Event marketing glossary: the terms that decide your budget
Plain definitions of the terms that come up in every event marketing conversation - and what each one actually implies for a campaign.
Measurement
ROAS (return on ad spend): tracked revenue divided by ad spend. Only meaningful when the checkout reports real purchase values and the attribution window is stated.
CPC (cost per click): what one click costs. A diagnostic for creative performance, never a campaign goal.
Attribution window: the period after an ad interaction in which a sale is credited to it. A 7-day click window and a 28-day window produce very different ROAS figures for the same campaign.
Conversions API: server-side transmission of purchase events from the ticketing system to the ad platform. Without it, event campaigns optimise on clicks instead of ticket sales.
Campaign structure
Prospecting: campaigns targeting people with no prior contact with the event. Builds the retargeting pool.
Retargeting: campaigns towards site visitors, video viewers and past buyers. Usually where the profitable volume of an event campaign sits.
Creative fatigue: the point where frequency rises and conversion falls. Solved by rotating within creative families, not by replacing everything at once.
Ticketing
White-label ticketing: a ticket shop under the organiser’s own brand and domain, with the customer data and checkout tracking staying with the organiser.
Tier pricing: sequential price levels (early bird, tier 1, tier 2) that create real deadlines and give campaigns a reason to exist at a given moment.
Tracked ticket: a sale that can be attributed to a specific campaign because the checkout reported it. The basis of any commission model.
Production and live
Advancing: written confirmation of all practical booking details before artist travel.
Technical rider: the artist’s technical requirements for stage, sound and backline.
Stage management: minute-by-minute ownership of the show timeline on site.
Artist care: everything from arrival to departure - drivers, dressing rooms, hospitality, one named owner.
What does ROAS mean in event marketing?
Return on ad spend: tracked ticket revenue divided by ad spend. It is only comparable when the checkout reports real purchase values and the attribution window is stated.
What is white-label ticketing?
A ticket shop running under the organiser’s own brand and domain, where customer data and checkout tracking stay with the organiser rather than with a marketplace platform.
What is the difference between prospecting and retargeting?
Prospecting addresses people with no prior contact with the event and builds the audience pool. Retargeting addresses site visitors, video viewers and past buyers, and usually carries the profitable volume of an event campaign.