12 New Trends in the Events Industry You Must Follow in 2024
The events industry have seen many changes over time, especially in the last couple of years. As new technologies continue to disrupt how people experience events, the industry is reinvented to keep up with these improvements. From virtual and hybrid events to artificial intelligence, events trends are changing the way people interact with each other and the world around them. In this post, we’ll talk about 12 new trends in the events industry to follow in 2024. Continue reading to learn more about the future of event planning and management.
I. Why Is the Events Industry Changing so Fast?
Now more than ever, interests and information are constantly evolving. What used to be commonplace becomes outdated with new words and concepts such as the FOMO factor arising. It is no surprise that an industry built on people's interests would need to adapt as fast as these changes.
Moreover, as new areas of interest, entertainment and technology arise, the events industry needs to keep up the pace to continue bringing people together. The audience is becoming more demanding and are not interested in events that lack planning, information and adequate space.
Event professionals are recognized for their expertise in planning large scale events. They're also becoming more involved in other aspects of business, such as marketing and sales. What was just a part of entertainment and selling products in the past is now a whole industry. And this new event industry has its own trends and technologies.
II. Trends in Events Industry to Expect in 2024
What can we, as event professionals, expect and start planning for 2024 in terms of new trends in the event industry? Below, we have carefully compiled and listed 12 emerging event trends that we believe will be relevant and influential for this year.
1. The Continued Rise of Virtual and Hybrid Events
Virtual and hybrid events have become increasingly popular in recent years, and this trend is expected to continue in 2024 event trends. There are a number of reasons for this, including the convenience and accessibility of virtual and hybrid events, as well as their ability to reach a wider audience.
One of the biggest benefits of virtual events is that they can be attended from anywhere in the world. This means that event organizers can reach a much wider audience than they would be able to with a traditional in-person event. Additionally, virtual events can be much more cost-effective to produce than in-person events.
Hybrid events are events that combine elements of both in-person and virtual events, therefore, offering the best of both worlds. Hybrid events can reach a wider audience than in-person events, while still providing the benefits of face-to-face interaction.
2. Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) for Events
AR has become an increasingly popular form of entertainment. It allows users to interact with virtual environments and virtual objects using smartphones and other devices. This new technology is being used by businesses to enhance customer service, provide additional information, and even sell products.
VR is an emerging trend in the event industry too. It's quickly gaining popularity because it provides event guests a realistic experience. VR headsets allow people to immerse themselves into a completely different world. They can see what others cannot, and they can feel as though they are there. In addition to providing a more immersive experience, VR also provides a unique opportunity to engage customers in ways that were previously impossible.
Many famous technology events, such as E3 and BlizzCon, use VR to showcase their new games. Some even offer a space to test this technology in new consoles. Moreover, it’s used to increase health habits in the gaming industry and keep people moving in their leisure time.
It’s important to consider that gamification is expanding to different areas to help people learn and develop new skills. Consequently, AR and VR play a huge part in making people practice their skills. For 2024, we can expect an expansion in events with VR areas and gamification. So start planning your next event with this new industry trend, and get ahead of the competition!
3. The Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence is already in use in a variety of ways in the events industry, from chatbots that answer attendee questions to AI-powered event recommendation engines. In 2024, we can expect to see even more innovative uses of AI in events, such as AI-powered event planning and promotion tools and AI-powered attendee personalization.
For example, AI can help create engaging event headlines and descriptions to better promote events to their specific audience. Also, AI can help identify patterns in attendee data and make predictions about attendee behaviour. This information can then be used to create personalized experiences for attendees, such as recommending specific sessions or networking events.
4. Social Media as an Event Promotion Tool
As social media continues to play an increasingly large role in the lives of consumers, it too becomes important for event organizers. According to a recent survey conducted by Eventbrite, 64% of the attendees said they will make their decisions about which events to go based on what they saw online.
Therefore, using social media platforms, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, to promote events is an events industry trend that is here to stay. We understand social media doesn't replace traditional advertising methods, such as flyers or even word-of-mouth marketing. However, it still has an effect on how people find information and decide whether or not to attend an event.
Furthermore, social media is still one of the best ways to measure success and acceptance for events and ideas. Our suggestion? Make partnerships with new and potential digital influencers and keep good professionals running your social media pages.
A major technology trend for the event industry is social media integration. As more and more people turn to social networks to learn about events and share their experiences, event planners must ensure their event promotion tools can integrate with these platforms.
5. Live streaming events to attract attendees
More people than ever before are watching live streams online. Also, companies are beginning to use live streaming technology to broadcast their products and services. Most of these live streaming are in the format of an event. In our view, this events trend is expected to continue in 2024.
Millennials and Gen Z are more likely than older generations to attend events and engage with brands. They also tend to be more open to new experiences and innovative ideas. It plays a huge deal on why many famous brands are becoming more interested in making partnerships with digital influencers than advertising in magazines or billboards.
6. Mobile technology is changing how people attend events
Attendees are increasingly using mobile devices to access information about events. In fact, more than half (52%) of attendees use smartphones at events, according to a recent survey by Eventbrite. This event trend is expected to continue as more people become accustomed to using mobile devices.
