One of the very first lessons most exhibitors learn in this industry is that if you can't measure it, you can't improve upon it. And if you don't establish objectives, you can't objectively determine whether or not you've successfully accomplished your goals. As such, metrics and measurement have long been positioned as essential components of exhibit-marketing success. But what do marketers measure? How do they measure it? And are they confident in their ability to obtain the relevant metrics? EXHIBITOR set out to answer those questions and more through its 2023 Metrics and Measurement Survey, which was fielded by more than 100 U.S. exhibiting companies.

According to the results, more than half of exhibit marketers are less than confident when it comes to their ability to measure their programs' impacts, citing a lack of bandwidth, lack of support, and failure to analyze data after a show as their primary hurdles. And while many are adept at tracking simple metrics, such as badge scans, lead counts, and number of qualified leads, most don't even attempt to gather and evaluate other metrics (such as dwell time or Net Promoter Score) or adopt more advanced measurement techniques (such as Radio Frequency Identification or thermal mapping).

Still, despite exhibitors' lack of confidence in their ability to track success or failure, eight out of 10 say measurement is either "somewhat important" or "very important" to their programs. Considering that – and the fact that more than 40 percent of respondents say they have successfully used metrics to obtain a budget increase, prevent budget cuts, and demonstrate their programs' value – it's clear that measurement is a must. Read on to see how your program compares to your peers' and whether your approach to tracking and reporting metrics measures up.