The top 4 trends in the event industry
The year is slowly but surely drawing to a close. One more reason to scrutinise your portfolio and put your USPs to the test.
So we ask ourselves: What trends have developed in the event industry?
Here we list the top 4 for you!
1. Smart events – The power of technology
Let’s start at the beginning, with the documentation of an event. The word “digital” has been constantly present in the event industry at least since the Corona pandemic. Names, addresses, numbers, data,…
Things that are indispensable for planning. The many CRM work tools that have developed in recent months are helpful here. Not to mention the multitude of event platforms, which have experienced a turbulent upswing since 2020. Everything happens automatically and quickly via digital touchpoints and is stored securely. From the invitation email to the QR codes at the location.
2. Interactivity and event gamification
Let’s stay on the topic of digitalisation: monotonous Zoom meetings are reminiscent of soporific frontal sound reinforcement, where the speaker wants to give as much information as possible to the audience, and the listeners eventually lose interest. Even the colourful video filters are of little help.
In the home offices, not only the PC drives are smoking, but also the heads. The air is increasingly out. Team building became increasingly important for companies that felt that their employees were losing their motivation. Gamification established itself as a useful addition to digital events. It ensures direct interaction among the participants and brings a certain competitive character to the team. The advantage: interactivity works everywhere, both online and hybrid, and of course live on site anyway. This definitely guarantees the permanent attention of the meeting participants!
3. Sustainability in the event industry
A topic that is almost self-explanatory. As climate change progresses, a rethink is also taking place among end consumers. Via Instagram, Fridays for Future and co. it is made clear how urgent it is to rethink the planning of events. How we need to pay attention to sustainable concepts here as well. Kilometres of carpeting for exhibition stands that are disposed of after a few days – that should be a thing of the past by now at the latest. Event backdrops that are only used once and can no longer be used afterwards – that is by no means up to date. And even if the politicians are taking an agonisingly long time to come up with uniform regulations, everyone is now responsible. This is also reflected in the companies, because no one wants to be seen as an outsider or an environmental destroyer. Destinations are increasingly being chosen closer to home, printed materials are being replaced by digital processes and catering is getting a “vegan/veggie” makeover. With the focus on sustainability, the budget is also changing, because green is often also more expensive – surely everyone knows this from the organic vs. standard comparison.
4. PERSONAL BRANDING – People as a brand
Keyword influencer – society has long since stopped trusting only the statements of a company or a brand. Rather, it is the person behind it that people want to follow. This can be applied to a single person as well as to an entire company. For example, we observe that companies are increasingly placing emphasis on their employees and not on the performance of a particular product. Under the motto “That’s us”, a brand is thus assigned a certain face and thus also meets with increased approval. This trust is in turn reflected in sales figures and employee satisfaction.
What does this mean for the event industry?
Clearly more value is placed on emotions. People want to feel appreciated and understood. These are exactly two areas that can be perfectly fulfilled through an event full of experiences!
We are taking these trends with us into the future as insights from the last 12 months and will continue to align ourselves accordingly.
We have already been able to use our know-how as a consulting agency at several events and therefore see ourselves not only as a service provider but also as a designer, a solution finder, a strategist – in short, as an ambassador of experience! After 30 years of experience, we know the power of a successful event! See for yourself 🙂