Measuring the return on investment of events isn’t an easy task. Ask most Chief Marketing Officers if they could confidently make a connection between event budget and leads, let alone sales, and you will often be met with an uncomfortable shrug.
In my last post, I talked about the three different types of data a mobile app can reveal about your event: technical, behavioral and contextual. Armed with this kind of intel, meeting organizers can now go back to their bosses and tell them not only if the app was a success, but also if their event was a success and how it contributed back to the bottom line.
Most CMOs can’t confidently make a connection between event budget and sales
Click To Tweet
In order to do this properly, it’s first necessary to define success. Without knowing setting some metrics for measuring your objectives, you won’t know which data to look at. It sounds simple enough, but it’s often the simple things that get easily overlooked. There are three steps you’ll need to take:
-
Determine the meeting or event type
Before you set any objectives, it’s important to first have a concrete idea of the type of meeting or event you’re planning. This will help you determine which data to look at. You will be analyzing your app data much differently depending on whether you’re looking at a three-day user conference, incentive trip or new employee on-boarding. For example, a sales conference is designed to motivate your sales team, while a sales training meeting centers around knowledge transfer.
Join the movement for a better event. Try Social Tables today.
The point is that every meeting type has a different purpose, and you must consider this to determine how to measure success. Then, when you use an app for that event, you can zero in on the right metrics to see how your event measured up.
-
Set objectives pertaining to all your stakeholders
There are usually six different kinds of event and meeting stakeholders: participants, speakers, sponsors, exhibitors, meeting owners and the meeting organizer (a.k.a you). Depending on the meeting type, one or all of these stakeholders could be involved, and it is your job to meet their various needs and expectations. Set goals according to these needs and then use your analytics before, during and after your event to:
- Make mid-course corrections during your event to adapt things such as sessions, social events, temperature of the room, etc. that can increase your chances of meeting their needs and having a successful event
- See if all your efforts resulted in the goals you wanted to achieve
- Help you set new goals for future meetings and events involving these stakeholders
-
Identify event level goals
When setting event goals, start with simple ones that tie into your business objectives. Perhaps you want to make sure exhibitors get a certain amount of visibility? Then aim for 500 page views of the Exhibitors feature in the app. Or you want to make sure attendees are getting the information they need through the app – a 100% activation rate would be something to strive for. If engagement is important, then set measurable goals around polling, surveys, and session Q&A.
Once you have your basic event goals, expand out to include objectives around any special features you have in your app. For example, if you have a gamification component designed to get your sales force familiar with a new product, your goal might be to have 100% of attendees play the game.
For more information, download our free white paper Actionable Event Analytics. It shows you how to use data from your mobile app to measure success for corporate meetings and events.
About Our Guest:
Guest post by Karra Barron, QuickMobile’s Manager of Content and Internal Communications. QuickMobile transforms meetings and events around the world with mobile event apps that engage audiences throughout the life of your event and beyond. Visit the QuickMobile website to learn more.
The post 3 Steps to Measuring Event and Meeting Success appeared first on The Social Tables Blog.