Reporting on the intangible moments that added to an event’s magic can feel daunting. What’s the best way to showcase impact to stakeholders who missed the electric buzz, participant excitement and quality connections? Enter ROI and ROE — your dynamic duo for capturing event milestones that impress your C-suite beyond spreadsheets and attendee counts. 

Together, these insights can:

• • • Demonstrate the financial success of an event and set you up for that “show me the money moment.”
       
    • Provide stakeholders and sponsors transparency, delivering a measurable look at the value your experiences bring to the organization.

 

• • • Serve as a cheat sheet on what worked and what to focus on to improve outcomes at future events.
       
    • Help drive attendee engagement and satisfaction — the single most important key performance indicator (KPI) in whether an event was successful or not, according to the latest Planner Pulse.  

 

ROI (Return on Investment) measures the amount of money gained or lost from an event.

_____________________________

ROE (Return on Experience) measures an event’s value from the perspective of participants, sponsors, and organizers. ROE tracks outcomes related to thoughts, feelings and behaviors.

The majority of planners are using these metrics as a key part of their success stories in 2024. Two out of three planners track ROI for events, while 55% capture ROE.

ROI & ROE For Events: Master The Metrics

To accurately measure ROI and ROE, you’ll need to consider both tangible and intangible metrics. From financial returns to qualitative aspects, like attendee satisfaction, knowing what to track — and how — can bring the many facets of your event experience into focus. 

Here are some common metrics your peers track for each category. 

ROI Metrics

Financial Metrics

• • • Revenue generated from the event.
    • Cost of organizing the event.
    • Profit margins.

Lead Generation

• • • Number of leads generated during the event.
    • Conversion rates of leads into customers.

Sponsorship Value

• • • Number of leads generated for sponsors.
    • Estimated impressions of display advertising, considering foot traffic in the venue, visibility of the displays, and duration of exposure.

Cost per Attendee

• • • Calculating the cost incurred per participant.

Sales Metrics

• • • Increase in sales resulting from the event.
    • Customer acquisition costs.

Marketing Reach

• • • Measure the event’s impact on brand awareness.
    • Social media impressions and engagement.

 

ROE Metrics

Attendee Experience

• • • Satisfaction levels of participants.
    • Feedback on event activities and content.

Networking Success

• • • Number of new connections made.
    • Quality of networking opportunities.

Educational Impact

• • • Effectiveness of educational sessions.
    • Knowledge gained by attendees.

Participant Engagement

• • • Interaction levels during the event.
    • Attendee participation in discussions and activities.

Message Retention

• • • Surveys/post-event evaluations.
    • Interaction levels during sessions.

Brand Perception

• • • How the event enhances the brand’s image.
    • Perception of the organization’s values.

Community Building

• • • Growth and engagement of the event community.
    • Long-term relationships fostered.

PRO TIP: New to capturing ROE? Most planners measure ROE through attendee surveys and attendance, according to the
latest Planner Pulse. 

Show Me The Returns:
ROI-and ROE-Boosting Strategies

Asking the right questions during the event planning process can help you identify opportunities where you can increase returns in each area.  

Essential questions

• • • What are the goals/objectives of the event?
    • Who is the target audience?
    • What is my budget?
    • What are my event KPI’s?  

These questions will guide you in defining your event “goal posts,” so you can set an effective strategy. Let’s dive into best practices for your next steps.

Tips for delivering a high ROI

Set clear objectives
Define specific and measurable goals for the event. Align objectives with the overall business strategy.

Target the right audience
Identify and target the audience that aligns with the event’s purpose. Tailor marketing efforts to reach potential high-value participants.

Effective budgeting
Create a comprehensive budget considering all aspects of the event. Allocate resources wisely, focusing on areas with the highest potential ROI.

Sponsorship optimization 
Forge strategic partnerships with sponsors aligned with the target audience. Maximize sponsor exposure through various channels. 