In recent years, there has been an explosion of mobile applications designed specifically for events. These apps allow users to search for events, view event schedules, make reservations, and even purchase tickets. While these apps aren’t yet as prevalent as other forms of social media, they are growing in popularity and becoming an event industry trend.
As for event organizers, not using mobile technologies means you may be losing time and money. A recent research by Bizzabo shows that 72% of event organizations believe event technologies to play a crucial role in event planning and management nowadays.
Developing an app or using an event software, such as Timely event management system, can change the way you plan events for the best. As an event planner, you can use event technologies to plan events remotely. You can also share your events on social media and newsletters to increase your events awareness and popularity.
7. 5G Integration
Get ready for a game-changer with the arrival of 5G tech in events! Brace yourself for lightning-fast and super reliable communication that will empower event planners. With the deployment of 5G networks, events can benefit from significantly faster and more reliable data transmission. This means quicker internet speeds, lower latency, and improved network capacity.
Event organizers can leverage 5G to enable seamless virtual interactions, real-time streaming, and enhanced engagement among attendees. The integration of 5G in events facilitates the creation of more dynamic and interactive experiences, ensuring that participants can enjoy a smoother and more responsive digital environment.
8. Accessibility for Digital and In-Person Events
In our opinion, accessibility is not only a trend for the event industry, but a must. However, many event organizers are still unsure on how to find accessible venues or make their events accessible, even when it comes to virtual events. How can one make events more accessible to everyone?
We are certain that, in 2024, people and organizations will value digital accessibility and adherence to accessibility agreements. Event professionals will have to learn how to use technology to improve accessibility. This includes becoming familiar with screen readers and voice recognition tools, for example.
We are already witnessing an upsurge of job fairs and entertainment opportunities tailored for disabled people. We expect that event venues will soon implement accessibility standards to further promote inclusivity.
9. Sustainability as a New Events Trend Rule
In the past, we developed technologies without paying much mind to what they were doing to our environment. Nowadays, we're concerned about the effects these new technological advancements are having on the world around us. So we find ways of developing clean energy solutions while still maintaining our lifestyles. The events industry is no exception. There is a great need to adapt and promote sustainable events going into 2024.
In fact, the COP26 Sustainability Report made great research about sustainable events and how to promote them. Among the most important aspects in planning these events are economic and climate concerns, partnerships, promotion of sustainable behaviour, encouragement of healthy living, using responsible sources and leaving a sustainable legacy. Many technological aspects and energy sources are becoming cleaner.
In 2024, these measurements will play a huge deal on how people behave and which events they choose to attend. We are becoming more conscious of our legacy and the world around us, and so it will be for the technologies and services we promote. For this reason, we have included sustainability in our 2024 event trends list.
10. The Increasing Importance of Data in Event Trends
Data is becoming increasingly important in the events industry. Event planners are using data to track attendee behaviour, measure event success, and make informed decisions about future events. This is being driven by the fact that data can provide valuable insights into what is working and what is not.
In 2024, we can expect to see even more investment in data analytics tools and technologies. Event planners are realizing the value of data, and they are increasingly looking for ways to collect, analyze, and use data to their advantage.
11. Privacy & Security for Events
Privacy regulation is changing fast. Personal data from customers is now considered as sensitive as financial information in many parts of the world. It shows us how important we are as consumers and also tells us how well we need to handle our attendees’ data.
What type of personal information can we collect from our event registrants? How should we store their personal information? For what purposes can we use their data? How long can we keep the data on our servers? For how long can we send marketing emails to past event attendees?
By 2024, event organizers need to be extra careful with how they handle event data. For example, attendee's personal and financial information. As we become increasingly reliant on the digital sphere, our primary mission should be to make it as secure as we can.
For that reason, we predict an intensification of the security and privacy regulations and training as a new events industry trend for the year of 2024. Topics such as sensitive data, payments, and software engineering for event management will be very popular among event professionals.
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12. Blockchain for Event Security
Forget its usual role in digital money – blockchain's superpower lies in keeping event data safe and sound. From tickets to attendee info, nothing's getting messed with, thanks to its super-secure and unchangeable nature.
Going beyond its traditional application in digital currencies, the decentralized and tamper-resistant features of blockchain emerge as critical safeguards for a spectrum of event-related elements. Acting as a secure bedrock, blockchain not only minimizes risks but also strengthens confidence in all event transactions. It stands as a novel and robust solution, addressing security challenges with an innovative approach, ensuring the trustworthiness of the entire event ecosystem.
III. How to Take Advantage of 2024 Event Trends?
Many event organizers and brands are already working towards these changes. Some are just getting to know them, some are already on top of them. If you want to expedite this process, you can always count on technology to help you take advantage of these event trends faster.
Timely event software solutions are here to help you. It offers not only an event listing system for your website, but also a powerful event management software. It has all the necessary tools to start planning an event, promoting it online, receiving payments, managing attendees list and even issuing refunds with just a few clicks.
Aside from having the highest standards of information security and controls, our event management system is compliant with all major global privacy laws. Moreover, it is completely accessible, which also improves event SEO and how your attendees navigate through your event calendar online.
If you want to take advantage of all new trends in the events industry, Timely events software is the perfect tool for you. Talk to us to know more about our amazing features and all we can do for you!
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