There is a consistent drift in our day-to-day events and meetings, partly due to the COVID-19 protocol, which has changed the way we gather and socialize. Another strong influence on the current trend in event planning is the recent influx in the adoption of integrated technology. This article sets the stage for what to expect from the present-day meeting and event industry.
Conceiving an event idea is often a no-brainer. The uphill is bringing that conceived idea to a full-fledged event. This is where professionalism comes into play. The meeting and event industry is thriving now like never before because getting things right without falling on the wrong side of the law has come off a lot dicier. For instance, almost all the countries in the world have strict COVID-19 protocols to be adhered to. These things are new to us.
Another reason event planning may appear strenuous these days is the sophistication that accompanies event industry trends. If you’ve got a big event to host or co-host and really wish to thrill your guests, you need to borrow a touch or two from the captivating event trends.
Hiring a professional to help shape your upcoming event is worth the stress almost all the time. Yeah… you may have the idea playing out in your head, but bringing it to a practical reality without the help of an expert can be more bane than a boon. Shifting the workload to professionals gives you the liberty to relax and watch as things unfold. Not only will your event enjoy the posh of masterliness, but the move will save you cost while also heaving the workload off your shoulders. You can’t beat them in budgeting, organizing, fine detailing, negotiation skills, etc. Let’s look at the 2022 event planning industry trends, what they are, and how the masters in the industry use these to their advantage.
When we say “hybrid event,” we are referring to a conference, tradeshow, seminar, meeting, or workshop that combines a virtual (online component) event with a live (in-person) model. An example of a hybrid event is the Visual Collab 2018 at the RSA House in London.
Hybrid event is not entirely new, as some early uses date back to the late 90s. However, the need to avoid physical contact due to the present pandemic made it more relevant in the last two years. Also, a hybrid approach to events is pretty cost-effective. This influences its obvious position in the general event trends.
Research shows that the quest for hybrid events increased by 162% in the last five years, but the main boom happened in 2020. The current shift in this trend is aiming at 100% virtual, but event planners will have a hard time replacing the in-person event approach; this is why a little bit of this and that often makes a perfect setting in most event arrangements. But, it’s important to note that while the hybrid event model seems to be gaining dominance, it is still in its evolving stage and has not taken a definite shape as new changes keep having their way and reshaping the model.
Research conducted in late 2021 showed that more than 71% of event planners have permanently adopted digital strategy in their work to back up live events. This set of professionals has settled on the belief that hybrid is the future of events.
Bizzabo conducted a survey to understand people’s responses to this recent adoption. The result revealed that a large majority of both event owners and planners expect the inclusion of more features in the hybrid category. Their acceptance relies on the fact that the hybrid event model gives a more flexible outlook to events than the in-person option.
Also, this model lessens the logistics burden and thereby reduces the event cost. Smart Work Agency is a hybrid event planner and a cut above the rest in the meeting and event industry.
The name has probably given the needed clue to what micro-events mean. These are simply traditional event models that are shaped in size and scope. This can be further regrouped into events within events and stand-alone events. Micro-events do not seek an unnecessary crowd. Five thousand people are not invited only for recognition to be given to less than five hundred. Stand-alone micro-events attract few people and connect all of them.
Event hosts certainly have their expectations, which shape their choices of the event model. If, for instance, a host is looking for an in-person fundraising program, they may have good reasons to shun the micro-event model because cutting off potential guests is the same thing as telling them: “I don’t need your money.”
As of February 2019, micro-events were more personal choices than regulatory mandates. People did that because they wanted to. This choice is one liberty the world will continue to miss until COVID-19 leaves us in peace. In early 2019, for example, the average social event attendance, specifically for conferences and meetings, was 4,932 people.
Well, the COVID-19 protocol is one thing that has made the micro-event model more relevant. The number has gotten smaller because people need to maintain a safe distance, and some people willing to attend events won’t do that if they need to be quarantined. Another reason for this model’s relevance is that it is more result-oriented in certain areas.
More than 58% of event planners have named health and safety concerns the major obstacle to hosting live events on large scales, contributing to the loss of about $30 billion in the event planning industry in the wake of the pandemic.
PR tools, in this contest, refer to Public Relations Tools, which include news speeches and special events. PR professionals are responsible for creating news in favor of their respective companies and disseminating them using the above channels.
In January 2022, Howard Givner, the founder and executive director of Event and Leadership, predicted a drift in the corporate event trends model from revenue source to marketing vehicle during his industry presentation.
It’s attainable and likely a better alternative to the conventional model because there is no limit to the number of attendees that can partake in an online event. Inadvertently, this has become another huge window for mass communication akin to PR.
Givner referred to Microsoft’s 2020 conference and used it as an example of his prediction. In 2019, that conference recorded 6,000 attendees, with each paying $2,395 for an access ticket, but when it was made free in 2020, the number of attendees rose to 197,000.
Well, Givner’s stance is no longer a prediction but a trend in today’s event planning. Most multinational organizations have keenly adopted this event model as it gives them a wider audience while also avoiding physical contact.
You are aware that different clusters of staff in most organizations are slated for routine training in some set-aside skill acquisition facilities, right? Well, that’s what it is. Before the advent of technology adoption in corporate event planning, the training procedures were 100% in-person arrangement.
The event planners always did their thing – link the organizations to the training agencies, schedule training timing and other similar arrangements, book the fright (in some cases), and facilitate payments. The problem here is that this obsolete arrangement used to be time-consuming and capital intensive due to huge logistics.
The trending twist is that most corporate event planners lean towards the virtual model against the in-person model. This arrangement empowers organizations to organize result-oriented workshops more often with little financial input.
A recent survey showed that about 75% of the meeting and event industry professionals are angling for new skills to help them design live experiences in the present-day physical environment.
It is normal for an event planner to ask for relevant data from the event hosts to enable them to deliver quality and effective programs. Data collection passes as one of the top trends in event planning because that seems to be what everyone is asking for.
In the meeting and event industry, comprehensive data helps planners meet ever-dynamic customer expectations.
Freeman CFO, Chris Cavanaugh, confirms his desire and quest for data collection whenever the need to organize any event arises. Doing so guarantees success and the possibility of surpassing customers’ expectations. One of the important driving forces behind data collection for event planning is the struggles for online engagement.
For instance, a virtual event is not what it is called without a detailed collection of data. This is the direction the world has taken. Of course, the virtual approach to event planning has its shortfalls. People tend to miss certain important sessions due to related factors such as “Zoom fatigue.” This is why 100% virtual is not ideal in some cases, but a clean balance must be drawn while new findings are made.
Your event tells a lot about you. Do you know what this means? When people gather to honor your event, in-person or virtual, they tend to attribute their rating of such event to your individuality! Smart Works Agency saves you the stress of running around searching for an event planner and thereby making trials and errors. Smart Works Agency is a top-rated event organizer covering audiovisual, streaming, virtual, gala dinner, etc..… You can be sure of getting your expectations surpassed.