Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
91% of consumers say they have more positive feelings about a brand after attending events and experiences
74% of event attendees say that they have a more positive opinion about the company, brand, product or service being promoted after the event
70% of users become regular customers after an experiential marketing event
85% of consumers are likely to purchase after participating in events and experiences
31% of marketers believe that event marketing is the single most effective channel for driving revenue
79% of US marketers generate sales using event marketing
61% of marketers believe that experiential marketing is the most effective marketing tactic
80% of marketers believe live events are critical to their company’s success
Companies allocating 20-50% of their marketing budgets to brand experiences are projected to grow
98% of consumers create digital or social content at events and experiences
100% of consumers share the content they create at events on social media
71% of customers share information about a brand on social media after an event
59% of event marketers say their use of event technology has increased their ability to prove ROI
87% of marketers consider data captured at events to be extremely or very useful for their marketing efforts
63% of marketers use number of sales as the primary metric for event success
Brand Awareness & Social Media
- 198% of consumers create digital or social content at events and experiences
- 2100% of consumers share the content they create at events on social media
- 371% of customers share information about a brand on social media after an event
- 4Posts with at least one hashtag average 12.6% more engagement during event campaigns
- 549% of consumers create videos at branded events
- 640 times more likely to get shared on social media if the content is visual from an event
- 7Tweets with images from events receive 150% more retweets than tweets without images
- 877% of marketers use social media reach as a key performance indicator for events
- 9User-generated content from events results in 29% higher web conversions
- 10Facebook posts from events get 37% more engagement than standard posts
- 1173% of consumers post photos of events they attend to their social profiles
- 12Brands that use hashtags for events see a 50% increase in engagement
- 1399% of marketers use social media to promote their live events
- 14Influencer posts about events generate 8x more engagement than brand posts
- 15Social media mentions of a brand increase by an average of 100% during a live event
- 16LinkedIn is the top social network used for B2B event marketing promotion (96% usage)
- 1758% of marketers use Instagram Stories to promote events
- 18Snapchat filters at events are used by 45% of attendees when available
- 1988% of brands use social media to drive awareness before an event starts
Interpretation
Live events are now walking billboards: about 98% of attendees create and 100% share content, mostly visual and roughly 40 times more likely to be shared and able to earn up to 150% more retweets; hashtags and influencers boost engagement by roughly 50% and eightfold respectively, driving doubled brand mentions and a 29% lift in web conversions, which is why nearly all marketers prioritize social reach and pre-event promotion across Instagram, LinkedIn and Snapchat.
Budget & Strategy
- 161% of marketers believe that experiential marketing is the most effective marketing tactic
- 280% of marketers believe live events are critical to their company’s success
- 3Companies allocating 20-50% of their marketing budgets to brand experiences are projected to grow
- 484% of leadership believe in-person events are a critical component of their company's success
- 5CMOs are spending 21% to 50% of their marketing budgets on experiential marketing
- 693% of marketers plan to increase or maintain their budget for experiential marketing
- 735% of non-profit organizations allocate 20% or more of their budget to events
- 875% of B2B marketers expect their event budget to increase in the next 12 months
- 941% of marketers believe events are the single most effective channel over digital advertising
- 1063% of marketers plan on investing more in live events in the future both in budget and number of events
- 11Experiential marketing spend is growing at 3.2% annually
- 1267% of B2B marketers say that events make for one of the most effective strategies
- 13CMOs say experiential marketing is the 3rd most important area of investment
- 1450% of marketers say that they allocate at least 20% of their budget to organizing events
- 15B2B companies spend an average of 25% of their marketing budget on events
- 1680% of marketers credit live events as the most effective marketing channel for their organization’s goals
- 1714% of marketing budget is the average allocation for experiential in Europe
- 18Only 23% of marketers can calculate the ROI for their events accurately, prompting budget shifts
- 1953% of marketing professionals expect their event spending to increase significantly over the next three years
- 2033% of marketers say that "proving the value of events" is their biggest budgetary challenge
Interpretation
Marketers are doubling down on live and experiential events, often allocating 20 to 50% of their budgets and forecasting increases because leaders call them mission-critical and highly effective, yet only 23% can accurately measure ROI, turning confident investment into a risky leap of faith.
