Maximize Event Data: 6 Strategies for Success

Today’s top-performing event teams are always looking to capture and utilize event data more effectively to better understand attendee behavior, optimize event performance, and achieve better event outcomes. After all, event data is filled with valuable insights teams can use to figure out what worked well and what needs improvement, enabling event organizers to make data-driven decisions to optimize their event strategy.

However, managing event data at scale can be challenging due to the sheer volume of information, data silos, and — for companies using several different point solutions in their event tech stack — the complexity of integrating various data sources. 

For many teams, ensuring data accuracy and consistency across platforms — and keeping that data safe — is a major challenge. 

But it’s a challenge that can and should be overcome. After all, properly handling event data offers significant benefits, including enhanced analytics, improved attendee engagement, and stronger event ROI. By leveraging data effectively, organizers can refine their strategies, deliver personalized experiences, and achieve greater overall success with events.

Why is event data important?

Event data refers to information generated before, during, and after an event that includes attendee demographics, engagement metrics, registration details, session participation, and attendee, sponsor, and vendor feedback, among other things. Together, this data gives event teams a comprehensive view of how an event unfolds and how attendees interact with it.

Event data is important because it enables teams to run analytics, measuring event success by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs) — like attendance rates, session popularity, and audience engagement. By analyzing this data, event planners can identify trends, understand attendee preferences, and optimize future events.

Additionally, event data helps improve ROI by pinpointing areas for cost reduction, enhancing marketing strategies, and tailoring experiences to maximize attendee satisfaction. With comprehensive event data on hand, teams can strengthen event intelligence, ensuring that each event is more successful than the last. 

Strategies to ensure your event data doesn’t get left behind

The benefits of event data speak for themselves. That said, it can be tricky to unlock the full value of all of it. With that in mind, let’s examine six strategies you can use to maximize the promise of your event data.

Strategy #1: Utilize advanced technology

Collecting event data is easiest when you have the right event tech in place. For example, using an all-in-one platform like Bizzabo allows you to collect reams of accurate data and automatically sync it with your CRM system and other tools. This allows you to centralize attendee data, track engagement, and analyze data efficiently, leading to better decision-making and stronger ROI.

Additionally, using wearable tech like the Klik SmartBadge™ enhances data collection by providing real-time insights into session attendance, attendee movement, and interactions throughout the venue. This granular data helps optimize event logistics, adapt experiences to attendee preferences, and measure success with greater precision — ultimately improving the overall effectiveness of event planning.

Strategy #2: Implement robust data collection processes

To ensure accuracy and consistency across event analytics, teams need to implement robust data collection processes. Standardized methods — like using uniform registration forms and attendee surveys — help streamline data integration, making it easy to provide apples-to-apples comparisons. Effective examples of data collection include pre-event surveys, on-site tracking, and post-event feedback.

This is another area where wearable tech can make a huge difference. Using the Klik SmartBadge, for example, teams can collect data in real time about attendee behavior, session attendance, venue movement, and more. As a result, event teams can make data-driven adjustments on the fly, enhancing the attendee experience. 

Strategy #3: Centralize your data

Instead of trying to integrate event data after the fact, event teams should strongly consider investing in an all-in-one event platform. By doing so, they benefit from streamlined data management, improved data accuracy, and better decision-making since all relevant data is stored in one place.

The right solution will also integrate with other critical tools in your stack, including CRMs, financial systems, and other systems of records. This enables teams to create a single source of truth, enabling better analysis and reporting. Using an event platform like Bizzabo, you can centralize all relevant attendee data and sync it across platforms, giving your team a comprehensive view of event performance, which leads to smoother event planning and execution in the future.

Strategy #4: Ensure data security and privacy

Event teams need to prioritize data security and privacy to protect sensitive customer and partner data while maintaining compliance with regulations like SOC 2 Type 2, ISO 27001, EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, PCI DSS, GDPR, and CCPA. Complying with all of these regulations protects your organization against breaches and builds trust with attendees. In today’s age of data attacks, who doesn’t want the companies they do business with to do everything within their power to keep data safe?

In addition to investing in event management tools built with security top of mind, event teams should also use encryption, restrict access to authorized personnel, ensure software stays updated, conduct security audits regularly, and schedule training sessions to help employees keep pace with the latest security best practices. 

Strategy #5: Analyze and interpret your data

Analyzing your event data is crucial to understanding event performance and driving improvements. Using event analytics tools, teams can discover actionable insights by monitoring key metrics, such as attendee engagement, session popularity, and registration conversion rates. 

