Thursday night’s Digital Sport London event ‘Finding the Value in Influencer Marketing’ was a roaring success. Thanks to everyone who came out, to everyone who engaged with the event on social media and to thanks to the panel of experts and industry names who came to speak at the event and impart their wisdom.

It was an insightful night in the company of Niall Coen, founder and CEO of Snack Media, Gareth Griffiths, Head of Sponsorship, O2, Richard Gillis, Managing Partner, Cake, and Seb Carmichael-Brown, Commercial Director, Hashtag United.

We learned plenty from the night, but here are five things in particular we learned from #DSLondon’s September event.

Trust is the buzzword of the night

"You've got fake news practiced by bad actors, and trust in influencers is the same thing" – @RichardGillis1 on why integrity is so important for influencer marketing #DSLondon

— Digital Sport (@DigitalSportUK) September 13, 2018

We all know it. We all probably don’t want to be reminded of it. But the trust issue isn’t something we can just sweep under the carpet. Trust is vital in any industry, but when it comes to influencer marketing, that gets knocked up a notch. Without trust, there are no ‘influencers’ at all.

Trust works in another way too

"The job of marketing is to grow and protect a brand" passing that off to somebody else – an influencer – is dangerous@RichardGillis1 #DSLondon

— Digital Sport (@DigitalSportUK) September 13, 2018

It’s not just trust between audience and influencers that’s so important, the trust between them and the brands who work with them is also paramount.

Putting your brand in the hands of influencers is a risk, but the rewards can be great if you partner with the right ones.

YouTube influencer boxing has had a great effect

"A really top PPV fight will get 700-800k buys – influencer boxing is hitting those numbers" – @GarethWG

"It's got a whole generation of kids getting into boxing and getting fit – that is so inspirational" – @sebcbrown4 #DSLondon

— Digital Sport (@DigitalSportUK) September 13, 2018

Influencer boxing has been a much discussed topic, but it’s also been a force for good – getting a younger generation not just into boxing, but fitness as well as they aim to emulate their heroes.

GDPR is an opportunity, not a threat

"GDPR has done wonders for our marketing" says @Garethwg of @O2

Making rules stricter gives brands a better connection with their audience#DSLondon

— Digital Sport (@DigitalSportUK) September 13, 2018

‘The first person I’ve met who’s positive about GDPR’ said Niall Coen of O2’s Gareth Griffiths. But it’s true – GDPR legislation, if embraced, can be a force for good, solidifying the trust between brands and their customers.

‘Reach’ is not your friend

"There's so many dangerous words out there like "impression" – you might have 4 million views but if they've only swiped through it they've only seen a blank screen!" – @sebcbrown4 preaches common sense!#DSLondon

— Digital Sport (@DigitalSportUK) September 13, 2018

It’s an oldie, but it’s a goodie. Reach is not your friend. Reach will tell you you’ve had millions of views when really you’ve had millions of annoyed people who’ve clicked ‘skip ad’. Instead, look for engagement – because an engaged audience is what everyone should be looking for.