Events make things happen which is why event marketing statistics show that a lot of professionals see them as the number one way to reach their business goals.
Events promote products, create connections between clients and companies, bring in sales, raise brand awareness. With the rise of virtual and hybrid events and the fast-paced strategies that were created to combat the pandemic challenges, we can see a new wave of event marketing emerging.
Let’s see what the stats have to say about the marketing side of events.
Event Marketing Statistics (Editor’s Choice)
- 55% of organizers see safety as the biggest issue in resuming live events. (Gavel)
- 12% of event marketers have faced pay cuts during the pandemic. (Event Marketer)
- Events planning makes for 21% of corporate marketing budgets. (Splash That)
- 95% of marketers say live events offer a chance for real-life connections. (Aventri)
- 83% of Americans miss attending conferences. (Event Marketer)
- 31% of marketers say event marketing is the most effective tool they have. (Aventri)
- 79% of marketers want CRM integrated with event software. (Bizzabo)
- The event management software industry is worth $28 billion. (Learn G2)
Event Marketing Industry Statistics
1. Around 55% of event organizers say that safety still is the biggest obstacle for in-person events.
Unclear guidance and rules, corporate travel bans, inconsistent safety measures have been posing a problem for most event marketers during the past two years and still continue to do so. Around 67% of event organizers reported that they have introduced explicit language into their events policies regarding safety and security, according to event marketing stats.
(Gavel)
2. 57% of marketers claim employment wasn’t affected by the COVID-19.
Around 12% said that they faced pay cuts and 6% were forced to lay off team members, according to event industry statistics. As many as 63% of professionals were focusing on developing new skills during that time, with the majority developing virtual strategies to overcome the crisis with innovative solutions.
(Event Marketer)
3. Up to 87% of marketers canceled events in 2020 because of the pandemic, event marketing statistics show.
Another 66% were forced to postpone events due to COVID-19, and 61% reported postponing the decisions until months later. Some 70% of marketers simply switched the events to virtual at once, according to video conferencing statistics, even if most agreed it was a bandaid rather than a solution.
(Event Marketer)
4. Events take up 21% of corporate marketing budgets.
Further, hosting, attending, or exhibiting in B2B marketing budgets took up 14% of the budgets, and back in 2015, up to 14% was used just for in-person trade shows. Over 30% of marketers spend 20% of the budget on events and 10% report spending over 50% of the marketing budget on events.
Overall, event marketing industry statistics show that 54% of companies had a tendency to spend more and more on events while 17% were spending less just before the pandemic.
(Splash That)
5. B2C marketers are less invested in events, spending only 19% of their budget on them.
Meanwhile, 29% of the B2B marketing budget gets allocated for events as 83% of B2B marketers report that they are heavily invested in organizing events. This comes from the fact that 69% of B2B marketers find in-person events to be useful and 73% believe there is no better tactic than an event when it comes to engaging customers according to event marketing effectiveness statistics. Some 31% single out trade shows, conferences, conventions, and channel events as extremely important for reaching their targeted customer groups.
(Splash That)
6. 60% of marketers are satisfied with the event strategies and results they have created.
The growth of conventions and events from 2010 to 2020 was estimated to be 44% between 2010 and 2020. according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. A little over half, 51% of the companies have between one and ten event planning managers and workers. Looking at the percentage 20% to 25% of marketing teams were dedicated to event teams according to event marketing stats.
(Splash That)
7. 64% of global businesses use the number of attendees to measure the effectiveness of their marketing.
Around 56% use the number of qualified sales leads and 48% track brand awareness. Social press mentions are used in 41% of cases, while the number of sales generated was a measure of success for 40% of businesses.
(Statista)
8. Up to 83.7% of event organizers expected their budgets to be affected by Covid in 2021.
With the changes in the way, events are done and the rise of hybrid events budgeting changed as well. Most event marketers, 65,5% believed the budgets for 2021 would decrease, but 70% of outperforming teams expected their budgets to grow bigger event marketing statistics show.
Around 50% of businesses spend 21% or more of their total events budget on hosting events rather than attending them, and 48% say they spend at least 21% of the allocated marketing budget on in-person events.
