Event KPIs

How to choose event KPIs

A KPI is useful if it is tied to a goal, can be collected reliably and will change a decision. Work through it in this order:

1. 1

   State the goal in one sentence

   For example, 'Generate qualified leads for sales' or 'Give members a reason to renew'. Events with several goals need a KPI for each.

2. 2

   Choose one to three KPIs per goal

   More than that and no one remembers them. Take them from the table below.

3. 3

   Set a target before the event

   Write the number you are aiming for and why. Without it, a result cannot be judged.

4. 4

   Decide how and when you will collect it

   Name the source and the person responsible, and build collection into registration, check-in or a survey.

5. 5

   Report against the target

   Show the result, the target and last time's result together, with one sentence on why.

Event KPIs by goal

Pick from the rows that match your goal. The last column is where the number normally comes from.

How event KPIs differ from event ROI

ROI is one number: what the event returned compared with what it cost, as a percentage. KPIs are the several measures that explain it and that you can act on during planning. A KPI such as show-up rate or leads captured tells you where to change the next event; ROI tells you whether the event paid for itself.

Use both. Pick KPIs for each goal, then feed the ones that carry a money value, such as revenue or deals influenced, into the ROI calculation. The event ROI page has the formula and the cost and return items to count.

• Event ROI

  The formula, what to count as cost and return, and how to collect them.

  Event ROI: how to measure it

An event KPI tracking sheet to copy

Fill in the target before the event and the result after, then keep the sheet for next year so you have a comparison.

EVENT KPI SHEET
Event: [Name]   Date: [Date]   Owner: [Name]
Goal 1: [One sentence]
Goal 2: [One sentence, if any]

KPI 1: [Name, e.g. registrations]
Goal it serves: [1 / 2]
Source: [Where the number comes from]   Collected by: [Name]   When: [Date]
Target: [Number]   Last event: [Number or none]   Result: [Number]
Note: [Why it came out this way]

KPI 2: [Name, e.g. show-up rate]
Goal it serves: [1 / 2]
Source: [..]   Collected by: [..]   When: [..]
Target: [..]   Last event: [..]   Result: [..]
Note: [..]

KPI 3: [Name, e.g. satisfaction score]
Goal it serves: [1 / 2]
Source: [..]   Collected by: [..]   When: [..]
Target: [..]   Last event: [..]   Result: [..]
Note: [..]

SUMMARY
Biggest win: [..]
Biggest miss: [..]
Three changes for next time: 1. [..] 2. [..] 3. [..]

Common mistakes with event metrics

Most poor measurement comes from a few repeated habits:

• Counting registrations as success

  Registrations show interest. Attendance, engagement and results show whether the event worked.

• Choosing metrics after the event

  Picking the numbers that look best afterwards tells you nothing. Choose before.

• Too many KPIs

  Ten measures spread attention. Three that you act on beat thirty you only report.

• Copying someone else's target

  Another organization's numbers come from a different audience and price. Use your own history.

• No owner for collection

  A metric nobody collects is a blank cell. Name a person for each.

Collecting event KPIs on Eventdex

Eventdex supplies several of the sources in the table. It does not replace your CRM, so deal and revenue measures come from there. What the product pages state:

• Registration and attendance

  Registration and ticketing reports, and check-in that keeps running in venues with poor or no internet.

  Event registration software

• Session attendance

  Session attendance is tracked as it happens, so you can compare sessions.

  In-person event platform

• Leads captured

  The lead capture app collects contacts, which can be exported in CSV and imported into a CRM.

  Lead capture app

• Satisfaction and engagement

  In-app surveys give satisfaction scores by session, speaker or theme, and live Q&A and polls record engagement during sessions.

  Event survey software

• Sponsor results

  Live stats and post-event analytics are described for sponsors and exhibitors.

  Event sponsorship