By Amanda Wegner

Data is everywhere, and the meeting and event industry is no exception. However, the modern industry demands more than simply tracking attendance or whether a digital participant has logged into a session. The real challenge lies in identifying meaningful metrics, leveraging the right tools and opportunities, and understanding what planning peers are measuring to truly personalize and enhance current and future event experiences, especially in the ever-evolving landscape of digital and hybrid formats.

“All information coming in is potential data that can be leveraged,” says Naomi Tucker, the founder and success coach of Planners on Purpose, which offers coaching and consulting that supports busy event professionals. “The key is to figure out what will be most useful for you.”

DEFINING MEANINGFUL DATA

Jessica Duarte, product marketing manager at Swapcard, says data is most meaningful when it provides a complete picture of what happened at an event. “While at the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), we compared the number of pre-show registrations or bookmarks of sessions to the number of people who attended the sessions in person, and then looked at the data for those who watched on demand at a later date,” she explains. “This data told the whole story of the session, from the level of interest in the topic and speakers to whether attendees were more likely to go in person or watch after. All were key points in deciding future education programming.”

Swapcard is an AI-powered event engagement platform for associations, trade shows and conference organizers. Duarte implemented Swapcard for virtual, hybrid and in-person events at her prior employer, NAMM, an association that serves the music products industry.

“Be realistic in what you’re actually going to be able to [collect], and make every piece of data matter for you and your future,” urges Tucker. “Think through what you want to get from the data and design from there.”

Planners should be wary of data that looks impressive, but offers little substantive insight, called vanity metrics. These surface-level data points may look like success, but don’t correlate with meaningful event outcomes or attendee value. For instance, while a high number of social media impressions or website visits might seem encouraging, they don’t reflect engagement quality or whether those interactions translate into registrations. Focusing on vanity metrics can distract from the deeper analysis needed to understand event impact and drive future improvements.

ALIGNING TO OUTCOMES

Tucker suggests starting with the end in mind. “Consider the type of experience you want a person attending your event to have. Then, what key metrics will help you ensure you meet that end goal?” she asks. “What kind of metrics do you want to track to pull out their satisfaction?”

Duarte agrees, stating it’s essential to identify clear objectives before pursuing data collection — whether you want to boost attendee engagement, increase sponsor return on investment or raise session attendance.

“Once these goals are defined, align your metrics accordingly,” says Duarte. “For instance, if your focus is on lead generation, emphasize the number and quality of connections made, while educational events should prioritize tracking session attendance and interaction levels.”

Additionally, tailor your key performance indicators based on the event type, audience and client goals.

“By using historical data and industry standards, you can achieve consistent year-over-year tracking to clearly identify what is working and what needs improvement,” says Duarte. Swapcard, she adds, offers industry reports and benchmarks so organizers can compare their event performance against similar events, uncovering further growth and optimization opportunities.

TOOLS AND OPPORTUNITIES

While post-event surveys or email metrics reviews are great places to start, data-savvy planners are stepping up their game with new opportunities, especially AI.

Blending Quantitative Data with Qualitative Insights

Planners are adopting AI-driven sentiment analysis tools to mine social media chatter and post-event surveys for emotional trends, such as the speakers that attendees enjoyed most or which topics caused confusion.

Even without sentiment analysis tools, readily available AI tools allow planners to gather deeper insights from open- ended questions. “AI can take those responses and give a summary of what is being said, within seconds, without going through every line of data,” says Tucker. “That makes our jobs easier and is a simple way for planners to start with qualitative data analysis. We need to let technology be our friend.”

Real-Time Analytics

If you have an event management platform, leverage its real-time dashboards. Putting the most meaningful data into one place enables planners to monitor engagement as the event unfolds, make decisions on site and monitor how participants interact through the event journey, says Duarte.

AI-Driven Matchmaking and Networking

A key feature of Swapcard and other platforms, AI-driven matchmaking uses advanced algorithms to dynamically suggest relevant connections and sessions during the event based on user interactions. “This is key to helping exhibitors and attendees make the best connections available and make the most of their time,” says Duarte.

Integrated Data

For many, events are just one piece of the marketing mix. To make the most of your data, invest in systems and tools that seamlessly integrate with one another. For example, your event management system could feed into your marketing automation tool and/or your customer relationship management platform, which will enrich your data, better align teams, and provide new levels of personalization and engagement for members, clients and future participants.

Integrating data also means combining offline and online metrics for planners executing hybrid events. While this can get tricky, and requires more training and human input for the in-person portion, combining all this data paints a fuller picture of the value you’re providing to attendees and receiving from your event investment.

DATA FOR THE FUTURE

While the data you collect tells a singular story, it also sets the stage for the future. “Planners can use data to improve all aspects of events — floor planning based on traffic numbers, building sponsor packages based on previous sales, session programming built on actual attendance and improving marketing efforts — are all effective ways to use data,” says Duarte.

Additionally, don’t stop at the reporting phase. Results are important, but data-driven decision-making is key. Organizers should use all feedback to refine strategy and content throughout the event cycle and beyond.

Furthermore, there’s value for everyone involved, so be sure to share all your data with the broader team, while gathering their insights. “Data tells a unique story that sometimes your words can’t explain for people,” says Tucker. “It provides insights you might not otherwise see and can validate some things you’re already feeling. You can start to have deeper conversations with data in a way that will help guide planning and give you another perspective that you can use to plan your next event.”