- Is it really worth focusing on IRL events in creator partnerships?
- What's happening in the market: the numbers that matter
- Audience or community: what is the difference and why does it change everything?
- Who has already made this choice and with what results?
- How does it actually work for an Italian company?
- What tools and formats can you use to measure the return?
- Why are people talking about this now and not a year from now?
- What are the risks and rules to keep in mind?
- How to get started: the practical steps to begin right now?
- What are the most common mistakes to avoid?
- How to tell if it's working?
- So, is it worth it for your company?
- How we see it at SHM
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Live events (IRL, meaning 'in real life') are becoming the most reliable way to measure how much influence a creator truly has over their audience.
- 41% of US social media users have already attended an event organized by a creator; 33% say they are very likely to buy products during that event.
- For an Italian company, sponsoring or co-organizing a creator event offers concrete data—attendees, sales, sign-ups—that a post simply cannot deliver.
- The right choice isn't abandoning digital, but integrating physical touchpoints into creator campaigns to boost credibility and conversion.
45% of sports fans say they want more physical experiences as digital and AI content grow. Yet most Italian companies still evaluate a creator solely by the number of followers.
Is it really worth focusing on IRL events in creator partnerships?
Yes, if you are looking for measurable data and lasting relationships with the audience. Live events offer concrete metrics that social content cannot guarantee.
A post can be seen by thousands of people and not move the needle. An event fills a room with people who have chosen to be there: that choice is already a data point. For a company that wants to understand if a creator partnership is producing results, physical presence is the most honest measure there is.
The right question isn't "do IRL events work?" but "do they work for my situation?". The table below helps answer that.
| Your situation | Is it worth it? | why |
|---|---|---|
| You want concrete data on conversions and purchases | Yes | The event allows you to track attendance, sales, and sign-ups in real time |
| You have a product that is better explained live (demo, tasting, trial) | Yes | The physical touchpoint lowers the purchase barrier better than any video |
| You are looking for large-scale awareness at a low cost | No, for now | For pure digital reach, social content remains more efficient |
| You want to build a loyal community around the brand | Yes | The event creates an emotional bond that the feed cannot replicate |
| Your budget is very limited and you cannot co-organize | Currency | You can start as a sponsor of an existing event with a smaller investment. |
What's happening in the market: the numbers that matter
Global spending in the creator economy has grown rapidly, and live events are becoming a structural part of it, not just an experiment.
According to IAB , US ad spend in the creator economy has more than doubled between 2021 and 2024, from $13.9 billion to $29.5 billion. It was growing four times faster than the overall media market. This is not a niche sector: it has become a mainstream channel.
When it comes to physical events, the data from Influencer Marketing Factory show that 41% of American social media users between 18 and 65 years old have already participated in an event organized by a creator in the last year. Two-thirds of those who haven't done so yet have said they are open to it.
In Italy the phenomenon is just as solid. According to Media Key , there are over 25,000 Italian companies born around digital content creation, with a 185% growth in ten years. It's not just about influencers: videomakers, specialized creators, and production professionals are building a structured ecosystem.
Audience or community: what is the difference and why does it change everything?
An audience watches. A community takes action. For a brand, that difference translates into measurable results: sales, sign-ups, word of mouth.
The core point of Digiday research is this: the social feed has become a broadcasting tool — one-way transmission — great for getting found, but not for keeping. A live event does the opposite: it selects the truly involved people and creates a memorable experience.
As one of the industry leaders quoted in the article said: "The feed gives you a glimpse, a real room gives you a night you're still talking about a year later." For a brand, this means that sponsoring a creator event doesn't just buy visibility: it buys a moment of exclusive attention from people who are already motivated.
| Feature | Audience (social feed) | Community (IRL event) |
|---|---|---|
| Audience selection | Algorithm | Active choice by the person |
| Average attention | Seconds | Hours |
| Measurability for the brand | Views, likes, reach | Attendance, purchases, sign-ups |
| Cost per qualified lead | Low overall | Higher, but more convertible |
| Duration of memory | Short | Long |
| Risk of imitation (e.g. from AI clippers) | High | Low |
Who has already made this choice and with what results?
