Event trends for 2019 – an expert insight where the industry is going
Event industry keeps up with the changes in the environment and is constantly evolving. At the beginning of the New Year, let’s look at the directions the industry is going in 2019. Read the article and keep up with event trends.
Changes are a certainty in every business and the same applies to the event industry. When the whole year comes to an end, companies lean over their results and evaluate the effects. This way, they know what kind of events shoot up the companies’ to the top of the most successful ones and what didn’t work at all.
Therefore, the beginning of the year is a perfect time to draw some conclusions and look forward. Let’s check what 2019 will bring us when it comes to the event industry news. Next, try to implement the approach in your strategies to ensure better effects at the end of the current year.
Our guest
Olga Krzemińska-Zasadzka – Managing Director of Power Agency, PowerSport and DMC Poland. Olga graduated from Warsaw School of Economics and Leon Kozminski Academy. She’s a founder and member of the Event Industry Association, member of Incentive Travels Association, Polish Congress and Conference Association and Society of Incentive Travel Excellence. She was a jury member of the prestigious contest – Eventex Awards. Olga combines the curiosity of adventurer and the persistence of the sporting spirit which allows her to rock one of the most stressful industries of the world.
Where is the event industry going in 2019?
During the previous year, we could observe many trends. Some of them took events to a new level, while others were just attractions that required eye-watering budget but gave nothing in return. They will continue to rock the industry. However, what will the organizers’ approach look like for the next 12 months?
More doesn’t always mean better at events
Recently, when it comes to events, there’s a popular misconception that the more you invest in the popular attractions and mindblowing special effects the more enjoyable and successful it will get. Focusing on this approach, not entirely wrong, organizers started to forget about the basics that ensure attendees satisfaction.
Therefore, 2019 should be about going back to the basics and taking special care about the core organizational aspects. What you want to do is to stop for a minute and think whether you have the basic elements covered and have it under control. Ensure that every participant (and yes, it’s not only about the attendees, but also speakers, exhibitors, partners and so on) is left with good experience and warm feelings toward your brand.
Sometimes, while going big, you can get lost in overthinking the purpose. You look for the way to make your endeavor the most impressive and that’s ok. However, it’s time to also remember that the satisfaction and pleasant event experience lies in the basic things such as check-in procedure, efficient tickets booking system or easy journey to, around and from the venue.
Taking care of the core aspects don’t have to exclude the use of impressive features such as VR technology or more. Technology is there for us, but let’s keep the basics in mind in the new event season.
Speaking of tech solutions…
We’re going to go arm in arm with technologies
New inventions of technology are spreading around the world (and across the industries) at a very fast pace. The implementation of new solutions is the obvious thing. However, sometimes the implementation is treated separately to traditional actions. As the marketing professor Mark Ritson says: “ Digital Marketing is just marketing” and it’s time to treat it that way, also when it comes to events.
What that means is that we, the event organizers, need to acknowledge the fact that all the digital actions are now the standard ones. Therefore, what you put in those channels should be coherent with the whole communication. Also, event promotion and management will be put into smartphones and mobile platforms, such as Eventory, to let you make the process more efficient and easily manage all of the channels.
Technology will be also your partner in crime when it comes to increasing the event engagement.
Engage them all (the increasing importance of experiential events)
During the year we were stressing out the efficiency of experiential marketing in events, especially while dealing with Millennials. It’s one of the tendencies that will still be accurate in 2019. A study finds that through experiencing the event, attendees remember the brand better. Then it contributes to the increase in sales, better recognition and also, more positive connotations – given that the experience was good.
Therefore, the event industry will continue providing unforgettable and joyful experiences, also those improvised, as out expert, Olga Krzemińska-Zasadzka observes:
Knowing this, events will continue its shift from being rather passive to a more active approach. By using a variety of tools that can improve the engagement you can start the interaction with participants. They not only sit and listen to the speakers but also have the chance to actively interact with them. Open polls, live questions, ongoing communication with organizer and partners is the key to enhance both the satisfaction with the event and its ROI.
The mentioned direction in which the event industry is heading leads to implementing event management tools that will definitely become even more effective weapon in the organizers’ hands. That’s why it’s the right time for you to see the importance of such software.
We’re going to be more specific with the target audience
Big, multilayered conferences with many topics covered are still an attendees’ thing to look for on the event calendar but to make your event strategy the most profitable you should go for a specified target audience.
Nowadays, what makes an event a must-attend and satisfactory one is the value it provides to the participants. To ensure that they will get what they need and desire, you need to focus on the thorough analysis of their preferences. There are at least two ways to make an impression – going wild with out-of-place budget and luxurious impetus or rather the opposite. Choosing the right niche for achieving your event goals can also do the work of the first option, but with much less money to spend.
Wrap up
The event industry for years works hard to stabilize the value events can bring to the business. It’s good to observe as it develops and grows big.
These mentioned above aspects are just a couple of main tendencies that can be observed in the events at the very start of 2019. As you can see, these aspects and trends interpenetrate, stressing out that the best experiences and fit to the target needs will still be the key of organizers’ struggle. One thing is clear – we will have the year of the event importance growth.
