How Data Is Transforming the Way We Win Conferences and Events

In today’s competitive meetings industry, leveraging data is no longer optional — it’s vital. This was the key message from our recent panel discussion, an insightful session featuring Thomas Mauch, regional director of ICCA; Sarah Fleming, managing director of SFA Connect; and Johana Davila, customer success consultant at Simpleview. Together, we explored how destinations and organisers can use data to secure more conferences, deliver better experiences, and drive real ROI.

From gut feelings to evidence-based decisions

The session opened with a discussion centred around a major shift within the industry, one that is seeing destinations and venues move away from relying on gut instinct and personal relationships to guide their decision-making. Rather, organisations within the sector are now relying upon business intelligence to make strategic decisions backed by robust data. Developed with support from Simpleview, ICCA’s tools allow its members to benchmark performance, analyse trends, and pinpoint high-potential opportunities.

Real-world impact: SFA Connect’s success story

Sarah shared how SFA Connect is putting data-backed decision-making into practice by using detailed data on delegates, considering past event performance, and observing market trends to help destinations craft compelling bids, ensuring their proposals truly stand out from the competition. Sarah emphasised that data doesn’t just secure events; it helps to enhance the attendee experience through tailored content, targeted marketing, and personalised networking opportunities.

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The power of integration

Adding to the conversation, Johana from Simpleview reinforced the importance of integrating data across platforms. She explained how destinations can collect and connect data from CRM systems, websites, event registrations, surveys, and more — creating a single source of truth. With this, DMOs can better understand delegate behaviour, measure economic impact, and refine strategies for future bids and events.

Best practice: Turning data into action

All three speakers agreed: Having data is one thing; using it effectively is something else. With that in mind, our panellists’ points of best practice include:

• The careful gathering of quality data at every stage of event planning — pre-event, during, and post-event.
• The monitoring of data accuracy and overall compliance with privacy laws.
• Taking care to equip teams with the skills, tools, and confidence to analyse and act on insights.

Looking ahead: What’s next for data in events

Looking to the future, this panel of experts projects a surge in the already widespread use of AI and machine learning to generate predictive insights.

Final thoughts

The results of this panel discussion were clear: Destinations that embrace data will have a huge advantage over those that do not. This makes perfect sense — after all, backed by actionable insights, these destinations can deliver stronger bids, better experiences, and measurable results, making them the partner of choice for event planners worldwide.

You can also check out our recent webinar on the topic below.