Event Planner’s Playbook: Strategies to Skyrocket Your ROI and ROE

In today’s competitive landscape, creating events that not only captivate audiences but also deliver tangible returns on investment (ROI) and experience (ROE) is crucial.

When it comes to post-event debrief meetings, the majority of your peers not only report on how their event supported revenue growth or strategic goals  but also how they elevated attendee engagement and satisfaction.

In fact, two out of three planners report on ROI, while 55 percent report on ROE.

We previously covered insights into common ROI and ROE metrics planners track along with a high-level view of event ROI- and ROE-boosting strategies you can start using to elevate your impact.

Now we’re taking a closer look into how to action those strategies to amplify both ROI and ROE, and influence event success with impactful experiences.

Winning strategies to boost event ROI

1. Streamline invitations & check-in processes 

Planner challenge: A crucial part of ROI is calculating the cost per attendee. Without an automated tool, planners are left trying to make sense of this all-important number with loose, inefficient processes: sign-in sheets, manual headcounts, incomplete information from surveys or limited estimations based on venue capacity — none of which lead to solid figures.

Try: Simplify event invitations and check-ins for accurate attendee counts and reporting. This not only reduces errors but saves you valuable time and enhances the attendee experience.

The hero in your toolkit: An event invite and check-in tool, like Encore RSVP. This tool not only gives you a precise headcount but handles the legwork for seamless  guest invitations, attendee management and efficient onsite check-ins.

Use it to:

• • Enable a streamlined, personalized experience
  • Provide attendees with clear instructions
  • Reduce wait times for onsite check-ins
   

Automating these processes cuts down on the tasks you’d otherwise do manually, minimizes errors and saves valuable time for both you and your attendees, leading to higher attendance rates and positive word-of-mouth referrals — all of which contribute to improved event success and ROI.

2. Leverage data analytics

Planner challenge: A big item in every post-event review? The bottom line. Stakeholders expect planners to communicate:

• • The total amount of revenue generated compared to total budget
  • Expense allocations
  • The investment that delivered the biggest impact on attendees
   

You may know the total dollars spent, but to confidently address any further financial questions, you’ll need reliable, easy-to-understand insights to support your responses.

Try: Harnessing data insights for evidence-based post-event reporting and recommendations.

The hero in your toolkit: An event app, like Chime Live℠, gathers actionable data on attendee behavior, session engagement and event performance.

Check its live analytics dashboard anytime during or post-event for a clear view of the number of attendees logged in, session participation, interactions with content and audience feedback.

When it’s time for that big post-event debrief, you’ll have the information you need to show which sessions or activities resonated most with attendees. This empowers you to advise how to allocate resources more effectively towards high-engagement areas so your organization’s future events are primed for optimal attendance and maximized ROI.

3. Increase sponsorship visibility

Planner challenge: Demonstrating a clear return on investment to sponsors is crucial for both ROI and sustaining beneficial sponsor contributions in the future.

Sponsors boost events with essential funding, enhanced resources, broader reach and increased credibility, benefiting both organizers and planners. But how do you meet sponsor expectations and engage their customer audiences to increase their sales while balancing event integrity and the attendee experience?

Try: Ensure sponsor visibility through captivating digital displays. Use dynamic media to make your sponsors’ messages truly sing. These are most effective in high-traffic areas that raise advertising impressions, a key metric for sponsorship value.

By leveraging dynamic digital displays, sponsors gain enhanced visibility without overshadowing your programming. Meanwhile attendees enjoy a more engaging event experience.   

The hero in your toolkit: Introduce sponsor brands in creative ways while capturing participants’ attention with digital signage.

Beyond compelling content, Encore interactive signage provides engagement metrics, enabling you to report on the effectiveness of the display advertising.

Why should you incorporate tech into your sponsor promotions? Events leveraging technology for sponsorship activations experienced a 20 percent rise in sponsor satisfaction. And satisfied sponsors are more likely to invest in future events.

