Top Event Data Highlights From 2018

The Kapow Marketing team loves the end of the year. Sure, there are holiday parties, gathering with loved ones, and all that. But what we really love is diving into the previous year’s event data and sharing it with all of you. Curious about when, where, why and what kind of events you booked in 2018? So were we! We’ve got all the data for you. Seriously—so much data. And if you don’t see what you’re curious about here or in our 2018 Event Trends Infographic, then let us know! 

2018 events data: where did you book?

We added more than 1,200 new event locations across the U.S. last year, and these five cities were where you booked the most events:

• Chicago – 20% of events
• New York – 13% of events
• Dallas and Houston – 6% of events combined
• San Francisco – 4% of events
• Las Vegas – 3% of events

With a strong conference market and dining scene, it’s unsurprising to see Chicago pull in our number one spot. Ditto for New York. Dallas and Houston might seem surprising, but they both landed in the top 20 on Cvent’s Top Meeting Destinations list last year. Las Vegas has long been the epicenter of all kinds of entertaining and San Francisco sneaks into the top five with its considerable tech sector clout (and year-round temperate climate—not that we’re envious).

What and when did you book?

Retail events and activities were neck-and-neck for making up the biggest chunk of event bookings in 2018. Combined, these two accounted for nearly 50% of all events booked during the year. With numerous events focused on team building, the outdoors and interactive food and beverage, activities help you close more business by attracting higher attendance rates. 

79% of all 2018 events took place on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Whom among us doesn’t love a little midweek break from the grind? Why were you hosting events? To get more face time with your clients and teams. 72.25% of events this year were for client entertainment and team building. With studies increasingly showing that shared experiences lead to more meaningful connections than traditional gift giving, it makes sense that you used your events to build relationships with your co-workers and clients.

What were the most-booked events in 2018?

What do bocce, pizza, athletic shoes and sun buggies have in common? They were all ways that you got hands on at events this year! Our most booked events included all of these and more:

• Chicago – Bocce ball at the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
• New York – Le Pain Quotidien artisan pizza making class
• Dallas – Pizza tossing at Coal Vines
• Houston – Pizza tossing at Main Kitchen
• San Francisco – Shopping event at Nike
• Las Vegas – Mini Baja buggy chase from SunBuggy Fun Rentals

Hungry for more data? Check out our 2018 Event Trends infographic and then head over to kapow.com and check out more than 2,000 ways to share experiences with your customers, partners and teams. We’re excited to help you get the ball rolling on an eventful 2019!