event-industry-statistics

Corporate events are big business. Event industry statistics point to the fact that events are an incredibly effective marketing tool – but only if they’re pulled off in a manner that’s slick and professional. According to Raconteur, the events industry in the United Kingdom is set to be worth more than £48 billion by 2020.  While the market value of the South African events industry is no doubt less than the UK’s, our own events industry is on the up and up too. As both the amount and calibre of events increases, so too does the pressure on corporate event planners to successfully deliver events that result in brand awareness and more importantly, ROI.

Today, more than ever, companies are recognising the need and benefit of face to face, tangible interactions with their customers.

Marketers have realised that advertising that ‘pushes’ messages at the consumer are largely ineffective. The resultant move away from ‘shouting’ at consumers has seen corporates turn to events as an innovative and exciting marketing method that successfully conveys their brand’s message in a way that’s enjoyed by their market. In essence, events are a subtle (yet effective) means of appealing to the ever-savvy consumer.

One of the most telling event industry statistics points to the increased use of technology as a crucial tool for event planners.

Gone are the days of orchestrating an event using only a FiloFax. Today’s corporate events experts are using cutting-edge technology to help them create events that are akin to slickly-produced productions. According to iMore, 43.7 million iPhones and 16.3 million iPads were sold worldwide in the second quarter of 2014. The iPad and iPhone are now indispensable gadgets that, thanks to the advent of event management software apps, make planning and implementing an event far easier than in the past. Our very own event registration app is being used by big brands like Pfizer and Mazda to streamline every aspect of both the RSVP and event planning process.

Event management software that’s cloud-based is further enabling event planners to create events that are smoothly-run from the start.

  Toggling multiple Excel spreadsheets is not only tiresome, but leaves a massive margin for error too. If multiple staff are working off the same set of spreadsheets, duplicates and data that’s inaccurate are bound to creep in. As a result, planners are turning to event planning software – like our very own RSVP management software – in order to make sure that their data is accurate, and updated in real time. Since these solutions are cloud-based, there’s zero chance of conflicting versions of data. What’s more, planners are able to access this information regardless of their location or time zone. Numerous staff members are able to access this data too, which further streamlines the RSVP and registration processes. Our very own event management solution has assisted Momentum Health and Jaguar in orchestrating registration and ‘check-in’ processes that were hiccup-free and as a result, incredibly professional.

While general event industry statistics apply, accessing stats particular to your brand is even more crucial.

The events that succeed are those based on specific sets of data gathered about the guests in question. In order to continuously collect, collate and store this data, event planners are turning to event management software. This enables them to collect pertinent information about their guests – from demographics, such as age, gender and location – to information like dietary requirements, golf handicaps, the name and ages of their offspring, etc.

Information gleaned via an event management system combined with broader event industry statistics makes for event reports that are detailed and accurate.

It’s one thing to plan and run an event that’s a hit with guests. It’s entirely another to translate an event’s success into hard data. Without the use of integrated event planning software that spans all aspects of an event, compiling a comprehensive event report can be extremely tricky to do. It’s therefore of paramount importance that the software used enables planners to collect and then extract a range of data – from attendance rates and arrival times, right down to the name and meal preference of partners. In essence, better reporting abilities make for smarter events.

As a corporate events planner, it’s your responsibility to use a system that’s able to provide you with the relevant data in order to get your clients maximum attendance rates.

The days of making promises that can’t be kept are over. The top event planners of today are those who can deliver demonstrable data about their events – which is impossible without the assistance of superior event management software If you’re interested in South African event industry statistics, download our Benchmarks Report.

Image Credit: PPT Backgrounds