Robbie Thain
Founder, CEO
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Forrester reports that leading organizations are moving beyond net-new lead generation to track pipeline expansion and customer engagement at live events.
On September 11, 2026, Forrester published new guidance detailing how large business organizations are rethinking their event strategies. Based on its Q1 2026 State of B2B Events Survey, the research examines current event priorities, measurement protocols, and technology integrations. Forrester reports that lead generation remains the most common objective for physical marketing experiences. However, the largest and most mature organizations are now significantly more likely to use live events to strengthen existing customer relationships, identify expansion opportunities, and improve customer engagement.
Smaller and less mature companies remain focused primarily on generating net-new demand. The public article does not disclose the survey sample size, geographic coverage, or industry breakdowns beyond the Q1 2026 timeline.
The Forrester analysis highlights a significant perception gap between field operators and executive leadership. Approximately half of event leaders reported satisfaction with their event performance, compared with only one-third of Chief Marketing Officers. To close this gap, leading organizations are moving past activity-level reporting to satisfy executive expectations. They now focus on demonstrating how live experiences contribute directly to revenue, customer growth, and buying-group engagement.
Forrester notes that around one-quarter of organizations plan to reduce the number of event-technology providers they use to manage their physical presence. Technology consolidation does not necessarily equal budget cuts for marketing departments. In a majority of cases, organizations that consolidate providers are actually maintaining or increasing their technology spend. The primary goal is to simplify event technology, improve data flows, and create a cohesive attendee experience rather than merely reducing costs.
The research also notes a strong correlation between the deep integration of event platforms with broader sales systems and stronger reported outcomes. Teams with connected systems show greater event-data activation, higher artificial intelligence adoption, greater overall satisfaction, and a better ability to prove event impact. Forrester also points out a shift in format strategies among business teams. More than one-quarter of event leaders planned to run more virtual events over the following 12 months, which the firm describes as a 100 percent year-on-year increase.
This data directly reflects what we see working for premium Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and beverage brands. A physical activation must generate clear Return on Investment (ROI) to secure future funding. Capturing thousands of anonymous samples or generic badge scans does not automatically translate into retailer confidence. Instead, successful brands build their live strategies around measurable pipeline, connecting physical interactions directly to downstream commercial data.
When you stop judging a trade show purely by the volume of net-new contacts, you unlock its true commercial value. A face-to-face interaction might accelerate an existing retail partnership, secure prime shelf space, or convert a skeptical buyer. For consumer-facing events, a successful program might need to track product trial completions, targeted location segments, or offer redemptions. If those interactions never make it into a centralized system, the marketing team loses credit for the revenue they influenced.
Brands that invest in centralized lead capture tools see higher returns because their data flows directly to decision-makers. You cannot afford to leave valuable prospect information stranded in temporary event apps or staffing reports. The goal is to turn raw venue traffic into trackable pipeline that a Chief Marketing Officer can trust. Measuring field performance against core business metrics builds internal credibility and secures long-term budgets for future deployments.
This strategic shift forces field marketing directors to completely overhaul their operational protocols. Floor staff can no longer treat every visitor as a generic lead to be scanned and forgotten. Brand ambassadors must be trained to identify existing customers, spot expansion opportunities, and record buying-group context during the actual interaction. This requires strict operational oversight and perfectly coordinated supply chain logistics so that the technology works flawlessly on site.
Practitioner sources recommend connecting event capture directly to customer relationship management systems. From there, marketing teams can distinguish sourced pipeline, influenced pipeline, opportunity value, and ultimate revenue. Furthermore, these sources advise reviewing event impact at multiple intervals, such as 30, 90, and 180 days after the event. Immediate reporting handles meeting counts, product demos, and trial completions.
Later reporting tracks follow-up activity, account progression, and actual sales lift across the targeted retail footprint. This staggered measurement approach prevents marketing leaders from prematurely judging a complex event campaign before the buying cycle completes.
Getting this right requires disciplined field execution and a deep understanding of audience flow. If an activation suffers from scattered attention and poor booth flow, representatives will fail to capture the necessary data. In our experience, highly targeted activations solve this problem by prioritizing meaningful interactions over chaotic volume. A Director of Brand Strategy in the CPG snack division shared: "The Makai team turned our product launch into a sensory event that shoppers still talk about.
From creative storytelling to flawless in-store execution, they made snack time unforgettable. We couldn't have asked for a stronger partner." Our team created an in-store experience that left a lasting impression on consumers and became a memorable brand moment.
Treating event marketing as a growth strategy requires precise on-site coordination. Marketers should view event formats as a strategic portfolio rather than relying on a single tactic. A major expo might handle high-volume product demonstrations, while a localized activation manages relationship depth. Implementing a rigorous event tracking framework means that every interaction supports the broader business goal.
The Forrester research explicitly contrasts mature organizations with smaller firms that remain heavily focused on net-new lead generation. Smaller brands often rely on trade shows entirely for top-of-funnel acquisition, meaning their floor staff prioritize scanning as many badges as possible. While lead volume remains a legitimate objective, large-scale consumer activations require a more sophisticated measurement approach. Mature organizations recognize that a single high-quality conversation with a major retail buyer carries more weight than fifty unverified product samples.
This maturity model applies directly to experiential marketing and mobile sampling tours. When a brand scales its physical footprint, it must graduate from basic attendance counting to tracking detailed consumer behaviors. Field managers need precise instruments to record which targeted accounts engaged, which existing customers deepened their relationships, and which expansion opportunities emerged. By connecting event capture to the systems that executives already trust, field teams can finally speak the language of commercial growth.
To support this advanced tracking, event managers are prioritizing deep integration between event technology and central marketing systems. Forrester reports a strong correlation between these integrations and a higher likelihood of securing budget increases. When decision-makers can trace physical marketing efforts back to tangible customer growth, they are much more willing to approve funding for future trade shows and sponsorships.
The September 11 report makes it clear that the gap between satisfied event teams and skeptical marketing executives is closing. When field operations prioritize deep integration and customer expansion, the entire organization benefits from measurable revenue growth. As you review your upcoming trade show calendar, are your physical activations designed to prove their commercial impact to the executive board, or are they still just scanning badges for the sake of volume?
Trade show coordinators tasked with driving pipeline expansion need total command over their venue presence to prove commercial impact. When teams struggle with navigating complex event logistics, permits, and staffing, Makai delivers precise operational execution. Under our Expo / Trade Shows capability, we plan and manage trade show spaces that attract attention, start conversations, and convert visitors into customers.
30 Years Experiential & Retail Activation Partner for CPG & Beverage Brands | Multi-Market Demos, Roadshows & Costco/Club Programs That Actually Sell
