Over 400 event leaders in the UK, Germany and the US have revealed, in a new study from the International Corporate Events Network (ICEN) supported by creative communications agency DRPG, that the hidden barrier to proving event ROI is an agreed definition of success before the work begins.
Results of ICEN’s Big Experiment: From Event Speak to Business Speak study published in a white paper, show an industry that knows its value but still struggles to show it, and that the answer lies in what happens before an event is even planned.
In-house corporate event teams aren’t short of evidence that events drive business. What they’re missing is an agreed definition of success before the work begins. That’s the headline finding of the white paper.
The research was carried out at ICEN’s flagship July 2026 events in the UK, Germany and the United States, where 400+ senior in-house corporate event leaders in teams of up to 10 were encouraged to tackle the question of what stops you from proving ROI on your events, and what would have to change? Each table worked through the same template, then debated, argued and committed their answers which were then subjected to further discussion and feedback.
Budget topped every board in every market. But the white paper argues that budget is the symptom rather than the cause. Events are easy to cut because their real benefit and value is often not clearly demonstrated.
Event leaders in Germany went straight to the root of the problem, pointing out that when an event’s objective is never clearly defined, there is nothing to measure against when it’s over and consequently no return on investment to prove. The UK teams felt they were underutilised and at times misunderstood by key stakeholders, being seen as operational rather than strategic, it was a similar view from the US teams.
The three markets also revealed three distinct versions of the same challenge. US teams are battling the noise around the work, from AI overload to the pace of change. UK teams are struggling with the proof after it. German teams pointed to the lack of definition before it.
The white paper closes with five practical behaviours event teams can start on, and none of them needs a budget or permission.
Dale Parmenter, group CEO of DRPG, facilitated the session at ICEN UK while Dagmar Mackett, MD of DRPG Germany, facilitated ICEN Germany’s session and Matt Franks, CEO of DRPG America facilitated the New York session. They also and helped shape the white paper that followed along with Anita Howard, strategy director at ICEN.
Dale Parmenter said: “This issue facing event professionals is that stakeholders can see events as an expendable cost, rather than an indispensable investment. We get obsessed with the inputs for an event, like venue, content and menus, however, we need to first be obsessed with the outcome and what we need the audience to do differently post event – what is the behavioural change and how will we measure the shift?
“If we don’t ask the WHY, and understand the return, how will we ever be able to prove our worth, how will we know if our budget is enough or too much, how will we know we are adding value? This experiment and the subsequent research set out some of the answers and also opens more questions.”
Anita Howard, strategy director at ICEN, said: “What struck me most was that dozens of tables, in three countries, working completely independently, arrived at the same place. These are senior professionals who know their events deliver, and they told us exactly what’s holding them back. Individual bravery only goes so far, though. That’s why ICEN will focus next on a common standard for objectives and measurement, and on turning peer exchange into something our members can rely on, so every event creator can walk into the boardroom with an industry benchmark behind them.”
The Big Experiment returns at ICEN Germany on 1 July, ICEN UK on 8 July, and ICEN US on 15 July 2027.
