidently and makes sure everyone gets their fair share of input.  

Industry reputation helps but knowing how to read the digital room and driving conversations is key. Moderators should research each participant’s background before the event to help make relevant connections during talks.  

Your support team needs clear roles too:  

• Host/technical lead to manage platform functionality.

• Co-host as backup for technical issues.

• Stage manager to coordinate speakers and timing.

• Chat monitor to address questions and provide technical support.

This support structure allows your moderator to focus on guiding the event without getting caught up in technical details or administrative tasks.

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Running the Virtual Roundtable Event

The event day needs careful orchestration to create meaningful experiences for everyone.

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Prepare a Flexible Agenda  

Start your presentation with an engaging introduction that sets the tone and restates the panel’s title and topic. The first few minutes should focus on welcoming the audience, introducing speakers and their expertise, and setting ground rules.  

Your agenda should flow like a story: set the scene, present challenges, explore solutions and wrap it up on an inspiring note.  

The ideal length ranges between 30-60 minutes. This is to ensure participants remain engaged, as longer sessions can lead to disinterest.  

Tip: Share this agenda with all participants before the event so they can be prepared.  

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Test Tech & Run Dry Rehearsals  

Technical problems can disrupt even the most carefully planned discussions. A detailed equipment and software test before your live event helps avoid unexpected issues. This rehearsal helps your team and participants become familiar with the platform's features.

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📖 You might also like this: Webinar Best Practices: A B2B Marketer’s Blueprint

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Encourage equal participation

The moderator you choose should guide a balanced discussion but should speak the least. Their main goal should be to ensure everyone gets a chance to contribute, which prevents more vocal participants from dominating.

Keep everyone engaged through:

• Pre-event polling to understand participant expectations.

• In-event polling for interactive feedback.

• Strategic Q&A sessions at natural discussion breaks.

Set clear participation guidelines from the start. The moderator should handle dominant speakers by acknowledging their input and redirecting with phrases like "Thank you for sharing. What do others think about this?".  

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Post-Event Strategy and ROI

Your most valuable work begins right after the virtual roundtable ends - turning what you've learned into business results.

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Collect Feedback & Insights  

Quick post-event surveys are most effective when participants still recall everything clearly. Research shows this approach leads to better responses. Your email invitation should include the first survey question - a strategy that can increase completion rates by 22%.

Tip: Mix yes/no questions with open ones, such as "What suggestions do you have to improve future virtual events?" This combination gives you deeper insights.

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Repurpose Content for Marketing

Your roundtable recording can become several content pieces that expand your reach. The recording can turn into blog posts from transcripts, short video clips for social media, and lead magnets from key takeaways.  

This strategy enhances visibility, improves SEO, and generates new leads long after your event.  

📈 89% of B2B marketers say that video marketing brings strong ROI.  

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Track Engagement & Lead Outcomes  

74% of B2B event planners see positive ROI only after six months. Monitor key metrics, such as resource downloads, replay views, and completed feedback forms, to measure ongoing interest.  

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Conclusion  

Virtual roundtable events can be a powerful tool for B2B companies to connect with decision-makers. They help you build trust, generate high-quality leads, and establish authority without pushing sales.  

Success depends on careful preparation: selecting the right audience, setting clear goals, choosing engaging topics, and employing skilled moderators. When executed correctly, these events create meaningful conversations that deliver lasting business value.  

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MyOutreach’s Virtual Roundtable Events  

At MyOutreach, we help B2B SaaS companies plan and execute virtual roundtable events that drive positive business results. We help with strategy, audience selection, skilled moderators, and post-event follow-ups.

Our team ensures your roundtables generate high-quality leads, build strong business connections, and position your brand as an industry authority.  

Want to learn more about our services? Let’s chat!

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FAQs  

Q1. What are the key benefits of hosting a virtual roundtable for B2B companies?  

Virtual roundtables offer B2B companies the opportunity to build relationships with decision-makers, position their brand as a thought leader, and generate high-quality leads. They create an intimate environment for meaningful discussions on industry challenges, building genuine connections and potential business opportunities.

Q2. How many participants should be invited to a virtual roundtable?

The ideal number of participants for a virtual roundtable is between 6 and 10.  

Q3. What role does a moderator play in a virtual roundtable?

A skilled moderator is needed to guide the conversation, ensure equal participation, and keep the discussion on track. They should have excellent facilitation skills, topic knowledge, and the ability to read the digital room to manage conversation flow effectively.

Q4. How can I measure the success of my virtual roundtable?

Success can be measured through different metrics, which include: participant feedback; content engagement (such as resource downloads and session replay views); and long-term lead outcomes. Positive ROI may take up to six months to become apparent.

Q5. What should I do after the virtual roundtable ends?  

Post-event activities are important for maximising the roundtable's impact. Collect feedback from participants, repurpose the content into multiple marketing assets such as blog posts and social media clips, and track ongoing engagement metrics to evaluate the event's long-term success and ROI.

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