Abby Hartley, marketing director of event agency EC, explains why behavioural science is a game-changer for value creation in events:
With brands increasingly seeking new and meaningful ways to connect with their audiences, in-person experiences have re-emerged as an indispensable marketing tool. Forrester has revealed that nearly half of CMOs now prioritise events more than they did pre-pandemic, while the quarterly IPA Bellwether has tracked a growing allocation of marketing budgets towards live experiences.
However, as budgets tighten (marketing spend fell to 7.7% of company revenue in 2024) event leaders face mounting pressure to demonstrate clear, measurable return on investment (ROI) – often driving a focus on short-term impact over long-term value. But, while immediate ROI is critical, the importance of long-term value mustn’t be overlooked.
As David Kolundzija, head of global events at Hitachi Vantara, noted during one of our recent events: “We often focus too much on short-term metrics, but the real value [of an event] comes from the relationships built and the influence [it] has on both customers and stakeholders over time.” In fact, marketing scientists at the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute have shown that only 5% of a brand’s customers are actively in-market at any time, meaning the other 95% must be primed to think of your brand when their need arises.
This dual focus is what truly maximises the value of events. Brands need to engage attendees during the experience, while embedding memorable messages that drive future action. And we believe leveraging the science behind human memories and behaviours is the most powerful way to do this.
Behavioural science explained
Behavioural science explores the cognitive biases that underpin human decision-making and how these biases can be influenced. Thousands of studies by expert psychologists have identified hundreds of mental shortcuts our brains use to process information efficiently. This science has been widely applied in marketing but remains underutilised in the world of events.
This is a missed opportunity for brands – one that changes the game in terms of impact and how it is measured. So, using behavioural science as a framework, we’ve been able to tap into those cognitive biases in such a way that we can be confident an event will deliver on its short- and long-term goals. Here’s a small window into what that looks like in practice.
Bias one: the scarcity effect
One of the biggest short-term challenges in justifying event investment is ensuring attendance – a problem that can be addressed by leveraging behavioural science. According to the scarcity effect, we are naturally drawn to things in limited supply. Psychologist Stephen Worchel’s 1975 study showed people valued cookies more (and were willing to pay higher prices) when they perceived them to be scarce.
Curating exclusive, one-of-a-kind opportunities taps into this bias, drastically increasing the chances of a high turnout. The overwhelming demand for the Oasis and Taylor Swift tours is the perfect example of this – because tickets were limited, attendees fought to pay exorbitant prices for them.
Taylor Swift takes this a step further. While most of her tour is consistent night-to-night, each show features a special guest who appears only once. Even with over four million tickets sold, each show’s audience becomes its own exclusive club.
For B2B events, leveraging the scarcity effect can mean offering unique learning opportunities, access to high-profile speakers, or curated workshops. While this can’t guarantee attendance, it dramatically increases the likelihood by appealing to this natural human urge not to miss out.
Bias two: the generation effect
The longer-term challenge is ensuring key information and positive brand sentiment stay in the minds of attendees long into the future, increasing the likelihood of your brand being top of mind when they come into the market to buy your product or service. A powerful bias we use to help us meet this challenge is the generation effect: the idea that information is better remembered when participants generate it themselves.
This was demonstrated by Canadian psychologists Graf and Slamecka in 1978, who found people recalled words better when they had to complete partially obscured lists. In events, this means designing experiences where attendees engage actively, striking a balance between effort and accessibility. Activities that require participants to generate ideas or insights ensure information is more memorable.
For instance, we worked with pet insurance brand Waggel to design its trade show stand for veterinary professionals. As part of the experience, we invited vets to identify Waggel’s product benefits through an interactive exercise. This participatory mechanic ensured Waggel’s brand and attributes would be more memorable when the vets were ready to make purchasing decisions.
Behavioural science is the key to memorable experiences
There are, of course, hundreds of behavioural biases. At EC, we’re so confident in their potential that we’ve embedded six of those most relevant to the ambitions of the event scenario, into our own experience design principles. Ensuring every event works with human nature to create memory windows and inspire both short- and long-term behaviour change.
By establishing key metrics for success from the planning stage, we can confidently design an experience that delivers against them. These metrics are then evaluated both from a short- and long-term value perspective, transforming the intangible value of event moments into tangible and measurable outcomes.
In today’s high-pressure, cost-conscious environment, few marketing channels offer the same potential for immediate impact and enduring influence as well-designed events. Understanding how people think, feel, and retain information allows brands to turn events into a true competitive advantage, delivering value long after the final session concludes and the venue empties.
