Event budgets ‘remain stagnant as ROI proof falls short’

Eventprofs are missing out on budget increases despite rising business revenues because they struggle to prove ROI as well as other departments, according to an industry expert. 

Chloe Richardson, event consultant and coach, set out that better collaboration between organizers and exhibitors is key to gathering meaningful data – and demonstrating value to stakeholders.

Now, she has urged event teams to adopt a more strategic and results-backed approach to securing financial support.

Chloe said: “We’re not seeing budgets increase because our stakeholders and budget holders don’t see the value in what we’re doing. That’s it. 

“The reason they don’t see the value in what we’re doing is because we don’t present the value back to them in the same way that other business units do. 

“You will not see a digital marketing campaign leader go back to the business and say ‘give me more money, because I feel like our investments are being well-spent and if I had more money I could do more’ – that would never happen. 

“So when businesses are increasing in revenue YoY, why on earth are we not seeing increased event budgets? It’s because it’s going elsewhere to other departments that can prove the ROI. So for me, it’s all interconnected – ROI, budgets and measurement are all part of the same conversation.”

Setting clear, quantifiable event objectives – such as meeting a specific number of customers or generating a defined pipeline – was highlighted as essential for measuring event success. 

That’s because assessing ROI is impossible without pre-approved goals, making post-event analysis ineffective.

She added: “Once you can apply a quantifiable goal you can then look back after the event and say ‘did we meet that goal or not?’ That allows you to assess how successful that objective was.

“If you don’t establish your objectives ahead of time and get this signed off by the business, then when it comes to measuring whether it was a success or not, it’s not only impossible, but it’s pointless – because what are you measuring?”

Chloe, who is also head of content at event leaders community ELX, argued that event professionals must work collaboratively to showcase the value of trade shows. 

It was emphasized that organizers can support exhibitors by guiding them on data collection or forming collaborative groups to align on stakeholder expectations. 

Beyond revenue, events offer brand visibility, industry engagement and competitive advantage – benefits often overlooked due to poor communication with budget decision-makers.

Chloe added: “Everyone has a role in coming together as part of the event ecosystem to be able to demonstrate the impact and value of an exhibitor exhibiting at that trade show. 

“It could be a simple case of a trade show organizer running a session on the data they should be collecting as part of exhibiting – data an exhibitor would take back to their stakeholders to justify the investment. 

“It could be more of a collaborative piece, where trade organizers bring exhibitors in as part of a working group to understand the questions their stakeholders are asking and  how they can help them demonstrate the value of events. 

“It’s such a huge revenue-generative channel. But not only that, it’s all about brand presence. It’s about exposing your employees to your industry. It’s about thought leadership. It’s about  maintaining a competitive edge. 

“All of these things get forgotten because people aren’t communicating back to the people who, at the end, hold the budgets.”

Trade show participation can span multiple events annually, so a lack of standardized data collection can leave exhibitors without a clear picture of their performance. 

Many businesses may continue to invest in shows year after year without concrete insights into their returns, relying more on habit than hard evidence.

Chloe argued that comparing event success – and making informed decisions about future investments – becomes a challenge without a consistent framework for measurement.

She said: “If you are an exhibitor and you’re exhibiting at 20-plus trade shows a year, you want to make sure that you’re standardizing your processes, but also your measurements too. 

“This could be a great opportunity for you to use one tool or spreadsheet where you are able to not only standardize the process, but compare how you perform at this show versus that one. 

“Then you can really start to see whether you are spending money intelligently or just doing it because you’ve always done it that way.”

Meanwhile, Chloe was one of the expert contributors to the Event Tech Forecast 2025 and gave her insights on its findings about the digital landscape of our industry.

Download your free copy of the Event Tech Forecast 2025 for more insights.

Two of her key predictions around the path ahead for this year centred around better implementation of AI and a prioritization of personalization at events.

She argued AI in events has shifted from theory to practice – with organizers now leveraging it to streamline processes, enhance attendee experiences and personalize engagement.

Chloe said: “We were talking about AI being a trend last year – and it feels like we spent the majority of 2024 just talking about it. But now we’ve started implementing it. 

“So actually it is a different trend, because it’s less of the talking and more of the implementation. We’re starting to see that across the board, which is really interesting. 

“It’s not just implementation of using AI to speed up processes, it’s actually to also enhance the exhibitor or attendee experience

“Whether that’s through personalization, visuals, crafting presentations or improving feedback. There’s loads of things that AI is really useful for.” 

She added: “Events are starting to prioritize meaningful, emotionally resonant experiences. The idea of building an event around how your audience feels and what’s going to resonate with them emotionally is really powerful. 

“Sometimes when people hear that, they think the future is all about tech – tech supports that narrative. 

“For me, it’s always been about connecting the trifecta – technology, process and people. This particular trend really speaks to that – personalization and attendee-centric approaches.”