A historical baseline survey of 2,635 event technology professionals, published as the reference point for the Event Tech Insights Report 2025 and subsequent editions.
By Adam Parry. Published November 2023. Last updated April 2026.
What does the 2023 Event Tech Insights Report cover?
The 2023 Event Tech Insights Report documents the composition, spending patterns and learning priorities of 2,635 event technology professionals at the end of 2023. It serves as the historical baseline for year-on-year comparison in subsequent instalments of Event Tech Live research. All figures reported here are drawn from the same survey instrument used in the 2025 edition, with year-on-year trend analysis available in the 2025 report.
SIX STATS TO CITE
- 2,635 event technology professionals surveyed in 2023, excluding respondents registered solely for the co-located Event Sustainability Live programme.
- Artificial intelligence was the top learning priority at 40.0% of respondents, already ahead of any other category.
- Final decision makers accounted for 24.9% of respondents, with a further 63.6% holding buying-group or influence roles.
- The UK represented 84.8% of respondents by country of residence.
- Ideas and inspiration was the single most common motivation for attending, cited by 59.9% of respondents.
- 38.1% of respondents did not know their annual event technology budget, the single largest response band, reflecting cross-cost-centre procurement.
What does this baseline cover?
- Who were event technology buyers in 2023
- What were event technology budgets in 2023
- Which event technologies were event professionals learning about
- Why event professionals attended industry events
- Where event technology buyers were based
- Who made up the 2023 event technology community
- How was this research conducted
- Frequently asked questions
- How to cite this research
- Related research
Who were event technology buyers in 2023?
In 2023, event technology buyers were predominantly senior operational professionals with strong buying authority. 24.9% of respondents were final decision makers. A further 43.0% were part of the buying group and 20.6% influenced or recommended purchases. Event Organiser / Event Director was the single most common job title at 26.4%, followed by CEO / MD / Chair / Owner at 19.5%. Students and early-career respondents made up 2.6% of the community.
What was the decision-making role mix?
| Measure | 2023 value |
|---|---|
| Final decision maker | 24.9% |
| Part of the decision-making group | 43.0% |
| Influence or recommend | 20.6% |
| None of the above | 11.5% |
Base: respondents who answered the purchasing-role question. n=2,069.
Which job titles attended in 2023?
| Measure | 2023 value |
|---|---|
| Event Organiser / Event Director | 26.4% |
| CEO / MD / Chair / Owner | 19.5% |
| Sales / Business Development | 17.6% |
| Event Technology Manager / Technician | 12.6% |
| Marketing / PR / Press | 10.3% |
| Production Manager / Operations | 8.5% |
| Student | 2.6% |
| Educator / Lecturer | 1.0% |
| Investor | 0.5% |
| PA / Secretary / Office Manager | 0.8% |
What were event technology budgets in 2023?
The 2023 event technology buyer community was unevenly distributed across budget bands. The single largest reported band was £100K at 12.1% of respondents, followed by £10K at 9.3% and £500K at 8.9%. 16.2% of respondents reported budgets of £10K or less. 1.5% reported £10Mil or more. 38.1% did not know their annual event technology budget, a pattern consistent with organisations that procure event technology across multiple cost centres.
How were annual event technology budgets distributed?
| Measure | 2023 value |
|---|---|
| £0 | 6.9% |
| £10K | 9.3% |
| £25K | 7.3% |
| £50K | 7.9% |
| £100K | 12.1% |
| £500K | 8.9% |
| £1Mil | 5.3% |
| £5Mil | 2.7% |
| £10Mil | 0.6% |
| £10Mil+ | 0.9% |
| Don’t know | 38.1% |
Base: respondents who answered the annual budget question. n=2,065.
How confident were respondents in 12-month direction?
29.3% of 2023 respondents expected their event technology budget to grow over the next 12 months. 14.5% expected it to remain flat. 56.1% did not know.
| Measure | 2023 value |
|---|---|
| Expect budget growth | 29.3% |
| Expect flat budget | 14.5% |
| Don’t know 12-month direction | 56.1% |
Which event technologies were event professionals learning about in 2023?
Artificial intelligence was already the top learning priority in 2023, at 40.0% of respondents, clear of any other category. Apps (27.0%), interactive technology (25.7%) and audio visual (20.4%) followed. Sustainability sat in the middle of the list at 16.5%, reflecting higher 2023 interest than subsequent waves. Metaverse was already tailing at 7.1%.
| Measure | 2023 value |
|---|---|
| Artificial Intelligence | 40.0% |
| Apps | 27.0% |
| Interactive Technology | 25.7% |
| Audio Visual | 20.4% |
| Data / Analytics / Insight | 19.8% |
| Audience Participation / Polling / Q&As | 19.5% |
| Filming / Live Streaming / Recording | 18.4% |
| Marketing / Social Media / Websites | 17.7% |
| Ticketing / Registration / Badging | 16.7% |
| Project Management / Planning / Operations | 16.7% |
| Gamification | 16.6% |
| Sustainability | 16.5% |
| Virtual / Hybrid | 15.6% |
| Networking / Matchmaking / Meetings | 15.3% |
| Design / Layout / Plans | 14.8% |
| Lead Generation / Data-Capture | 14.4% |
| Venue Tech / Installations | 10.4% |
| Admission Control / Security / Safety | 8.8% |
| Metaverse | 7.1% |
Base: all respondents. Multi-select field. n=2,540.
