The events industry is fast-paced, with many new event trends developing all the time. As technology grows and customer habits change, so does the way events are planned, executed, and attended.
If you’re busy planning an event, then staying up to date with the latest event trends is essential to keep your event exciting and appealing.
While there’s so much going on in the industry, this article explores some of the key event trends you should know about.
Top Event Industry Trends You Should Know About
If you want your events to stand out and be a success, then you’ll need to stay up to date with the latest trends in the event industry.
Before you host your next event, here are some of the key events industry trends to be aware of.
Hybrid Events
The pandemic accelerated the adoption of virtual events, and even as in-person events return, hybrid events that combine both physical and virtual components are becoming the norm.
Many in-person events are incorporating more digital elements and adding more digital touchpoints. This lets event organizers make use of the advantages that event technology offers, while still providing the unforgettable experience of an in-person event.
Taking a hybrid event approach allows for a wider reach and greater flexibility for attendees. It also means you can extend the engagement of the event beyond the traditional group of attendees. People can tune into the event from all over the world, and you can offer different levels of event experiences.
Incorporating more digital touchpoints into the event also means you can capture more insights into attendee behavior and interests. These insights can help event marketers create more personalized, impactful experiences.
Sustainability and Eco-Friendly Events
If there’s one major trend seen in industries across the world, it’s an increased focus on sustainability. This is incredibly important for event professionals, as a focus on more sustainable event planning helps make events more appealing to a larger audience. It also helps event planners and venues live up to any corporate social responsibility goals focused on environmentalism.
Event planners are increasingly focusing on sustainability, reducing waste, and incorporating eco-friendly practices into their events. This includes everything from sustainable materials to carbon offset programs.
Event planners can focus on incorporating more sustainable catering options, using local suppliers to reduce the carbon footprint of the event, working with sustainable venues, and more. Every vendor involved in the event can also be chosen based on how sustainable they are.
Event management teams should set event sustainability goals before they start the event planning process. This will help them create and execute events aligned with these goals, helping them stay up to date with one of the most important event trends.
Cost Savings and Event Efficiency
Like any industry, the event industry operates to make a profit. While event planners have always been focused on ensuring events are profitable, organizing events more efficiently has become one of the more important event trends over the years.
The cost-per-attendee for meetings and events has been increasingly rising over the years. This means events are becoming more expensive to host, which is why event professionals should be focused on minimizing wastage and ensuring events are organized as efficiently as possible.
Luckily, with advancements in event technology, many processes in event management can be optimized. This includes automating manual processes and having greater control and visibility over all event expenses. Using the right event management software is key if you want to keep your events as cost-effective as possible.
Health and Safety Protocols
Following the right health and safety protocols has always been a necessity in event management. However, when looking at event trends, enhancing health and safety efforts has become increasingly important.
Even as the pandemic has subsided, health and safety measures remain a top priority. Attendees expect events to have robust protocols in place, such as sanitization stations and contactless touchpoints. Allowing virtual attendees to join the event is also a priority for many guests.
Even though in-person events are back to normal, event attendees have become used to many protocols introduced during the pandemic. It seems many of these protocols are here to stay.
Personalized Experiences
With so much event data and technology available, event guests are expecting different kinds of experiences. A major event industry trend here is an increase in personalization at events.
Attendees now expect highly personalized event experiences. This includes personalized content recommendations, networking suggestions, and tailored event agendas based on individual preferences and behavior.
Personalization has always been an important way to make events more engaging and memorable. Now, however, guests from all kinds of events expect a level of personalization leading up to, and during, the event.
Whether it’s for virtual events or live ones in event venues, it’s important to try to personalize the guest experience as much as possible. This will give any event a competitive edge, and make the guest's memory of the event more positive.
Use of Tech in Events
Event tech is evolving rapidly, with augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and artificial intelligence (AI) being integrated to enhance engagement and interactivity. These technologies can create immersive experiences and facilitate networking.
Of course, we’re seeing a lot more of this kind of tech used in virtual events and hybrid events. Although, live events are also adopting more tech to create unique experiences.
Event technology is also being used to enhance event marketing experiences and organize events in more unique ways. This can help event planners stand out and make their events seem more impactful.
When looking at the increased use of event technology, we can’t overlook the importance and developments in event planning and management tools. Event management software has developed at a rapid pace, offering loads of functionality for event venues and event planners to streamline their operations. If you want to stay ahead of the latest event trends, then using the right event management tools has become a necessity.
