How event professionals measure success with their events may seem like a simple question (with a simple answer), but it’s not. There is much more to account for beyond seeing your event plan come to fruition seamlessly and making your client happy.
These are the additional ways we measure event success:
- Attendee attendance goals
- Event budget
- Funds or sponsorship dollars raised
- Overcoming challenges as they arise with minimal external impact (ie. attendees will not notice any disruptions)
- “Smooth” programming that goes according to plan
- KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
- Client feedback
- Attendee feedback via post-event surveys
- Vendor and/or staff feedback via post-event surveys
- Event photos of attendees
- Award recognition and/or nomination
Following each event that we do, we survey our audience, vendors, and staff to see what they loved and what they thought could be improved. We then present this information, along with KPIs, to our client and ask them to provide feedback as well.
With a goal of exceeding expectations time and time again, we consider all feedback as a stepping stone of success with areas that can always be improved in the future.
But what happens when the feedback is all positive? Or the percentage of attendees who filled out the survey is minimal?
That is where the event photos come in, we can look back at the captures of attendees in the moment and see the emotions on their faces. This is the true testament of what ‘landed’ and what gave the attendees a sense of belonging.
When you can see that your client’s story has been shared in a way that connects and engages their audience, while telling them ‘you belong here’, you know that you have hosted a successful event.
– Your Tycoon, Lindsay XO