From big creators to niche micro-creators, IRL events are becoming a structural source of income and a sign of credibility for brand partners.
The most cited case is that of Dude Perfect, a group of American sports creators who in 2025 brought over 200,000 fans to 20 US cities with their tour, now in its sixth consecutive edition. According to Digiday , tickets started at around 50 dollars and the group measures tour success on ticket and merch sales. Not on followers.
AT&T chose to sponsor all of another creator's events for six consecutive months. This is not a test: it's a positioning choice. The brand decided that being physically alongside that creator for six months was worth more than any display campaign.
| Creator / Case | Event type | Brand partner | Main metric |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dude Perfect (USA) | Stadium tour, 20 cities | Multiple sponsors | 200,000+ attendees, ticket and merch sales |
| Alex Cooper (USA) | Unwell Tour | White Claw | Full tour sponsorship |
| Ludwig Ahgren (USA) | Gaming event series | AT&T | 6 months of continuous sponsorship |
| Niche creators (sports, wellness) | Monthly community meetups | Local and niche brands | Active participation, on-site purchases |
How does it actually work for an Italian company?
There are three main paths: sponsoring an existing event, co-organizing one with a creator, or creating a proprietary event with creators as guests.
Not every company has the budget or the structure to organize a tour. But almost all of them can start in a simpler way. Let's look at three real-world scenarios for Italian companies of different sizes.
Illustrative examples: numbers are meant to show the reasoning, they are not real customer data.
| Scenario | Company type | IRL approach | What you measure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food & beverage e-commerce | SMEs with a consumer product | Sponsor a food creator event (tasting, cooking class) | Samples distributed, discount codes used, new newsletter subscribers |
| Professional studio (e.g., accountant, consultant) | Study of 5-15 people | Co-organize a workshop with an industry LinkedIn creator | Attendees, qualified leads, booked appointments |
| B2B manufacturing company | Manufacturer with industrial clients | Host a factory tour with a technical creator from the industry | Companies present, post-event quote requests, media coverage |
- 1 · Marketing manager Identify the right creator Look for someone with an active community in your niche, not just lots of followers. Check if they already organize events or meetups.
- 2 · Marketing manager + management Define the measurable goal Attendance? Sales? Leads? Pick just one main KPI before signing any deal.
- 3 · Internal team or agency Structure the sponsorship agreement Include in the contract the data the creator needs to share: attendance, purchases, sign-ups.
- 4 · Marketing team Integrate the event into the digital campaign Use the event as content: before (teaser), during (live), and after (recap). Digital amplifies the physical.
- 5 · Marketing manager Measure and decide Compare event data with your KPIs. If the cost per lead or per purchase is competitive, scale up.
What tools and formats can you use to measure the return?
IRL events offer direct metrics that digital can't provide. The secret is deciding beforehand what to measure and how to collect the data.
One of the reasons brands are shifting budgets to IRL events is precisely this: data comes in real-time. You can know how many people entered, how many bought, how many signed up for your list before the evening ends.
This is very different from a social media campaign, where conversion data requires weeks of analysis and attribution — that is, understanding which action led to which result — often uncertain. If you want to delve deeper into how the attribution problem also affects B2B marketing, the article on B2B marketing and proof of impact in our cluster Marketing and ADV performance addresses this exact topic.
| Metric | How it's gathered | What it tells the brand |
|---|---|---|
| Actual attendance | Registration at the entrance, QR code | Real size of the active community |
| On-site sales | Dedicated POS, event discount code | Propensity for immediate purchase |
| New subscribers (newsletter, app) | Dedicated form, event landing page | Interest in an ongoing relationship |
| Social mentions during the event | Monitored hashtag, social listening tool | Organic amplification generated by the event |
| Post-event Net Promoter Score | Short survey upon exit or via SMS | Satisfaction and word-of-mouth likelihood |
| Cost per lead or per purchase | Calculation: event budget / conversions | Efficiency compared to other channels |
Why are people talking about this now and not a year from now?
Three forces are converging at the same time: the saturation of social feeds, the growth of generative AI in content, and the rising demand for authentic physical experiences.
