Events aren’t a moment; they’re a media channel
Opinion
Investing in events doesn’t mean inventing a whole new set of metrics, tactics and thought processes. Yes, there are nuances. But ultimately, events are a performance channel, says Cvent’s European marketing director.
When the IPA released its Q4 2025 Bellwether Report in January, most argued that the only reason events were one of the few channels to experience increased spend (+1.4) was the busy nature of the ‘Golden Quarter’. Fast forward to today, continued momentum signifies something bigger: a shift in how brands think about connection and performance.
The Q1 2026 Bellwether Report, released earlier this month, found that events enjoyed an impressive 14.7% surge in spend. That is a clear frontrunner and a testament to the confidence brands have in the channel and to its value as a growth lever.
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This isn’t a one-off. This is the dawn of a new era for live experiences
Events and live experiences offer tangible, intentional opportunities for brand engagement. Saturated with digital ads and brand touchpoints, audiences are placing greater value on experiences that feel personal, relevant and worth their time, and events build trust through this distinction. It’s also why ‘experience marketing’ and dedicated experience delivery teams are on the rise across the industry.
But that doesn’t mean marketers can rest on their laurels. With event effectiveness no longer a secret, everyone is trying to jump on the bandwagon. Competition is rife. Meanwhile, attendees are becoming increasingly selective. They only have so many days to give, and they’re increasingly selective about what they do and don’t attend.
One-off spikes of activity aren’t enough to succeed and convert attendance into sales. But when marketers ask the right questions and build a coherent strategy around events, they create memorable events that stand out – and deliver lasting performance.
Thinking digital
Investing in events as part of the media mix doesn’t mean inventing a whole new set of metrics, tactics and thought processes. Yes, there are nuances. But ultimately, events are a performance channel.
Marketers already know how to run performance-led campaigns: how to segment audiences, track behaviour, attribute outcomes, and optimise based on results. They simply need to apply the rigour from their digital channels – creating seamless, connected and data-driven campaigns – to live experiences.
Events that sit outside the broader media strategy, planned in isolation as one-off spikes and measured solely by applause or footfall, will struggle to justify their growing share of the budget. But those that plug into the same data systems, feed the same CRM and contribute to the same business pipeline as other channels will become indispensable.
It’s also worth noting that not all growth in this space looks the same.
Alongside large-scale conferences, there’s been a significant rise in smaller, highly targeted gatherings – intimate roundtables, micro-events and community meet-ups that bring the right people into the same room to foster deeper conversation.
At the same time, digital formats such as webinars, virtual roundtables and online summits are giving those same communities a regular place to meet, learn and engage between in-person touchpoints.
The most effective event programmes now blend these physical and digital moments into an ongoing series of meaningful conversations for highly specific audiences, rather than a handful of isolated flagship dates.
Understanding the customer journey
One of the most valuable elements of this channel lies in the halo effect that events bring for brands. People leave good events energised, enriched and with a genuine affinity for the brands that facilitated that feeling. What matters is ensuring that a brand moment becomes brand momentum.
Registration data, on-site behaviour and post-event actions, when connected, form a valuable single view of the customer journey. This is where events move beyond engagement alone, offering tangible proof of impact across pipeline, loyalty and long-term brand value.
Interconnectedness is fundamental here. Intent and behavioural data can flow across tools, but the value lies in what happens next. Attendees who engaged with a specific product session can be nurtured on that product. Those who attended a specific content stream can be invited to the next relevant seminar.
Doing this right drives maximum value from event spend. We’ve talked to brands about how one event can be a full 365-day content strategy if it is cohesive enough with business objectives.
Session recordings can be clipped, made social, and distributed so that attendees continue to engage across channels long after the event, and can easily share their learnings with peers.
If audiences are at risk of event saturation, using data to identify what isn’t relevant to attendees is as important as nurturing warm leads. Attendees are rewarded with the information they want, rather than drowning in invitations after a single point of contact.
Measuring success
As marketers increase event spend, scrutiny will be high. This channel needs a near-digital focus on measurability and data to reach its full potential.
Stripped to their essence, events are a channel that encourages active participation. In the Bellwether, the contrast between rising event spend and declining out-of-home budgets was notable, indicating that brands are stepping away from passive exposure.
Events create environments where audiences choose to engage with a brand and its message, simultaneously allowing marketers to track those intentional engagements and link them to meaningful outcomes.
Attendance numbers and session ratings may be aesthetically pleasing, but they’re not enough. The metrics that matter are those that connect a conference conversation to a closed deal three months later, or that show how a keynote attendee became a long-term advocate. That kind of attribution enables event programmes to demonstrate real business growth.
AI is central to both qualitative and quantitative success here. It operates in the background to drive better insights, and also as the quiet enabler of a better experience for attendees.
Smarter networking recommendations, AI-generated session highlights delivered after the fact, predictive tools that help hosts anticipate attendance patterns and prevent attrition: the technology works best when it’s invisible, and the attendee simply feels like everything went smoothly.
Proving value
I don’t need to write a piece about the value of events – the data shows that the industry is well aware. But this year’s challenge is for marketers to demonstrate that value again and again.
Those who create experiences that deliver both immediate impact and lasting brand affinity will ensure events remain a cornerstone of modern marketing.
Felicia Asiedu is the European marketing director at Cvent