What Percentage of Business Should You Expect from Your Event?

By Jen Murray, Marketing Consultant, Best Case Scenario

One of the most common questions we get from our B2B tech clients is: “What percentage of business should we realistically expect from hosting an event?”

It’s a fair question. You’re investing significant budget, time, and resources into creating an experience that drives results. You need to know what success looks like.  

The Reality Check: Understanding Your Conversion Funnel

Let’s start with a scenario many of our clients face: you’re hosting an event with 450 attendees. What can you realistically expect?

The answer depends on which conversion metric you’re measuring, and understanding these different stages is crucial for setting proper expectations and measuring true ROI.

• Eyeball to Demo Rate: Your First Success Metric
  For in-person B2B tech events, particularly those with physical product demonstrations, the Eyeball to Demo Rate is your most immediate indicator of engagement quality.
  This measures the percentage of attendees who request a demo or express strong interest in your product during the event (Source: Event Marketing Institute B2B Conversion Study, 2024).

  Real-world example: From 450 total attendees, if 200 match your ideal customer profile and 50 request demos, you’re achieving a 25% qualified attendee conversion rate—which is excellent.

  This metric is particularly valuable for our clients who invest in on-site demonstrations, interactive product showcases, or immersive experience zones. It’s immediate feedback on whether your event experience is compelling enough to drive action.

• From Attendee to Sales Qualified Lead
  For virtual events like webinars, the conversion rates shift.  Attendee-to-SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) conversion rates of 2-3% (Source: B2B Event Marketing Research, 2024). For example, a 600-attendee virtual event generating 15 SQLs represents a 2.5% conversion rate that aligns with industry benchmarks.
  
  Why the difference between virtual and in-person? – In-person events create deeper engagement. Attendees invest time to travel, they’re more committed, and the immersive experience facilitates better qualification conversations. Virtual events cast a wider net but with lighter commitment levels.

• The Ultimate Metric: Event to Closed Deals – Here’s where expectations need to be realistic. The percentage of event attendees who ultimately become customers is much lower than many organisations expect.  Industry reality: Direct event-to-customer conversion rates typically range from 1-3% for closed deals (Source: HubSpot B2B Event Marketing Report, 2024).  This might seem low, but remember—B2B sales cycles are long and involve multiple touchpoints. Your event is rarely the only factor in a purchase decision, but it’s often the catalyst that starts meaningful conversations.

Beyond the Numbers: What Really Drives Event ROI
While these benchmarks are helpful, we’ve learned that successful events do much more than generate immediate leads.

• Build Brand Authority: Position your organisation as a thought leader in your space
• Accelerate Existing Pipelines: Nurture prospects already in your sales funnel
• Create Strategic Partnerships: Open doors to collaboration opportunities
• Generate Content Assets: Fuel your marketing efforts for months afterward

Maximising Your Event Conversion Rates
Based on our experience across hundreds of events, here are the factors that consistently drive higher conversion rates:

• Laser-Focused Targeting
  Events with tightly defined ideal customer profiles always outperform those trying to appeal to everyone. 
• Interactive Experience Design
  Static presentations don’t drive action. Hands-on demonstrations, workshop formats, and collaborative sessions consistently generate higher engagement and conversion rates.
• Strategic Follow-Up Systems
  The most successful events have robust follow-up processes planned before the event even begins. 
• Integration with Broader Marketing Strategy
  Events shouldn’t exist in isolation. The highest-converting events are integrated with ongoing content marketing, sales outreach, and partnership development efforts.

 The real value lies in the relationships built, pipelines accelerated, and market positioning enhanced.

As we always tell our clients: measure the immediate metrics, but don’t underestimate the long-term impact of bringing the right people together for meaningful conversations.

Planning Your Next Event?
If you’re planning an event and want to discuss realistic ROI expectations for your specific situation, we would be happy to share insights from similar events in your sector.

Every industry and audience is different, and understanding those nuances can make the difference between an event that meets expectations and one that exceeds them.

Reach out to us today.