Event Measurement & Analytics Certificate

COURSE OVERVIEW

Now, more than ever, clients and stakeholders are bringing a laser-like focus to the R.O.I. of their events. With all the structural changes to the event industry wrought by the pandemic, decision-makers are scrutinizing how much money, time, and energy they invest in hosting, attending, exhibiting, and sponsoring events. And surveys alone won’t cut it. Instead, business leaders want valuable and actionable data that can drive decisions. But which data, where do you get it, and how do you interpret it? This course will provide a step-by-step approach to mastering the art of event measurement, from event conception to post-event debrief. You’ll learn how to help stakeholders define event goals, identify ways to measure them and calculate an event’s Return On Investment (R.O.I.) for all stakeholders. In addition, we’ll explore how and where to collect the critical pieces of data you need, how to interpret that data, and, most importantly, how to craft and present a narrative about the event to your clients and stakeholders. You’ll leave this course well-versed in the lexicon of statistics and data analytics and feel empowered discussing your event’s performance and R.O.I. with senior leaders. 

WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?

Prerequisites: No prior knowledge of math or statistics is required.  This course is for:
  • In-house meeting and event planners who want to be able to evaluate an event’s success and present key metrics to senior stakeholders
  • Exhibit managers looking for better ways to measure trade show ROI
  • Agency account managers who want to help their clients determine the ROI of their events and prove the value of their agency
  • Event planners & producers looking to integrate event goals, data capture, and KPIs into the event design process
  • Senior event professionals looking to be more comfortable engaging with executive management on event data and performance
  • Junior event professionals who want to demonstrate their value by collecting and analyzing event data for their managers.
View detailed syllabus at the bottom of this page

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Evaluate different data-driven ways to measure an event’s success based on stakeholder goals.
  • Determine which key metrics you should include in your event dashboard.
  • Identify event data sources, and create a plan for collecting and integrating them.
  • Calculate event R.O.I. and use it to tell a story about the event’s performance, including how well it helps the organization achieve its strategic goals.

COURSE FORMAT

Facilitated cohorts are led by industry experts and delivered online over five to twelve weeks. Course content is delivered via pre-recorded materials broken down into weekly modules. Students are encouraged to devote time each week to keep up with their cohort by taking advantage of live office hour sessions and/or the cohort discussion forum.

ADDITIONAL COURSE RESOURCES

  • Live online office hours. These supplementary sessions are your chance to engage live with your course instructors and fellow peers. These are structured as an open space to ask questions, discuss challenges and solutions, and learn how you can apply your learning. 
  • A peer-based community forum to ask questions, contribute to discussions, and see messages from your instructors. 

The PCMA Institute has been approved by the Events Industry Council (EIC) as a Preferred Provider of continuing education on all professional development certificate courses, which qualifies for CMP continuing education credit. Determination of continuing education credit eligibility or Preferred Provider status does not imply EIC’s endorsement or assessment of education quality.

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Learn from an Industry Expert

As Founder and CEO, Vinnu Deshetty brings over 20 years of experience working with conferences, meetings, and events. As a meeting planner, she understands the hurdles her industry peers encounter on a daily basis. As a techie, Vinnu knows that there are tools and tricks of the trade to help organizations overcome the unknowns of what will happen next.  Vinnu loves learning what peers in the industry have to share and share what she’s learned along this journey we call digital transformation.

In an environment where technology is quickly changing, and the nature of meetings is evolving, Vinnu leads EVA’s team of meeting planners and developers that takes the guesswork out of meeting planning. “Armed with data that EVA collects, we no longer have to rely on our gut to make strategic decisions about our events. Listen to the data. It’s trying to tell you something.” 

Raised as a coal miner’s daughter in western Kentucky, Vinnu learned the value of hard work and community. Experiencing how a community rallies together in good times and bad, she knows that the meetings industry will champion again. Vinnu obtained a Bachelor of Science from Vanderbilt University and a Master of Public Administration. She now works and resides in the Washington, DC area with her fierce feminist daughters and her sidekick Toby the wonder dog.

View Vinnu's Profile

Week 1: Strategy: The Big Picture (The Why) & Statistics 101

  • Strategy: The Big Picture 
    1. How data drives decision making
    2. Why acting on analytics is important
    3. Using data to craft a story about your event
    4. Review sample event case studies 
  • Statistics 101: Terms & Tools of the Trade
    1. Getting an appropriate sample size
    2. Median, mean, mode
    3. Funnel conversion tracking
    4. A/B testing
    5. Common types of charts & graphs
      • When to use Column, Line, Pie, etc.
      • Trendlines? (Linear, Exponential, etc.)
      • Creating sample charts

Week 2: Data Types & Sample Metrics

  • Data Types: What to Measure & Why 
    1. Transactional vs. Qualitative data 
    2. Company-level vs. Individual-level metrics
    3. What’s valuable and what isn’t
    4. What data should/shouldn’t you share
    5. Identifying your event data asset – creating a data map
  • Sample Metrics for Each Event Category
    1. Registration metrics & Attendee Marketing
    2. Content/Session metrics
    3. Networking metrics
    4. Exhibition metrics
    5. Sponsorship metrics
    6. Feedback metrics

Week 3: Data Ownership, Security, Collection & Design

  • Data Ownership, Security & Privacy
    1. Who Owns the Data?
    2. Data Security & Stewardship
    3. Data Privacy
  • Data Collection: Sources of Event Data
    1. Registration platforms
    2. Event apps
    3. Exhibit sales platforms
    4. Learning management systems
    5. Onsite tracking platforms
    6. Virtual event platforms
    7. Structured networking platforms
    8. Using data for in-event adjustments
    9. Avoiding data pitfalls  Do nothing
    10. The role of spreadsheets
  • Designing & Analyzing Effective Surveys
    1. Why so many surveys are relatively useless
    2. Structuring surveys to gain actionable data
    3. Tips for maximizing response rates
    4. NPS scores

Week 4: Telling a Story With Your Data

  • Interpreting the Data: Event Measurement & R.O.I. Calculation
    1. Identifying Audience Personas
    2. Establishing Measurable Goals & KPIs by Stakeholder
      1. Event Budget Owners / Event Hosts
      2. Attendees
      3. Speakers
      4. Sponsors
      5. Exhibitors
    3. Weighting KPIs
    4. Calculating R.O.I.
  • Telling A Story With Your Data
    1. Reports that Drive Value for  Different Stakeholders
      1. Event Budget Owners / Event Hosts
      2. Attendees
      3. Speakers
      4. Sponsors
      5. Exhibitors
      6. Exhibit Sales
    2. Creating A Post-Event Debriefing Document

Week 5: Data Cleaning, Data Integrations & Getting Started

  • Data Cleaning & Enrichments
    1. Popular data enrichments that add value
      1. Geographic, demographics, firmographic examples
      2. Value-add 3rd party data enrichments
    2. How to keep your data clean
      1. Value of integrations
      2. Popular areas data goes “bad”
  • Data Integrations
    1. Integration with CRM, email marketing software, etc. 
    2. Building your dashboard
    3. Data aggregation tools
  • Getting Started
    1. How to start when resources are limited
    2. What to focus on
      1. 80-20 rule
      2. How to prioritize
      3. 1st principles thinking
    3. Making data a habit
learning-guarantee

The PCMA Institute stands behind all of its content. If you feel you didn't learn what you expected to in this course, just let us know within 30 days of your last lesson and we'll give you a full refund. Click here to view our refund policy and full terms & conditions.

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