Consumer Sentiment & Loyalty
- 191% of consumers say they have more positive feelings about a brand after attending events and experiences
- 274% of event attendees say that they have a more positive opinion about the company, brand, product or service being promoted after the event
- 370% of users become regular customers after an experiential marketing event
- 465% of consumers say live events and product demonstrations helped them fully understand the product better than any other advertising method
- 5Brand loyalty increases by 35% after a positive live event experience
- 698% of users feel more inclined to purchase after attending an activation
- 748% of consumers say they are more likely to be loyal to a brand that provides experiences and events
- 880% of attendees said that seeing a product live changed their mind about purchasing
- 996% of consumers say that participating in an event makes them more inclined to buy
- 1095% of marketers agree that live events provide attendees with a valuable opportunity to form in-person connections
- 1182% of attendees say that they have a more positive opinion of a brand after attending a corporate event
- 1285% of consumers say they are likely to purchase a product after participating in a brand event
- 1360% of consumers say they feel a personal connection with a brand after attending an event
- 1478% of millennials would choose to spend money on a desirable experience or event over a desirable material good
- 1565% of customers say that the experience of buying is more important than the price
- 1689% of consumers are more loyal to a brand that shares their values through experiences
- 1793% of consumers say that live events are more effective than TV ads
- 1877% of consumers say they have a stronger emotional connection to purpose-driven brands after an event
- 1990% of consumers report feeling more confident about a brand after a live activation
- 2078% of consumers say that a unique experience makes them feel more valued by a brand
Interpretation
The overwhelming data show that live experiences don’t just raise awareness—they turn curiosity into confidence, boost understanding and emotional connection, and convert attendees into loyal, repeat buyers.
Event Technology & Data
- 159% of event marketers say their use of event technology has increased their ability to prove ROI
- 287% of marketers consider data captured at events to be extremely or very useful for their marketing efforts
- 363% of marketers use number of sales as the primary metric for event success
- 491% of event organizers measure the success of their events
- 523% of marketers use registration data to judge the success of an event
- 660% of event marketers do not use a single software platform to manage their data
- 776% of event professionals use email marketing data to prove ROI
- 888% of marketers use surveys to gather data on attendee satisfaction
- 954% of marketers have trouble proving event ROI to key stakeholders due to lack of data
- 1040% of event marketers use RFID or NFC technology to track attendee behavior
- 1162% of marketers use mobile apps to drive attendee engagement and collect data
- 1271% of event marketers measure net promoter score (NPS) as a primary metric
- 1334% of marketers use facial recognition technology for event security and data
- 1489% of event planners use software to organize their events and track data
- 1527% of marketers do not check the data analytics from their event apps
- 1640% of marketers use event software to showcase ROI to the C-Suite
- 1772% of marketers use their event app to gather qualitative feedback
- 1829% of marketers use wearable tech to capture attendee data
- 1986% of event marketers believe that technology can have a major positive impact on the success of their events
Interpretation
Marketers have more tech and attendee data than ever, from surveys and NPS to RFID and wearables, but because it’s fragmented across platforms, often unchecked, and rarely translated into C-suite-ready reports, proving event ROI still feels like trying to present a pie chart for a pie that was never baked.
Sales & Lead Generation
- 185% of consumers are likely to purchase after participating in events and experiences
- 231% of marketers believe that event marketing is the single most effective channel for driving revenue
- 379% of US marketers generate sales using event marketing
- 444% of marketers say their biggest challenge is calculating ROI for events
- 552% of respondents say event marketing drives more business value than other marketing channels
- 683% of brands say their event sales have increased over the past year
- 7Events generate 22% of B2B marketing leads
- 868% of B2B marketers use in-person events for lead generation initiatives
- 9Companies with event marketing strategies see a 5:1 ROI on average
- 1064% of marketers say they use events to find new prospects and business opportunities
- 1175% of companies with a budget between $5-10 million cite events as their main source of leads
- 12Leads generated from an event close 20% faster than other leads
- 1355% of B2B marketers say that events are their biggest source of ROI
- 1479% of brands say they execute more than 10 events per year to drive sales
- 1584% of event marketers say that they have met or exceeded their goals for lead generation
- 16Events provide a 3:1 return on investment for small businesses
- 1746% of companies want to increase the number of leads generated by their events
- 1845% of marketers use events to deepen relationships with existing customers for upsell
- 19Companies that prioritize blogging and events are 13x more likely to see positive ROI
- 20Lead generation is cited as the primary reason for typical event participation by 81% of marketers
Interpretation
Consider these figures a standing ovation for events: attendees are far more likely to buy, leads close faster, and companies commonly see three to five dollars back for every dollar spent, yet nearly half of marketers still struggle to measure ROI, so the real winners will be the teams that treat events as disciplined, content-fueled revenue engines rather than just flashy publicity.
