You’re planning an event or project but don’t know where to start. How do you know if you’re on the right track of making a successful event? What things do you need to know that will help you in your decision-making? These questions can be answered with the use of event data.
Article Outline
What Data Means for Events
Event data is the information you have that can shape the trajectory of your event’s success. Every stakeholder in the event needs measurement to achieve desired results. Event planners use data to understand their customers or measure their events’ ROI. Potential sponsors or partners use data to gauge brand trust.
Most event organizers use event data to measure their ROI (return on investment) but event experts share that data can also be used to measure ROO which means return on objectives. With that said, any type of event must identify the objectives you desire for your event. That will determine the type of data to look out for and measure.
Finally, event data is used for post-event reports offering a detailed retrospective analysis that goes beyond mere numbers. Event planners use this to evaluate and measure what went well and what needs to be improved for their future events.
List of Event Data Types
The list of entity data in this section shows the most common types of data every event uses for making sure the event has enough information to give attendees a good experience, host the event, and post-event reports and analysis.
Personally Identifiable Information
First Name and Last Name
The first and last name of your potential attendee or existing attendee labels your customer. These user properties can be used to personalize event emails and tickets.
Email Address
Emails have become one of the primary channels to receive announcements, tickets, and payment confirmations for events. Use this data to communicate with your attendees.
House Address
This is particularly important when choosing a venue for a local or in-person event.
City
The city serves as a pivotal piece of event data, offering insights into the regional context of attendees. For large-scale events or conferences with diverse participants, being aware of their city of origin helps organizers create event content, accommodation recommendations, and even transportation options.
State
Knowing the state of attendees allows organizers to further analyze and adapt event logistics, marketing strategies, and regional considerations. This data is instrumental in customizing event communications, acknowledging regional nuances, and accommodating any specific regulations or requirements that may vary from state to state.
Postal/Zip Code
The postal or zip code is a granular piece of event data that offers precision in geographical targeting and logistics. Postal codes are be necessary for deliveries like sending of deliveries like post-event gifts.
Country
Knowing the country also helps in the segmentation of your audience especially if you are hosting international events or conferences.
Industry/Job Position
The job title and company are usually asked for events like conferences and trade shows. Knowing the company and job title makes it easier for participants to network with businesses and one another.
Event Properties
Ticket Name
If you’re managing multiple events, separating the ticket name can indicate the ticket type your participants purchased or viewed.
Ticket Price
The price of your ticket is important entity data that can impact your event’s average revenue.
Page Views
Your event’s home will be on a website. Tracking page views as an event data will give you an idea of the interest generated by your event.
Successful Registrations
Taking it a step further, another important event data is the number of successful registrations for your event.
Failed Registrations
Failed registrations can be an indication of something broken in your site or sales funnel.
Total Revenue
While total revenue is an aggregation of total ticket sales, it’s always wise to calculate total revenue from each event.
Event Marketing Data
Social Media Analytics
If you’re promoting your event on social media, you must be familiar with social media metrics like post likes, reach, share, bookmarks/saves, video streaming hours, etc. Knowing what works based on what data says can help improve your event marketing campaigns.
User Behavior
Event data analysis tools like Google Analytics can provide information about user behavior or how a user interacts with your pages. User events like session times, bounce rates, and top-page visits provide you with more insight into who your audience is.
Interests
Furthermore, data analytics can give you insights on audience insights. Tools like Google Analytics and Facebook Pixel can help you target ads or content based on a person’s search behavior or clicked ads.
Device(s)
Device data reveals the platforms attendees use to access and interact with event content. It guides organizers in optimizing website or app compatibility, ensuring a seamless experience across various devices and enhancing overall accessibility.
User Profiles
Answer to Custom Question
Event registration sites can create registration forms for attendees to fill up before the event. This allows event organizers to get to know the audience and address concerns if needed. The event registration form can ask questions like the participant’s expectations for the event, interest in networking opportunities, social media handles, and more.
Feedback / Survey Data
Results from your event surveys help you understand your event’s target audience and needs. Personalizing your events based on firsthand feedback from your attendees can help create engaging events.
Social Listening Data
Know what your target audience is interested in by visiting social media channels or discussion forums to track conversations and mentions. Examples of social listening are going to platforms such as X (Formerly Twitter), Quora, Reddit, and Facebook Groups to see what’s trending or gaining traction. Doing so allows planners to have an idea of what people are interested in so they can integrate it into their event program.
Financial Metrics
Preferred Payment Method
The user’s preferred payment method aids organizers in understanding attendee preferences and optimizing payment processing systems. This information ensures that the event accommodates diverse payment options, contributing to a smoother and more inclusive registration process.
Cancellations and Refunds
Another form of event data related to an event’s financials is refund and cancellation data. This data provides insights into attendee satisfaction, identifies potential pain points in the registration process, and informs refund policies.
Discount Code Used
Identifying the discount codes used shows the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Some companies use different discount codes for different channels to easily determine which channels converted the most discount codes used.
Discount Amount
Collect data on the total discount amount claimed for your event. This numerical value represents more than just a reduction in ticket prices; it serves as a strategic opportunity that organizers can expertly use to shape attendee behavior.
Number of Tickets Purchased
The number of tickets sold is an important type of data that indicates the number of expected people who will attend the event. Other event ticket-selling platforms charge a commission fee per ticket item sold. Fortunately, platforms like Event Espresso and Event Smart exist to provide value-for-money ticket-selling options.
Conversion Paths
Tracking conversion paths gives planners an idea of the user journey – from initial interaction to successful registration. Understanding your customer’s conversion path is useful for optimizing marketing funnels, identifying touchpoints that drive conversions, and enhancing the overall attendee acquisition strategy.
The Impact of Data on Your Events
Accurate Personalization
The effective use of event data allows for a personalized experience for attendees. Event organizers can tailor-made elements of the events that can resonate with the audience, based on audience demographics and preferences. Attendees, in turn, feel seen, valued, and immersed in an event that aligns seamlessly with their interests.
Enhanced Brand Loyalty
When participants are understood and properly served, it will be easier to retain customers and promote brand loyalty. For example, Demonstrating responsiveness to attendee feedback by implementing suggested improvements shows a commitment to delivering a better experience.
Improved Attendee Engagement and Experience
The goal of gathering event data and proper data analysis is to help event planners deliver impactful events. By studying user behavior, preferences, and participation patterns, event organizers can have more context and easily create activities that can engage the attendees.
Efficient Use of Resources
As a famous quote by William Thomson Kelvin mentioned, “What is not measured cannot be improved”. For example, by looking at baseline data or past performance data, you can better understand user behavior and choose which areas you can focus on. Whether that’s a specific marketing channel that had brought the most event registration or the type of content that gained the most engagement.
Create a Seamless Integration of your Event Site and Data
Use the power of event data to make meaningful events. Ticket platforms like Event Espresso and Event Smart are a hassle-free way to connect your ticket-selling platform and collect relevant data.
With Event Espresso, you can customize your event registration forms and gather necessary data about your attendees. It is also integrated with Google Analytics to make checking your site’s data easier. You can enjoy features like downloading event data for your reports, giving discount codes on ticket types, and more.
Event Espresso is a WordPress plug-in for your event site. However, if you don’t host your event site on WordPress, you can use a similar alternative to Event Smart. What’s great about both these platforms is that, unlike other ticket-selling sites, you can sell unlimited tickets at $0 commission fees.
Take the first step in your event planning now. Check out our live demo or our 14-day free trial.