CMOs and companies are increasingly recognizing the power of an event-led growth (ELG) strategy in driving business success, according to the compelling findings of “An Outlook on Events in 2025” report recently published by Cvent-owned event marketing technology company Splash. In fact, event marketers who adopt ELG strategies are 140% more likely than those who don’t to see an average company growth rate of more than 50%.  

“The 94% of marketers using event-led growth are reporting consistent revenue from events, compared to 77% for those who don’t leverage events as a programmatic marketing channel,” said Splash Head of Marketing Kate Hammitt. “It’s clear that events are a critical component of marketing strategies. Organizations that focus on creating impactful event programs and leveraging technology to measure and scale success will be well-positioned to drive pipeline in 2025.” 

Methodology: Splash surveyed 1,058 U.S.-based marketers who play a role in their companies’ event programs. Conducted between January 15 and February 18, the survey report focuses on how CMOs and marketers are using events within their larger strategies and how they are measuring their success. The report examines how marketers are deploying event-led growth (ELG) strategies.  

Context: A go-to-market strategy where events––whether in-person, virtual, or hybrid––are used as a primary driver for business growth, ELG focuses on leveraging the reach, engagement, and relationship-building power of events to generate leads, accelerate the sales pipeline, improve brand visibility, customer relationships and retention, and drive revenue. 

Corporate Event News analyzed the data, and here's our take on five key highlights from the report: 

More events in 2025. In 2024, in-person events took a strong lead in ROI, and companies are planning to increase events of all types this year. 

• Marketers say they planned about 29 events in 2024 – 15 more than in 2023. 
• Highlighting the effectiveness of face-to-face, 66% of those hosting multiple formats said in-person events generated the most revenue, a 12% increase from 2023. 
• 57% expect to plan more partner events in 2025, 44% more owned events, and 51% more sponsored events. 

Marketing budgets on the rise. Companies are increasing their marketing budgets and leveraging technology to execute, replicate, and measure the success of their events. 

• 69% of marketers say their company plans to increase their total marketing budget in the next 12 months, with 55% reporting they allocate at least 20% of their total budget toward events. 
• CMOs are 16% more likely to say they would host more events if they had technology that made it easier to execute and replicate events (77%). 
• 88% of marketers plan to invest in event technology in 2025. 
• 41% struggled to measure ROI and create competitive events in 2024. CMOs were 29% more likely than average to say they struggled to create competitive events. 

Events fuel the sales pipeline. Companies that use ELG strategies were better positioned to generate pipeline and meet revenue goals for every quarter in 2024. 

• 67% of teams use an event-led growth approach.  
• Marketers adopting ELG were 140% more likely than those who did not to achieve a more than 50% growth rate. 
• 50% of marketers not using this approach believe it’s why their events underperform, a 9% increase from 2024. 
• 94% of marketers using event-led growth reported steady revenue, compared to 77% generally. 

Win, close, retain. Events are key to winning prospects, closing deals faster, and retaining business. 

• About 90% of marketers say that their events help their company stand out from the competition, and 89% say events are critical for business growth. 
• 52% of marketers attribute at least half of their company’s 2024 closed-won deals to events, and 72% say prospects close deals faster after attending events. 
• 31% of marketers reported a 20-day decrease in closing time when prospects attend events. 

Growing pains. The top hurdles event marketers are currently facing include: 

• Lack of budget to plan the right events: 41% of respondents said that 19% or less of their total marketing budget goes towards events. 
• Event marketing team bandwidth: With more than 150,000 job cuts across 542 tech companies in 2024, marketing teams are facing bandwidth constraints and increased event workload. 
• Low attendance rates: As a new challenge compared to the 2024 survey, this suggests that event marketers are experiencing growing pains with new event programs. 

Emerging trends: Artificial intelligence (AI) is gaining attention, with AI mentioned 206 times in responses. However, 37% of marketers are uncertain about effectively utilizing AI in event planning, highlighting an opportunity for upskilling.  

Download the 2025 Outlook on Events report here. Splash offers an Event-Led Growth Masterclass and Certification here. 

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