Maximize technology
Leverage event technology to track key metrics and set yourself up for stellar execution. This is a popular best practice: 83% of planners believe using technology that delivers immersive experiences enhances event ROI.

Data analytics 
Use data analytics to measure and track ROI metrics. Gather insights to refine strategies for future events.

Tips for delivering a high ROE

Attendee-centric approach 
Understand the needs and preferences of attendees. Customize the event experience to cater to diverse participant interests.

Engaging content 
Curate relevant and engaging content. Incorporate interactive elements, workshops, and networking opportunities.  

Networking facilitation 
Provide structured networking sessions. Implement tools, like the Chime Live℠ networking features, to facilitate attendee connections. 

Tech-powered innovation 
Introduce unique and memorable experiences. Consider incorporating technology and experiential elements that engage the senses to make your event unforgettable. 

Educational value
Ensure high-quality educational sessions and speakers. Encourage Q&A sessions and discussions.  

Post-event engagement
Continue engagement post-event through follow-up emails and surveys. Create a community platform for ongoing discussions and networking.

Experience feedback
Gather feedback during and after the event. Use feedback to make continuous improvements for future events.  

Community-building
Foster a sense of community among attendees. Encourage collaboration and shared experiences.

Combining these strategies can help ensure your event becomes a catalyst for long-term relationships, brand loyalty and continued success in the dynamic world of event planning.   

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!

Internet service is the thread that weaves together various event elements to help deliver a seamless experience, ensure attendee satisfaction, and manage costs. This is why it’s important to hire a partner to provide dedicated event internet services.

Just like insurance protects you from loss in the case of a mishap, a dedicated internet services partner can prevent attendee dissatisfaction from:

• • • Internet outages and slowdowns
    • Technical gaffes
    • Ordering too much or too little broadband
    • Tech-based participant frustration
    • Wi-Fi identity theft

Customers often request digital solutions such as apps, agendas, and handouts to enhance the attendee experience. Attendees may try to access these tools on multiple devices; each person may have 3.6 devices/connections. Having a dedicated internet partner for your event helps bring peace of mind to any connection concerns that may arise.

“[Encore] is one of the only network services companies out there that focus exclusively on events,” shared Alex Wedesky, Encore Director of Internet Services. “We know that events don’t only happen from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.” This means customers benefit from always-on customer service.

The benefits of partnership

Having dedicated onsite tech support allows you to have proactive internet solutions for participants.

“[Often times] people will opt to turn their phone into a hotspot or bring a hotspot,” Wedesky says “Even though you can’t see Wi-Fi, it’s like molecules in the air. You can only have so many in one space before they begin colliding.” When multiple networks collide, web pages fail to load, and people have difficulty getting online.

Because Encore monitors network health and bandwidth speed, onsite techs can detect a problem before it happens. Before the trade show begins, Encore technicians will work with exhibitors to ensure personal networks are set up correctly and are contained so interference doesn’t occur.

Event internet partners provide tools, strategies and support

How do we know the amount of bandwidth required for your event? Encore offers a bandwidth calculator to ensure customers always have the right amount for their needs. Then the Encore team develops a strategy for each event component that needs network access to prevent tech hiccups.

For example, if the internet is ordered as a shared pool for the conference, participant devices, live-streamed content, and presenter videos will be pulled from the same source. The results can be video hiccups that won’t play, polls won’t load, and participants may get impatient.

To solve this, Encore consults with clients to determine which event elements must be prioritized and partitioned off bandwidth accordingly. This prevents participant usage from interfering with things like streaming video or live stream feeds.

How event internet provides additional value and audience insights

Event internet is an investment. When you purchase 500 MB, you want to know whether you used it. This is another way in which dedicated providers deliver value: by delivering insights about internet usage and audience behavior.

While the price of event internet is decreasing, the means of reporting and processing that data is becoming more expensive. This is why Encore helps meeting and event professionals analyze data to help manage costs.

