For 10 years, EM has been championing b-to-b all-stars, delving into their career journeys, portfolios, best practices and industry forecasts. Meet this year’s crew: The 2026 B-to-B Dream Team.
Pam Corcoran, VP-Global Events, CrowdStrike
The cybersecurity space demands precision, but for Pam Corcoran, the real differentiator is connection. As vp of global events at CrowdStrike, she believes the bar for modern event programs isn’t just execution. It’s creating a sense of belonging powerful enough to drive business outcomes.
Corcoran is that rare breed of event marketer whose career in the industry took off early, beginning with experience planning trade shows in the publishing space. “I had never attended a trade show before, and didn’t even know this world existed. And I loved it,” she says.
After extensive networking to learn more about a career pathway into trade shows and events, she landed a job at an agency where she planned nine conferences in two years. She eventually shifted to brand-side roles, which included 11 years at Dell before arriving at CrowdStrike four years ago. She has spent her career at the intersection of brand experience and growth, always in b-to-b, and producing everything from incentives and seminars to flagship conferences and executive programs.
And growth is her focus right now. Corcoran leads teams that produce the company’s internal, third-party and tier-one events, from SKOs to global field activations to its flagship user conference, Fal.Con. The portfolio is growing fast. Under her leadership, Fal.Con is scaling rapidly, growing from 2,000 attendees in 2022 to more than 6,000 in 2024, with 10,000 projected for 2026. “We’ve shifted the focus away from just producing events to designing experiences,” Corcoran says.
That shift shows up across the program: a more strategic sponsorship structure, curated VIP experiences to attract and engage executive audiences, and an immersive environment that invites attendees to actively participate in the product story.
Corcoran attributes much of that success to a focus on community-building and personalization. AI tools are helping her teams scale that personalization, ensuring attendees are connecting with the right content, the right people and the right experiences on-site. The team also extends the experience beyond the core agenda, offering what they refer to as “pre-gaming” for attendees, with welcome receptions, pre-conference programming and dedicated spaces to connect before doors officially open.
“Every year that growth gets bigger, so we have to be intentional about how we build community from the start,” she says. From pre-event programming and early-access networking to on-site environments built for collaboration, her team designs every touchpoint to foster connection long before the official start, and long after the event ends.
“Community doesn’t start when doors open,” she says. “It starts the moment someone decides to attend.”
Corcoran ensures that it’s not only customers who see the value in the brand’s live events, but internal teams across the organization, as well. Her team partners closely with a highly engaged sales organization on enablement, hosting “rep prep” sessions focused on how to maximize every customer interaction on-site. Post-event, the emphasis shifts to the follow-up, “where the value is really created,” she says.
Data also plays a key role in demonstrating impact, from pipeline generation to customer expansion. But just as important is internal alignment, with stakeholders across the business invested in the success of the program. “You feel the energy when everyone’s there,” she says. “We know we’ve done our job well when attendees say, ‘I’m so glad to be part of this ecosystem.’”
Featured photo: Courtesy of CrowdStrike
