Conversations and awareness around events and the trends we are seeing in a post-pandemic world have become more prevalent in recent months. Where are we seeing our industry go? What are we seeing shifts towards? What will future events look like?

In this months Blog we share with you the exciting trends we expect to see at the forefront throughout 2023 and beyond.

Sustainability

Sustainability is on the rise again and 2023 will be no different, and I for one am pleased to see that.

Reducing the carbon footprint of your event can be achieved through many different actions. Reducing physical waste by providing digital communications and not printing event brochures, branding etc. is one way, as is choosing a venue closer to home, encouraging the use of public transport, building CSR programs into your events to give back to local communities and charities and working with your venue to reduce food waste for your event and ensure proper recycling.

But in today’s cost climate of ever-increasing inflation rates and increased event costs, is sustainability ready to be a decision-maker for event planners? To some perhaps, but overall I don’t think we’re quite there yet.

The industry is making huge leaps towards making events sustainable for their clients and this will continue to be a huge driver into 2023.

Value for Money

The past couple of years have demonstrated more than ever the importance of creating value for money, when event budgets were cut but expectations remained the same.

Event planners now must find ways to demonstrate the value of meetings and events to all stakeholders, including leadership and management, and justify the big expense of the organisation.

Looking ahead to 2023, cost-effective planning means booking venues far in advance and getting creative with budget-eating line items such as delegate travel and F&B. Hippo always recommend moving quickly on contracts to secure prime venues that will deliver high ROI. Also, study your existing events and work out what is a luxury and what is a necessity. What can attendees do without?

Driving towards accessibility and inclusion across the whole industry

Within the AMEX Global Event Trends Forecast, 87% of respondents said their organisations actively strived to incorporate diversity and inclusion into their meetings and events.

D&I incorporation into your events can come in all different formats. Not only does it have to focus on the food & beverage you select, but it’s also being aware and avoiding the unconscious bias’s we experience, for example in the speaker selection process or by being aware of the language used in your communications.

Ensuring your chosen venue is truly accessible is paramount. Events should offer the same opportunities to everyone, no matter the different needs they may have. Accessibility should also be a top priority when designing your events, even virtual ones. If you’re hosting an online event, include closed captioning or for a live event hire a sign language interpreter for those with hearing impairments.

Experience-first events

The past few years we see a huge shift in consumer behaviour with high street shopping. More and more we now see stores offering an experience for their customers, enticing them in and creating an everlasting memory, inducing positive emotions, which has much higher success rate than a the usual common shopping experience. And events are no different.

Through interesting venue selection you can achieve an immediate difference in your event, creating a setting which feels more memorable than a standard conference hotel. We’ve all told our friends, family or colleagues about an experience we had at an event, and that’s because it created an positive emption within you.

Immersive experiences, experiential events, pop-ups, personalisation and brand activations are just some ways to increase the attendee experience.

In-person events will dominate the market

According to Meeting & Group Business magazine, the in-person events market is set for its ‘strongest year ever’ in 2023. The 2023 AMEX Global Event Trends Forecast reported ‘booming optimism and focus on in-person meetings and events’.

Whilst Virtual events still have their uses and tend to be more cost effective for very large audiences, 2020 and 2021 very much taught us that nothing can ever replace being in the same physical room together. According to Markletic, 72% of respondents said they’d get more value out of attending a hybrid event in-person. In addition, 78% of marketers surveyed by LinkedIn reported that they want in-person events to return to a primary role, even if these events leverage virtual elements in some capacity.

Hippo offer Event Project Management and Global Venue Finding services. Contact us today on 01372 460 100 or events@hippoevents.co.uk to see how we can assist.