The experiential industry needs to do more to ensure it is using the right digital tools to support and track results, according to a panel debate at International Confex, 1 March.
The session, called Value 2020: Understanding the value of events, assessed how the events landscape has changed and what more needs to be done to prove its worth.
“We’ve seen a massive shift in the past 10 years towards integrating digital into events and now it’s definitely become part of the mix. But we need to ensure that we are using tools and metrix that help clients understand exactly what their ROI is,” said Ru Barksfield from digital agency Big Bear X.
Discussion touched on the difficulty that the events industry faces in measuring its success beyond the use of surveys and anecdotal feedback. “With events we’re often being asked to change behaviour and attitudes which is often the most difficult to measure. We need ways of knowing that we’ve changed people’s mindset,” said Phil Watton, director, TFI Group.
While discussion touched on methods of assessing behavioural changes, the consensus was that strategy and creativity remain the key starting point for every event.
“We often say, we need strategy to make our creative bullet proof. And we need a multi-disciplinary team with a varied skillset,” said Niru Desai, VP – Strategy at Freeman XP.
The panel discussion formed part of the ILEA keynote sessions on the second day of International Confex and was moderated by Unicorn Events’ Hannah Luffman.
