Splash, an event marketing technology company owned by Cvent, introduced the Event-Led Growth (ELG) Masterclass & Certification, a new online educational program designed to provide marketing and event professionals with the tools they need to make events their most powerful marketing channel.  

Created to equip participants with strategies and techniques used by industry experts and leading organizations to create revenue-generating event programs, the ELG Masterclass teaches participants how to develop effective event strategies that drive business growth, optimize event budgets for maximum ROI, and implement data-driven approaches to measure event success and attribution. 

The new product-agnostic program expands upon Cvent’s existing certification offerings that have already seen more than 18,000 completions in the past two years, according to Cvent officials. Course content is based on extensive data gathered from Splash’s most successful customers to ensure participants receive practical and proven insights. 

By the numbers: According to Splash’s 2024 Outlook on Events Report, 93% and 86% of U.S.-based companies that use ELG are meeting their company pipeline and/or revenue goals and can directly attribute events to company revenue, respectively. These businesses are experiencing benefits, including better brand visibility (63%), stronger customer relationships (63%), and stronger or new partnerships (52%). 

Designed for a wide range of professionals--including field marketers, marketing operations, demand generation marketers, and event organizers--the professional development course expands on Cvent’s robust Cvent Certification program and addresses the growing demand for advanced career opportunities among marketers and event professionals.  

Why it matters: By mastering the concepts taught in the ELG Masterclass, marketing and event professionals can position themselves to significantly impact their organization’s revenue streams through strategic event planning and execution, according to Splash officials. 

What they’re saying: “Marketers need more opportunities to advance their careers beyond traditional event marketing basics, and with stretched marketing budgets, organizations are focused on generating more value from their event programs,” said Kate Hammitt, Splash head of marketing. “As the leader in the event-led growth space, we saw an opportunity to meet this critical need for education.” 

She continued, “This certification will inspire strategic thinking and grow the overall event program’s revenue impact. By utilizing evidence-based strategies and proven playbooks, participants can leverage event-led growth to propel their careers and their organization’s success.” 

How it works: The comprehensive and engaging self-paced course features 18 on-demand video lessons covering everything from event-led growth fundamentals to strategy development, budgeting, measuring attribution, and ROI. Upon completion, participants receive official certification along with a LinkedIn badge to showcase their accomplishments and demonstrate their ELG expertise. 

Participants can expect to receive the following benefits: 

• Gain fluency in event-led growth and ROI terminology 
• Learn practical strategies to maximize event budgets and revenue 
• Design an event program that covers the full demand funnel, including creating, capturing, and preserving demand 
• Identify the right audience and convert them into customers 
• Optimize their organization’s event and MarTech stack and attribution models 
• Develop a high-performing, event-centric team and data-driven ELG narrative 
• Access comprehensive event playbooks and strategies 

Backstory: Announced six months following its 2024 acquisition by Cvent, Splash’s new course taps into years of powering event programs for some of the most recognized brands to help organizations increase pipeline and revenue from their events. 

Related: Event Tech Giant Cvent Expands into Event Marketing with Splash Acquisition 

What one client says: “Investing in event-led growth has propelled our pipeline substantially,” said Emily Wilkes, director of field and partner marketing at Gainsight, a leading customer success management platform. “Half of our attributed pipeline last quarter came from our events, and that’s in the new business segment. I’m constantly sharing the numerous metrics that illustrate the power and ROI of event-led growth with our leadership and with the sales organization, so the value is clear.” 

Context: Cvent is a meetings, events, and hospitality technology provider founded in 1999 and headquartered in Tysons, Va. Its event marketing and management platform offers software solutions to event organizers and marketers for online event registration, venue selection, event marketing and management, virtual and onsite solutions, and attendee engagement.  

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