Event success is no longer defined by how many people show up.
Yes, attendance matters - but if that’s the only number in your post-event report, you're missing the bigger picture.
At Event Footprints, we work with brands and agencies that need to justify event investment with real, relevant data. That means going beyond vanity metrics and focusing on what stakeholders actually care about: impact.
Here are five metrics we recommend tracking to prove return on investment:
1. Engagement Depth
It's not just how many attended, but how they engaged.
Did they interact with sessions, participate in live polls, connect with peers, or drop off after the keynote? Engagement depth shows how much value your audience actually took from the experience - and helps identify what truly resonated.
2. Quality of Connections
Lead generation is only useful if the leads are meaningful.
Tracking contact exchanges, follow-up rates, and how well connections align with your target audience tells a more accurate story. Strong connections at the right moments can be more powerful than sheer volume.
3. Content Consumption
Content doesn’t end when the event does.
Track session views, on-demand watch rates, downloads, shares and even which speakers drove the most post-event engagement. This insight helps you repurpose high-performing content and build future campaigns with confidence.
4. Behavioural Shifts
What changed after the event?
Did attendees request a demo, engage with your sales team, or shift their perception of your brand? These subtle behavioural signals - increased product interest, survey responses, or NPS improvements - are indicators of deeper impact.
5. Lifecycle Influence
Zoom out and look at the bigger picture.
Where did the event influence the customer journey - from pipeline acceleration to retention or upsell? When you can tie event interactions to long-term outcomes, that’s when ROI becomes undeniable.
The takeaway?
Events shouldn’t just be measured by how many people showed up - but by what happened because they did. If you want to prove ROI, you need the right tools, the right tech, and a clear story backed by data.
Want to learn more about how we help event teams do exactly that?
📩 Let’s talk: Book a meeting with our sales team here
