Posted on August 24, 2023

Event Data and Analytics: Leveraging Insights for Event Success

Whether you’re planning a large-scale conference or a small networking event, defining and measuring event success is essential.

This way, you can be certain that your festivities wowed your target audience and created a loyal fanbase for next time. But for many, dealing with big data and event analytics can be tough.

There’s the chore of knowing which event analytics to measure and how it applies to the big picture of event success. That’s why you’ll want to bookmark this guide. 

In this article, we’ll explain how to leverage event analytics to maximize event success. Are you ready to learn more?

Let’s dive in. 

What event data should you collect?

Fortunately, collecting data from virtual and hybrid events has never been easier. If you’re hosting an online event, you can conveniently gather event data from your landing page, social media profiles, and promotional content. 

Oh, and let’s not forget our good friend Google Analytics. With Google Analytics event tracking, you can set up everything from an event label to an event category to distinguish between individual events. It’s one of the easiest ways to track event data in real time.

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And if you are hosting an in-person event, don’t worry. You can also collect data by using near-field communication or NFC tags.

With that said, here’s the most critical event data you should pinpoint for your custom events: 

Attendee engagement metrics:

• Number of booths visited and time spent
• Number of mobile app downloads
• Number of repeat attendees
• Session preferences

Attendee satisfaction metrics:

• Post-survey responses
• Net promoter score
• Speaker ratings

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Virtual engagement metrics:

• Live poll and survey responses
• Email click and open rates
• Social media engagement
• Landing page link clicks
• Live chat activity

While this isn’t an exhaustive list, you should have a better idea now of which event actions and analytics to target.

How to leverage event analytics for success

Knowing which event analytics to factor into your strategy is half the battle. Figuring out how to factor in the data to improve the customer experience at your events is significantly more important.

Below, we’ll explore several ways to leverage data to make your future events more successful.

Narrow down your goals

The first step in using event analytics is to define your goals.

What do you want to achieve with your event? Are you looking to increase brand awareness, grow your social media following, generate leads, or close sales?

Once you have a clear objective, you can track the metrics that matter and measure your success.

For example, if your goal is generating leads, you can track attendees who provided their contact information or engaged with your booth representatives.

If you aim to close sales, you can track the attendees who purchased or asked for a demo.

By focusing on the metrics that align with your goals, you can avoid getting overwhelmed with irrelevant data and make data-driven decisions that drive results.

Figure out the best engagement methods

The success of your event depends on how engaged your attendees are. You need to find ways to capture their attention, keep them interested, and encourage them to take action.

But how do you know which engagement methods work best?

Event analytics can help you identify the most effective engagement methods. For example, you can track:

• Attendees participating in your interactive sessions.
• Participants that shared your social media posts.
• People that downloaded your content.

You can also use authentication protocols such as SAML or OAuth to collect user data and personalize your event experience based on their profile and preferences. 

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By analyzing this data, you can determine which engagement methods resonate with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Discover and track key outcomes

In addition to tracking your goals and engagement methods, you should also monitor the key outcomes of your event.

These outcomes can include revenue, new leads, customer satisfaction, and more. By tracking these outcomes, you can gain a holistic view of your event’s performance and identify areas for improvement.

Of course, these tasks sound tedious in nature. And adding to-dos to your already full plate sounds like a recipe for disaster. But that’s where business process automation can be a game-changer for event analytics. 

Automating these repetitive tasks can save time, improve accuracy, and reduce costs. However, you need to prioritize the right processes and implement them effectively.

So, for instance, if your revenue is lower than expected, you can analyze your pricing strategy, target audience, and marketing channels to identify opportunities for improvement.

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And if your customer satisfaction is poor, you can review your feedback forms, social media sentiment analysis, and attendee surveys to discover the pain points and address them before planning future events.

Find the most effective marketing channels

Sadly, the manta of “if you build it, they will come” no longer applies. So marketing is crucial to the success of your event. You must promote your event to the right audience through the right channels.

But how do you know which marketing channels are the most effective?

Event analytics can help you identify the most effective marketing channels to maximize event ROI. For example, you can track the number of attendees who registered through each channel, the cost per acquisition, and the conversion rate. 

Analyzing this data, you can determine which marketing channels provide the best return on investment. So if LinkedIn is your most lucrative marketing channel, you can allocate your budget accordingly for your next marketing campaign. 

The result? Higher attendance rates and a better bottom line. What’s not to love? 

Make all online events accessible

Online events have become a popular alternative to in-person events, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

However, accessibility is a common challenge for online events. Attendees may face technical difficulties, language barriers, or other challenges that prevent them from fully participating in the event.

