Contents

Introduction 3

The New Event Landscape 4

Event Formats 5

Finding Value and ROI 7

Value-based Ticketing and Pricing 9

Conclusion 12

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Introduction Organizations are excited to make the most of opportunities in the new event
landscape. Yet, they must choose from a dizzying array of formats, ticketing
options, and pricing strategies.

Events remain a great way to engage with customers, partners, and prospects. But
how do you create an event that generates the most value for your business? How
do you price it so that people will pay the right amount without leaving money on
the table?

This guide takes an in-depth look at ticketing and pricing strategies for virtual,
in-person, and hybrid events. You’ll learn about the benefits and limitations of
each format as well as how to structure tickets and prices to deliver the value that
attendees and sponsors want.

Let’s begin with a look at the new event landscape.

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 The New Event Landscape
Make the most of new opportunities to create and capture value

Although the pandemic has made it more challenging to monetize Yet, with new models and methods comes some confusion and many
events, organizations are finding innovative ways to drive value. On questions:
the one hand, planners and marketers are struggling to recoup costs
in a world where many events are not only virtual but free. At the • What kind of registration types should you offer?
same time, the tectonic shift to virtual and hybrid events brings the
• How much should you charge?
opportunity to reach more attendees than ever.
Section 1

• Should you tailor price points for different audiences?

This new event landscape has changed how organizations and • Can you still make money on free events?
professionals plan, market, and sell their events. However, some • How can you prove ROI?
things remain unchanged. It is still critical to know your customers
deeply and tailor your value proposition to them. Understanding This ebook will help you answer the questions above and more.
your audience’s challenges, motivations, and aspirations is the key to Let’s dive in.
engagement, revenue, and more.

Now, with unprecedented access to new and larger audiences,

event marketers have a chance to rethink their strategies around
monetization and develop new ways of creating and capturing value.
There are now more opportunities than ever for event planners to
think beyond ticket sales and recognize the hidden value within
their events.

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 Event Formats
Understand the benefits and limitations of virtual, in-person, and hybrid events

Events have evolved into three distinct formats: virtual, in-person, Virtual Events Offer More Breadth, Less Depth
and hybrid. Understanding the benefits and limitations of each event
format helps you contextualize the potential value you can deliver to
attendees, sponsors, and your organization. You can then translate
that value into ticketing and pricing that is right for your event.
Section 2

The two key factors to weigh when considering event formats are
the depth of engagement you can create and the breadth of your
potential audience. Let’s explore what that looks like for each
event format.

Virtual events
Virtual events can provide exponential reach and scale. They are
powerful tools to attract attendees from a variety of backgrounds,
roles, and functions—thousands of people can attend an event from
all across the globe. They also offer organizations the opportunity to
extend the value of event content beyond the event itself.

While the audience may be larger, virtual events have less depth
of engagement than in-person events. People may multitask,
direct connections can be harder to forge, and attention spans are
limited. The audience may be less willing to pay for the event since
their commitment to the experience is lower than if they were to
attend in person.

