Originally published October 6, 2016 , updated on May 30, 2023

In an effort to learn more about the conferencing behaviours of Fortune 1000 executives, Goodman Lantern conducted a survey. We featured 191 top-level panelists. Certainly, our main aim was to discover why these executives choose to attend certain business events. Also, how they research upcoming conferences and what motivates them to participate as exhibitors or sponsors rather than attending in an observational capacity.

Why top level executives (Fortune 1000) attend conferences from Raj Anand

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Determining the “Worth” of Attending Conferences

An overwhelming 62.6% of respondents choose to attend conferences based on the quality of marketing and communication received before the event. The second-most popular method, ranking at 41.3%, of decision-making in this regard is learning about these events from colleagues.

Reasons for Attending an Event

One of our main motivators in conducting this survey was to discover why Fortune 1000 executives attend certain conferences. To clarify, most of our panelists, around 68.9%, claimed that these events presented a wealth of networking opportunities. That’s clearly a driving force behind making their decisions. The runner-up reason for attending events was to meet experts and speakers face-to-face, a motivating factor for nearly 31% of our panelists. At least 21.1% of the executives interviewed stated that they saw event attendance as a way to invest in themselves and their professional endeavours.

Motivation for Sponsoring or Exhibiting at an Event

Firstly, according to 51.3% of our participants, industry reports and knowledge produced at the event form the bulk of their motivation for exhibiting at or sponsoring an event. The next-highest motivator, 39.9%, for our panelists was the quality of attendees. Additionally, 22.6% of our survey participants stated that a speaking slot was motivation enough for attending a conference.

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