Column Inches and ROI: Measuring Event Success
Whilst the lighting rig is just coming down and the glasses are being collected, the work is just beginning on understanding the impact and success of your event. Post-event evaluation is crucial for understanding what worked, what didn’t, and how to improve for future events. It might feel labour intensive poring over the minutiae, but time spent now will reap rewards when directing and justifying budget next time around.
Here are key metrics to consider when measuring your event’s success:
1. Review Your Objectives
Before mining any data, revisit objectives set at the beginning of event planning, these may have changed but will still be a useful starting point. Your objectives will guide you to the avenues to review and the questions you need to be asking.
2. Attendee Feedback
Gathering attendee feedback is one of the most direct ways to gauge success, particularly with internal employee events. Distribute post-event surveys that ask about the overall experience, content quality, logistics, and highlights. Open-ended questions allow attendees to provide in-depth insights that can inform future planning. Combine these with tick boxes to enable you to collect hard hitting statistics. Tools like Google Forms or dedicated event apps can simplify this process.
3. Attendance and Engagement
Compare your actual attendance against the initial registration numbers. Did the event attract the expected crowd? During the event, measure engagement through participation in activities, workshops, or networking sessions. Virtual and hybrid events can benefit from analyzing data like live chat participation, poll responses, or social media mentions.
4. Social Media Metrics & Other Media Mentions
Track event-related hashtags, shares, likes, and mentions across social media platforms. High engagement on social media often indicates a well-received event and extends the event’s reach beyond the attendees. Tools like Hootsuite or Sprout Social can help monitor this data. Articles and other editorial in traditional media can also be quantified in terms of equivalent media spend. This was done to great effect at this P&O Event
5. Return on Investment (ROI)
For corporate or marketing events, calculating ROI is essential. Consider both direct revenue from ticket sales if applicable and indirect benefits, such as new client leads, brand exposure, or increased customer loyalty. Compare the event’s overall cost with these outcomes to assess its financial success.
6. Post-Event Follow-Up
Follow-up with key stakeholders and vendors to gather their insights. Their feedback can reveal operational strengths or challenges that weren’t visible during the event itself and will give a valuable 360 degree view that asking guests alone won’t achieve.
Measuring our events in these ways will not only highlight successes but will identify opportunities to improve ensuring that next time around your event is even better!