For decades, success in the events and entertainment sector has been measured through traditional metrics. Attendance figures, ticket sales, economic impact and return on investment (ROI) have shaped how performance is evaluated.
These metrics still matter. But they only describe what happened, not what it meant.
Events, cultural programmes and large-scale activations are human experiences. Their true impact lives in perception, memory and behaviour. Traditional metrics tell us what was delivered. They say very little about how people felt, what stayed with them, or whether the experience changed what they did next. This gap is where return on emotion (ROE) becomes relevant.
ROE looks at the emotional impact an experience creates and how that emotional response influences recall, behaviour and long-term engagement. Rather than treating emotion as vague or anecdotal, ROE treats it as something that can be observed, measured and tracked over time.
The concept draws from decades of research across psychology, tourism and experience design, and gained sharper definition in the early 2020s as destination branding and immersive entertainment began questioning the limits of ROI alone.
How emotional impact shows up in data
- Behavioural signals: Dwell time, crowd density, queue tolerance and movement between zones reveal emotional pull. In digital environments, completion rates, repeat engagement and drop-off points show which moments resonate.
- Sentiment and language: The language people use matters. Phrases such as “worth the wait” or “had to see this” signal emotional impact beyond reach or attendance figures.
- Voluntary participation: Unprompted sharing, staying longer, returning without incentives or bringing others are strong indicators of emotional resonance.
- Qualitative insight: Short emotional reflections often explain experience quality more clearly than satisfaction scores alone.
- Long-term attachment and memory: One of the clearest signals of ROE is repeat attendance over time. People who return to annual events often share side-by-side images of their first visit and their most recent one, publicly documenting continuity, attachment and personal history with the experience. This behaviour reflects emotional memory turning into loyalty.
ROE and ROI together
Return on emotion does not replace return on investment. ROI measures output. ROE measures meaning. Viewed together, they show which experiences create lasting value rather than short-term performance alone.
By Sam Elphick, Senior Director Events & Entertainment, Diriyah Company