Event Data
What event data should you collect, and what do you do with it?
Event data is the record an event leaves behind: who was invited, who registered, who paid, who came, what they did and what they thought. Collected well, it lets you answer questions about attendance, cost, sponsors and next year's plan from evidence. Collected badly, it is a pile of spreadsheets that disagree with each other.
This guide lists the data to collect at each stage, how to keep it clean, how to handle it responsibly, and a data plan to copy. It stays on the data itself. For which numbers to measure against goals, see the event KPIs guide, and for tracking who attended, the event attendance tracking guide. People also search 'event tracker software' for this; the last section says what Eventdex's pages describe.
Updated by the Eventdex team
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The data an event produces
Most event data falls into a few kinds. Knowing which kind you have helps you decide how to collect it and who may see it.
| Type | Examples | Usually comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Contact and profile | Name, email, organization, role, interests | Registration form, attendee profile |
| Transaction | Ticket type, amount paid, discount code, refund | Registration and ticketing |
| Attendance | Who checked in, when, which sessions | Check-in scans, session scans |
| Engagement | Sessions saved, questions asked, polls, chat | Event app |
| Lead | Who a booth met, notes, follow-up stage | Exhibitor lead capture |
| Feedback | Ratings, comments, intent to return | Surveys |
| Cost | Venue, catering, staff, speaker fees | Your budget and invoices |
What to collect, stage by stage
Collect as you go, not at the end. Each stage supplies something the next one needs.
Before: registration
Collect contact details, ticket choice and only the extra fields you will use, such as role or session choice.
Event registration formDuring: check-in and sessions
Scan at the door and, if you need session numbers, at the session. Record the time as well as the name.
Event attendance trackingDuring: engagement
Polls, questions and survey answers from the event app show what held attention while you can still act.
After: feedback
Send a short survey while memories are fresh and record the answers against the right session or speaker.
Post-event survey guideAfter: cost and results
Add final costs and revenue so you can read the event against its goals.
Event ROI
Keep the data clean
Most analysis time goes on fixing data, not reading it. A few habits at the start save a great deal at the end.
One source of truth
Keep registration, ticketing and check-in in one system where you can, so a name is not typed three times.
Standard fields
Use drop-downs for company, role and country instead of free text, so 'IBM' and 'I.B.M.' are not different people.
A unique ID per person
Match records by email address or an attendee ID, not by name, to avoid mixing up two people who share one.
Record the time
A check-in with no time cannot tell you about arrival peaks. Keep the timestamp.
Reconcile once
Compare registered, paid and attended counts after the event and note the gaps and the reasons.
Handle it responsibly
Event data is personal data. Collect what you need, say why, limit who sees it and delete it when you no longer need it. Rules differ by place, so check the ones that apply to you and your attendees.
Tell people what you collect
State it at registration, in plain words, with a link to your privacy policy.
Eventdex privacy policyShare with care
If sponsors or exhibitors receive attendee details, attendees should know before they register.
Limit access
Give staff the data their job needs, not everything.
Decide on retention
Set a date to delete or anonymize what you no longer need.
An event data plan to copy
Fill this in once per event, before registration opens.
Event data plan
Event: [name, date] Data owner: [name] QUESTIONS WE WANT TO ANSWER AFTERWARD 1. [for example: how many registered people came?] 2. [which sessions drew the most people?] 3. [what did attendees think, by session?] DATA WE WILL COLLECT Registration: [fields] Source: [system] Payments: [fields] Source: [system] Check-in: [method, timestamp?] Source: [system] Sessions: [scan or count] Source: [system] Leads (exhibitors): [fields] Source: [system] Feedback: [survey, when] Source: [system] WHO SEES WHAT Organizers: [ ] Sponsors: [ ] Exhibitors: [ ] Attendees: [ ] PRIVACY Privacy notice linked from the form: [yes/no] Retention: delete or anonymize by [date] REPORTS WE WILL PRODUCE [post-event report, sponsor report, board summary] Due: [date]
What Eventdex reports, and what it does not describe
Eventdex's pages describe reports for registration, ticket sales and revenue, check-in and session attendance, leads and surveys, with check-in report summaries exportable to integrated CRMs. This is event data inside the platform that runs the event. Its pages do not describe a standalone event tracker product, a custom business-intelligence tool, benchmarks from other events or scoring of individual attendees. If you need any of those, ask in a demo.
Registration and revenue
Reports and customizable dashboards for registrations, and real-time ticket sales and revenue.
Event analytics softwareCheck-in and sessions
Live analytics on who has checked in and which sessions have the most and fewest attendees.
Attendee check-in appSurveys and leads
Survey results by session, speaker or theme, and lead reports for exhibitors.
Event survey software
The Eventdex platform
Where event data is collected and reported
- Event analytics softwareRegistration, revenue, check-in, lead and survey reports in one platform.Learn more about Event analytics software
- Attendee check-in appLive attendance and session numbers.Learn more about Attendee check-in app
- Event survey softwareFeedback collected in the app and shown in real time.Learn more about Event survey software
- Lead retrieval appExhibitor lead capture with real-time lead reporting.Learn more about Lead retrieval app
“Eventdex helped me run a smooth registration process during my event and helped me deliver an excellent mobile application to my event's attendees. Their support team was brilliant and I really enjoyed incorporating the Eventdex solutions into my events.”
University at Buffalo
Eversource Energy
Georgia Tech
Influence Communications
FAQ
Event Data: common questions
What is event data?
Everything an event records: contact details, tickets and payments, check-ins, session attendance, engagement in the app, leads, feedback and costs. It is the evidence you use to judge the event and plan the next one.
What event data should I collect first?
Registration, payment and check-in, because they answer the most basic question: how many people came and what did they pay. Add session attendance and feedback when you have a use for them.
What is event tracker software?
People use the phrase for tools that track registrations, attendance or tasks for an event. Eventdex's pages describe registration, check-in, session attendance and reporting inside its platform, and do not describe a separate product called an event tracker.
Is event data personal data?
Often, yes. Names, emails and attendance are personal data in many places. Say what you collect, limit who sees it, set a retention date and check the rules that apply to you.
How is event data different from event KPIs?
Data is the raw record. KPIs are the few measures you choose from it to judge whether you met a goal. Collect the data, then pick the KPIs.
See your event data in one place with Eventdex
Start with a free interactive floor plan, or talk to an event specialist on +1 (866) 434-5088.