Like much of the business world, the live event world is going to be changed by numerous forces, including COVID-19. While COVID-19 moves into the rearview mirror for most of the United States, other trends and cultural shifts are happening. Anyone who tracks pop culture trends at all will appreciate that self-care, wellness, diversity, sustainability, and personalization are recurring themes. Event management has to incorporate at least a few of those themes going forward.
What to Expect
Depending on your business, at least one of these five trends is likely to be critically important. This summary is deliberately at a high level, but it should be easy to see how these trends might apply to a specific industry or company.
1 – Diversity
Expect diversity to be an ongoing theme, in terms of marketing, entertainment, event venue owners. Diversity also means diverse voices matter. You can take interpret that in several ways. An industry event should include a speaker or two with iconoclastic ideas. A music industry event might highlight a marginalized voice or an overlooked subgenre.
2 – Multifunction and Multipurpose Use
Multipurpose things, locations, and structures are becoming the norm. Think about ways to make something serve two purposes, like a “swag bag” the promotes a charity or a future event. Look for ways to provide a second and third benefit or make every element perform an additional function, in other words.
3 – Mindfulness and Well-Being
Mindfulness and general well-being are trending. One reason for this is obvious. But the pandemic also seems to have brought the question of self-care to the forefront for many people. A trade show might incorporate mindfulness or reminders about self-care in one way, a music event in another. Planners or managers of these events might want to think about the whole “self-care” trend and how to use it.
4 – Personalization and Customization
Attendees and potential attendees are going to increasingly expect a tailored experience at the event. This goes way beyond personalized email reminders or pre-printed name tags at a trade show. Create a conference app that attendees and distributors can use before, during, and after. Create an event app for your music, movies, or shows. Make that app mobile-friendly, of course. Create a way for attendees at a huge trade, book, or music event to customize their schedules.
5 – Sustainability
Sustainability has been trending for some time and this is likely to remain the case. Don’t ignore your event’s carbon footprint or waste. Think about recycling, reuse, renewable energy, and water conservation. If your event peddles products, make sure to offer environmentally responsible, fair trade, or recycled materials.
Seasoned strategy and business development people dealt with a variety of changes over the years. Endeavors SVP of Strategy and Business Development David Geithner has navigated many changes in entertainment and events over the years.
Looking Further Ahead
Who knows what might be trending in two years. Augmented reality could be involved. Virtual reality could be used more and more. Live events are going to remain a part of our culture and a part of business practice in entertainment, but what people expect to get at their events will continue to evolve.
Daniel Bailey is a known content writer from California, USA. He writes content in different niches such as social media marketing, finance, business, etc. He’s a day time blogger and night time reader currently working for some blogs. He enjoys pie, as should all right-thinking people.
