From scepticism to support: how strategy changes the event conversation

Lately, I’ve been hearing the same frustration come up time and time again in client conversations and industry roundtables: how difficult it has become for event teams to secure buy-in from internal stakeholders. Increasingly, those who control the budgets need to see a tangible event approach that can prove ROI in alignment with the wider business vision.

A big part of the problem is that the purpose and value of events – from conferences to exhibitions – are often misunderstood. They’re still too easily dismissed as a cost centre, with little understanding around the tangible business impact they can drive. And in a climate where CFOs and CEOs are actively searching for efficiencies, any spend without a clearly articulated purpose is at risk.

So, event professionals have been left feeling like they’re constantly fighting an uphill battle to earn the internal support and financial backing they need.

But there’s a smarter way to win this war. Stop jumping straight into logistics and execution, and start with strategy. A shared understanding of why an event exists, and what it will be designed to shift or achieve, is where stakeholder buy-in begins.

Find your common ground

Events don’t sit on the edges of a business; they sit within a wider ecosystem of brand, culture, and commercial priorities.

We therefore must consider how every experience, event or moment of engagement feeds into those objectives. Even a Christmas party is more than just a celebration – it strengthens belonging and reinforces culture. Those outcomes influence employee retention and productivity long after the festive season ends.

This is particularly important when it comes to exhibitions, which are often viewed as transactional or tactical by default. Without a clearly articulated purpose, they’re often reduced to just a stand and a footfall figure, making it difficult for stakeholders to see the bigger picture.

So before discussing formats or venues, organisations need to align on the core purpose of the event. What should it achieve? How should people think, feel or behave differently afterwards? And what wider marketing or business objectives should it support? This unified approach then becomes the strategic anchor for every decision that follows and inspires confidence that the event will deliver tangible value.

Crucially, key stakeholders must be involved in this conversation from the start. Different teams often come with different pressures and expectations, so finding common ground is essential. Bringing them into the conversation early creates a sense of shared ownership, and when people see their objectives considered and woven into the strategy, they’re far more likely to support the decisions – and the investment – that follow.

Measure what matters

This strategic alignment in turn enables measurement to become far more meaningful. Senior leaders respond best when impact is communicated in their language: hard numbers and tangible evidence. But not all evidence carries equal weight, and what really matters is proving your event achieved the objectives laid out at the start.

Surface-level metrics like footfall and satisfaction scores can help to shape part of the picture, but often the more influential indicators are the ones that emerge post-event, not on the day. Can you link your event to an uptick in client conversations, stronger employee sentiment, deeper alignment among teams or increased brand advocacy across key audiences? These are just some of the longer-term shifts that reveal whether an event genuinely moved its organisation forward.

The data you gather can also reveal areas of improvement for the next event. That’s important – event planning should be a continuous cycle of envisioning, executing, and evaluating. That’s how you build trust in the function and create a compelling case for sustained investment.

A strategic approach in practice

We know that this approach can often seem a lot easier to talk about than actually do, but taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture is the best place to start to achieve those business-aligned outcomes.

We recently worked with a global law firm to design and deliver a major partner conference. Right at the start, we gathered key stakeholders and asked a simple question: what do you want this event to achieve? The answer was to empower its partners for the organisation’s next phase of growth. That single objective became the foundation of the entire experience.

Because we had that clarity upfront, every decision – from the tone of communications to the design of sessions – served that goal. And because the strategy was defined early, the measurement plan was established early too.

When we evaluated the event, the data showed a significant uplift in partner confidence and connection, along with insight into what could be improved next time. The client’s stakeholders were very happy, because we took that strategy-first approach.

The same thinking shaped our work on Fred Perry’s ‘A British Icon’ exhibition. From the outset, the strategic focus was long-term brand building, using the exhibition to celebrate 70 years of heritage in a way that would deepen affinity and reinforce Fred Perry’s cultural relevance. Working with the brand and The Design Museum, we translated that intent into an art installation that was informative, entertaining and emotionally impactful. Every element was chosen with storytelling in mind, from interactive moments to hands-on engagement with different fashion pieces. The experience perfectly encapsulated the brand and its history, and was met with strong approval from senior marketing stakeholders.

Creating your biggest cheerleaders

The wonderful thing is that once you secure buy-in from the right stakeholders – even just one – everything becomes lighter. Those individuals quickly turn into champions for your event, speaking up for it in internal conversations, defending the investment, and articulating the value in the language the board understands.

From there, confidence grows. Momentum builds. Conversations shift from questioning the need for an event to exploring what it can unlock for the business and how it can contribute to meaningful brand or commercial outcomes. In my experience, that advocacy is the strongest determinant of an event’s lasting impact beyond the day itself. When teams take the time to understand what stakeholders need, build a strategy that reflects those priorities and measure impact in a way that speaks directly to business objectives, they create the conditions for long-term support.

It doesn’t have to be a battle. Find the common ground, build from there, and the advocates will follow.