Savvy eventprofs ‘can turn negative campaign data into gold’

Negative marketing data won’t “derail your entire campaign” and smart eventprofs can turn it into a golden lesson, according to industry expert.

Charlie Taylor oversees best practice and improvements across more than 20 B2B marketing campaigns for Easyfairs’ European events.

In an interview with ExpoPlatform, she set out how the amount of data available can feel overwhelming but investigating each detail is crucial for future success.

The marketing campaigns manager for Easyfairs UK & Global said: “Having one negative metric for some reason – like you have an email that has a really bad open rate or click-through rate – that’s not going to derail your entire campaign. 

“If you try something new and it doesn’t work, it’s worth having tried it to prove it doesn’t work. 

“That’s just as valuable as having it do something really good and then being able to build on it.

“So it’s really important to make sure you are trying new things – because you never know when that new thing’s actually going to be a massive improvement to your campaign or open a whole new idea or realm of creating opportunities for you.

“It’s really important to keep trying to build campaigns, even if you’re convinced you’re doing everything the best it possibly can be – there’s always somewhere that you can improve on.”

Marketing professionals in the events industry are faced with a seemingly ever-expanding array of metrics to monitor. 

Social media performance is measured through likes, impressions, engagements and comments. 

Email campaigns demand attention to open rates, click-through rates and bounce rates. 

So for those launching a campaign from scratch, the sheer volume of data points can be daunting. 

The challenge lies not only in tracking these metrics but also in making sense of them – identifying which ones truly matter and how they translate into actionable insights.

Charlie said: “It’s pretty evident to anyone who’s worked on any form of marketing campaign, especially for events, there are just so many metrics we’re expected to be keeping track of.

“We’ve got social platforms, likes, impressions, engagements, comments, we’ve got emails where we’re looking at open rates, click-through rates, bounce rates.

“On top of that, all the additional things about registration numbers, conversions, and then obviously the qualitative analysis as well. 

“If you’re starting from scratch, you can be really, really overwhelmed pretty early on to try and figure out how you can track all of that actually.”

The interview with ExpoPlatform came after Charlie delivered a session at International Confex 2025 about how to transform complex analytics into meaningful stories for event teams.

A pyramid to driving success through metrics was presented which showed a range of advancements in measurement:

• Basic – Registration numbers, visitor numbers
• Intermediate – Email CTR, registration sources
• Advanced – Cost per registration, NPS and satisfaction, sentiment analysis, content engagement, referral rates

The audience was urged to use an iterative approach, trust the process and make sure to act without unjust fear of being creative.

She highlighted A/B testing that showed how sending campaigns from the Easyfairs team members performed better “pretty unanimously” compared with event email accounts.

However, she warned that it was just as important to take on qualitative feedback.

An example was given of an exhibitor complaining that an exhibition isn’t as busy as the previous year – even when the data shows visitors are up.

The problem could actually be due to a lack of footfall in that area, which would then need to be addressed somehow.

Charlie told ExpoPlatform: “Even if the numbers show improvement, that isn’t going to change the mind of an exhibitor.”

Meanwhile, a firm grasp of core figures is essential as understanding these data points provides a foundation for strategic decision-making.

It’s crucial to analyze where attendees are coming from, how they discovered the event and what drives their registrations. 

This insight allows organizers to allocate resources effectively, reinforcing successful channels while identifying areas that may require fresh, creative outreach to expand their audience.

Charlie added: “For events, the key thing is being really, really confident in your visitor numbers, your attendee numbers and also just the information from that. 

“So if there are any particular industries that are standing out, job functions – however you submit your data – that’s really key.

“Once you’ve got that, it’s really where these people are coming from, why, where they’re registering, from how they found out about your event.

“Because that’s where you can start allocating support to those where there’s people who are hearing about you, or where you might need to look at doing a bit more and something new and creative in one of those areas.”

Thank you for reading this article. Want to see how event tech can help turn these insights into action? Book a free consultation with ExpoPlatform now.