[UPDATED]: How to Collect Relevant Event Data from your Attendees?

It is always the ultimate goal of an organizer to gather maximum attendees for their events.Though more the number of attendees, harder it is to calculate ROIefficientlyunless you collect the data efficiently from as many touchpoints as possible.

And hence, today we are going to discuss how to collect valuable event data from different channels to keep track of attendees and measure your event ROI.

Collecting data will not only help you in knowing your attendees better but also in refining your event valuables. Also, it will facilitate you with valuable market insights which will further help you in the commercialization of your event. So, let’s get started. 

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Here’s how to capture the most relevant event data from your attendees.

#1. Event Registration Systems

With the onset of Event Management Software, the registration process has been completely transformed. Most of the organizations today use some or the other online event registration platforms. 

Event Registration Forms have been the basic touch point even before the onset of technology and it’s nowhere near to disappear soon. Also because, default information like name, address, contact details, etc. can be easily extracted from a perfect event registration form. 

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Though there are many event automation tools that can help you in classifying your attendees based on their basic information. This classification is in the groups of attendees, sponsors, exhibitors, speakers, VIPs, etc. 

Such information can help you gauge different aspects of your event, primary reasons for your attendees to attend your event, which specific sessions attracted VIPs, etc. This kind of event data will give you valuable insights and will help you in the way you plan, manage and measure your Event ROI. 

#2. Post-Event Surveys

Feedback is a two-way dialogue and it can be taken in many different manners. Though, to ask for the perfect event feedback, post-event surveys are highly efficient. 

Post-event surveys often provide the most meaningful insights on what went right and what went wrong regarding your event. They can help you gather information from a diverse field- including sessions, feedback on speakers, ticket pricing, exhibitors, sponsors, etc. 

This information will not only help you in making the necessary changes but more importantly, it can help you figure out whether attendees found value in your event and whether or not they would come again the next time. 

#3. Mobile Event Apps

Event Apps have made the whole journey of collecting the data at events extremely easier. Event Apps help in collecting the engagement analytic by facilitating event data through Q&A Sessions, Polls Conducted and other such audience engagement activities.

These event analytics tools help in understanding the interests of attendees by identifying how attendees are engaging with your event and what they find of interest based on their in-app actions, isn’t it fascinating? 

For example, you’ll be able to see exactly how many people interacted during which sessions, or which exhibitors generated the most buzz, and so on. Also, this way you can determine whether you did select the best speakers for your event, whom you need to bring back the following year and who needs to be replaced. 

#4. Event CRM Software

Event Automation Tools (or Event Management/CRM Softwares) have evolved so much since the past few years that they are at the core of things and matters concerning event data. The reason why these have been listed as one of the top 8 technologies that event planners must embrace is due to the magic wand of event analytics. 

Event Analytics acts as the centralized system that helps you capture, track and report on important real-time information on multiple events, including registrations, ticket sales, email marketing, digital marketing, sessions success, etc. 

For example, organizers will be able to access all the outstanding attendee payments recorded in their organization’s finance systems, which will help them in staying at the top of their cash flow game. Also, this data will help them in taking follow-up of the attendees who might have wanted to register by coming on the ticket section but somehow couldn’t. 

#5. Social Media Tools

It isn’t true if we say that a good social media strategy is synonymous with smart event planning. Social Media is the ultimate tool through which event planners can increase their outreach and hence measure your engagement number which is available on platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. 

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Using Social Media Automation tools like HootSuite, you can track which platform is the most effective and can find out what content your followers are sharing with their own networks, what is engaging them emotionally and what is more thought-provoking and so on. 

Also, you can track social media conversions such as registrations, newsletter sign-ups, eBook downloads or anything else you want your followers to do. You can also set up UTM links for different platforms where your ticket sales are live. This will give an exact idea about which platforms have performed well and helped you achieve maximum ticket sales. This would also gove you organizers an insight on where your target audience or event attendees spend most of your time.

#6. Audience Engagement Tools

Knowing what exactly turned up your event is what every organizer would want to know and this is possible with the help of audience engagement tools or an event app. 

Smartphones let attendees ask questions in real-time and hence you’ll be able to figure out which session rocked. Which in turn will help in analyzing the success and shortcomings of the sessions and speakers. 

Through the event app, you will be able to see which sessions had the most check-ins. This event data will help you in directing attendees towards a particular section if the crowd is not up to your expectations. 

#7. Web Analytics

Understanding the user-flow on your event website is critical. Without this understanding, you wouldn’t be able to know the potential problems your event is facing over the online world. 

If your event management software isn’t having the integration of website analytics, you can make the optimum use of Google Analytics. This will help you gather important event data and analytics that can tell you how good your marketing efforts are turning into the results. 

It also includes things like details demographics on who is visiting your website, from where visitors, registrations, ticket sales, etc. are coming from and so on. 

#8. Networking Platform

Networking is one of the main reasons why people attend events and hence, we repeatedly insist that the event networking platform is the best investment. It is usually incorporated within the event app itself. 

Networking Platforms facilitate personalized agenda, discovering other attendees, setting up meetings, sending direct messages, interaction with exhibitors & sponsors and so on. 

This data helps planners get insight on how much “networking” is being done at your event and the kind of people, exhibitors or topics your attendees are most interested in. 

You might feel like there is too much data everywhere but believe me, the collection of good data will enable you to organize more successful events.

Tell us if you have any secret tips up your sleeve to collect maximum event data in the comments section. 

PS: Want to know how Hubilo can help you capture useful data for your event? Know more about it here.

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