Finding the ROI sweet spot: Why return on experience (ROE) is the metric that matters most.

You’ve got a million-dollar event budget. Great. But how are you spending that million dollars?

Do you spend exactly $1 million and play it safe, or do you add that extra 15–20% and potentially walk away with data, insights, and outcomes that actually move your business forward?

It all comes down to return on experience (ROE). If an event isn’t delivering real strategic value, it’s just an expensive getaway.

But:

• How do you know when that extra spend is worth it? 
• What does “experience” even mean in this context? 
• And how do you explain to your CFO why adding $200K to your event budget might be the best decision you make all year?

Let’s dive in.

What we want you to take away.

Before we talk numbers, charts, and strategy, here’s the big picture:

✅ That extra spend you’re debating? It might be the reason your event hits its goals.
✅ A better experience (for attendees and internal teams) often leads to better data, clearer insights, and stronger business outcomes.
✅ Not all dollars are equal. Some deliver far more value than others.
✅ You do need a clear plan for how spending connects to event outcomes.

Here’s a graph showing how ROI behaves across different event budget levels. 

• You’ll notice a steady climb at first, followed by a more dramatic upswing once you hit a key inflection point, where increased investment starts to drive sharper returns. Eventually, there’s another shift where the rate of return levels out, even though ROI continues to grow.
• This visual highlights how incremental increases, like an extra $100K to $200K, can have an outsized impact once you're past that initial tipping point.

The ROI curve: What it tells us.

Think of your event budget like a curve. You’re spending up to $1 million, and results (engagement, insights, leads, satisfaction) are growing, but not significantly. You’re covering basics: hotel, A/V, registration, and content. But at this level, the return is steady, even a little flat.

Then comes the jump.

At around $1.1M to $1.2M, we often see what’s called increasing returns at the margin. That’s where a relatively small incremental spend drives a disproportionately large leap in value.

That extra $200K? 

It might go toward better speaker coaching, more seamless registration tech, improved transportation, or elevated F&B. But it ends up giving your company:

• Actionable HR feedback
• Stronger sales insights
• More engaged employees
• More motivated customers or partners

You’ve moved from spending to investing. And the payoff shows up not just in satisfaction scores, but in pipeline, retention, and morale.

Beyond budget: What “experience” actually means.

ROE doesn’t mean “was it fun?” It means the experience, when thoughtfully designed, achieves your real business goals.

Here’s how we break it down:

• Attendee satisfaction is the baseline
• Actionable feedback is the lever
• Strategic outcomes are the endgame

Ask yourself: Are you designing an event that checks boxes, or one that solves problems?

The real costs of “cutting costs”.

Let’s say you're trying to trim your event budget. Here are a few real-world examples we’ve seen and what happened next:

💸 Transportation vendor offers a low bid… and shows up late.

• Result: Attendee frustration, missed sessions, negative reviews.

💸 Venue is in a Tier 2 city to save money… but flights require connections and hotels cost more.

• Result: You save a little on the site fee, but blow the savings on logistics, and lose valuable time for your attendees.

💸 You skip the executive breakfast on the incentive trip to save $5K.

• Result: Missed opportunity for one-on-one connection, less motivation, and less alignment.

These cuts may look smart on paper, but often lead to poorer outcomes that quietly cost more in the long run.

Strategies to maximize ROE (return on experience).

Let’s make this actionable. Here’s how to evaluate whether you’re getting the most out of your event budget and where that extra spend might actually pay off.

1. Audit your big-ticket line items.

Ask: Are you spending on things that deliver value you can actually measure?

• A/V: Is it helping your message land, or just checking a box?
• F&B: Are you creating shared moments or serving basic boxed lunches?
• Registration: Is your system seamless, or are you losing attendees in the process?

Small upgrades in these areas can dramatically improve the attendee experience and therefore the outcome.

2. Think tier 1 (not tier 2) when it matters.

Choosing the “cheaper” city isn’t always cheaper. Connecting flights, transportation headaches, and extra costs on local services can chip away at your budget. A Tier 1 destination might look pricey, but the experience (and ease) for attendees can be far superior.

Keep in mind, it’s all about balance – make sure you evaluate all costs and experience factors before you make a decision one way or another.

3. Ask where you’re seeing diminishing returns.

The ROI curve eventually flattens. So ask:

• Are we past the point of meaningful return?
• Would reallocating your budget to a different element (like a better app or improved content design) get us more?

Look for that sweet spot (where the next dollar spent is still driving outcomes).

4. Build strategic vendor partnerships.

Don’t pick the lowest bidder. 

Pick the partner who delivers on service, shows up early, and makes your life easier. You’ll thank yourself when things run smoothly at your event and attendees notice.

5. Don’t skip the small stuff (it adds up).

• That $10K for a post-event survey with analysis? That’s money well spent for insights you can act on.
• That $5K executive breakfast? Could be the moment a future deal is sealed.
• That upgraded bus with Wi-Fi and snacks? Might be why people are in a good mood walking into your event.

Not all impact is flashy, but the little things stack up in big ways.

6. Align spending with outcomes.

Every line item on your budget should tie back to a goal:

• Deeper networking
• Stronger sales enablement
• Employee alignment
• Culture reinforcement

If it doesn’t tie back to something meaningful, it might be time to rethink it. Or shift that spend to where it really makes an impact.

7. Communicate the value to leadership.

Numbers are great, but narratives close the loop. Show your C-suite:

• What the extra spend accomplished
• What would have been lost if you didn’t invest
• How future events can continue to drive measurable outcomes

Closing thoughts: find the inflection point.

We’ve seen it time and time again: the difference between a “fine” event and a strategic win is often in that marginal spend.

Yes, you can spend a million on your event and check all the boxes.

But if you spend $1.2M and walk away with HR data that shapes your next org-wide initiative (or sales insights that help you crush Q4), then that extra $200K was a multiplier.

And the better question becomes: Where’s your inflection point?

Need help planning your next event?

We help brands figure out exactly where that extra dollar starts pulling its weight and when it stops. If you’re ready to maximize the ROI and ROE of your next event, reach out to our team to chat about your next event.