Event marketers are increasingly confident that in-person experiences are helping to build audience trust, but many are failing to measure that impact effectively, potentially putting future budgets and stakeholder support at risk.
That is according to new research commissioned by event technology provider Cvent, which found that 96% of event marketers believe their current activities are building trust with target audiences, while 81% say audience trust in their brand increases after attending one of their in-person events.
However, despite this confidence, fewer than one-third (28%) of organisations have a robust framework in place to measure how events contribute to trust-building, and nearly half (49%) admit their current measurement processes need improvement.
For event organisers facing growing scrutiny over return on investment, the findings highlight the increasing need to demonstrate the strategic value of live experiences beyond attendance numbers and engagement metrics.
The survey, which gathered responses from more than 900 event and marketing professionals across 12 countries, found that nine in ten respondents face significant pressure to prove the business value of their event programmes. Yet despite these challenges, confidence in the future role of events remains strong, with 91% expecting events to become more central to marketing strategies over the next two years.
Amy Lucia, Chief Marketing Officer at Cvent, said: “Event marketers are doing something remarkable. They’re building real, lasting trust with their audiences at a time when trust has never been harder to earn. But confidence without measurement is a recipe for reduced budgets and missed opportunities.
“The marketers who will lead the next era are the ones who can prove what events actually do for their business, connecting that investment directly to pipeline and revenue.”
The research also highlights growing concerns around the impact of artificial intelligence on audience trust. While 87% of marketers say increased AI use has made them more comfortable with AI-generated content, 85% believe the technology is making it harder to build trust with audiences.
Respondents cited concerns that audiences are becoming increasingly sceptical about whether content is genuinely human-created and whether information can be trusted. More than a quarter (27%) identified generic or AI-generated content as the biggest threat to audience trust, ahead of the lack of human interaction at events.
For event organisers, the findings reinforce the continued value of face-to-face experiences as organisations seek to build authentic connections with audiences in an increasingly AI-driven marketing landscape. At the same time, the research suggests that proving the commercial and trust-building impact of events will become increasingly important as organisations compete for marketing investment and executive support.
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