ExpoPlatform, an international event technology company supporting leading global exhibition organizers with digital innovations for more valuable in-person events, released the findings of its recent “Event Tech Returns to Live” survey. The results pointed to the main obstacles event professionals face in the new era of events and the ways digital tools can help overcome them.

Exhibitor ROI is the most important challenge facing event organizers as the in-person comeback continues, according to the research, with 66% of respondents ranking it as a high priority. A seamless experience across platforms came in second with 50% of respondents putting it in the top tier.

With the rush back to in-person events in 2022, savvy organizers applying new models and technologies to create more valuable experiences, according to Conor Riordan, content director of ExpoPlatform.

“Our survey found that exhibitor ROI is the most important challenge eventprofs face in this comeback, highlighting the crucial role digital tools must play in delivering higher quality leads,” Riordan said. "They want lead-retrieval tech, on-demand content and a mobile app, and to deliver this seamlessly across platforms.”

The full breakdown of the main challenges event professionals face, according to survey respondents, is as follows:

• Good ROI for exhibitors (66%)
• Seamless experience across platforms (50%)
• Pre-pandemic audience levels (44%)
• Lack of skilled resource (42%)
• Integration between suppliers (38%)
• Smooth exhibitor onboarding (33%)

The “Event Tech Returns to Live” survey highlights how the needs of event professionals have changed in 2022 and how new tools are supporting their in-person comeback.

It includes expert insights from industry leaders—representing companies such as Questex, IMEX and Easyfairs—to shed light on the findings and help organizers be successful of the new events landscape.

Carina Bauer, CEO of IMEX, is among those who contributed to the analysis of the research results.

“There is all manner of ways exhibitors measure ROI,” Bauer said. “Lead times and the sales pipeline for big events in particular can be very long in our industry—often several years for the big association events.”

She added, “As an organizer, it’s our rebooking rate that tells the biggest story. Exhibitors are mindful, particularly when budgets are tight—they don’t tend to participate in shows that don’t offer a proven return on time and investment.”

The report also focuses on the most useful types of content, the most important technology features and digital revenue expectations.

Click here to download the full report.

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