Nearly nine in 10 surveyed brand marketers (89 percent) say events still hold some level of importance and value for their organization, with 31 percent considering them essential, according to a study issued by Chief Marketing Officer Council (CMO) and conducted in partnership with the Exhibit & Event Marketers Association (E2MA).
Even as events remain a vital part of the marketing mix and a key channel for direct one-to-one customer engagement, marketing executives lack visibility into the conversion pipeline, and thus, don’t have sufficiently effective methods for measuring the impact of events and tradeshows on sales and revenue, the report states.
Just 6 percent of marketers say their company does extremely well in converting tradeshow leads into customer business, and only 8 percent say their companies are highly proficient at developing relationships, closing deals and acquiring customer insights at events.
Asked what they would like to improve most regarding their event marketing:
• 35% cited improved strategy, planning, and outcomes
• 32% said data collection
• 31% said taking advantage of speaking opportunities
• 30% cited post-event reporting and analytics
More facts from the report, which is titled “Customer Attainment from Event Engagement,” is available at CMOcouncil.org.