Use accessibility checking tools to help you identify and address any accessibility barriers, guaranteeing that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can fully participate in and enjoy your event.

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Measuring twice and cutting once for virtual and hybrid events can help you accommodate all attendees. And when you can serve a wider audience, your bottom line benefits. 

Tweak your messaging

Messaging plays a crucial role in the success of your event. You need to craft a message that not only resonates with your target audience but motivates them to take action.

Event analytics can help you evaluate your messaging. You can track the number of attendees who engaged with your message, along with the bounce rate and conversion rate. 

By following this tip, you can determine which messaging resonates with your audience and tweak your message to improve its effectiveness. Sometimes all you need is a slight change of tone, and it can spark conversion rates tenfold. 

If you need help with A/B testing, consider using an AI writer to do the heavy lifting for you. That way, you can have dozens of variations with the click of a button. 

Browse social media sentiment analysis

We live in a world where 4.9 billion people use social media. So why not leverage that to your advantage? Think of it as a powerful tool in your arsenal for promoting your event and engaging with your audience. 

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However, it can also be a double-edged sword. Negative comments and reviews can significantly damage your reputation and discourage attendance at current or future events.

That’s why it’s important to monitor social media sentiment and respond to feedback promptly and effectively.

Event analytics can help you browse social media sentiment analysis. You can track the number of social media mentions, sentiment analysis, and engagement rates (likes, comments, shares). 

That way, you can identify the topics that generate the most buzz and respond to feedback in a way that improves your brand’s reputation and encourages attendance.

Track marketing ROI

Marketing ROI is the ultimate measure of your event’s success. You need to track the revenue generated from your marketing efforts and compare it to the acquisition cost.

By doing so, you can determine the return on investment of your marketing event strategy and adjust it accordingly.

Event analytics can help you track marketing ROI. You can track the revenue generated from each marketing channel which will help you determine the cost per acquisition and the best conversion rates.

Rather than throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping something sticks, tracking marketing ROI lets you identify the marketing channels that provide the best return on investment. That way, your team spends less time on marketing efforts that miss the mark and more on the ones that perform best. 

Customize your ticket types

Not everyone who attends your event will purchase the same tickets. By offering different ticket types, you can cater to the needs and preferences of your audience and generate more revenue. 

For instance, you can sell general event access, which grants entry to your event for $550. Then you can also sell VIP tickets for $1,000, which offers a more customized experience. However, you must find the right balance between ticket variety and simplicity.

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Event analytics can help you customize your ticket types. You can determine the number of tickets sold for each type, the revenue generated, and the conversion rate.

That way, you can identify the most popular ticket types and adjust your ticket pricing and availability to optimize revenue. If you notice lackluster VIP ticket sales, attendees may have reservations about your product or service, or they may be hesitant to make a purchase at such a high price point. 

To overcome sales objections, you need to understand the root cause of their concerns and address them effectively. If you learn pricing is the main issue, consider reducing the price point of the VIP ticket. Or add benefits that bring more value to the table and justify the higher price (think meet and greets, complimentary food and beverage, priority seating, etc.). 

Make smarter financial decisions

Financial management is an essential part of event planning. Managing your budget, allocating resources, and making informed decisions that maximize your ROI is important.

Event analytics can help you make smarter financial decisions. You can track your budget, expenses, and revenue and compare them to your goals and objectives.

That’s where the financial management tool, SoftLegder comes in. Think of it as the backbone of your financial record-keeping process. Or in other words, software for storing and categorizing all your event-related financial transactions, like a financial diary.

For example, let’s say you’ve organized a conference and have various income streams:

• Merchandise sales
• Sponsorships
• Ticket sales

And then you have your expenses:

• Catering costs
• Venue rental
• Speaker fees

As you can see, there’s a lot of moving parts. Thankfully, you can automatically record and classify each transaction using the software. 

But it’s not just about recording. The power of this software lies in its ability to give you a holistic view of your event’s financial performance. It can generate detailed reports that provide insights into your revenue streams and spending habits.

Using SoftLedger, you can identify areas for improvement and make data-driven decisions that maximize your ROI. Sounds idyllic, right?

Wrapping up

Event analytics is an invaluable tool for event planners. It can help you identify problems, prioritize tasks, and make decisions that maximize your event success.

When used correctly, it can provide you with invaluable insights that can help you increase revenue and improve the attendee experience. 

And if you need help tracking your event analytics, InEvent is here to make your life easier. Request a demo today. 

The author Brandon Lee is a content marketing expert who helps businesses master the art of storytelling and creating amazing digital content. When he’s not writing or reading, you can find him spending time with his beautiful wife and kids.