Why Hosting a Panel Might Be One of the Most Underrated Marketing Moves You Can Make

Facilitating for FSB at Felaw Maltings, Suffolk

Last week I had the absolute pleasure of hosting and facilitating a panel for the Federation of Small Businesses at Felaw Maltings, supporting East Suffolk Council.

And I’ll say it straight; I loved it.

The Panel: Real Conversations, Not Surface-Level Stuff

We pulled together a genuinely strong mix of perspectives across business:

• AI with Adam Thacker from Sustained Innovation

• Marketing and branding with Kami Robinson from Bold Creatures

• Communications with Nick Pandolfi (quick note; one of my new favourite humans)

• Business finance with Shane Julian from Brancaster House Financial Planning

And what made it work?

It wasn’t a series of mini-lectures. It was a conversation. The kind where people in the room are actually thinking: “Ah… that applies to me.”

What We Covered (And Why It Matters)

We got into:

• How AI is actually being used in real businesses right now (not just hype)

• What good marketing really looks like when you strip it back

• Why clear communication is often the thing holding businesses back

• The financial realities behind growth; not just the shiny front-end

And importantly, how all of these pieces connect.

Because most businesses don’t have a marketing problem...they have a joined-up thinking problem.

My Role: Holding the Room, Not Just Asking Questions

Hosting isn’t just reading out questions or keeping to time. It’s:

• Reading the room

• Knowing when to dig deeper

• Pulling threads together

• Making sure every voice lands clearly

And creating an environment where the panel shines, the audience stays engaged and the conversation flows naturally. That’s the difference between a “nice event”… and one people actually remember.

Why This Matters for Your Business

Events like this build:

• Visibility

• Authority

• Connection

• Opportunity

And if you’re asked to speak, host, or contribute?

Say yes.

Because being in the room; leading the conversation; positioning yourself alongside other experts…that’s powerful marketing.

A Personal Note

I’ve realised something doing more of these: I really enjoy hosting.

The energy, the conversation, the ability to bring people together and make something click in the room…It’s a different kind of work, and it’s one I want to do more of.

Want Me to Host or Speak at Your Event?

If you’re:

• planning a panel

• running a business event

• looking for a speaker or facilitator

And you want something that feels natural, engaging and actually useful (not just surface-level). Then let’s talk.

Email me to discuss your event at hi@rechendadoesmarketing.co.uk