Trends in corporate events held at business event platforms have been changing rapidly in recent years. There is so much at stake when you host an event. That's why it's important to keep up with new trends in the corporate event industry to make your events more successful than ever.
We gathered insights from meetings, conversations, and reports with event industry experts, analysts, and our clients from top Fortune 500 companies to identify 13 corporate event trends that will shape the event industry in 2024.
The popularity of hybrid events, including hybrid conferences, has grown steadily over the past few years. In 2022, 71% of organizations with more than 5,000 employees had hybrid events in their portfolio (Markletic). This event industry trend is expected to grow in the new year.
A new generation of event planners has seen how a combination of virtual and on-site elements can increase event sustainability and accessibility. As such, they are pushing for the events industry to keep moving in that direction.
But there is another reason why hybrid events will be one of the top event trends in 2024.
The desire of the event participants to meet in person is record high. But event planners are hesitant to go back to completely in-person events for two reasons: travel costs and venue costs.
Energy, fuel prices and inflation are rising rapidly around the world. This will force event organizers to host more hybrid events to avoid the high costs of hosting a traditional in-person event.
"Omni-channel marketing campaigns using three or more channels in any campaign generated 287% more purchases than campaigns using a single-channel campaign." (Omnisend).
So, just think about how powerful a multi-channel event strategy can be. Event marketers understand this. That's why omnichannel events are one of the big corporate event trends in 2024.
Undoubtedly, people are more likely to buy your product or service after seeing it at an event. So, create an experience that starts well before your event launches and continues long after it ends, personalize your messaging, and leverage multiple digital channels to create a customized journey for your customers. And you will probably see your income skyrocket in the new year.
Implementing an omnichannel event strategy is one of the best ways to connect your customers with your brand and increase brand loyalty.
A cookie-free future is fast approaching. But all is not lost for marketers. Own data is still available, giving companies an invaluable competitive edge and improving business results, sales and marketing efforts.
And what's the best way to get first hand data? Through events.
According to Accenture, 83% of customers are willing to share their data to personalize their experience.
When you organize exciting events, attendees will be more than happy to share their experiences with you. After all, they want to get the most out of your event. And they want a personalized experience.
That's why one of the new year's event trends is that marketers will be scheduling more events to capture this all-important data. This will help them make their events more personalized and effective by creating a better customer experience based on what they know about their audience.
Just a little reminder: make sure you're transparent about collecting your own data and explain to participants how you'll use it.
The more you use data to measure the effectiveness of your events, the better you will be able to plan for the future. That's why this corporate event trend will be a top priority for event marketers in the new year.
If an event doesn't achieve its goals, it could be a waste of time and money that you could use elsewhere. If the event was successful, you'll want to know why so you can use this in future events.
There are now many event platforms and mobile applications that allow you to measure a huge amount of data, such as:
To take full advantage of event data, you need to be able to measure your success and make adjustments as needed. This means creating clear goals and objectives for your event and then comparing against those goals.
After all, if attending an annual conference or convention is the most important thing, but it turned out that people actually enjoyed meeting in small groups during breaks in sessions - and because of this they were more likely to attend future events - you should know that next time you give visitors what they want: small groups with lots of opportunities to interact.
Dig into event data to find out what worked well and what didn't. And you will plan future events that will shine brighter than before.
With more and more concerns about the environment and the future of our planet, it's no surprise that event sustainability is a big corporate event trend in the new year. And this event industry trend is not going away anytime soon!
According to Mark Bannister (CTO and Operations Director of COP26), there is a lot of support to make the event industry more sustainable.
In fact, COP26 released the report to encourage event organizers to follow in their footsteps and run more sustainable events. Here are some of the actions they have taken to make their event as sustainable as possible:
Another way to reduce your event's carbon footprint in the new year is to host more virtual and hybrid events.
Sustainability of your events will help them stand out from the crowd in the new year. You will show your visitors that you care about their well-being and the climate.
Studies show that the average American checks their phone 262 times a day! And 88% of that time is spent on mobile apps.
So, of course, one of the corporate event trends in the new year is that companies will increase their use of event apps.
People get a lot of convenience, benefits and interactivity from the mobile apps they use on a daily basis. They want the same experience at your events.
And that doesn't just mean engaging attendees in an interactive user experience during the event.
You can use your pre-event conference app to brief attendees on the agenda, speakers, and topics. You can even let them start interacting with other visitors in the feed and online tools.
And the use of your event mobile app doesn't stop when your event ends. You can upload your content on demand and allow members to continue sharing and building relationships with each other.
