Planning Your Next Corporate Event: ROI Solutions

When you work with the ROI Methodology®, you become the lead investigator on the case for your event’s success. You collaborate with your team, arming yourself with the facts and preparing a well-documented and relevant strategy. 

Begin to imagine the day that you put the event in the “win” category — for more reasons than just “It went off without a hitch.” That success gives planners the energy and tenacity to build a legacy in the events industry and find the ROI solutions that fit their needs.

If you’re brainstorming for your next event, here’s the process to begin using the ROI Methodology®. From start to finish, you’ll get up close and personal with the levels of data that make this model a rockstar for many organizations.

THE V-MODEL OF ROI

Meet your new best friend, a simple and sophisticated plan to analyze and gain considerable returns on your events! The V-model aligns your client’s needs with a winning strategy.

Take the next few minutes with us to walk through each level — it will give you a framework to assess the event’s goals, plan for each need, assign avenues to capture data, and build to capture ROI. This model becomes your roadmap, guiding you through everything from conceptualizing to closing the event. 

THE LEVELS OF ROI DATA

These levels walk you through the pyramid of data that helps you discover your ROI solutions. Levels 0-3 are used in most events, with only the most important events being tracked to Levels 4-6. Here’s a brief look at input, reactions, learning, application, impact, and ROI.

0: Input 

This is where most planners excel. They have the who, what, when, where, and how planned to the “T.” You’ve set your event budget and continually track actual spending versus budget. You know your number of attendees, topics, and content. This is essential information, but getting to ROI, is just the start.

1: Reaction

Most planners have dabbled in this arena. We ask “to what extent” to get the heartbeat on client satisfaction. 
• Was the event's content relevant, motivational, or inspirational, and did it have an excellent call to action? 

• Was the food/venue/location up to par? 

• Do the attendees have any other recommendations? 

• Overall, how can we improve the next event? 

To gather this information, you need a solid follow-up system with emails and incentives for individuals to give you the data. These questions will prepare you to enhance the attendee’s experience based on their preferences and create the first step toward analyzing your ROI.

2: Learning  

This is where things go to the next level. When you plan for learning, your attendees should be able to evaluate the knowledge, skill, or confidence gained! Whether it’s a higher-level executive staff that has learned the business plan’s next steps or the sales team learning about changes to their products, the attendees should be able to identify, develop, select, or explain things that will impact their daily business.

3: Application & Implementation 

Within a specific time after the event, attendees should be able to analyze how their behavior changed, how communication was enhanced, and what they accomplished. How would your event planning change if you focused on a six-month return of completing the business plan objectives or making sales based on being able to demonstrate the newest product features? At this level, you are preparing for business impact post-event. 

4: Impact

We reserve Levels 4 and 5 for the most costly events. You find this kind of data when you project what should happen in the six months following the event and analyze the results based on those projections. This is the harvest of information from the previous level! The events team analyzes what should happen to the attendees or corporation because of the results found in application and implementation and plans accordingly.

5: ROI 

We’ve made it to the final piece of the puzzle. In this arena, businesses should plan for and accomplish a projected capstone result because of the event. Whether it’s an increase in revenue or a percentage of the company has increased performance, there’s a tangible return. When the planning team does a thorough job with a willing senior partner, these returns are within reach. 

We’re thrilled over what the ROI Methodology® has done for our clients and what it can do for you. If you'd like to discuss how IPE implements this approach for ROI solutions, reach out to us! We’d love to talk with you.