“We deliver insightful analytics so [you] know what [customers] need to do to see success going forward,” Wedesky says. “They learn things about the attendee base they otherwise wouldn’t know.”

Encore’s Aptilo Access Control System provides real-time monitoring of customer event bandwidth utilization. Through the tool, Encore can provide customers with impactful post-event bandwidth reporting to provide insights such as:

• How much bandwidth was utilized
• Timeframes where spikes occurred
• Where most of the traffic was going (event resources, social media, etc.)

From user insights to full internet installations to onsite emergency troubleshooting, dedicated internet service providers offer end-to-end solutions that provide essential support and peace of mind.

“Things change,” Wedesky says. “Having a partner who can navigate those changes with you is important.”

Let’s discuss your internet needs!

Illuminating Insights Into LED Walls

Looking to rejuvenate your event space? Vibrant LED walls offer the perfect solution for captivating content that brings the ‘WOW’ to your messaging. Whether your event is indoors or outdoors, bright or dim, deliver attention-grabbing content across screens of versatile shapes and sizes. Expand your knowledge of this popular scenic solution in our FREE LED Wall Technology Resource Guide! 

Claim your FREE Copy now!

Explore how to:

• Elevate visual content with innovative LED screen shapes
• Select the right LED screen size for your objectives
• Ensure optimal seating distance from your LED wall for readability
• Determine the ideal LED brightness for your space, whether indoors or outdoors

Seeking personalized guidance on impressing participants with LED walls at your next event? Request a FREE consultation! We’d love to transform your vision into an unforgettable event that sparks connections and inspiration.

Over 70 percent of meeting and event organizers believe networking and engagement will be the future of events. The challenge is how to do that. LED walls are one of the most flexible technology solutions you can use to breathe new life into your programming. From creating immersive environments to transforming presentations into interactive activities, LED walls can enhance indoor or outdoor meetings and events in myriad ways.

Let’s examine some use cases and applications where LED walls can support event goals to facilitate networking and improve engagement.

Get My Free LED Resource Guide!

How do LED walls create more engaging and immersive environments?

“The No. 1 reason why we attend meetings is to interact with people,” says Encore Product Manager Damein Futch.

If you use LED to run keywords from the keynote and use it as a billboard to share critical ideas and information,” he says, “you can transform a cold space into a warmer place for people to connect to your event and each other."

“Instead of you telling me the Top 10 things I should remember, I learn because you’re using the billboard principle in the dining room.”

LED walls also allow you to change the environment without changing the space. “There’s an unlimited palette of opportunities,” Futch explains. For example, there might be a beach scene during the morning session, which turns into a sunset over a mountaintop for the general session.

“You can even put a transparent LED over a window in a breakout room.” This makes it possible to transport participants to different places, planets and emotional spaces without moving them from their chairs.

“Any time you want an interactive display behind something you want to sell or promote, you can use an LED wall,” Futch says. “You don’t have to worry about people walking through the cone of projection.” LED panels can be built to look like a product that you can transform into anything you want with striking visuals.

You may have seen LED walls used to show what people are experiencing while wearing virtual reality (VR) headsets or as a background layer for augmented reality (AR) activations. But have you heard about extended reality (XR)?

“Extended reality is a camera working with a media server and LED wall to create realistic background movement to give viewers the sense of being in another location,” Futch explains. It’s a technique used for TV/film productions to create immersive 360-degree sets. But the same technology can be used for events.

Futch says a professional meeting or event organizer’s use of LED walls is only limited only by their creativity, budget and opportunity. “The ROI of LED is exponentially greater than you see with other mediums. It costs more because it accomplishes more, and you can do more with it.“

A technology solution for all meeting types and formats

“Any time you have a screen or a wall, you can use LED,” Futch adds. “LED walls can be used in general sessions, breakout rooms, digital signage, creative elements, scenic and anywhere else, really.”

