Making digital data make sense for exhibitors
Glenn Hansen , executive strategic advisor at BPA Worldwide , talks to exhibitor marketing expert Robyn Davis about the power of metrics
ecently , I had a
R chance to catch up with Robyn Davis to discuss exhibitors ’ perceived value of data standards for digital events . Davis was part of an international working group which I facilitated named Reporting Standards for Digital Events ( RSDE ). Here is an excerpt of our conversation in which she explain more about harnessing the power of data . Glenn Hansen : What were some of the biggest challenges that the RSDE working group faced ? Robyn Davis : One of my favorite things about this working group is that every relevant perspective was not only represented , but also heard and valued during this process . With such a diverse group , a big challenge we noticed quickly was that the digital event data available ( before RSDE ) wasn ’ t comparable .
In other words : all the events we discussed provided some data , but it didn ’ t necessarily mean the same thing to each of us . Exhibitors and organizers couldn ’ t feel confident in making decisions based on the data they were receiving , and , in some cases , they couldn ’ t even be sure they understood what it meant , since everyone ’ s ‘ standards ’ were different .
GH : Talk about some of the challenges with attendee metrics that you were seeing before RSDE .
RD : Attendees are an important part of any event , but again , before RSDE , I don ’ t think many digital event professionals knew where to start with those metrics .
It felt like , in many cases , getting the right data was an afterthought rather than something that could shape their strategic efforts . This is a huge red flag for me because , if you aren ’ t clear on what data you need or how you ’ ll use it ( before any event ), you ’ re likely to overlook some of the key components you should be tracking . Then , without the right data ( after the event ), you ’ ll be stuck relying on your memories and using ‘ trial and error ’ to improve next time , which is generally not very efficient .
GH : Any other concerns with the data ? RD : Personally , I ’ m really into privacy , so not knowing what each vendor was doing with the data they were collecting and processing on our behalf was always top of mind for me , both as a participant and as an event professional .
I think a lot of folks didn ’ t realise that the data they were receiving from their digital events and then sharing wasn ’ t necessarily accurate . They needed to double check to ensure that their systems and platforms were functioning properly before doing any official reporting and , a lot of times , they just missed that step .
“ For me , the purpose of RSDE is to help everyone feel more empowered to thrive in digital events and beyond .’’
Above : Robyn Davis
GH : As part of the RSDE working group with the exhibitors ’ perspective , you helped us understand best what an exhibitor or sponsor might want to see in terms of the data sets . RD : Yes – I ’ m so happy to have been able to help with that . One of my biggest frustrations ( pre- RSDE ) was that exhibitors were expecting that digital events would come with more useful data [ vs . face-to-face events ], but they didn ’ t end up getting it . Worse , they often struggled to understand the data they were getting , as I mentioned before . Fortunately , RSDE makes digital event data clearer and more actionable .
GH : Part of RSDE is the glossary of terms . It ’ s something like 160 terms that we came up with trying to match face-to-face with digital events . Robyn , what was one of your favorite terms ? RD : Oh , goodness ! There are so many …
As a speaker and CMP Preferred Provider , ‘ zombie ’ really stood out . It means a participant who logs into the event and remains logged in after the content availability has ended . I like that one because we need to report session participation accurately , not just for continuing education credits , but so we can ensure we ’ re successful in creating engaging sessions and activities ( or , if we aren ’ t , at least we can identify where we have room to do better in the future ).
Also , from an exhibitor ’ s perspective , the complete sequence of interactions is super helpful . The more exhibitors can see what ’ s really happening ( who ’ s visiting them , who ’ s downloading specific assets , who ’ s scheduling meetings , who ’ s attending meetings , etc .), the better they can support their event-specific target audience in the moment and , ultimately , improve their processes each time . ►
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