Swapcard, the leading event engagement platform, today released its latest report, The State of Event Engagement, offering deep insights into how event organizers and exhibitors can unlock new levels of success by addressing often overlooked gaps in engagement. Analyzing over 2000 global events and 2.5 million participants, the report sheds light on underused strategies and surprising blind spots in event management and exhibitor efforts.

Key Findings Include:

• Pre-event momentum: Networking and lead generation peak before the event, with 67% of networking and 40% of leads occurring before the event begins.
• Lead generation beyond badge scanning: 75% of lead generation happens outside of badge scanning, indicating a shift toward alternative methods of connecting with attendees.
• Easy ways to increase exhibitor ROI: Exhibitors miss out on more than 60% of attendee outreach due to unaccepted connection requests. This can easily be solved with better follow-up processes and smarter planning.
• AI-driven success: AI recommendations have proven to increase connection requests by 47%, demonstrating that technology is key to optimizing networking.

“The data confirms what we’ve long suspected: many event organizers and exhibitors are not leveraging events at their full potential. The purpose of this report is to reveal hidden opportunities that can drastically increase event outcomes and improve our industry overall,” said Baptiste Boulard, CEO of Swapcard.

The State of Event Engagement is now available for download. To learn more about the key findings, visit Swapcard.com