To take your event strategy to the next level, be sure to monitor important KPIs, including Net Promoter Score (NPS), return on investment, and attendee satisfaction to get a clear picture of what success looks like and identify areas for improvement. By leveraging these insights, you can optimize your event strategy, ensuring more successful future events and boosting ROI.

Strategy #6: Regularly update and audit your data

Regularly updating and auditing your data is essential to ensuring its accuracy, relevance, and compliance. By keeping data current, you can make data-driven decisions, preventing the likelihood that outdated information will prevent you from seeing the best way forward.

To ensure your data is accurate, conduct regular data audits by verifying the accuracy of records, removing duplicates, and checking for inconsistencies across platforms. While you’re at it, implement automated tools to flag discrepancies between two systems and establish a routine audit schedule to make sure your data stays up to date. 

By making data maintenance a recurring responsibility, you can improve the quality of insights while strengthening data security — ensuring your event strategy remains effective.

Event data: Real-world examples

To give you a better idea of how real-world teams are using event data to achieve better business outcomes, here’s a brief overview of three ways organizations are using Bizzabo and Klik to soar to new heights. 

1. 6sense

At Breakthrough 2023, 6sense hosted more than 50 in-person sessions and over 100 onsite speakers, with upwards of 1,000 attendees and 25 sponsors joining in on the fun. Using Bizzabo for a variety of event management tasks, including registration, agendas, post-event surveys, the team collected a ream of data they can use to improve future events. The 6sense team also incorporated the Klik SmartBadge into this event; attendees used the wearable tech solution to facilitate 8,770 connections, good for an average of 9.5 contact exchanges per attendee. 

“The main difference-maker we saw in 2023 was, of course, the implementation of Klik,” says MJ Juelsgaard, corporate event marketing specialist at 6sense. “Data is key, and with the addition of Klik, we can now track the entirety of the attendee journey.” 

Learn more about 6sense’s journey with Bizzabo.

2. Customer Management Practice (CMP)

After an event management tool the team was using encountered major issues, CMP began looking for a new system that would solve the organization’s fragmented event tech ecosystem. Already familiar with Bizzabo from a previous event, CMP ultimately decided that it was the ideal solution for their needs — especially since it eliminated the need to do any duplicative data-entry tasks.

Seeking to uplevel the event experience, the CMP team extended their relationship with Bizzabo by investing in the Klik SmartBadge, which absolutely delighted attendees.

“Everything we’ve seen from Bizzzabo and Klik has been the awesome piece we needed to elevate our events,” explains Kelsey Wind, deputy director of events at CMP. “It’s a badge with a purpose.” 

Read more about CMP’s experience with Bizzabo.

3. Digital Procurement World (DPW)

When DPW started out, the team used several different point solutions to manage their marquee event. In response to attendee feedback, DPW began looking for a comprehensive solution that would deliver a seamless, digital-first event experience. And that’s when they found Bizzabo and Klik. 

“From our end, we thought it would be more efficient and more productive to have one tool for event management instead of several,” says Matthias Gutzmann, founder and CEO of DPW. “That way, all of the data would stay in one place, and we’d be able to report back on it.” 

Find out more about how DPW uses Bizzabo to impress attendees.

While choosing an end-to-end event management platform can make it easier to manage, store, and analyze event data, you’ll need other tools in your arsenal as well. Good news: You can unlock even more value from Bizzabo by integrating it with platforms like:

• HubSpot, Marketo, and Pardot to streamline lead management, seamlessly track attendee interactions, and manage campaigns
• Salesforce, to centralize attendee data and access a unified view of customer relationships
• Slack, to facilitate real-time communication and collaboration, improving event coordination and event data analysis
• Mailchimp, to launch automated email campaigns tailored to event registrants, ensuring effective communication

Interested in learning more about event analytics and data management? Here are some additional resources you may want to check out:

Don’t leave any event data behind!

If your goal is to build the best event strategy, you need to collect as much event data as possible and use it to determine the best path forward. When you leave event data behind, you miss out on opportunities for insights that could enhance future events and make them more enjoyable — much to the chagrin of attendees.

On the flip side, using all available event data can help you gain a comprehensive understanding of attendee behavior and event performance. This will enable you to refine your strategy, improve decision-making, and maximize ROI for upcoming events — all while taking a data-driven approach to leveling the attendee experience.
To learn more about how you can use event data to continuously improve your event strategy and enjoy better business outcomes because of it, check out this on-demand webinar: No data left behind: Strategies for transforming post-event data into 2024 event success.