(Bizzabo)
9. 33% of businesses spend over 21% of the events budget on sponsoring events.
Up to 93% of event marketers cite hosting events as their top priority and 57% mark the priority as high. Around 40% of marketers will be increasing their spending for hosting events in the coming years, according to event marketing statistics.
(Bizzabo)
11. 95% of marketers claim live events give people a chance for real-life connections.
Live events were valued more than digitized ones even before the pandemic hit, but now once again after the first hype of going virtual many continue to miss the good old days even if the new solutions represent great advances and innovation.
Just under two-thirds (65%) of people attending events say that they understand a product or a service better if they have a direct experience. Event marketing stats further show that 70% of people turn into regular customers after an experiential marketing event.
(Aventri)
12. 77% of marketers use experiential marketing as one of their main event strategies.
In the midst of the pandemic, most people surveyed about events and attendance seemed eager to go back to live events as soon as possible.
Event marketing stats show up to 83% of Americans that had to work from home reported attending meetings and conventions was something they miss, while 78% said they will attend more events when the crisis is over.
What’s more, 49% agree convention centers and event venues need to be eligible for federal funding and 14% disagree. Around 59% never charge for the events.
(Splash That, Event Marketer)
13. 31% of marketers believe that event marketing is the most effective tool they have.
Up to 87% of executives emphasize the importance of live events yet experiential marketing statistics show less than 50% of organizers have a standardized process with which to measure event sponsorship.
But, we do know that in 2018 around 79% of US marketers made sales using event marketing.
(Aventri)
14. 95% of marketers believe in-person events are crucial for reaching business goals.
Up to 85% of leadership agrees, this includes Senior Managers, Executives, and Board Members, who agree that live events are crucial for the success of their business. Around 60% believe that events are the most important channel they have to achieve their company goals, according to event marketing industry statistics.
(Bizzabo)
Event Management Software Stats
16. The event management software industry is worth $28 billion.
The use of technology and event marketing software has had a major positive impact, according to 86% of event marketers. Around 68% of app developers noticed an increased demand for event apps even back in 2018 when 40% of users said the ability to measure success and keep track of results is the main reason for using apps.
This is very important when we are reminded that only 23% responded that they know how to track the ROI of an event. What’s more, 89% of planners reported that software helps them manage the staff better, event marketing effectiveness statistics show.
(Learn 2G)
17. 92% of marketers say event software helps them reach business goals.
Out of those that are currently using event software up to 80% of marketers can prove the return on investment.
Around 89% of marketers meanwhile say they save time by using the software to plan events. So much so that 89% of users save up to 200 hours per year and another 20% of respondents have saved 360 hours using event planning software.
(Bizzabo)
18. Up to 59.4% of companies want hybrid software solutions that work for in-person and virtual events, event marketing statistics show.
After the lessons of 2020, most event management companies will turn to technology that supports hybrid events, a mix of live and virtual attendance for both the audience and the speakers. Up to 79% of marketers want an event software integrated with CRM and 20% believe APIs and integrations will be the most important trend in the coming years.
(Bizzabo)
19. 62% of events organizers say event mobile apps drive attendee engagement.
Up to 98% of event planners highlight the use of agenda and session features. Some 60% to 70% of event app features focus on engagement and 41% have advanced networking features. Still, 100% of respondents say event agenda comes in the top three most used and important features event marketing targeting statistics show.
(Bizzabo)
20. Nearly half of marketers have replaced some live with web events during the pandemic.
Engagement and interaction are a top priority and searching for ways to bring them to the table during online gatherings is a number one goal for marketers. Virtual events statistics show the share of marketers that switched from live to the web hosting of events during Covid:
- 49% – Replaced some events
- 12% – Replaced most events
- 16% – Were not sure
- 16% – Had no plans.
(Finances Online)
The Bottom Line
On one hand, everyone is experiencing virtual fatigue due to the past two years and is eager to return to in-person events craving the face-to-face connection we lost due to Covid restrictions. On the other hand, no one is willing to give up the multiple advantages of virtual events. Event marketing statistics, however, show that courtesy of hybrid events, we might just have it all.
Sources: Gavel, Event Marketer, Splash That, Aventri, Bizzabo, Learn G2, Statista, Finances Online
