How to Measure Event Success

Event and experiential marketing are powerful strategies that drive real business success. In fact, 91% of event attendees walk away with more positive brand perceptions post-event, while 74% say engaging with branded experiences makes them more likely to buy.

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However, while some benefits of experiential marketing can be immediate, many of its gains are seen over time. This interplay between immediate and long-term gains challenges marketers when measuring event success. 

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So, how do you know when you’ve pulled off successful event marketing? We’ll walk you through the secrets of how to measure event success through key metrics and strategies, so keep reading.

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Define Event Goals and KPIs

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Step one in “How to Measure Event Success” is to identify clear goals and key performance indicators (KPIs). There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to event marketing. So, before you go into event planning, set down exactly what success looks like for your event.

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What are you trying to achieve? How does this event align with broader business objectives? Once your event objectives are clear, select the KPIs that will track your progress. Remember, your chosen event marketing KPIs should align with your objectives. 

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Collect Relevant Data

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You can’t get accurate event marketing analytics without data collection. So, the next step in measuring marketing success is to gather both quantitative and qualitative data during and after the event. For example, you can compare total registrations versus actual attendees to assess interest and engagement. 

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Here are some event platforms and tools you can use to measure event success:

• Event Management Software: Tools like Eventbrite or Cvent can help track registrations/ticket sales and attendance.
• Survey Platforms: Use Survey Monkey or Google Forms to create and distribute post-event surveys.
• Social Media or Website Analytics: You can use social media analytics, Google Analytics, or third-party platforms like Hootsuite or Sprout Social to monitor social media engagement metrics and sentiment.
• Engagement Analytics: Event apps, sensors, and data collection tools can be useful for providing valuable insights on attendee-specific event marketing metrics (foot traffic, dwell time, interactions with brand activations).

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Calculate ROI

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Learning how to measure event success often comes down to one key metric: return on investment (ROI). Calculating event ROI is straightforward, if you know the total event cost and the revenue generated by the event. 

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Here’s a simple formula: ROI = (Total Revenue - Total Costs) / Total Costs x 100. Just keep in mind that event marketing may not always show quantifiable “hard ROI.” Some benefits, like improved brand awareness or stronger customer relationships, may take time to translate into financial gains. 

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These "soft ROI" factors are valuable, but harder to measure directly. You may need to monitor and track event marketing metrics over time to fully understand your event’s success—which leads us to our next step.

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Evaluate Broader Event Impact

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Measuring event success doesn’t end with a clear number on your revenue tab. To truly understand the effectiveness of your event, you need to evaluate its broader impact on brand perception, customer engagement, and sales. Here are different ways to evaluate essential event KPIs to evaluate the success of your event:

• Conduct pre and post-event surveys to gauge shifts in brand perception among attendees.
• Use follow-up surveys to get insights on attendee satisfaction and experience, plus their thoughts on your event strategy (content, logistics, etc.)
• Monitor press articles, blog posts, and social media discussions related to your event. Look for changes in how your brand is portrayed in the media.
• Analyze how many attendees continue to engage with your brand, such as subscribing to newsletters or following on social media, compared to non-attendees.
• Compare sales data before and after the event to identify any increases in revenue directly linked to the event.
• If influencers were involved in the event, analyze how their participation affected the brand perception and engagement levels among their followers. 

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Analyze and Optimize

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Once you’ve measured ROI and gathered enough event insights, it’s time to analyze the data and optimize your future events. For event organizers, marketers, and brands, this step is needed to drive continuous improvement and ensure that each event builds on the last. 

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Start by reviewing the success metrics you established before the event, and analyzing how well you met your goals. For example, if your goal is lead generation, examine both the quantity and quality of leads collected. Determine how many converted into customers and identify contributing factors. 

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This is where our team at Concierge Club discusses the findings, gets qualitative insight, and aligns on ways to improve with our clients. We'll note if certain activations lead to high engagement. If session attendance for a specific event is down, we'll figure out why.

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Pro tip: Make sure to tie your analysis back to ROI. This helps justify expenses and informs future budget allocations. 

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Unlock the Secrets of Successful Event Marketing With Concierge Club

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There you have it, how to measure event success from start to finish. But why stop here? Take your event and experiential marketing to the next level with Concierge Club.

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As an award-winning experiential marketing agency, we know exactly what it takes to plan, execute, and measure successful events. We distilled our expertise into one comprehensive guide that covers everything you need about how to use experiential marketing to drive real business results.

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Take the guesswork out of your event planning process. Check out our free XM Playbook and learn the secrets to creating and measuring impactful brand experiences!