Event Evaluation and Reporting

Your fundraising event raised $50,000. Success, right? Maybe. But maybe not. Standard event metrics often miss the full picture: - Dollars raised ÷ Attendees = $500/person But what about the value of relationships built? - Net revenue after expenses = $35,000 But how much staff time did it really take? - New donors acquired = 15 But did existing donors deepen their commitment? Even when resources are tight, some teams are starting to track: 📊 Relationship-based metrics - Meaningful conversations with major gift prospects - Signs of increased donor interest or trust - Referrals or introductions from attendees 📈 Long-term revenue indicators - Giving increases 6–12 months post-event - Retention rates of attendees vs. non-attendees - New names added to your major gifts pipeline 💬 Mission advancement signs - New ambassadors or advocates identified - Improved understanding of your mission (pre/post) - Compelling stories gathered for future use The most valuable outcomes of your events often don’t show up in the final revenue report. What metrics do you track to measure success beyond dollars raised?

How One Event Marketer Got a Promotion—While Another Lost Budget (and Credibility) What if your event budget was cut in half? Or better yet—what if it doubled? Lisa and Mark, both experienced event marketers, had very different experiences when it came time to justify their event investments. Lisa’s Story: Data Saved Her Career Lisa managed her company’s annual customer summit, and this year, she decided to do something different—she built her event strategy around metrics that actually mattered to leadership. Instead of just focusing on registration numbers, she tracked: 1. Pre-event engagement: How many high-value accounts interacted with event promotions? 2. Customer retention impact: Did attendance correlate with renewal rates? 3. Session value: Which topics led to the most follow-up meetings with sales? Her report showed clear business impact: 1. 40% of attendees were existing customers, and 75% of them renewed within six months 2. 30% of net-new pipeline was influenced by event-sourced leads 3. Post-event surveys revealed that keynote sessions drove a 50% increase in product demo requests Her leadership team didn’t just approve next year’s event—they increased her budget and asked her to build an event strategy for the entire company. Mark’s Story: A Harsh Reality Check Mark also ran a high-end executive dinner for top prospects. The venue was stunning, the guest list exclusive, and the feedback was glowing. But when his leadership team asked about measurable outcomes, Mark could only say: “The energy in the room was amazing.” “We had great pictures for social media.” What he didn’t track: How many attendees actually followed up with sales Whether the event influenced renewals, upsells, or new deals If the dinner actually moved the needle on business objectives Without data, his budget was cut in half, and leadership questioned whether events were worth the investment at all. Your leadership team doesn’t just want to hear that your event “felt great.” They want proof that it drove real business results. If you’re not tracking both business impact (pipeline, retention, customer growth) and emotional engagement (brand sentiment, product perception), you risk losing not just your budget—but your credibility. -------------------- Hi, I'm Jay Designing experiences for events that drive ROI for our clients. #business #branding #sales #marketing #eventprofs 

Spoiler alert: registrations aren’t ROI. They’re the starting line... not the scoreboard. I’ve seen too many post-event wrap-ups stop at attendance numbers and call it a win. But if we’re serious about driving revenue as FIELD MARKETERS, we need to dig deeper. That means tracking what actually moves the business forward. Here’s what I’ve been focusing on instead: ✔️ How many open opps engaged pre- or post-event? ✔️ Did Sales re-engage dormant accounts because of that hosted dinner or roundtable? ✔️ What sessions or content drove follow-up meetings? ✔️ Which roles showed up - are we multithreading the buying committee? We’ve been playing around with HockeyStack since recently onboarding it, and it’s already helping us connect these dots between event touchpoints and real revenue impact - especially the kind that shows up after the event ends. And here’s the thing: Event marketers need to start bragging more. I mean it! Not just about the killer venue, your awesome NPS score or how great the catering was - but about the REVENUE outcomes YOU helped create. 📣 Show your execs how many accounts re-engaged. 📣 Celebrate Sales when they close a deal that started at your event. 📣 Report on the long tail of impact because influence doesn’t always show up in the same quarter. If you want a seat at the strategic table, you have to prove you’re invested in more than RSVPs - you’re invested in revenue. What metrics are you tracking beyond registrations? Always up for a good data swap. #EventMarketing #FieldMarketing 

The best events do the following: 🤝 Make space for in-person connections 🤩 Show off brands in real, tangible ways 📈 Build momentum in a territory  💸 Generate revenue That last one — generating revenue — is so challenging because it’s not something you can track alone; it takes close partnership with sales and ops to figure out reporting and attribution that makes sense. But I’m telling you, this is well worth your time. If you can’t prove the ROI of your events or attribute any deals to event attendance, why should your budget stay the same or increase for the second half of the year? Here are 3 examples on how to track revenue from events: Lead capture and conversion analysis - Method: Use registration forms, badge scanners, and interactive touchpoints to capture leads at events. - Example: Integrate captured leads into your CRM system and track them through your sales funnel to analyze conversion rates and revenue generated. I like to put time around this. Track trade show leads for six months to see where they go. Attribution models and multi-touch reporting: - Method: Assign value to different touchpoints in the customer journey, including event attendance, using attribution models. - Example: Implement a multi-touch attribution model that credits a portion of revenue to events when attendees make a purchase after interacting with other marketing efforts. Post-Event Surveys and Direct Sales Correlation: - Method: Conduct post-event surveys to gather feedback on purchasing intentions and follow up on actual sales. - Example: Send surveys immediately after the event and follow up a few months later to see if attendees made a purchase. Cross-reference survey responses with sales data. You know the impact of events, just be sure you’re proving it to others who don’t.