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Best Practices

Best Practices

Expectation vs. Reality: Six Realistic Onsite Metrics for Event Directors to Look At

1 Jun 2019 | Heather Pryor | 3 minutes

Do you remember the first time you got a bad haircut? Do you remember trying to style it the next day, the exact same way your hairstylist did, and getting different results?

This same thing can happen to event directors. They may use the same practices as other event directors, yet their events yield different results.

What is it that your hairstylist and those other event directors are doing so differently? The simple answer is, they know what to look for when they are doing their job.

To make sure you are looking for the right metrics, here is a list of realistic KPIs you should be monitoring during your event:

1. Quick Registration vs. Check-Ins Per Hour


Instead of looking at the number of check-ins per hour, ensure that the registration process is short. Your check-ins per hour will increase as you get your attendees through registration quickly.

2. Registered Attendees vs. Total Number of Check-Ins

During your event, look at how many of your registered attendees have actually checked in rather than just the total number of check-ins. Show your boss that you can effectively reach your goals while avoiding attrition.

3. Returning Attendees vs. New Attendees

Year over year data provides insight into whether or not attendees value your event. While an increase in numbers is good, it is far better to have quality customers who choose to attend your event every year. Returning attendees are more likely to tell their friends about the event and they will likely make bigger purchases at your event.

4. Who is Attending vs. How Many are Attending

Know your attendees. Determine who your influencers and buyers are and then cater to them. Forming relationships with those people can make or break the success of your event.

5. Targeted ROI vs. General ROI

Are you spending your money where you thought you would? While you may be keeping in the budget, ask yourself if you are forgetting something that would yield a great ROI.

6. Survey Feedback vs. Surveys Provided

Now that you are running your event, make sure that you are getting feedback. Instead of looking at how many surveys are being given outlook at how many are being completed. Encourage your speakers to put in a plug for your surveys. Make sure that surveys are convenient for attendees to take.

All of these metrics can be analyzed using the RainFocus onsite dashboard. Request a demo to learn more about our all-in-one dashboard and report builder.

“RainFocus has been amazing. This solution encompasses so much more than just registration. There are so many tools out there that we’ve either looked at or used that don’t even come close to the level of sophistication that this platform has. RainFocus allowed us to pivot and make decisions based on actual data to give our attendees the ultimate experience.” – Stewart Gold, Executive Producer for Silicon Slopes Tech Summit