What does this look like in practice? The resolution and clarity provided by LED walls make them a good fit for medical meetings or any other gatherings where it’s essential to view high-contrast images. In general sessions, they can be used in place of traditional projections as scenic elements, or they may comprise the entire set. “LED walls don’t have to be rectangular or square,” Futch shares. “You can build and stagger them into any configuration you need.”

Another benefit? You’re not restricted to aspect ratios with LED walls the way you are with traditional projectors. You don’t have to worry about blending because you’re using one surface, whether it’s a window, wall, curved screen or even the side of a building. It can be as large or small as you need without compromising the resolution quality.

LED walls can also be used as creative accents. For example, if you wanted to use a projector for a presentation, you could wrap the presentation with LED walls to drive home the message.

No matter how they’re used, people’s eyes and attention naturally drift to LED walls because they’re so vivid and bright, which makes them an incredible tool for engagement. “You could even put one behind a registration desk,” Futch says. “And people will be drawn in.”

The benefits of using LED walls vs projectors

LED walls possess several technological advantages to projection equipment traditionally used, whether you’re creating scenic elements, relaying information or transforming spaces with projection mapping. These advantages enhance the participant experience and elevate the overall event.

The clarity and resolution of LED walls are one of the advantages they hold over traditional projection devices. “You’re able to achieve a higher impact with LED walls than with a projector,” Futch says. The resolution of a projector decreases as you increase the size of the projection, whereas the LED image remains the same resolution regardless of size.

Brightness is an additional advantage. “A projection always competes with stage lights or daylight,” Futch says. You never have to draw the curtains in a room with an LED wall. Examples of this can be seen within exhibit halls or outdoor venues.

Projectors are either rear-projecting or front-projecting. In both cases, a considerable amount of space is required to fit the ‘cone of projection.’ This isn’t the case with LED walls.

“You gain back seating and capacity for your attendees,” Futch informs. “You don’t have to worry about projection distance because everything is displayed on a flat surface.”

When light is projected, it bounces off a screen before it enters the participants’ eyes, making it a passive medium. In contrast, LED walls are an active medium. What they display is directly absorbed by the viewer. As Futch adds, “It is like your TV on steroids.”

It also offers increased opportunities for creative expression. “LED walls are visual LEGOs,” Futch explains. “With projectors, light [is] beamed at a source. With LED walls, the possibilities are endless when it comes to resolution and area covered.”

Think about the events you have coming up. How would you like to use LED walls to surprise and delight, educate and engage, or entertain your participants? We’d love to provide a free consultation on how this technology solution can help you achieve your meeting or event goals.

Interested in learning more? Click the button below to explore our experts’ guidance on dazzling audiences with LED technology.

Get My Free LED Resource Guide!

Objective

When Encore was approached to facilitate the Pope’s apology to indigenous communities across Canada in an effort to start the reconciliation process, time was of the essence. 

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Office of the Papal Visit (OPV) asked our experts to design, produce and execute five events within three days for up to 200,000 attendees. The gatherings would mark a hugely historic moment for many and needed to be handled with the utmost professionalism and sensitivity.

With just 30 days to develop the event strategy and design, and then build and manage all production and event technology components, the Encore team got to work.

Solution

• Temporary power and site infrastructure for 5 physical event locations (4 locations in Alberta and 1 location in Iqaluit)


• Infrastructure work to accommodate the expected crowds at three of the five locations


• Full turn-key production leadership, including producers and stage managers


• Audio, video and lighting technology solutions


• Custom scenic designs and stage builds


• Audio, video and lighting services


• 270+ Encore team members satisfying the needs of different clients and stakeholders, from the Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops to local tribal leaders

Outcome

Decades of experience producing world-class events and a global team well-versed in developing and executing end-to-end event solutions helped Encore to deliver on the monumental requests.

