ROI vs ROR: Why the ‘bean counters’ don’t get events
Beyond the spreadsheet: Why Return on Relationships might save your next event
Lately, the British advertising executive Rory Sutherland keeps popping up on my TikTok feed, and I must confess, he grabs my attention every time.
He’s a bit of a tonic. One minute, he’s using his unique mix of behavioural science and marketing insight to cheerfully demolish business clichés, the next, he’s launching a full-scale assault on what I call the “bean counters”, the accountants who insist every expense or potential profit must be measured, predicted and justified in advance.
I see this tension in the events world all the time. Put simply, it’s ROI versus ROR. Return on Investment (ROI) keeps the lights on. Return on Relationships (ROR) keeps attendees coming back.
The tension between these two concepts seems completely unnecessary, yet it persists.
Although this quote wasn’t directed at the events trade per se, Sutherland once said the obsession with ROI is like worshipping a false god.
“Finance people don’t really want to make the company money over time… They just thrive on certainty and predictability. If you’re completely unwilling to embrace the uncertain, you’ll never pursue any incremental opportunity at all.”
As someone who attends events a lot, across both media and broader industries, I see this on repeat. The spreadsheet rules: registrations, sponsor revenue, leads captured, booth traffic, app engagement, and session attendance. They are neat metrics that slot tidily into a dashboard or a quarterly report.
ROI is the figure your CFO wants on the slide deck. It’s the proof that the event wasn’t just a good idea, but a business decision. Fair enough. ROI matters. Money has to come from somewhere and nobody’s going to bankroll an event purely because it makes people feel good.
But here’s the rub. ROI only tells you what you earned this quarter. It says nothing about whether your audience felt connected, valued or eager to come back next year. It doesn’t measure whether your event planted the seeds for collaborations, trust or the sort of loyalty that makes people sing your praises long after the bums have left the seats.
That’s where ROR gets on the stage.
ROI vs ROR: The difference
ROI tells you how many people showed up. ROR tells you how many people can’t wait to come back.
ROI is counting how many badge scans your exhibitor racked up. ROR is whether those scans led to conversations that might turn into real business.
ROI measures how many sponsors you signed. ROR is the sponsor who renews without hesitation because they trust your audience and love your event’s atmosphere.
ROI fills your dashboard with numbers. ROR fills your inbox with emails saying, “Best event I’ve been to in years.”
ROI is the spreadsheet. ROR is the spark.
And herein lies the problem. ROR does not fit neatly into a spreadsheet. It’s the quiet conversation between two attendees over drinks, the speaker who becomes an ambassador for your event, or the delegate who insists five colleagues join them next year because “you simply can’t miss this one.”
ROR is the glow people carry home with them after an event, the feeling that they were heard, that they belonged, that something meaningful happened.
It’s emotional. It’s intangible. And yet, it’s often the reason your event exists in the first place.
How to build ROR
ROR doesn’t come from running bigger events. It’s about designing moments where people talk openly, share problems, discover unexpected allies or simply feel heard. These are the encounters AI can’t replicate and spreadsheets can’t capture.
Hosted buyer programmes flip the usual event model on its head. Instead of hoping decision-makers stroll past your stand, you pre-book serious meetings with real buyers and often cover their costs to ensure they attend. It’s expensive, and your CFO might throw a toy, but it creates high-trust conversations that keep both buyers and suppliers coming back.
Consider roundtable sessions instead of too many panel discussions. Panels might look impressive on a programme but are often one-way chatter. Roundtables gather eight to ten people around a table, giving them the space to speak openly about shared challenges, swap ideas and ask questions they’d never raise in a crowded auditorium. It’s less about showmanship and more about candid discussion. People leave with practical insights and often the beginnings of new professional relationships.
Another powerful format is the fireside chat. Unlike formal keynotes, a fireside chat feels intimate, even if hundreds are listening. It’s a structured conversation between a moderator and a guest, allowing room for storytelling and genuine insight. When done well, it’s personal, engaging and sparks follow-up discussions among attendees.