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In-person events
In-person events are a tried and true format and will continue to
be a staple in event programs. By nature, they foster meaningful
relationships with and among attendees and sponsors. These
relationships can lead to stronger business partnerships and
lasting connections between people who share an experience at
the same venue.
In-person events offer greater depth of engagement with a more
limited breadth of engagement—as they are limited only to those
who can make the trip. The audience is typically more willing to
pay for a ticket to attend in person for the depth of engagement
the event will provide.
In Person Events Offer More
Depth, Less Breadth
Hybrid events
Hybrid events provide planners the best of both worlds. Combining
virtual and in-person formats offers a depth of engagement in person
while reaching a broad audience virtually. The result is a flexible
experience for any attendee, with more ticketing options.
The challenge is to deliver value to all attendee groups since virtual
and in-person experiences will be unique. Producing effective hybrid
events increases complexity and requires more resources. At the
same time, planners can tailor event content to each audience to
maximize both engagement and ROI.
Hybrid events also provide flexible ticketing options depending on
the experience an individual chooses. For example, some in-person
attendees of a hybrid event may be willing to pay a higher price for
access to on-demand content to complement their onsite experience.
Hybrid Events Maximize Breadth and Depth
Now that you understand the benefits and limitations of virtual,
in-person, and hybrid events, you can think about finding and
creating value for attendees, sponsors, and your organization.
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 Finding Value and ROI
Think beyond ticket sales to maximize value and ROI
To price and ticket your event optimally, you must first define its
value—for attendees, sponsors, and the organization itself. You
can then maximize that value by mapping it to relevant attendee,
sponsor, and organizational goals. Maximizing value leads to higher
ROI for your organization and a more rewarding experience for
your audiences.
Section 3
ROI is more than ticket sales
Many organizations focus on ticket sales as the key driver of ROI,
but ticket sales are just one slice of a much larger ROI pie. Cvent
has identified five benefits that contribute to event ROI:
• Direct revenue - Ticket sales, sponsorships, advertising,
merchandise sales, exhibitors, government grants
• Attributed revenue - Revenue after the event that was influenced
by product demos or interaction with sales staff during the event
• Attributed sales pipeline - Leads and opportunities generated at the
event that eventually become sales
• Brand equity - Attendees’ positive experience and impression of
the brand as it relates to the event
• Knowledge exchange - Information and insight shared between
customers, prospects, and the organization
When assessing the full value of your events, you must look at all the
benefits they provide to the organization along with the costs.
There are many things beyond direct revenue that impact how much
money an event will make. It can take time for these to come to
fruition, but it’s important to include them in ROI.
For a comprehensive guide to understanding, measuring, and proving
ROI, get your free copy of Cvent’s Essential Guide to Event ROI.
Remember to view value through the eyes of
all key stakeholders
While you can highlight event value in objective terms (e.g., number
and type of sessions, speakers, exhibitors), what matters most is how
your stakeholders perceive the event. Imagine yourself in the shoes
of attendees, sponsors, and internal stakeholders. By asking about
their needs and desires before and after the event, you will discover
how your event can help them succeed and achieve their goals.
To expand your thinking and uncover hidden value, answer the
following questions with as much detail as possible:
• What will attendees get out of the event?
• What are the benefits to sponsors?
• How does this event bring value to the business or organization?
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Attendee-focused value
Be sure to factor intangible benefits, knowledge exchange, sales
The best way to maximize value for attendees is by understanding
pipeline, and attributed revenue into the equation when looking for
their interests and motivations. Use historical data, surveys, feedback
hidden value.
forms, interviews, and other tools to help you craft the most valuable
attendee experience—from the first moment they interact with
Once you have defined what value means to each group, you can
your brand to the moment they leave your event. Look for ways to
use this information to build value propositions that are unique,
address their pain points and provide value through education,
authentic, and compelling. By focusing on value for all three groups,
entertainment, networking, high-touch support, status, convenience,
you can price your event accordingly and maximize ROI.
or other business benefits.

Sponsor-focused value
Sponsors support events when they help their organizations achieve
higher goals, such as increasing revenue, driving sales leads, position-
ing them as leaders in their industries, or gaining media exposure.
The best way to find hidden value is by understanding sponsors’
business needs—e.g., building brand awareness, increasing reach or
engagement, strengthening loyalty with existing customers, acquiring
new customers, or raising funds.

Organization-focused value
Find internal value by aligning your event to your organization’s key
business objectives. For example, if the company’s goal is to build
a sales pipeline, an event may aim to gather leads from qualified
prospects. If its goal is to drive revenue, an event may target existing
customers with a high-value item or service they can purchase onsite.

Internal goals are not always related to direct revenue or ticket

sales. An event’s purpose could be to enhance brand identity and
awareness, showcase product innovations, or highlight corporate culture.

