Finding the Right Benchmarks for Your Event: Tips for Greater Event Analysis

Every event is unique. After all, the word “event” could refer to something as small as an internal webinar or as large as an international trade show. Given all this variation, sourcing benchmarks that compare your events to other comparable ones can be tricky. 

RainFocus helps the world’s leading organizations measure event success, regardless of what their event portfolio looks like. With this experience, we have a comprehensive set of benchmarks sorted by size and delivery format. Each year, we analyze thousands of events, — large and small, in person and virtual — to identify standards for every event.  

Now this vast volume of data is available to everyone. We’ve introduced a complimentary, self-guided benchmark assessment that is open to all event professionals, both RainFocus clients and non-clients. Leaders are already taking the assessment to see how their events compare to those hosted by leaders like Adobe, Cisco, Oracle, and several others. 

Complete the Event Benchmark Assessment

What Are Event Benchmarks?

Event benchmarks are a standard set of metrics that organizations can use to measure event success. They are often based on KPIs such as event attendance, session participation, or exhibitor visits. KPIs help event planners iterate and improve their events year over year. Event benchmarks cover a range of data points throughout the event lifecycle, from registration to post-event survey responses. 

How to Maximize Benchmark Data Usage

Referencing benchmarks throughout your event planning process can identify areas for improvement and inspire new ideas, such as repeating a session that has lots of favorites or expanding popular meeting programs. As the event draws near, be sure to monitor attendees’ actions and adjust your strategy as needed.  

After your event, consider creating a presentation or report that demonstrates success at reaching and exceeding industry benchmarks. Work with your event platform provider to pinpoint metrics that demonstrate the greatest impact. They may be able to identify successes you hadn’t considered and further demonstrate ROI to stakeholders. These presentations and reports can also help with planning the next event. 

Working With Unbenchmarked Data Points 

Some data is simply too difficult to standardize. This includes qualitative data such as survey responses or attendee comments. As an alternative, one way to compare these data points is by using scores such as Net Promoter Scores^®. These scores are not nearly as rich as full benchmarks, but they do tell you how satisfied your attendees are in comparison to others. Another way to compare unbenchmarked data is by using AI to consolidate bulk attendee feedback into bite-sized takeaways that can serve as your own benchmarks for future events.     

Ready to get started? Access current event benchmarks for events similar to yours by completing our self-guided assessment.