Attending an event is always a balance between cost and benefit. Whether it’s travel, accommodation or time away from the business, every event carries a price tag. The key question is: What’s the Return on Event (RoE)?
For IT service provider (ITSP) owners, events aren’t about collecting swag or ticking boxes. They’re about driving meaningful, long-lasting change that fuels business growth. While employees may attend to solve specific problems or explore new tools, owners take a broader, strategic view by focusing on business value, industry shifts and long-term innovation. 
Planning for Impact
To maximize RoE, preparation is essential. Mapping out your schedule in advance ensures every session, conversation and connection aligns with your business objectives. Your approach will naturally depend on where your business is in its journey and what your current priorities are.
When I attend an event, I ask myself:
- - Are there sessions on regulatory or industry-wide changes that could impact my entire organization?
- - Are there updates on cybersecurity trends that might influence our product stack or risk posture?
- - Are there discussions on ethical and cultural topics like neurodiversity, women in tech or mental health that can help shape a more inclusive and attractive workplace?
- - Are there sessions or attendees focused on immediate business needs, such as M&A, risk assessment or market expansion?
- - Can I meet with key suppliers face-to-face to strengthen relationships or discuss specific projects?
- - Are there new vendors or products worth exploring, despite the noise of the expo floor?
- - Can I connect with peers to share best practices and learn from others’ experiences?
- - Can I support others, especially those new to the industry, by sharing my own challenges and lessons learned?
Why Bring Your Team?
While owners benefit from the strategic view, sending other team members can multiply the value of an event. For example:
- Service managers can attend sessions focused on operational efficiency, automation or service delivery best practices and can bring back ideas that directly improve customer experience.
- Sales leaders can explore new go-to-market strategies, partner programs, or lead generation tools that align with your growth goals.
- Individual contributors like engineers or account managers can gain hands-on exposure to new technologies, build confidence and feel more invested in the company’s direction.
Empowering your team to attend events not only distributes the learning but also fosters a culture of ownership and innovation. It’s also a great way to develop future leaders by giving them exposure to broader industry conversations.
Measuring Return on Event
After the event, I reflect on a few key questions:
- - Did I gain actionable insights that will positively impact my business?
- - Did I make meaningful connections that could lead to new opportunities?
- - Did I discover tools or strategies that could improve efficiency or profitability?
- - Did the value I received justify the cost of attending?
The best events don’t just offer ideas, they create momentum. Whether it’s refining your tech stack, evolving your strategy or strengthening partnerships, the goal is to leave with clear, actionable takeaways that drive growth. While most events offer some value, the sheer number of options means you need to be selective. Like any business decision, if you assign a true cost to your time, then you must weigh the potential benefits against that investment.