Why did event professionals attend industry events in 2023?
Ideas and inspiration was the leading motivation for attendance in 2023 at 59.9% of respondents. Networking (41.2%), education (40.6%) and finding new suppliers (39.0%) followed. Transactional motivations (finding new clients, sourcing investment) sat below non-transactional ones, a pattern consistent with event technology being a relationship-led B2B category.
| Measure | 2023 value |
|---|---|
| Ideas and Inspiration | 59.9% |
| Networking | 41.2% |
| Education | 40.6% |
| Find new suppliers | 39.0% |
| Find new clients | 18.6% |
| Meet with my current suppliers | 12.7% |
| Meet existing clients | 10.9% |
| Source new investment opportunities | 5.2% |
Where were event technology buyers based in 2023?
The 2023 event technology community was overwhelmingly UK-based at 84.8% of respondents by country of residence. The United States followed at 3.2%, with Germany, Spain and India the largest non-European markets of note. Fewer than 1% of respondents were based in India, a figure that changes materially in the 2025 edition.
| Measure | 2023 value |
|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 84.8% |
| United States | 3.2% |
| Germany | 1.8% |
| Spain | 1.4% |
| India | 0.8% |
| Netherlands | 0.6% |
| Canada | 0.5% |
| Belgium | 0.5% |
| France | 0.5% |
| Australia | 0.4% |
Base: respondents who stated country of residence. n=2,492.
Who made up the 2023 event technology community?
Event technology suppliers were the single largest organisational cohort in 2023 at 29.5% of respondents, followed by agencies at 17.5% and event management companies at 16.0%. Brand-side respondents made up 9.2%. Venue and press respondents together accounted for 3.5% of the community. Education facility respondents were 4.3%.
| Measure | 2023 value |
|---|---|
| Event Technology Supplier | 29.5% |
| Agency | 17.5% |
| Event Management Company | 16.0% |
| Brand | 9.2% |
| Event Owner / Promoter | 8.3% |
| Production Company | 6.0% |
| Association | 5.7% |
| Education Facility | 4.3% |
| Venue | 2.1% |
| Press | 1.4% |
How was this research conducted?
The 2023 Event Tech Insights Report is based on 2,635 structured responses from event technology professionals who completed the Event Tech Live participant survey in 2023. The figure excludes 1,411 respondents who registered solely for the co-located Event Sustainability Live programme, for like-for-like comparability with subsequent editions. Multi-select fields report the percentage of respondents selecting each option, not the percentage of total selections.
Sample
- Total ETL respondents in 2023: 2,635.
- Excluded: 1,411 Event Sustainability Live-only delegates and 2 staff records.
- Instrument: 25-field structured questionnaire, consistent with the 2025 wave with minor field-level refinements.
Frequently asked questions about the 2023 baseline
Why publish a 2023 baseline in 2026?
To provide a consistent, like-for-like historical reference point for the Event Tech Insights Report 2025 and subsequent instalments, built on the same survey instrument. Having the baseline on record separately makes year-on-year analysis transparent and auditable.
Is this data different from the original 2024 Event Tech Insight Report?
The underlying survey responses are the same. This baseline presentation reworks the figures into Event Tech Live’s standard research format, includes the full sample of 2,635 ETL respondents, and removes the original report’s co-located Event Sustainability Live commentary. The original 2024 Event Tech Insight Report remains available as an archival PDF.
What is the relationship between the 2023 baseline and the 2025 report?
Same instrument, same respondent population (participants in Event Tech Live London), same editorial team. Every comparable field in the 2025 report benchmarks against these 2023 figures. Year-on-year shifts are reported exclusively in the 2025 report, not here.
How should I cite this baseline?
Parry, A. (2026). Event Tech Insights Report 2023: Baseline for the Event Technology Category. Event Tech Live. Available at: https://eventtechlive.com/event-tech-insights-report-baseline-for-the-event-technology-category/
Related research and downloads
- Event Tech Insights Report 2025 — the latest instalment and the current state of the event technology category.
- AI in Events 2025: Adoption, Barriers and Forecast — the category’s deep-dive AI research.
- Event Tech Insight Report 2024 (PDF) — the original 2024 edition, published in partnership with Event Industry News.
- Research hub
About the author
Adam Parry is the founder of Event Tech Live and the Event Technology Awards.
Connect with Adam on LinkedIn.
Update log
- November 2023: Survey fielded.
- 2024: Data published as the Event Tech Insight Report 2024 in editorial partnership with Event Industry News.
- April 2026: Republished as the Event Tech Insights Report 2023 baseline in the Event Tech Live research hub, using the standard research format and aligned to the 2025 instrument for like-for-like comparison.
