How do I track in person events in HubSpot, like conferences?

[HEllis1]

Hi, 

I am trying to capture the data on how many events our teams are attending externally. So I create a full understanding of engagement. So I know what the ROI is from attending these events and knowing how many events have we been invited to based on our memberships, and what type of event they are.  

I will take any suggestions. 

I have looked at the custom objects and creating a pipeline but if their is a way that someone else has captured this data. I appreciate your help. 

Thank you  

[Max_from_hapily]

@HEllis1 a lot of these solutions are getting close to the right path here.  But the one thing most of them leave out is how much of a pain in the a** it is dealing with getting the leads not only IMPORTED into HubSpot but ASSOCIATED to the actual event object (or whatever representation off that event is) in HubSpot.  On top of that, trying to track the R in ROI (revenue, deals in HubSpot) back to an event is extra painful.

The marketing events object is pretty bad right now just because of it's lack of customization to be able to accomplish the above.

A custom object for events is definitely the right move here.  But you are also going to want to look at that event objects and see contacts that you met AT that event so you can use that relationship for segmentation, automation, and reporting.  Having an association label helps here a lot so you can see contacts are associated to an event as an "Event Lead" which specifically denotes that you met this person at the event because they were a lead that you captured.  So pay attention to the types of relationships you set up between the contacts and the event objects.  You are also going to want to think about HOW you are going to CAPTURE the leads and get them into HubSpot while being associated to the EVENT object you have in HubSpot without it being a list-import-**bleep**.

Ultimately, if you want to track ROI, you gotta start thinking about how the R and the I is tracked.  Typically in HubSpot the R (return) is measured by deals.  So you are going to want to be able to create an assocaition between deals to events so you can do calculated roll up fields to make reporoting easy.  But then how do you track the I (investment).  That can be done either by creating fields that represent the cost of the event on the event object or by having an event expense object associated to the event using roll ups to tally up the total expenses of the event.

Then it's all about building some calculated fields that take the cost of the event and revenue data from associated deals to give you real ROI data of an EVENT in HubSpot.

Don't get me wrong, this is quite complex and pretty difficult to get it right out of the box.  But really powerful when you get a little creative with Custom Objects, Association Labels, Deals, Contacts, and Workflows.   I made some videos on how to do this with an app we built for event management on HubSpot that helps with the Event Lead Capture piece and automatic Deal to Event Attribution.  These 2 motions are extremely difficult to do in HubSpot out of the box which is why we built an app to help manage it 🙂

[RonanWilder]

Tracking in-person events in HubSpot can be done effectively by using a combination of custom objects, properties, and workflows. Here are some best practices:

Create a Custom Object for Events

• If you want to track events separately, create a custom object named "Events" in HubSpot.
• Add properties like:
  • Event Name
  • Event Type (Conference, Webinar, Trade Show, etc.)
  • Date & Location
  • Team Members Attending
  • Membership-Based Invitation (Yes/No)
  • ROI Metrics (Leads Generated, Deals Closed)

Use Deals or Pipelines for Tracking

• If events contribute directly to sales, you can use a separate pipeline in Deals:
  • Create a pipeline with stages like:
    • Invited
    • Attending
    • Follow-up in Progress
    • Leads Generated
    • ROI Analyzed

Log Events via Custom Activities

• Use Custom Activities to log event attendance.
• Attach these activities to Contacts, Companies, or Deals in HubSpot.

Automate Tracking with Workflows

• Set up automations so that:
  • When an event is added, attendees are automatically linked.
  • Follow-up emails are triggered after an event.

Integrate Event Management Tools

• If your team registers for events using Eventbrite, Zoom, or other platforms, you can integrate these with HubSpot to track attendance automatically.

I've been exploring better ways to manage event-based data tracking (LINK), which might help refine your approach.

Would love to hear how others are handling event tracking in HubSpot! 🚀

[TheAdminArena]

You tagged that you have Enterprise features so I'll advocate for one idea that's worked well:
- You can create a custom object which relates to each event and then create records which tie the event to the contacts, companies, deals, etc. of that event

I would suggest having properties on the custom event that include cost of attendance or number of reps attended which you can then measure against. Example: The cost of the event is $10k but you generate a deal for $90k which means you can calculate an $80k profit in HubSpot. 

Things can get complex pretty quickly but I hope this helps to point you in the right direction!

[Jnix284]

Hi @HEllis1, as @JStreit1 mentioned the Marketing Events object is a great option for in person events, you might also want to check out Simple Events if you need additional capabilities for event management.

[JStreit1 · Accepted solution]

One of my favorites tools to use is the Marketing Events object for both webinars and in person events!

You can create them manually for in-person events, and then import your attendees to the event. 

Then to get the ROI tracking you are wanting, you can tie the Marketing Event to a Campaign in HubSpot. Those attendees would then show up as "influenced contacts" of the campaign, and if deals get created, the revenue would be attributed. 

Let me know if you have any follow up questions/thoughts on that idea!