Why Showing Up at Events Still Beats Staying Behind the Screen

By Zenia Pearl V. Nicolas

In a world of on-demand webinars, chat threads, and AI summaries, it’s tempting to think, “Why attend events at all? I’ll just catch the recap.”

Retail innovators gather under one roof—main stage insights energize the audience at RESA Malaysia 2025.

Why Attending Events Still Beats Staying Behind the Screen But the data points in the opposite direction: events are quietly becoming one of the most effective levers for growth, learning, and reputation—for both companies and individuals.

1. Events are quietly becoming one of the most powerful growth channels

Across the industry, marketers are not treating events as “just branding” anymore. A 2024 compilation of event statistics found that 83% of marketers say events are critical for their business growth and 77% say events are their most effective marketing channel ahead of email, paid media, and social content (Splash, 2024).

On the B2B side, 82% of organizers rate their in-person events as very or somewhat effective in achieving business objectives and more than half of attendees say they plan to go to more in-person events, not fewer, in the coming year (MarketingProfs, 2025).

In other words: the people who actually plan and attend events believe they work and they’re doubling down.

2. Deals and decisions move faster face-to-face

There’s a reason senior leaders still leave their screens and fly to conferences or executive gatherings. Multiple studies show that face-to-face interaction shifts business outcomes:

• Research cited in hospitality and meetings reports shows that in-person meetings can be linked to around 36% higher revenue and significantly more deals closed, compared to remote-only interactions (Accor, 2024; Meetings & Conventions Asia, 2024).

  
  

• A Harvard Business Review–referenced survey found that 95% of professionals see face-to-face meetings as critical for building long-term business relationships, a foundation you simply can’t replicate with email threads and slide decks alone (Forbes, 2025).

Events compress what usually takes months of emails into one concentrated cycle of conversations, demos, objections, and trust-building. That’s why commercial teams still fight for event budgets.

3. Learning is faster, deeper and way more contextual

Conferences and industry events are not just “talking marathons.” They’ve become high-density learning environments where you can see how theory behaves in reality.

• The American Psychological Association notes that conferences offer exposure to cutting-edge work, methods, and debates that don’t always make it into formal publications right away (APA, 2024).

  
  

• Professional development studies highlight that attending conferences improves knowledge, builds expertise, and sharpens practice, especially when sessions are combined with informal discussions and networking (Harrison, 2010).

  
  

• Other research stresses that events help professionals stay updated on industry shifts, innovation, and regulatory or market changes, which directly feeds into better decision-making and career momentum (Global Conference Alliance, 2024; Moneythumb, 2025).

  
  

You don’t just “consume content” at an event; you see how other people interpret it, challenge it, and turn it into action.

4. Networking at events is different from “having contacts”

Most professionals technically “know” hundreds of people online. Very few can actually call someone, ask for real help, and get it. Events are where that difference is built.

New partnerships taking shape — attendees form genuine professional connections at RESA Malaysia 2025.

A global virtual vs. in-person events survey found that 44% of in-person attendees rated networking sessions as the most valuable part of an event, whereas virtual formats were primarily valued for content and education (Kaltura, 2023).

Other reports on networking highlight benefits like:

• warm introductions that lead to partnerships and collaborations

• visibility within a niche or region

• trust-building that simply doesn’t happen via cold outreach

• career opportunities and referrals that surface months after the event (Team Referral Network, 2019; Moneythumb, 2025).

  
  

Events don’t just expand a contact list, they change the quality of the relationships behind it.

5. Events are repositioning brands as “present” and credible

For companies, not showing up at key industry events sends a message, even if it’s unintentional. In B2B, executives increasingly view strategic events as a space to:

• signal that the brand is active, serious, and listening

• test new narratives, positioning, or offerings live

• gather unfiltered feedback from decision-makers in the room

Recent event-industry benchmarks show that a large majority of organizers plan to maintain or increase in-person events and budgets, because they see them as growth drivers, not cost centers (BluePoint, 2025; Cvent, 2025).

