STOP Surveying the People Who Came Back (with Ken Holsinger from Freeman) | Ep. 16

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🔗 Links & Resources Mentioned

• Ken Holsinger on LinkedIn
• Freeman research reports: freeman.com/research

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Kristin Nagle sent her guest three different event questions before this episode. He said it didn't matter which one she asked, because they all have the same answer. That answer is attendee retention.

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Ken Holsinger, SVP of Industry Research & Insights at Freeman, breaks down what the data actually shows: the average year-over-year attendee retention rate across hundreds of events is 27%. Even on a three-year rolling cycle, it barely reaches the mid-thirties. Ken walks through exactly what that costs event organizers in customer acquisition dollars, why most teams don't even have retention on their dashboard, and why your post-event survey will never tell you the answer you need.

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👤 About Ken Holsinger

Ken Holsinger is the SVP of Industry Research & Insights at Freeman, the global event services and production company. He leads the teams behind the Freeman Trends Report, one of the most widely referenced research publications in the events industry. Ken sold his previous tech company to Freeman about 10 years ago, holds multiple hardware, software, and process patents, and is a frequent keynote speaker at major industry events including ECEF and PCMA Educon.

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✅ The Event Question

Kristin sent Ken three questions before recording. He said they all have the same answer. The questions: What separates events that grow consistently from the ones that plateau? What's one data point event organizers are ignoring that would completely change their strategy? How should event marketers actually be measuring success today?

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📌 What You'll Learn

• The average year-over-year attendee retention rate across hundreds of events is 27%. Even when you extend to a three-year cycle, it only reaches the mid-thirties. Most organizers don't know this number because it's not on their dashboard.
• Customer acquisition costs to market to event attendees run between $100 and $300 per person. For a 1,000-person event, replacing churned attendees costs between $70,000 and $250,000 a year. Even attendees on a three-year cycle carry ongoing marketing costs to keep them warm.
• When Freeman researchers went to hundreds of events and asked what their attendee retention rates were, the organizers couldn't tell them. Retention isn't a standard metric most teams track. That has to change.
• Your post-event survey only captures people who came back. The people who didn't return won't fill it out. You have to actively go after the ones who left and ask them why.
• Attendees come to events to learn, network, have fun, and do business. Loyalty isn't built in general sessions or classrooms. It's built through the connections people make with each other, which means event design needs to create space for that.
• Millennials and Gen Z are now the largest group of event attendees and the growth engine the industry needs. They trust events as a channel, but loyalty takes time and they haven't built it yet. Member-driven organizations especially need to understand what retains them.
• Events that grow vs. events that plateau: the difference is retention. When retention is higher, organizers can put resources toward improving the event instead of constantly churning the attendee list.

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🎭 The Ridiculous Question

Would you rather have to dance every time you hear music, or sing everything you say? Ken picked singing without hesitation. Nobody wants to see him dance. What most people don't know: he was in bands in college and sang opera.