July 10, 2025
According to Forrester, 70% of the buyer’s journey is complete before a prospect ever speaks to sales. That means the most critical window to influence decisions opens earlier than most teams realize.
Events—whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person—offer a powerful opportunity to capture first-party intent when buyers are most engaged.
But too often, those signals remain hidden in plain sight—buried in data that goes unused.
Every event attended is a signal. A session joined is a signal. A question asked is a signal.
When captured and activated correctly, these signals enable marketing leaders to prioritize the right accounts by using real-time engagement data. They enable personalized outreach by using observed engagement to tailor messages. They accelerate deals by informing timely follow-up.
What Are Event Buying Signals—and Why Do They Matter?
Event buying signals is a behavioral cue that reveals a prospect’s interest, intent, and buying readiness—captured through how they engage before, during, and after the event.
Think about it: when someone registers for a webinar, attends a session, responds to a poll question, or downloads a resource, they’re telling you something.
These actions indicate intent.
This approach moves beyond vanity metrics by focusing on buying behavior.
Where to Find Buyer Signals in Your Events
According to a study by Aberdeen Group, marketers who use intent data see a 2x increase in conversion rates. The ability to detect and interpret these signals offers a competitive advantage.
Events—whether virtual, hybrid, or in-person—are goldmines of buyer intent. They offer a unique opportunity to observe how prospects interact in real time, what topics they care about, and how deeply they engage.
Here are just a few examples of signals to look for:
- Session Duration: Signals sustained interest or drop-off points
- Live Engagement: Poll responses, Q&A, and chat activity highlight real-time intent
- Repeat Attendance: Indicates growing interest and deeper consideration
- Content Interactions: Downloads and resource visits show topic-level buying signals
These signals reveal where a buyer is in their journey—early-stage interest, mid-funnel evaluation, or late-stage decision-making. When aggregated across accounts, these signals help you prioritize outreach and tailor messaging with precision.
How to Turn Event Signals into Revenue Results
Capturing buyer signals is the first step. Activating that data turns it into actionable insights that drive pipeline.
Here’s how marketing leaders can operationalize event data:
1. Integrate with Your Tech Stack
- Ensure your event platform is integrated with your CRM and marketing automation tools.
- This allows you to sync engagement data in real time and enrich lead and account profiles.
2. Refine Lead Scoring Models
- Involve event signals in your lead scoring logic.
- For example, attending a high-intent session or asking a product-related question could significantly increase a lead’s score.
3. Enable Sales with Context
- Equip your sales team with detailed engagement insights.
- Knowing that a prospect attended a session on a specific product feature can inform more relevant and timely follow-up.
4. Personalize Nurture Campaigns
- Use event behavior to trigger personalized email journeys.
- Someone who attended a session on “AI in Marketing” might receive follow-up content on that topic, along with a CTA to book a demo.
5. Identify Buying Committees
- Events often attract multiple stakeholders from the same account.
- Mapping engagement across roles can help you identify and influence the full buying committee.
Your Next Best Signal Is Already in Your Data
Buyer signals are everywhere—but the most actionable ones are often hiding in your event data. By capturing, interpreting, and activating these signals, marketing executives can move beyond guesswork and start driving real pipeline impact.
The next time you host a webinar or field event, look deeper in your data to see what buyers are telling you with their behavioral data. Use that insight to move buyers closer to a decision.
Valuable signals should not slip by. Every attendee action is a window into buyer intent when you know where to look.