The Forrester Wave™: B2B Event Management Technology, Q1 2023, reveals a massive change in the event tech market over the past three years. Events have transitioned from an in-person-centric event world pre-pandemic to one that now incorporates a wider range of digitally driven event experiences. Selecting the right technology provider is crucial, but with the rapid changes in the event tech landscape, it has become more complex.

To help B2B marketers navigate the world of B2B event technology, our new Forrester Wave evaluated 14 key vendors on 28 criteria and identified four Leaders, four Strong Performers, five Contenders, and one Challenger.

Three Areas For Event Technology Buyers To Consider

As B2B marketers evaluate potential providers, they should prioritize three areas in their selection process:

  1. Driving digital engagement. B2B marketers need to execute a range of digitally driven events across in-person, virtual, and hybrid formats. Currently, 19% of marketers manage 4–7 different event technology providers to meet their needs, which is time-consuming and resource-intensive. Marketers should identify their broad event requirements and select partners that can meet them.
  2. Capturing event data. With stricter regulation of third-party data sharing, and the imminent deprecation of third-party cookies, event data has become increasingly important. Providers can support with a wide range of data from areas such as event marketing, registration, check-in, session attendance, mobile activity, surveys, and on-demand viewing.
  3. Easy, seamless integrations. To maximize the value of event data and drive ROI, marketers must prioritize integrating their event technology into their marketing automation platforms, CRM systems, and customer data platforms. Vendors now offer a range of native and open API integrations into leading sales and marketing platforms, with deep integrations that enable data transfer at the opportunity- and buying-group level.

Learn More About Event Management Technology

Forrester clients can access the full report to learn more about the vendors and their rankings. They can also schedule a guidance session or inquiry and register for the upcoming “ask the analysts” webinar, where we’ll share highlights from the B2B event technology management Wave research and take questions.