“It was very clear to us that what Encore brought to the table was not just technical support or equipment, but we wanted to work with a company that really understood the complexity of something like this, and I’m working with people [at Encore] that is exactly what they do.”  - The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, office of the Papal Visit (OPV)

- The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, Office of the Papal Visit (OPV) 

Event Video

Event Images

Encore values the power of inclusion. That’s why we’re proud to create spaces of belonging and work to proactively diversify our team. In honor of Women’s History Month, we’re excited to share a new way we’re putting our commitment to equity into practice with our Women in Audio Visual Technology (WAVE) program. We’re also delighted to also shine a spotlight on some of the trailblazing women of Encore and reflections from our leadership on why Women’s History Month matters to our organization.

Generating career opportunities for women at Encore

The WAVE initiative is part of our ongoing efforts to create career opportunities for women in the event production industry. The program features a pre-hire training certification, called Introduction to Event Technology, which is carefully designed to provide an overview of processes and best practices in the technology field. Anyone can take the course. The initiative also offers continuing education, a mentorship program and career mapping — all focusing on elevating women and identifying clear career paths to leadership and management positions. 

Fostering community for women and allies

Knowing the role community support and knowledge-sharing can play in career and life empowerment. Encore offers seven business resource groups that enable members to develop deeper connections with colleagues. The Women of Encore business resource group serves as an inclusive community for women and their allies, providing an opportunity for conversation, mentorship, development and advocacy.

Honoring Encore award-winners and nominees

Diversity in our leadership helps push our industry forward in new ways. In fact, two of our award-winning teammates Donna Hubley, Encore Vice President of Field Sales, and Alyssa Freire, Encore Project Manager of Production, were recently honored in the 2023 Smart Women in Meetings Awards program for doing just that.

Because Encore had so many women nominated for the 2023 Smart Women in Meetings Awards, Smart Meetings also released a companion article, ‘Think Event Technology Is Still a Man’s World? Think Again,’ which features 15 additional women of Encore working in technology, sales, operations, production, human resources and management. Check out the article for an introduction to these pioneers, learn their approaches to life, advice for readers, and goals they’re working toward.

Reflections on Women’s History Month from
Encore Leadership

While we take a moment to celebrate the incredible women who propel our organization, industry and communities forward, our leadership is reflecting on what this month means to Encore. Here’s what they had to share:

Becky Sheehan, Chief Financial Officer

 “I am thrilled to recognize and celebrate International Women’s History Month and continue to be both proud of and inspired by the women of the past and present. One particular highlight for us today is my observation that the goals of Encore are closely aligned to those of the UN Women organization as it pertains to gender equality.

The UN Women’s International Women’s Day theme — “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality” — aligns well with the efforts Encore is making to encourage more women to enter the event production industry. For example, WAVE, or Women in Audio Visual Events, is an Encore program that focuses on generating career opportunities for women in our industry. More specifically, it’s a community where we can provide women with educational, training, and mentorship resources to be successful and ultimately become the next generation of leaders at Encore. This relates closely to another goal we have established to double representation of women in leadership positions at Encore.”

Toni Williams, Sr. Manager, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

“At Encore, we recognize that diversity is critically important, equity is a choice, inclusion is an action and belonging is the outcome we desire. Creating equitable spaces and opportunities for women isn’t just a matter of ethics or corporate responsibility. We have seen tangible results time and time again on how more diverse companies lure better talent and improve their decision making, customer orientation and employee satisfaction. All areas of diversity are important to our inclusive culture, and gender, racial and ethnic diversity are certainly competitive differentiators for companies in the same industry and country. As we honor Women’s History Month, we would be remiss not to acknowledge the broader impacts that creating equity for women, and other underrepresented and marginalized groups, has on the way we live and work.”

Ben Erwin, President and CEO

“We know our ability to best solve challenges comes from our team’s individual experiences — a capacity that grows with the diversity of the talent around the table. When women are invited to these conversations, we win. When women are given opportunities to sharpen their skillsets, we win. When women are empowered as leaders, we win. Our customers win. Our industry wins.