Speed networking sessions can also drive ROR. They might feel rushed, but by matching people based on shared interests, even a few minutes can ignite connections that blossom into lasting business relationships.
Then there’s the rise of community platforms, whether private Slack groups, member-only forums or WhatsApp groups, which keep conversations going after the event ends. That’s ROR in action, extending the life of your event and transforming attendees into a community rather than a moment.
Technology plays a role too. Personalised agendas, driven by AI, help attendees feel seen and valued. They’re not wandering through a tradeshow hall; they’re discovering sessions and people that genuinely interest them.
And tech’s role doesn’t stop there. AI-powered tools are being used to enhance ROR in subtle but powerful ways. Smart matchmaking analyses registration data, job titles and past interests to connect attendees who share challenges or complementary business needs, like a digital concierge pointing people toward the right conversations.
Sentiment analysis can scan live chat or social media during events, picking up on which sessions, speakers or topics are resonating most. Organisers can pivot quickly, shifting moderators to hot topics or adding impromptu follow-up sessions.
Virtual follow-up rooms recreate those crucial hallway conversations after sessions end, automatically inviting people who attended the same talk into small-group discussions.
Even after the event, AI can keep relationships warm by recommending specific articles, white papers or recorded sessions tailored to each attendee’s interests. It’s a certain way to deepen connections and keep conversations alive.
Finally, AI-powered translation and live captioning can break down language barriers, making it possible for diverse groups to engage in discussions. Let the tech help to ensure no one is left out of the conversation.
In the end, a thousand badge scans mean little if no one remembers your event. But a handful of conversations, supported by the right tech, can spark future business and relationships that last far longer than a single day.
How do you measure ROR?
Here’s where the bean counters get uncomfortable. Because ROR rarely presents itself in neat columns of figures. But that doesn’t mean it’s invisible or unmeasurable.
You see it in Net Promoter Scores, those simple survey results that ask attendees how likely they are to recommend your event to a friend or colleague. When people give you scores of 9s and 10s, it’s a sign they didn’t just attend; they connected. It’s in post-event surveys where attendees talk about connections they’ve made, not just sessions they attended. It’s in sponsor renewals as well, when it happens faster and more easily because last year’s event delivered beyond expectations.
It’s in the social media chatter where people mention not just the content but the community they discovered. It’s in phrases like “Best event I’ve been to in years,” or “I’d never miss this one.”
You spot it when attendees bring colleagues along the next year. When spontaneous testimonials appear on LinkedIn. When partnership conversations begin after the event is over.
And while it may never fit perfectly onto a CFO’s spreadsheet, there are ways to track ROR that can still impress the board.
Start small. Tag and analyse the kind of language people use in social posts and feedback forms. Are people talking about how the event “felt”? Are they mentioning personal connections, relationships or unexpected insights? Tools like sentiment analysis software can help you quantify this into charts showing positive or negative emotional trends.
Count referrals and “plus-ones.” How many attendees brought colleagues the following year? How many speakers came back because they felt valued? Those are measurable signals of trust and loyalty.
Track sponsor renewals and upsells, not just raw revenue. A sponsor who renews at a higher level or asks for bespoke experiences is telling you your audience is worth engaging again.
Even simple metrics like the average length of social media comments or the number of personal stories shared in event hashtags can hint at deeper engagement.
So no, ROR isn’t a neat cell in Excel. But with a bit of curiosity and some smart tracking, you can show your board more than just numbers. You can show them loyalty, trust, and the kinds of relationships that keep events alive long after the last PowerPoint slide has faded from the screen.
Why ROR matters right now
Audiences are changing. People are burned out by generic content and endless webinars. They want experiences worth leaving the house or logging in for.
Sponsors are demanding more than logo placement. They want proof of real engagement and relationships forming around their brand.
When digital tools can replicate almost everything, relationships might be the last true differentiator for events.
ROI might keep the event running. But ROR is what makes it irreplaceable. No spreadsheet ever forged trust, sparked loyalty, or sealed a deal with a handshake.