Event Supplier Data Standards: Four Steps to Measurement Excellence

Experiential Marketing Measurement Coalition board member outlines framework for brand marketers to obtain credible performance data from event suppliers

By Sarah Mitchell · Published Sun, 19 Apr 2026 15:52:13 GMT · Updated Sun, 19 Apr 2026 15:52:13 GMT

EMMC board member Heidi Olson outlines four steps for brand marketers to obtain credible performance data from event suppliers. The framework addresses the events industry's lack of standardized measurement approaches compared to other marketing disciplines.

Building Accountability Through Data

Brand marketers seeking to establish event centers of excellence must prioritize data accountability, according to Heidi Olson, board member of the Experiential Marketing Measurement Coalition. Unlike traditional advertising and digital marketing sectors that have established common data languages, the events industry lacks standardized measurement approaches.

"Excellence might be something we know when we see it, but in business it must be measurable… because the data doesn't lie," Olson stated. "It should drive the decisions we make and the journey to always do better."

The Current Measurement Gap

While most marketing competencies share common data approaches, event marketing remains an exception. This disparity has created a situation where companies rely heavily on suppliers to provide the right information for informed decision-making. The EMMC aims to drive change by establishing consistent, credible data capture across the event marketing industry.

Olson noted that most event organizations lack dedicated team members focused on event data, making supplier partnerships crucial for measurement success.

Four-Step Framework for Supplier Data Requirements

The framework begins with establishing crystal clear objectives. Teams and suppliers must understand success metrics and shared goals, including specific attendee numbers and types, desired attendee thoughts and feelings about the experience, behavioral outcomes and tracking methods, brand perception shifts, and sustainability requirements.

The second step involves developing supplier briefs and RFPs that request relevant data tied to each supplier's expertise area. This includes asking full-service agencies about comprehensive data management and reporting, requiring PR and communications suppliers to track attendance marketing communications, requesting venues and build suppliers to monitor CO2e and landfill waste, and having creative agencies evaluate brand perception impact.

Step three requires venues and suppliers to include data collection, analysis and reporting in their scope and budget. "If your suppliers aren't able to offer this element, asking the question will drive them to consider building this capability," Olson explained.

The final step emphasizes providing feedback on supplier measurement work quality, which Olson identifies as the mechanism to "propel measurement improvement across the industry."

Industry Transformation Through Standards

The approach aims to create industry-wide adoption of consistent measurement standards through brand marketer demand. Olson emphasized that credible data and analysis represent "the secret sauce to achieving excellence" in event marketing.

The initiative reflects broader efforts to bring event marketing measurement practices in line with other marketing disciplines that have established standardized data approaches and common performance languages.

Based on reporting by Event Marketer / Heidi Olson. Read the original article.