Using an event app will also help you clearly showcase your brand and collect valuable event attendee data that you might not otherwise recognize (see Corporate Events Trend #4).
Over the years, people have less and less time and less attention. That's why the corporate event trend for the new year is investing in an on-demand content hub. You can upload videos and other content from your event that your customers can choose to watch when and where they prefer.
Creating evergreen Netflix-style content after your event and storing it all in one easily accessible place will keep your customers engaged long after your event has taken place. And not only.
Creating on-demand content from your live stream with just a few clicks will help you reach a wider audience and share high-quality video content that showcases your brand in the most authentic way.
Also, having a private content hub is another way to gain valuable input (see Corporate Events Trend #3) and stay on track while boosting on-demand engagement with live applause and follow-up surveys. questions and answers, as well as applause at the time they happened during the live broadcast.
Perhaps this is a surprising trend for corporate events for the new year, because virtual events have become very popular over the past few years.
Companies expected virtual event fatigue to become a bigger problem. And we can say with confidence that this is so.
According to research by Rainfocus, "For the components of virtual events, constant innovation and adjustment will be critical to ensure that these events live up to their goals now that novelty has become obsolete."
There are a number of tactics companies can use to keep engagement high at virtual events. From short events to live streaming and gamification. And there are so many elements of virtual events that bring huge benefits and help in sustainability efforts (see even corporate trend #5). But people also crave personal elements.
So, to get the best of both worlds, hybrid events will be the event industry trend in the new year (see Corporate Events Trend #1).
Another corporate event trend for the new year is that event technologies will become more intuitive and less complex to code.
Just take a look at the recent funding Canva has raised and the acquisition of Figma. People crave simple, user-friendly solutions that don't require writing code. And the same will be true for the event industry.
At the moment, setting up the back end of the event management platform is a complex and time-consuming task. That's why many event solutions have 24/7 support and implementation teams to help prepare the event platform. And some already have no-code solutions to help you create your events.
Event technology companies are working to make their products easier to use in the new year. And some are even implementing AI (artificial intelligence) and voice technology to improve the quality of events in real time.
But we're not sure how fast this event industry trend will evolve in the new year (see corporate event trend #13).
Business cards are a relic of the past. They are impersonal and give you no value other than the initial exchange.
Real-time networking is a corporate event trend that has taken hold in recent years as more and more people turn to social media platforms to stay connected to their favorite brands, products and services.
When companies host events, they want attendees to truly feel like they're part of the brand's community, and one way for them is through real-time networking.
The Real-Time Network gives visitors the opportunity to experience your company on a personal level by interacting with other members in person or through digital channels such as forums, social media, or event apps.
As we've seen at recent events, this kind of authentic interaction can lead to strong relationships between attendees and their favorite brands, whereas business cards won't last long enough even if someone chooses to keep them after receiving them!
Event technology companies are working to improve their networking tools for mobile event apps to improve real-time networking at hybrid and in-person events.
Creating an event community has become a hot corporate event trend recently and will start in the new year.
Modern online event communities — in social networks, on communication platforms and, of course, on event platforms. And with the rise of virtual and hybrid events in recent years, event marketers have begun to wonder why activity on event platforms should only occur during the event. Visitors can also interact with content and exhibitors before and after the event.
Hence the new event trend for the new year: the events industry is moving towards a 365-day community engagement model.
By turning your subscription into an annual subscription in the new year, you can turn your event platform into a thriving online community for hosting events throughout the year. This will not only help increase the ongoing engagement of the audience. This will also help you ensure that your brand remains in the spotlight among your customers.
Some event technology providers have an event mobile app that allows you to start interacting with your community before the event and continue to communicate after the event.
When planning corporate events in the new year, remember that “experience is the new marketing.”
This corporate event trend stems from the fact that it's no longer enough to just communicate about your business or product at your events. You need to create a unique and personalized experience that will stay with your visitors long after they have finished consuming it.
When people remember their time at your event, they should be able to remember certain moments and details - the sights, sounds and smells of the day. So that they remember that this experience was incredible. An experience that not only left them satisfied, but actually changed their outlook on things.
There are a number of ways to achieve this, from hiring actors who can bring your brand story to life through performances or hosting immersive events, to running additional hands-on demos so attendees can learn more about your offerings.
By keeping these corporate event trends in mind, you will be able to succeed in your events in the new year. You can also use this information to determine which of these trends will have the biggest impact on your business or industry.
You need the right event platform to run hybrid events as part of your multi-channel strategy and get first-hand quality data.
OnlineExpo is a one-stop event platform that allows you to track multiple metrics to analyze and improve future events.
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