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 Value-based Ticketing
& Pricing
Structure tickets and prices to deliver the value attendees and sponsors want
Now that you’ve defined the value you want to provide, let’s look at
how value-based ticketing and pricing can help you translate that
Section 4
value into packages attendees and sponsors will love.
Ticket price is not just about calculating costs and adding a profit
margin; it’s also about how much people want what you’re selling. A
value-based ticketing strategy finds ways to ensure each buyer’s per-
ceived value of the experience equals or exceeds the price they pay.
Perceived value is the impression that a person forms about your
event’s worth based on their perspective. It exists only in people’s
minds—as you solve their biggest problems or satisfy their most
important desires, perceived value goes up. Let’s explore some
techniques that can influence perceived value, and consequently,
ticket demand and price.
Flexible pricing
Use a tiered pricing system to add flexibility to your events. Offer
packages ranging from free to super-premium. Meet the audiences
where their pocketbooks are and where they’re willing to invest—
maintaining reach but also earning depth of engagement. Tiered
pricing helps you find the right balance of supply and demand and
match ticket costs to perceived value levels.
Example tiered pricing for a virtual event:
• Free tickets include access to view digital plenary session
content only.
• Paid tickets include access to all digital content, including
plenaries, keynote speakers, etc., and access to programming
recordings after the event is over.
• VIP paid tickets include all of the above, plus a voucher for a local
meal delivery service to bring you lunch, a coffee shop gift card, a
seat at the breakout session tables, and a discount coupon for 25%
off VIP registration at a future event.
Premium content
Differentiate your event by offering exclusive content that costs
more to produce. Gate this high-value content behind the paywall.
In this scenario, perhaps plenary sessions are all-access, but more
niche or specific content requires an upgrade. This approach lets you
grant high-value attendees access to content more suited for their
needs while still satisfying more budget-conscious attendees with
standard content.
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The vast majority of event attendees join for the educational
experience. By offering a variety of course levels for content, you
can intermix free and paid programming.
Example level-based access model:
• Introductory content (101 level sessions) is free to pique attendees’
interest and encourage them to go deeper.
• Go deeper content (201, 301+ level sessions) has a fee.
Premium training
Training materials, tools, learning guides, or the ability to receive
certifications or continuing education credit can incur costs that
you’ll want to recoup with ticket fees. If the value of the content is
transparent, audiences will be willing to pay no matter the event
format. Not only that but delivering great content showcases your
event expertise, which can be a huge draw for future attendees.
Quality standards
Ensure an event is worth a high perceived ticket price by setting and
adhering to a standard of excellence. Ensure that only high-quality
speakers and exhibitors are allowed, and that your organization
delivers superior service. High standards can help you maximize
revenue while also delivering quality experiences for attendees.
Special perks
Consider delivering perks—gifts, tangibles, swag items, or meals—as
a way to uplevel experiences and encourage engagement. These may
be something you choose to include in your tiered pricing plan or a
way to capture more attention from attendees and ultimately drive
the intangible value of your event.
VIP experiences
Give super-premium ticket holders access to exclusive experiences
not available to basic ticket holders. These could include additional
networking events, VIP speaker sessions with Q&A time, catered
meals in unique settings or venues (gift certificates for meals if
digital), or increased levels of access to exhibitors or sponsors. You
can offer these experiences before, during, and after the event.
For virtual events, VIP experiences can include more interaction
options or private breakout sessions for attendees who purchase
higher-priced tickets.
Time sensitivity
Offer time-based incentives that allow audiences to capture a lower
ticket rate before it increases over time. Audiences will lock in
discounted rates in favor of securing registrations early on in your
promotional plan. You can similarly create discount codes or conduct
flash sales. Urgency is a powerful driver that you can use to encourage
audiences to register sooner rather than later.
You can also include exhibitors and sponsors in limited-time offers.
Incentivize your audience with exclusive sales and offers from your
partners while creating buzz around new products, services, or
information. This approach not only adds value for attendees but
can also increase ROI for sponsors and exhibitors.
Sponsor marketing
One great thing about new event formats is that you can give spon-
sors more access to different audiences. Aim to create packages that
provide access to all audiences at varying tiers of investment. This lets
sponsors reach different levels of exposure and attendee engagement.
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The potential benefits are many and extend far beyond the typical practice of lead generation. Communicate value clearly, so they know they’re
getting more bang for their buck with your event.

Sponsorship opportunities might also include events before or after the main event that aren’t included in your registration or attendee
experience. Selling sponsorship opportunities outside of your core ticketed activity can open up new revenue streams and strengthen relationships
with sponsors.

Build More Diverse Marketing Packages that Increase Exposure and Value

Virtual
Sponsor Virtual
Virtual
Interviews Appointments
Booth
Visits

Inbound
Brand Leads
Awareness Advertising Sponsored Lead Gen
Sessions

Signage Appointments
Lead
VOD
Booth Retreival
Content
Visits

In Person

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Fostering connections
When considering your pricing structure, remember the profound
value of the connections made through events. How can you foster
deeper connections and conversations between attendees? When
you prepare your pricing, why not include rates with options for more
one-on-one time and opportunities to connect?
Creating a meaningful attendee experience is vital to producing
profitable events. Understanding the elements of value and how |they
make attendees feel will help you determine the proper fee structure.
If you provide a valuable and unforgettable experience, your attendees
will be happy to pay.
Putting it all together for Cvent CONNECT
The Cvent team used all of the value pricing levers when ticketing
and pricing Cvent CONNECT 2021. We adopted flexible pricing to
create three offerings: free virtual, premium virtual, and in-person.
By offering premium content, special perks, limited access, and VIP
experiences, we established higher ticket values for the premium and
in-person tiers while increasing sponsorship value. We used time-
sensitive incentives to create urgency and entice registrants.
Lastly, we used engagement and collaboration features in our plat-
form to foster connections, providing more networking opportunities
for attendees.
Be sure to revisit this section and consider all of the suggested value
pricing techniques when planning and pricing your next event.
Conclusion
In the new event landscape, you have many opportunities to create
and capture value. Events can be virtual, in-person, or hybrid; each
format has its benefits and limitations. The key is understanding what
attendees and sponsors want out of an event (value). That way, you
can maximize ROI through direct revenue like tickets sales and
sponsorships and other forms of ROI like sales pipeline, brand equity,
and knowledge transfer. Value-based ticketing and pricing methods
will help you deliver on the promise of creating real value for attendees
and sponsors. Now it’s time to apply these lessons to your event!
Design and execute with confidence
in the new event landscape. Plan
and promote your event with Cvent
Event Management Software
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