The social feed has become a broadcasting channel — a one-way transmission — where AI-generated content multiplies daily. In this context, physical presence becomes a signal of authenticity that AI cannot replicate. A creator who fills a room demonstrates something no algorithm can fake.
According to Marketing Dive (Sprout Social data, Q1 2025), 59% of marketers planned to collaborate with more creators in 2025 than the previous year. Demand for creator partnerships is growing, and the most forward-thinking brands are already shifting some budget towards physical formats.
Also on Mark-Up it is noted that on LinkedIn profiles with the term 'creator' have grown by 90% between 2021 and 2025, and in Europe, technical roles related to live events are also growing: production technicians, lighting designers, stagehands. The creator economy is extending beyond the screen.
What are the risks and rules to keep in mind?
IRL events have higher fixed costs than digital content and require a longer planning phase. Ignoring these aspects is the most common mistake.
Before signing a sponsorship for a creator event, there are a few questions to ask. First: has the creator organized events in the past? How many people showed up? As the source said: "I see a lot of good people on video, but nobody shows up to their live events." Having followers doesn't mean having a community.
The lessons from companies that have already done creator partnerships show that the most common problems happen when the brand doesn't set expectations before starting. The same goes for IRL events.
| Risk | How it's managed |
|---|---|
| The creator doesn't have a real community (only passive followers) | Ask for historical attendance data from previous events before investing |
| High fixed costs (venue, logistics, staff) | Start out as a co-sponsor of an event that's already put together, not as the main organizer. |
| Attribution difficulty (who bought thanks to the event?) | Use event-specific discount codes or landing pages to track conversions. |
| Mismatch between creator values and brand | Check alignment before making a deal: a mistake here is way more obvious in person than online. |
| Unrealistic expectations about immediate ROI | The first event is a test: set minimum acceptable thresholds and evaluate afterwards |
How to get started: the practical steps to begin right now?
You start by analyzing the creator, not the event. First you figure out if they have a real community, then you evaluate the right format for your goal.
Many companies get stuck because they think that "doing an event" means organizing something big. That's not the case. The first step is much simpler: understand if the creator you are already working with — or would like to work with — already has an audience that moves for them.
If you are trying to figure out how to set up an Instagram creator partnership, the article on creator partnerships on Instagram and performance offers a useful starting point to understand the basic mechanics before adding the physical layer.
- 1 · Marketing manager Analyze creators already on the list Check if they have already organized events or meetups. Ask for attendance stats. If they never have, see if they are willing to give it a try.
- 2 · Marketing manager Choose a low-risk format Workshop, themed happy hour, company tour: start with something manageable. You don't need a stadium to test the model.
- 3 · Marketing + legal team Structure the contract with the data included The creator must share the event data: attendance, purchases, sign-ups. Put this in the agreement before signing.
- 4 · Marketing team Integrate the event into the digital plan Create content before (announcement), during (live or stories) and after (recap). The physical event must feed the digital channel.
- 5 · Marketing manager Measure and decide whether to scale After the first event, compare the cost per lead or per purchase with your other channels. If it is competitive, invest more.
What are the most common mistakes to avoid?
The most common one is choosing the creator based on followers rather than community quality. The second is failing to define metrics before the event.
Anyone who works with creators knows that the number of followers has become an increasingly unreliable indicator. A creator with 50,000 highly engaged followers can fill a room better than one with 500,000 passive followers. To delve deeper into how creator selection logic is changing in the age of AI, the article on Meta AI Creator Assistant on Facebook offers helpful background on how platforms are changing the rules of the game.
| Error | Consequence | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Choosing the creator based on followers only | Event with low attendance, negative ROI | Ask for historical attendance data before investing |
| Not defining metrics before the event | Impossible to evaluate success | Pick a main KPI and data collection tools before the day |
| Treating the event as a one-off action | No digital amplification, limited impact | Plan your pre, during, and post-event content |
| Expecting immediate conversions on complex products | Disappointment and channel abandonment | For B2B or high-value products, the event generates leads, not direct sales |
| Not verifying value alignment | Reputational crisis more visible in person | Analyze the creator's community before any agreement |
How to tell if it's working?
