The 2018 Event Planner Expo brought new light to planning a corporate event and gave us a glimpse of how much innovation we have to look forward to. As we look into 2019, the industry is looking stronger than ever! To help event profs prepare for the new year, we’d like to review some of the more notable industry trends that are surfacing.
Some old event planning habits will fall behind as new event trends begin to emerge in the industry this coming year. Corporate Event Planners who want to stay relevant need to be aware of what 2019 will bring. When planning a corporate event in 2019, here are some of the top event trends to keep in mind!
The Meeting and Event Industry is on The Rise
The global meetings and events industry are growing across all regions of the world. This is driving expected increases in size, length, and budget when planning a corporate event. In addition, businesses are recognizing the impact of meetings and events to their company’s revenue and brand. On top of that, the rise in use of digital communications along with social media are enabling face-to-face meetings, discussions, and networking.
Using Alternative Venues When Planning a Corporate Event
In an effort to entice attendees and produce more engaging experiences, more Event Profs are exploring alternative meeting venues and destinations when planning a corporate event. Locations such as historic buildings, museums, and sports arenas (to name a few) will keep events on trend and stimulating in 2019.
Technology is the Core of Creativity and Engagement
New technological advancements like augmented reality, virtual reality, artificial intelligence and the Internet will bring on a whole new level of experience to attendees. Keep that in mind when planning your next corporate event because these revolutionary technologies will help event profs to continue to meet their attendees’ expectations. This will be the key to delivering a more engaging meeting and event experience.
Experiential Marketing
Experiential Marketing is an event trend that will remain strong in 2019 when planning a corporate event. It has made quite an impact over the past few years, offering innovations into how the audience interacts with brands.
Experiential marketing activations promote brand-audience loyalty, attracting more sponsors and increasing the ROI. Not only do they add a logo to a pamphlet, but they do encourage experiences with brands that will make people remember even after the event, potentially sharing on social media.
A report titled “Brand Experience for Millennials” by the Freeman agency states that the days when the audience were pleased with being passive while listening to long-winded product presentations are over. Today, content needs to be about exploration and discovery, putting the audience in an active position.
An example of this event trend:
In 2009, the automotive industry was starting to choose more environmentally friendly products and Volkswagen decided that making people´s habits healthier would be part of its branding. And it would need to happen by people having fun! So it was born “The Fun Theory”: fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better. They set an experiential marketing activation in Stockholm, Sweden, by turning a subway staircase into a Piano.
Example Link: https://youtu.be/SByymar3bds
Moreover, meetings and events are often impacted by safety and security threats. Cybersecurity is becoming an increasing fear when planning a corporate event, mainly for attendees that connect to unsecured event Wi-Fi networks. Travel interruptions, traffic accidents, and probable health matters often cause logistical nightmares for meeting attendees.
Have you heard about any of the upcoming corporate event trends for 2019? Tell us which you think will be most engaging when planning a corporate event in the upcoming year!