Winning strategies to boost event ROE

1. Increase opportunities for interaction

Planner challenge: Participant engagement is a top event goal for organizers, as it influences attendee satisfaction and overall event success.

With today’s shorter attention spans, and higher post-pandemic expectations for in-person events, planners face the challenge of adding excitement and interaction to sessions in order to keep participants interested and involved.

Try: Encourage active participation through live polling and Q&A sessions, enhancing attendee satisfaction and event ROE.

The hero in your toolkit: Integrate an event app, like Polling+ or Chime Live℠, to facilitate audience participation, encourage interaction and foster lively discussions between participants. Do it all with the touch of a button with:

• • Live Q&A/Polling: Facilitate fun icebreakers to get attendees warmed up, open up the dialogue with real-time Q&A and polls, and enable participants to respond to topics with emojis.
  • Content Customization: Participants can suggest topics they want to discuss with the Emerging Themes tool. They can upvote those they find most relevant. Providing supplemental resources? Easily offer targeted content to different audience segments within the app. This personalization lets them know you see them and understand their needs to foster a sense of belonging.
  • Live Chat: Enable live chat for attendees to communicate with each other and with speakers. Plus, seamlessly connect with social media platforms for sharing and interaction.
   

These features keep participants actively involved in your program and drive engagement — underpinning your event success and high ROE outcomes.

2. Engage the senses to enhance learning

Planner challenge: A key aspect of ROE is your educational impact. This may be assessed by information retention or the number of continuing education credits (CEUs) offered/registered for . To enhance these outcomes, your challenge is to ensure your educational sessions are primed for success.

If your approach to knowledge sharing doesn’t captivate participants, you run the risk of attendees’ eyes glazing over at exactly the moment you hope to intrigue them with learnings.

Try: Design immersive event environments that engage the senses. These multisensory sessions keep attendees engaged with educational content — while influencing how well they remember it.

Why immersive experiences?

• • A study found immersive learning can boost retention rates by up to 75 percent.
  • 85 percent of planners believe that immersive experiences foster greater attendee engagement, according to Encore research.
   

The hero in your toolkit: Incorporate elements that engage the senses and literally immerse attendees in your storytelling. Your mission? Transform the experience to something truly memorable.

Some ideas for inspiration? Bring your audience along with your speakers as they deliver their message. Transport participants to exotic islands, faraway planets or compelling emotional spaces with wrap-around LED video walls.

Another tactic? Dial up the energy or create a relaxing ambiance by creating a sound bath with overhead speakers that move music in a wave from one side of the room to another.

Interested in more immersive experience hacks? Check out ways to boost learning and engagement with multisensory experiences.

3. Leverage “matchmaking” networking tools 

Planner challenge: One of the most valuable part of in-person experiences for attendees is the connections they make at events. Your program needs to balance structured interaction with organic connections, to ensure attendees get the most value out of your sessions. Success requires careful curation and dynamic facilitation to foster meaningful interactions.

Try: Enhancing how attendees meet and connect with valuable peers in their network. Ensure your event strategy includes agenda time for networking and incorporate scenarios in your program that encourage attendees to mingle.

The hero in your toolkit: A robust event app, like Chime Live℠, can facilitate “matchmaking” networking opportunities, foster connections and promote collaboration among attendees.

Chime Live’s customized networking features help participants discover other attendees they’re interested in connecting with, based on industry, interests, job titles and more.

This more personalized “matchmaking” during networking sessions enhances attendee experiences, resulting in successful collaborations and enriched attendee satisfaction, thus boosting ROE and networking ROI.

The power of partnership

By implementing these proactive strategies, planners can unlock the full potential of their events, driving both financial success and exceptional attendee experiences.

Choosing a full-service event production partner, like Encore, can be an invaluable part of this journey. Leverage the experts to help set your event strategy and deliver the end-to-end creative, production and technology solutions that support your ROI and ROE goals.

We’d love to partner on delivering an event that resonates with both your audience and your bottom line. Click here to schedule a free consultation!