The events industry is rapidly evolving from the rise of hybrid events to virtual events and AI personalisation. Each day, new trends are coming up that are reshaping the entire events landscape.
What does this mean for event planners and organisers? To create memorable and impactful event experiences, you must keep an eye on key event industry trends. Here are six of them:
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1.Rise of AI innovations in the event sector
Artificial Intelligence continues transforming the event industry by streamlining operations and enhancing attendee experiences. With the rise of AI-powered tools, event planners can automate time-consuming tasks and focus more on creative event activities. event organisers can use generative AI tools to produce drafts for their social media and email campaigns, press releases, and more in minutes. Event professionals can even use these tools to generate takeaways for these drafts from in-person or virtual recordings.
AI can also be used to analyse attendee data and provide personalised event recommendations. Event organisers can create their own AI app for the analysis using historical events and attendee information. Technologies like Writer’s AI Studio offer development tools that make it easy to create such apps connected to company data. Thanks to these innovations, anyone in any organisation can build AI apps with specific inputs, customised outputs and personalised instructions.
Moreover, AI is now employed for real-time feedback and sentiment analysis, helping event organisers gain deeper insights into attendee preferences. These AI tools can gauge overall audience sentiment through surveys, social media, and other channels, further helping organisers optimise speaker scheduling, session topics, and networking opportunities. Lastly, chatbots and virtual assistants also improve customer service by offering instant responses to event inquiries.
The integration of AI technologies in the industry not only improves efficiency but also helps create more engaging, personalised experiences for attendees. As AI continues to evolve, its influence on event management will only grow, positioning it as one of the key event trends to watch in the event sector.
2.More hybrid events
For decades, in-person events have been the cornerstone of the event industry. This is because they present opportunities for deeper attendee engagement, networking, interaction, and participation. They also allow for more impactful branding opportunities through banners, booths, and giveaways.
However, while event professionals are increasingly creating physical events, virtual and hybrid events are still a valuable trend in the event industry. In a recent survey, over half of marketers consider hybrid events a vital part of their marketing strategy.
Hybrid events combine in-person and virtual experiences, which make them ideal for organisers looking to cater to different audiences.
Here are compelling reasons why hybrid events are here to stay:
- Wider audience reach: These events allow organisers to reach a larger, more diverse audience by accommodating physical and virtual attendees.
- Flexibility and convenience: Attendees can choose how they participate, whether in-person or online, based on individual preferences or circumstances.
- Cost-efficiency: They offer a virtual component that reduces travel, accommodation, and other logistical costs for both organisers and attendees. It makes the event more budget-friendly while still delivering value.
- Data collection and analytics: Virtual platforms like Zoom Events provide detailed data on attendee behaviour, participation rates, and preferences. Event organisers can use these insights to tailor future events more effectively.
With rapid technological advancements, hybrid events are set to dominate the industry—offering an inclusive, scalable solution for future events.
3.Use of new methods that reimagine attendee engagement
Engagement is a crucial driver of event success, and organisers are continuously seeking innovative ways to capture attention and improve attendee engagement.
These innovative ways include leveraging gamification, interactive content, and immersive technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality. These technologies allow attendees to explore product demos, exhibits, or networking spaces in engaging, multi-sensory formats. They also break down the barriers between virtual and in-person events. In the future, we’ll see more focus on offering post-event content such as on-demand recorded sessions, downloadable resources, personalised follow-up webinars, and repurposed content. For instance, after Dreamforce, Salesforce provides an extensive library of recorded sessions, including keynotes and breakout sessions, that are available for viewing on demand.
Here are actionable tips for event organisers to create successful events and enhance attendee engagement:
Leverage technology for interactivity: Incorporate live polling, Q&A, and surveys to promote real-time attendee participation during sessions and keynotes.
Personalise the attendee journey: Use registration data to offer personalised agendas, targeted networking opportunities, and relevant content recommendations. Also, send personalised post-event emails with resources or key takeaways based on attendees’ interests.
Provide post-event resources: Share recorded sessions, keynotes, and downloadable resources to keep attendees engaged after the event. You can use a handy online screen recorder to capture high-quality videos of your sessions. This tool provides advanced recording capabilities to help you record your sessions and share keynotes with your event attendees.
4.Utilising events to foster stronger connections
Events are no longer just about the content; they are becoming critical touchpoints for building and nurturing communities. Organisers should create opportunities for attendees to network, collaborate, and share experiences. This includes creating networking opportunities such as breakout sessions, virtual lounges, and one-on-one meetings that help to establish personal connections.
Another way is to create post-event forums and encourage ongoing discussions which will enable attendees to continue engaging long after the event concludes.
Here are actionable tips for event organisers to foster stronger connections at their events:
- Create purpose-driven content: Develop sessions and discussions that focus on social causes, sustainability, diversity, or local community issues.
- Facilitate networking opportunities: Offer topic-focused workshops where attendees can collaborate and engage with like-minded peers. Implement roundtable discussions to encourage more meaningful conversations between attendees.
- Create virtual communities: Create online communities or social media groups around the event where attendees can continue networking and collaborating after the event ends.
Prioritising these strategies will make events more than just gatherings. You will transform your events into hubs where lasting relationships are formed. This fosters stronger community ties and higher attendee loyalty and satisfaction.
5.Using event data to shape your strategy
Events are becoming an invaluable source of first-party data such as attendee demographics, interests, purchase history, etc. They allow you to collect data directly from your customers and target audiences while interacting with them. Event platforms and event data collection methods, such as registration systems, interactive surveys, and polls, are available, allowing you to collect data before, during, and after events.
Organisers are now collecting and analysing data from registrations, cashless top-ups and spending, social media interactions, and in-event behaviour to understand attendee preferences and event performance. This data helps them gauge audience sentiments, satisfaction levels, and more. As mentioned earlier, AI is increasingly being used for this analysis. Organisers can use these insights to optimise future events, improve their marketing strategies, and boost attendee engagement. They also help event planners make informed decisions leading to higher attendee satisfaction and a great return on investment.
Overall, event data is helping event planners meet evolving customer expectations. Using this key information to shape strategies is one of the most important event trends to watch.
6.Enhancement of experiential value in events
Today’s event attendees seek more than just information—they want memorable experiences. Event organisers are now focusing on blending what used to be standalone event elements to create journeys that people will remember for a long time. Instead of just having speakers lecturing attendees about a topic in a conference, for example, the event organiser will include curated networking opportunities, hands-on workshops and live performances in the package. In other words, a single event is technically not just a single event anymore. It has transformed into a combination of many mini-events, each providing a different experience to attendees.
As we expect attendees to continue to want to derive maximum value from events, event planners who leverage this experiential value trend will edge out those who don’t. They’ll ultimately drive attendee satisfaction and build long-term loyalty to the event and brand.
The event industry is evolving rapidly, with trends like AI, hybrid formats, and personalised engagement taking centre stage. By focusing on innovation and community-building, event organisers can create more impactful, engaging, and data-driven experiences that cater to the needs of modern attendees.
These event trends are reshaping the future of the event industry. Leverage them now and see excellent results.
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