This article is part of Martech Outlook's Innovation Insights series featuring expert contributions nominated by our subscribers and reviewed by our editorial team.
How to address effectiveness in event marketing?
The future of event marketing is not the creation of visually appealing projects. Quite the opposite: event marketing for 2024 and beyond should concentrate much more on business benefits. Because what catches the eye isn’t necessarily what a brand and its audience need most at a given moment.
When is the project a success?
It is important to always ask for effective measures when discussing issues with clients. Sometimes, or even usually, it’s not explicitly outlined in the brief. In Live Age, we inquired about how we can measure project outcomes together. What goals do we set, and what metrics do we use to assess business effectiveness? It’s not a straightforward task because there’s no one-size-fits-all measure. Each project is unique and requires an individual approach. However, with ambitious clients, it’s possible to collaborate and develop methods for evaluating every single project. We understand the strength of this argument for the future for both sides. It can strongly transform how marketing is perceived within an organization - from a cost center to a profit center. But to achieve this, we need numbers.
Examples from our experience:
1. Increased Purchase Intentions: we executed an event marketing project that led to a 60% increase in purchase intentions among customers and participants.
2. Employee Engagement Boost: Another project we undertook resulted in a 9% year-to-year increase in employee engagement, as measured by an external research firm.
3. Effective Internal Communication: with one client, our project reached 82% of employees in a large financial organization of over 2000 people. An independent internal audit revealed that 97% of respondents received the information we aimed to convey through this initiative.
4. Brad Sentiment Impact: we executed an integrated B2B campaign with two major events as significant components. As a result of the campaign, the perception of the brand as innovative increased from 40% to 47%, while its image as a trusted and secure partner rose from 42% to 49%. When is the project a success?
It is important to always ask for effective measures when discussing issues with clients. Sometimes, or even usually, it’s not explicitly outlined in the brief. In Live Age, we inquired about how we can measure project outcomes together. What goals do we set, and what metrics do we use to assess business effectiveness? It’s not a straightforward task because there’s no one-size-fits-all measure. Each project is unique and requires an individual approach. However, with ambitious clients, it’s possible to collaborate and develop methods for evaluating every single project. We understand the strength of this argument for the future for both sides. It can strongly transform how marketing is perceived within an organization - from a cost center to a profit center. But to achieve this, we need numbers.
Examples from our experience:
1. Increased Purchase Intentions: we executed an event marketing project that led to a 60% increase in purchase intentions among customers and participants.
2. Employee Engagement Boost: Another project we undertook resulted in a 9% year-to-year increase in employee engagement, as measured by an external research firm.
3. Effective Internal Communication: with one client, our project reached 82% of employees in a large financial organization of over 2000 people. An independent internal audit revealed that 97% of respondents received the information we aimed to convey through this initiative.
The takeaway is clear: measuring effectiveness and acting based on data are keys to success in today’s marketing landscape.
In Researcher’s Eyes
The effectiveness of event marketing was also examined in the latest edition of the “Event Marketing 2023/2024” report, conducted by Meetingplanner.pl together with a few leading event marketing agencies in Poland. 88% of respondents rated event marketing as a highly effective tool, representing a 22% increase compared to last year’s study. Furthermore, all those who used event marketing confirmed that they achieved at least one of their set objectives. This outlines the efficiency of this tool.
It’s worth noting that some reports rely on theoretical knowledge, such as respondents’ declarations. The aforementioned report is based on the experiences of respondents from 2023, making it grounded in practical reality.
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Combining Impact with Efficiency
Event marketing engages participants through various senses. Having this in mind, we do invest effort in visual aesthetics. We also create a holistic participant experience throughout the whole event. However, by clearly defining priorities, we know when and where to shift focus from what catches the eye to what delivers the desired business impact. Whether it’s introducing employees to a new brand visual identity or gathering potential leads, our events are strategically designed to each aim. For instance, we organized an event based on customer advocacy, effectively building engagement and, as a result, amassed over 800 leads—3 times as much as planned. This approach aligns brand goals with designing every specific element of the event.
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The articles from these contributors are based on their personal expertise and viewpoints, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of their employers or affiliated organizations.
