Events Have a Currency Problem, Not a Value Problem

The  ICEN Corporate Events Benchmarking Report 2026/2027 exposes a significant disconnect between corporate recognition of the value of events and the ability of event professionals to secure investment. It cites that while 79% of respondents rate their senior stakeholders’ belief in the strategic value of events highly, at 4 or 5 out of 5, just 13% describe event budgets as easy to approve.

The findings suggest that corporate events are no longer struggling to demonstrate their strategic relevance. Instead, they face a more fundamental challenge: establishing a consistent, credible way of measuring their contribution to wider business performance. The report identifies this as a “currency problem”, with event teams and financial decisionmakers often lacking a shared language through which to assess value, compare performance and justify continued investment.

This disconnect is reflected in the objections event professionals face when seeking budget approval. Almost half (45%) say the most common challenge is an inability to measure return on investment (ROI), ahead of concerns around timing, cost cutting and cost per head.

At the same time, 54% identify proof that events generate measurable pipeline or revenue as the single most valuable piece of evidence they could use to justify their programmes internally. Yet only 37% say they can clearly evidence pipeline or revenue contribution.

The report also exposes a continued reliance on traditional measures of event success. While 83% of respondents measure registrations or attendance, and 81% track post-event satisfaction, just 34% use revenue attribution.

The challenge becomes particularly pronounced for organisations delivering larger event portfolios. Among respondents running 30 or fewer events annually, 22% find budgets easy to approve. This falls to just 4% among those managing 60 or more events, despite consistently high levels of senior stakeholder belief.

However, the research also identifies practical opportunities to close the gap. Event teams using a documented engagement scoring model rate their ability to evidence pipeline or revenue contribution at an average of 3.71 out of 5, compared with 2.82 among those without a model.

Similarly, respondents whose event technology integrates seamlessly with their customer relationship management (CRM) systems rate their pipeline evidence at 3.78, compared with 2.48 for those transferring data manually.

Both findings demonstrate statistically significant associations between structured measurement practices and stronger commercial evidence, suggesting that improvements may be achievable through better use of existing data, rather than simply increasing technology investment.

Anita Howard, Founder and CEO of ICEN, commented: “The findings reveal a fascinating contradiction. Senior business leaders increasingly recognise that events matter, yet the professionals responsible for delivering them are still struggling to translate that belief into approved budgets.

“The issue isn’t necessarily a lack of confidence in events, but a lack of common currency through which their contribution can be measured and understood. Attendance, engagement and satisfaction all matter, but they don’t always answer the questions being asked by finance teams and business leaders.

“What this research shows is that there are practical ways forward. By agreeing common measures, connecting event data with wider business systems and establishing clearer definitions of success, event professionals can begin to make a much stronger case for investment.”

The report also highlights the changing demands on corporate event professionals. Budget pressure and cost scrutiny are identified as significant challenges for the next 12 months by 85% of respondents, closely followed by proving ROI and commercial value at 82%.

Meanwhile, AI tool literacy and data analysis and ROI reporting are ranked as the two most important skills event professionals believe their roles now require compared with three years ago. Despite this, only 19% report having access to a structured training budget and programme.

“Event professionals have worked hard to prove the power and value of their work to their senior stakeholders, and senior leaders do believe in it,” commented Felicia Asiedu, Marketing Director, Cvent. “But while belief is high, budget scrutiny continues to be a challenge. What matters now is shared measurement, so ROI is clear. When event technology connects to the CRM, teams are better placed to show how events influence pipeline and revenue. With the right foundations, events can sit alongside every other revenue driving channel in a business’ playbook.”

The report recommends closer alignment between events, marketing and finance teams, documented engagement scoring, better integration of event and CRM data, and greater investment in measurement skills.

Anita concluded: “There is something fundamentally positive in these findings. The strategic importance of corporate events is already widely recognised. The opportunity now is to turn that confidence into a stronger, more consistent business case.

“If we can establish a currency for event value that is recognised across events, marketing, sales and finance, we can change the conversation from what events cost to what they contribute.”

The Corporate Events Benchmarking Report  2026/2027 is supported by Cvent and draws on research conducted between 3 July and 8 September 2026.

The full report is available to download here.