Unlocking the Untapped Power of Attendee Advocacy with InGo CEO, Michael Barnett

In this insightful conversation, Heather Holst-Knudsen sits down with Michael Barnett, CEO of InGo, and a leading expert in digital transformation and data-driven business strategies to explore the systems, processes, and leadership approaches that drive predictable revenue growth in complex B2B environments.

Michael shares practical strategies for building revenue operating plans, aligning critical roles, and using data to uncover opportunities and measure impact—while also highlighting the cultural and leadership shifts needed to make revenue processes stick.

Why Listen

This episode is essential listening for revenue leaders, executives, and operators who are:

• Turning revenue into a repeatable, scalable process
• Aligning teams and roles around data-driven growth
• Optimizing KPIs for measurable business impact
• Leading organizations through operational and cultural change

 If your goal is to transform uncertainty into a steady growth trajectory, this conversation delivers actionable strategies for the year ahead. 

About RevvedUP 2026
RevvedUP 2026 is where CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders reset their growth playbook for the AI-first economy. Taking place March 23–24, 2026 at The Vinoy Resort in St. Petersburg, FL, this two-day strategy lab helps leaders pressure-test how AI moves from cost center to growth driver and turn data and disruption into competitive advantage.

About Heather Holst-Knudsen
Heather Holst-Knudsen is the founder and CEO of H2K Labs and Revenue Room™ Connect. A seasoned executive and operator across media, marketplaces, events, and technology, she specializes in digital transformation, data-driven growth, and customer-centric value creation. Heather shares her insights on multisided business models through The Revenue Room™.

About Revenue Room™ CXO
Revenue Room™ CXO is a private executive community for CEOs and revenue-critical C-Suite leaders navigating growth in the data and AI economy. Through curated peer discussions and strategy sprints, members tackle real-world challenges in revenue transformation, customer intelligence, and business model innovation.

Learn more or apply for membership at info.h2klabs.com/apply-cxo.

Transcript

The Revenue Room Podcast™ – Michael Barnett 

[00:00:00] Introduction
Heather Holst-Knudsen welcomes Michael Barnett, founder and CEO of Ingo. Michael shares his experience growing major events like TED, Money 2020, Atlassian Teams, and Workday, emphasizing attendee advocacy as a key driver for referrals and engagement.

[00:02:00] Michael’s Entry into Events
Michael discusses how his stepdad’s work in hotels and Madison Square Garden exposed him to event operations. He describes events as “building a small city in six days,” highlighting the complexity behind organizing them.

[00:04:00] Event Security & Risk Management
Heather and Michael note the importance of anticipating risks and implementing robust security plans, including high-profile events with valuable assets requiring expert protection.

[00:05:30] Events as Platforms for Young Companies
Michael explains that events help emerging companies build trust and relationships. Heather adds that events provide product feedback, customer engagement, and opportunities that digital-only marketplaces cannot. She shares an example of a venture fund for media and events that allows startups to leverage marketing spend for equity.

[00:10:00] Attendee Advocacy & Ingo’s Role
Heather and Michael discuss how turning attendees into advocates maximizes event reach. Michael highlights that most events underutilize attendee networks, and referral marketing can significantly expand connections.

[00:12:00] Community & Network Effects
Events can activate the network effect, amplifying community engagement. Michael introduces StoryCraft Labs’ “experience profiles” that categorize attendees (e.g., creator, visionary) to enhance engagement and sponsor targeting.

[00:15:00] Referral Conversion Metrics
Michael notes that traditional events see only 1–5% of attendees referring others. Ingo can increase this to 30–50%, resulting in higher event reach and engagement. Personalized experiences and sponsor activations further boost advocacy.

[00:16:00] Event ROI & Attendee Value
Heather and Michael explain calculating attendee value, considering ticket revenue plus sponsor and exhibitor contributions. Referral marketing reduces customer acquisition costs and delivers higher-quality, connected leads.

[00:22:00] Event Marketing Challenges & Burnout
They discuss the stress and tight deadlines event marketers face and the need for better tools to optimize referral marketing and measure success.

[00:23:00] How Ingo Works
Michael breaks down Ingo into three steps: activation, motivation, and optimization:

• Activation: Making it easy for attendees to share events (e.g., personalized emails).
• Motivation: Incentives, leaderboards, and easy sharing increase engagement.
• Optimization: Ensuring posts render correctly on LinkedIn, X, Facebook, and TikTok, including discount codes to drive conversions.

[00:27:00] Best Practices for Referral Marketing
Heather adds practical tips:

• Embed referral prompts at multiple touchpoints.
• Comment on attendee posts to amplify reach.
• Offer incentives for both referrers and referees.

Michael highlights VIP experiences and exclusive event areas as motivators for advocacy.

[00:30:00] Human Behavior & Community
Both emphasize the tribal nature of humans—people want to belong. Sharing from peers creates FOMO, motivating attendance and advocacy.

[00:31:00] Event Technology Stack
Heather outlines four tech areas: attendee-facing, sponsor-facing, on-show-floor, and content/speaker management. Michael estimates that large events use at least 30 meaningful tech tools, including CRM, marketing platforms, Ingo for referral marketing, mobile apps, registration platforms, and AI-powered matchmaking.

[00:33:00] Key Takeaways
Events are central to building communities, trust, and customer acquisition. Leveraging attendee advocacy and technology enhances ROI, engagement, and long-term relationships for both companies and participants.