Data-Driven Decision Making
Just like trends in other industries, a major event trend is the increased use of data. Data is far more readily available to us, and event organizers can gain more detailed insights from the data they have available. By using data to its full potential, event professionals can create far more interesting and engaging guest experiences.
Event organizers are increasingly relying on data analytics to make informed decisions. This includes analyzing attendee data to improve event logistics, content, and marketing strategies.
Again, this can help an event planner provide more personalized experiences to their guests - both in marketing the event and executing it. Data can be used to promote events with greater impact and to put together more engaging events based on attendees’ preferences.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
DEI is a growing focus in the event industry. Event planners are working to create more inclusive and diverse events that represent a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives.
This can be seen in the way event planners are opening up their events to new audiences. It’s also seen in how event planners choose to use vendors and other stakeholders to make their event experiences more diverse.
DEI has become an important area of focus for businesses across all industries, and the events industry is no exception.
Micro-Events and Pop-Ups
Sure, large-scale events are where the money is. However, we’ve seen a slight decline in large events over the years, with a lot of focus being placed on smaller, more “boutique” style events.
Smaller, more intimate events and pop-up experiences are gaining popularity. These can be more cost-effective and allow for more creativity in event design.
Event content can be more unique, and a greater range of venues could be used to host these smaller events. Of course, the event will still need to be profitable, so event planners need to look for new ways to drive up the prices of smaller events. This is often done by providing a more exclusive or luxury element to the event. It’s all about quality over quantity.
Live Streaming and Content Accessibility
We’ve already mentioned the rise in hybrid events. Well, being able to access event content virtually has become an increasingly important trend in event management.
Livestreaming events and providing on-demand access to content continue to be important. This caters to remote attendees and those who may have scheduling conflicts. Offering virtual access to events could also mean that people can catch up on the event on-demand, so events don’t necessarily have to be live to be enjoyed.
Offering events like this can increase the reach of the event, while also allowing the recorded event to be used as valuable marketing collateral.
Strong Demand for Event Spaces
Despite the strong demand for hybrid and online events, in-person events have been booming. This means there’s been a major spike in demand for quality event venues over the last couple of years.
As an event organizer, having a list of available venues is essential. Developing strong relationships with venue owners and trying to secure venue bookings early on should be a priority.
As a venue owner, you’ll need to have a solid system in place to manage your bookings and event process. This is why having the right venue management solution is so valuable.
Local and Sustainable Food Options
When creating catering menus or putting together bar packages for your event, it’s always a good idea to look local.
One of the biggest event trends we’ve seen in recent years is an increased demand for local and sustainable food options. This is something attendees have become increasingly interested in. Luckily, it’s also something that many catering businesses are leaning towards.
So, consider your event’s target audience and whether they might prefer a more locally-focused menu. Not only could this help make your event more appealing, but it can also help your events become more sustainable.
Content-Driven Marketing
One of the most important parts of organizing an event is properly marketing and promoting the event to generate enough attendance. To get this right, event management teams need to be up-to-date with the right marketing tactics.
Event promotion is shifting towards content-driven marketing, with more focus on creating valuable content that engages potential attendees before the event. This involves publishing valuable content that offers something useful to potential attendees and gets them interested in your event.
The same idea applies if you’re marketing your event venue. Focus on developing awesome marketing content, from videos to blog posts and social media, and ensure you keep this content coming out to your audience. Getting this right is key to securing more event bookings and standing apart in a competitive event industry landscape.
Contactless Technology
We touched on this earlier, but it’s an important point to drive home.
Contactless check-ins, payments, and networking tools are becoming more common, reducing physical contact and improving efficiency. This has become a major focal point of many events, and it’s turned into one of the most important trends to focus on since the pandemic.
Event managers should look towards as many contactless points in their event as possible. This could involve getting rid of physical tickets entirely and making sure that payments, event registration, and other key areas offer a smooth contactless experience.
Collaborative Partnerships
Event organizers are forming partnerships with other companies and organizations to enhance their offerings and reach a wider audience. This isn't only one of the top event trends, but it’s also a valuable move to make for anyone in the industry.
Whether you run an event space or an event planner, try to foster relationships and partnerships with relevant vendors and industry professionals. This can make it easier to secure the right people for each event, helping make the event management process smoother.
Conclusion
These are just some of the biggest event trends to keep in mind right now. By staying alert to what’s happening in the industry and responding to trends and changing event behaviors, you’ll be able to keep guests excited and ensure your events are a success.
If you run an event venue, then using the right event management software is essential for keeping up with the industry. Try Perfect Venue for free to see how the platform can help your event business.