A speaker delivers a focused presentation to industry leaders during a breakout session at RESA Malaysia 2025, driving thoughtful dialogue and actionable learning.

If a market is gathering and your brand is absent, people notice. Presence itself becomes part of positioning.

6. Hybrid and in-person formats are evolving around what attendees actually want

The point is no longer “online vs. offline.” Recent research on hybrid and conference formats shows that attendees still want the interaction, serendipity and energy of the in-person component, even when virtual options are available (Ram et al., 2024).

Younger attendees in particular are pushing organizers to design events that feel:

• more personalized

• more experiential

• more aligned with how they actually learn and connect (Freeman Report, 2023).

Events are shifting from passive “sit-and-listen” experiences to active environments—labs for ideas, community, and collaboration.

7. The real advantage of attending events: compounding

The biggest ROI of attending events doesn’t always appear the next day. It shows up when:

• a conversation from a side session turns into a partnership three months later

• something heard in a panel reshapes a strategy deck

• one introduction unlocks a whole new client segment

• consistent presence in an event ecosystem builds a reputation that starts speaking before anyone does

When you zoom out, events are not just “days out of office.” They’re accelerators: for deals, insight, relationships and brand trust.

Skipping them might save travel and time in the short term.

Showing up, strategically and consistently, changes who knows you, how they see you, and what opportunities find you next.

References 

Accor. (2024, March 12). Why face-to-face meetings matter for revenue generation and business growth. HospitalityNet. https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4124621.html

American Psychological Association (APA). (2024, February). Benefits of student and professional conference participation. https://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/psn/2024/02/student-conference

BluePoint Antwerp. (2025, November 26). Why in-person events are once again powerful growth drivers for businesses. https://www.bluepointantwerpen.be/en/blog/2025/11/26/why-in-person-events-are-once-again-powerful-growth-drivers-for-businesses/

Cvent. (2025, January). Event industry statistics and trends 2025. https://www.cvent.com/en/blog/events/event-statistics

Forbes Business Council. (2025, April 18). How to maximize the ROI of in-person events. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2025/04/18/how-to-maximize-the-roi-of-in-person-events/

Freeman. (2023, May 8). Younger attendees want more personalized and meaningful in-person experience. Associations Now. https://associationsnow.com/2023/05/survey-in-person-meeting-attendees-are-younger-want-personalized-experience/

Global Conference Alliance. (2024). Why it’s important to attend professional conferences. https://globalconference.ca/why-is-it-important-for-professionals-to-attend-professional-conferences/

Harrison, J. (2010). Unique benefits of conference attendance as a method of professional development for LIS professionals. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 36(3), 260–266. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232935944 

Kaltura. (2023). State of virtual events report. https://corp.kaltura.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/The-State-of-virtual-events-2023_6.pdf

MarketingProfs. (2025, January 29). B2B in-person event effectiveness and trends. https://www.marketingprofs.com/charts/2025/52813/b2b-in-person-event-trends

Meetings & Conventions Asia. (2024, June 19). Why face-to-face meetings are preferred: It’s the revenue. https://www.meetings-conventions-asia.com/News/Planners-Portfolio/Why-face-to-face-meetings-are-preferred-Its-the-revenue

MoneyThumb. (2025, January 10). Benefits of attending industry conferences and networking events. https://www.moneythumb.com/blog/the-benefits-of-attending-conferences-and-other-networking-events-in-your-business-niche/

Ram, M., et al. (2024). How hybrid conferences reshape professional engagement. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 13(1), 455–467. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11005117/

Splash. (2024). Event marketing statistics: Why events remain essential in 2024. https://splashthat.com/blog/event-marketing-statistics

Team Referral Network. (2019). 9 reasons why attending networking events boosts entrepreneurial success. https://teamreferralnetwork.com/news/2019/09/9-reasons-why-attending-networking-events-is-crucial-for-entrepreneurial-success