Survey Findings on Usage of Social Media For Events

champion_logoChampion Exposition Services today announced the findings of its survey on the use and adoption of digital tools by the association market. The research study reveals that associations are making significant inroads into integrating a variety of technologies and social media into their event strategies. Respondents disclosed that social networks Facebook (67%), Twitter (54%) and LinkedIn (48%) are the most commonly used new digital tools, and detailed why and how they’re being used.

This survey is an opportunity for you to develop a benchmark for how these technologies are changing events, and provide this shared knowledge with our community. This survey defines what tools are out there exposed.

Some of the Key Findings:

Digital Tools (At large)

  1. 66% of respondents plan on incorporating more digital tools and experiences into future events.
  2. Event Attendee demand are the primary motive for rapid adoption to digital tool incorporation.
  3. 100% of the respondents are using Facebook for pre-show attendee marketing
  4. 33% are leveraging the platform’s video applications

Twitter (Specific):

  1. 48% are leveraging discussion form features.
  2. 82% of the respondents uses tweets to create buzz pre-event for attendee marketing
  3. 68% of the respondents support PR efforts.
  4. 36% are directing attendees to use direct messaging
  5. 23% are using hashtags to aggregate tweets.

Digital Human Capital & Efforts:

  • 18% surveyed revealed that they had hired a digital direct/manager to lead their social media/digital solutions efforts.
  • 18% are seeing cost-savings from using social networks like Facebook and Twitter to replace traditional marketing efforts and communication with attendees
  • 30% have been able to reduce their use of direct mail thanks to social media in the marketing mix

Virtual Event:

  • 28% are planning on using digital event platforms in the coming year.
  • 7 in 10 of the respondents are actively producing, considering or interested in pursuing virtual events.
  • None are intended to replace their live events with virtual events.

Let us know your comments

comments

Tarek is the founder and chief researcher at Youngberry, a youth research and marketing firm dedicated to the region. Tarek founded interactiveME.com and previously worked as Manager at Flip Media (Interactive Agency), Bayt.com (Job Site) and Consulting House Qatar (Consulting firm). He is researcher and writer on internet & disruptive innovation, entrepreneurship, and youth culture.

2 Comments

  1. @Tony thanks for your comment.

    Basically, 82% as mentioned and understood by youself reflects the usage of twitter pre-event only which means at least creating twitter account and updating the stream with few tweets, and not taking it seriously. Take a look here at the debate that we had about a social media forum that happened in our region (Middle East) whereby they have posted couple of tweets prior to the event, didn’t tweet during the event, and post one tweet after the event. They didn’t organize proper feed wall, #hastag, official tweeting, etc… So yes it’s not serious social media integration and it would be included in the 82% figure but not counted in the other figure 20%.

    Here is the article: https://interactiveme.com/index.php/2009/10/social-media-forum-abu-dhabi-reviewed-in-140-characters/

    Cheers,

  2. How would you interpret those Twitter numbers? Some of them, especially the 82%, seem very high. But any serious usage of Twitter would include a hashtag, right? So, does that mean Twitter has serious penetration for somewhere like 20% of the event market?

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