The secret to event success? Culture creation

Meetings and events need to create successful cultures to thrive, according to the IBTM World Trends Report 2023.

Launched at the meetings industry trade show IBTM World, in Barcelona, this year’s report explores the cultural changes that are currently taking place in the business world, including sustainability, DEI, the metaverse, ethical business and the dynamic office, and examines how these may affect the sector. It also looks at business trends across different sectors, experience trends and regional trends from across the world.

The report’s author, Alistair Turner of EIGHT PR, said: “Like companies, events need to create successful cultures; for delegates, ones that show empathy and understanding; for organisers, ones that nurture, grow, and reward them. To create events with great cultures, we need to understand the changes in our global, business and industry cultures. That is what this year’s report is really all about.

“One of the things that we, as an industry, also need to be aware of is how future fit we are. One of the biggest issues facing events at the time of writing is resource: people and material. How can we encourage the next generation of talent to choose our industry for their careers? How hard are we working to reach every corner of society, regardless of race, colour, or creed, and to attract and make them feel welcome in our businesses and organisations?

“Is our culture one that aligns with the values of the next generation? One that prizes ethics and strong values, that cares about each other as well as the planet, that invests in wellbeing and that leaves positive legacy? This is the experience generation; how welcoming are we, the experience creators, as an industry that they may wish to join?”

Organisations are more motivated than ever to demonstrate that they care for the social issues that their customers care about, says event strategist Kim Myhre of Xdesigned.com in the report.

“In the UK, for example, there are more than 17 million millennials that make up the largest generational workforce, they are digitally enabled with access to more immediate information about the world around them, and they want to associate with brands that care about the issues that are important to them," he says. “As digital, virtual, and hybrid experiences become the ‘new normal’ for building brand communities, opportunities will emerge for corporate brands to build social purpose initiatives that extend well beyond the traditional live event.”

To read the full report, download it here.

Source: AMI