Event Targeting in Ads Manager

Emily Truong

November 15, 2025 02:50

Overview

Event and convention campaigns are high-intensity, short-duration campaigns that require specific settings to ensure maximum reach and impact. This guide provides the best practices and recommended setup for success for various types of events.

Key Strategies

For optimal effectiveness, every event campaign should be structured using the following strategies:

Build and activate at least two (2) ad groups:
- A Real-Time Event Targeting ad group to reach event attendees during the event.
- A Post-Event Retargeting ad group to re-engage event attendees after the event has ended, maximizing reach.
- (Optional) A Pre-Event Targeting ad group if the goal is to drive people to the event.
Select the targeting goal Target by Location (Geotargets) to reach event attendees in real-time when they are within the event’s vicinity.
- Avoid On-Lot targeting as this method will likely have limited scale and can experience GPS accuracy issues in high-activity convention centers.
For the best possible serving with minimal to no edits during the flight, use the high end of each suggested range (e.g., 0.5 miles, $20 CPM) and keep tactics as open as possible (no dayparting, Delivery optimization strategy.
To allow for periodic edits throughout the campaign based on live performance, start with the low end of each suggested range and increase from there as needed.
Enable “Build custom audience for remessaging users who see your ad” to create the retargeting segment. This audience, made up of users who received your real-time event ads, is then used to power the post-event retargeting ad group. Learn more here.

Recommended Setup by Event Size

Click the drop-down for your event type to see budget recommendations and campaign setup guides.

Small Event | ≤ 500 attendees, ≤ 3 days, 1 location

Criteria: ≤ 500 attendees, ≤ 3 days, 1 location
Total Budget Recommendation: $1,000 total for live targeting and retargeting
CPM: Start with $15-20
Location Filter: 0.2-0.5 mile radius around the event; 0.1-0.2 mile radius around hotel(s)
Optimization Strategy: Delivery, because scale/attendees are small

Medium Event | 500-200 attendees, ≤ 3 days, 1 location

Criteria: 500 - 2,000 attendees, ≤ 3 days, 1 event location
Total Budget Recommendation: $2,000 total for live targeting and retargeting
CPM: Start with $15-20
Location Filter: 0.2-0.5 mile radius around the event; 0.1-0.2 mile radius around hotel(s)
Optimization Strategy: Delivery, because scale/attendees are small

Large Event | 2,000+ attendees, ≤ 3 days, 1 location

Criteria: 2,000+ attendees, ≤ 3 days, 1 event location
Total Budget Recommendation: $3,000 total for live targeting and retargeting
CPM: Start with $12-15
Location Filter: 0.2-0.5 mile radius around the event; 0.1-0.2 mile radius around hotel(s)
Optimization Strategy (+ suggested radius)
- Use Delivery optimization with a 0.2-0.4 mile radius
- Use Click optimization with a 0.5+ mile radius

Large Event Alternative | 2,000+ attendees, ≥ 3 days, ≥ 1 event location

Criteria: 2,000+ attendees, ≥ 3 days, ≥ 1 event location
Total Budget Recommendation: $5,000 total for live targeting and retargeting
CPM: Start with $12-15
Location Filter: 0.5-1 mile radius around the event location (since the venue will be large); 0.1-0.2 mile radius around hotel(s)
Optimization Strategy: Click can be used here, but Delivery is always recommended..

General Setup Highlights

Feature	Best Practice
Targeting Method	When setting up your campaign, the best targeting goal to select is Target by Location > Geotargets , which allows you to reach the event-goer in real-time when they are within the event’s vicinity. Avoid On-Lot targeting as this method will likely have limited scale and can experience GPS accuracy issues in high-activity convention centers.
Device Type	For real-time targeting use Mobile (both in-app and web), and consider DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) depending on budget. For post-event retargeting, continue to use Mobile, consider Desktop and other devices to maximize reach.
Location Filter	For Geotargets / Radius In the location filter section, input the address of the event/venue you would like to target. Blanket radial fence without too many targeting parameters layered on (i.e. audience targeting, demographic filters, dayparting) in order to maximize impressions delivered. May need to be incrementally expand radius throughout the event’s flight depending on estimated daily impressions.
Creative Best Practices	Use all four core sizes Mobile: 300×250, 320×50, 728×90, and 320×480. At minimum, the 300×250 and 320×50 sizes should be used as this covers 90% of the available mobile inventory.
Advanced Filters (Optimization Strategy Demographic Filters, Publisher Filters, Dayparting)	Event attendees are generally focused on speakers or peers, meaning they spend less time browsing their phones during the event. The most valuable opportunity to deliver an impression is before or after the event (e.g., during breakfast or dinner). Therefore, to maximize scale and reach: Avoid features that limit scale such as Click optimization strategy, demographic filters, publisher filters, and dayparting. Deliver ads to all demographics at all days/times, not just during event hours. This provides the largest possible opening to reach your target audience.

DOOH (Digital Out-of-Home) Targeting

Digital Out-of-Home (DOOH) uses digital screens in public spaces (e.g., billboards, bus stops, retail locations) to display ad content. The combination of large-scale screens and real-life locations creates a strong, memorable impression, especially when coupled with other media channels, like Mobile.

DOOH campaign essentials include:

Manual Setup with Ad Group Budget selection
IAB Category selection (+ check Political inventory box if applicable)
Venue/Screen selection
- Create a Location Group consisting of the event’s address
- Select Venue Type from various environments
- Filter for Creative Type or Ad Size for compatibility
We recommend keeping a total number of ad groups under 10 for easier management (Ad groups are made up of Publisher + Venue Type combinations)

Get started with DOOH: Find the setup guide and video tutorial here

Retargeting Reminders

The retargeting phase is essential for extending and maximizing your campaign’s reach and impact.

Flight Time: A flight of 2–4 weeks is an adequate time frame for the retargeting phase.
Budget Allocation: Any budget that was not spent during the live event should be allocated to the retargeting budgets.
Retargeting Audience Creation: Building and targeting the audience segment made up of users who receive your real-time event ads is a 2-step process. Learn more here.
Retargeting Audience Expiration: If the retargeting audience is not used within 90 days of creation, it is removed from the platform.
Device Type: Consider desktop (and other devices) for retargeting to reach users across multiple screens