Three indicators are enough to figure out if the model makes sense for your company: cost per qualified contact, on-site conversion rate, and post-event organic amplification.
You don't need a complex measurement system to evaluate a first event. Three numbers are enough: how many people showed up, how many did something (bought, signed up, requested info), and how much content was spontaneously generated by participants. These three data points tell you if the community is real and if the brand has found its place in that community.
| Indicator | How it's calculated | Minimum threshold of interest |
|---|---|---|
| Participation rate | Attendees / Invited or registered | Over 50% for free events, over 70% for paid events |
| On-site conversion rate | Actions (purchases, sign-ups) / Attendees | It depends on the industry; compare with your other channels |
| Cost per qualified lead | Event budget / Conversions | It must be competitive with Google Ads or Meta Ads for the same goal |
| Organic amplification | Mentions, posts, stories generated by participants | At least 10-15% of attendees should produce spontaneous content |
| Net Promoter Score | % promoters – % detractors (post-event survey) | Over 30 is a good sign for a first event |
So, is it worth it for your company?
It is worth it if you already have an active creator partnership and want to measure concrete results; your product is best explained or tested live; you are looking for qualified leads rather than generic reach.
A middle ground if you are evaluating creators for the first time: start by sponsoring an existing event, measure the data, and then decide whether to invest more.
Not yet if your only goal is large-scale awareness at a low cost: for that, digital content remains more efficient than physical events.
How we see it at SHM
For us, the IRL event is not an alternative to digital: it is the moment when digital proves it has done its job. If a creator campaign has built a real community, the event proves it. If it hasn't built one, the event dismantles it.
We believe that integrating physical and digital touchpoints is not a trend to chase, but a more honest way to measure if a relationship between brand and audience truly exists. AI can generate content at will, but it cannot fill a room with people who have chosen to be there.
When we work with Italian companies on creator campaigns, our starting point is always the same question: does this creator have a community or just an audience? The answer changes everything — the format, the budget, the metrics, and the expectations. If you want to structure a creator strategy that integrates physical and digital events, our service for strategic AI integration and that of Meta campaigns are the most useful starting points. For those looking to build a digital presence that also supports physical events, the service from social editorial plan helps coordinate pre-, during, and post-event content.
Frequently Asked Questions
It really depends on the size of the community and the format. Sponsoring a niche event (50-200 people) can start from a few thousand euros. A larger scale tour or event requires budgets in the tens of thousands. The safest starting point is to co-sponsor an event already organized by the creator, this limits fixed costs and allows you to test the results before investing more.
Ask the creator for data from previous events: how many people showed up, how many bought something, how much content was spontaneously generated by attendees. If they've never organized events, look at their engagement rate (real comments and replies, not just likes) and if they respond to their followers. A creator with 20,000 highly engaged followers is worth more than one with 200,000 passive ones.
Yes, but with different goals. In B2B, the event doesn't generate direct sales, but qualified leads and relationships. A factory visit with a technical creator from the industry, or a workshop co-organized with a LinkedIn creator, can lead to quote requests and sales appointments that social media content rarely generates. The key is to measure leads, not immediate sales.
The event becomes content in three phases: before (teaser, announcement, countdown), during (live, stories, real-time clips), and after (recap, testimonials, data). Each phase feeds the digital channel with authentic material that the algorithm tends to reward because it generates real interaction. The physical event and the digital campaign amplify each other.
There's no minimum follower threshold: community quality matters, not quantity. Creators with 5,000-10,000 highly engaged followers can organize events for 100-200 people with excellent conversion rates. The key metric isn't the follower count, but the percentage of followers who act when the creator calls them to action.
The first event is always a test. If attendance is low, the most useful data is understanding why: the creator doesn't have a real community, the format wasn't suitable, or pre-event communication was insufficient. Defining acceptable minimum thresholds before the event — not after — allows for objective evaluation of the result and deciding whether to try again with adjustments or change strategy.
A creator who fills a room proves something no algorithm can fake: that people trust them enough to show up in person.
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