Women’s History Month reminds us of the role inclusion can play in progress . . . for women, people of color, or anyone marginalized or underrepresented. We know our team members are the key differentiator in the marketplace. This belief powers a culture of diversity, inclusion and motivates investments to grow opportunity with programs like WAVE and our Women of Encore business resource group, to promote brighter futures for women.”

In the events world, sometimes we’re caught by an ask so big, it feels unimaginable. Just ask Encore Regional Director Chris Baker, who oversees the Alberta Branches in Canada.

It all began with an unexpected RFP from the Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops (CCB). They queried Encore Canada for a proposal related to a visit by Pope Francis. The ask: create five papal events in five unique and complex locations. All five events would happen within a three-day time frame. The CCB projected that the events would attract more than 200,000 people during that time.

By the time CCB awarded Encore the project, there were 45 days before the first event. Then by the time the contract was signed, the Encore team had only 30 days to officially design, produce and execute the events. Here’s Chris’s unbelievable story. Read on or click here to watch the video.

The ultimate challenge

Papal tours rarely occur, so expectations for this tour were high. Because this tour intended to deliver an important message, Pope Francis intentionally wanted to visit out-of-the-way locations where people might not have had the occasion to attend a papal event. Baker’s team was tasked with the event strategy and design, building and managing all production and event technology components for distinctly different and complex locations and events. Most of the events were concentrated around the Canadian city of Edmonton. Some of the facilities selected were not event venues, and few were built to handle the number of participants expected—meaning limited to no infrastructure. The final event location was so remote that no roads existed. On top of all the logistical, strategic, creative and production challenges, Baker’s team needed to figure out how to transport heavy equipment into 10 perfectly packed and weighted pallets for an eight-hour flight with a total of 12- to 16 hours for the crew.

Besides, none of the events in the five locations being remotely the same, on some days, there was more than one event taking place. For example, on Day One, Baker’s team needed to produce a morning event for 23,000 attendees in Maskwacis and a 1,250-person event at the Sacred Heart Church in Edmonton, 60 miles away, on the same day. On Day Two, Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium would welcome 75,000 attendees in the morning. That afternoon, there would be an event for 100,000 people at Lac Ste. Anne in Stony Plain. In the tiny, remote indigenous village of Iqaluit, Nunavit, the final event of the three-day papal visit was expected to attract 5,000 people.

This is where decades of experience producing world-class events and a global team well-versed in developing and executing end-to-end event solutions help Encore to deliver on the requests. Baker, and North American location-specific teams, began with the total papal visit and journey with the end goals and location in mind. They collectively set out to meet this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with thoughtful understanding and enthusiasm.

Extraordinary results

Juggling the logistical demands, short booking window and staffing requirements to make all five events happen required teamwork and careful coordination between over 270 Encore team members from across Canada and the U.S. Additionally, Baker’s team had to work with and satisfy the needs of a different set of clients and stakeholders in each location from the CCB to local tribal leaders.

Baker and team decided that the best way to manage the demands of the consecutive events on Day One and Day Two was to use separate crews for each event location. Thankfully, Encore has access to a vast network of hundreds of experienced and skilled people. Crews were bussed in daily to provide dedicated support for various papal events.

Three of the five sites required infrastructure work to accommodate the expected crowds. Because of the high-profile nature of the event, it was necessary to construct media facilities and green rooms at most sites. Three sites required the creation of overflow spaces for up to 10,000 people. Baker’s team even constructed roads and supplied the power so gear and people could reach some of the unique, non-traditional event locations requested.

Most of the events required Baker’s team to set up large LED walls with delayed audio, staging, lighting and audio coverage. In addition to the state-of-the-art staging and different event technologies, Baker and teams also managed broadcast and live stream feeds and related internet network needs.

All five stakeholder groups were pleased with the outcome of Encore’s work, which enabled the Pope to present his important message to more than 200,000 people. This was because Baker and his North America Encore teams saw solutions instead of challenges.

Watch how Chris's team executed this event.

See more stories and solutions.