Trends shaping events in 2024 and beyond

Rising attendee expectations, how to balance event costs and the role AI were some of the topics debated at Cvent’s recent annual trends forecast webinar.

Participants, including senior executives from Cvent, Evolve Events and Eight PR & Marketing, outlined the key issues set to take centre stage this year.

Unique experiences

Venues are supporting experience-first events. Planner bookings are on the increase, but not just for typical event locations such as ballrooms or hotels - think venues offering unique experiences. As Alex Platia, director, product marketing at Cvent outlines, special venues that can heighten experiences are in demand.

“There’s four core reasons for this - cost control, (the desire for) flexible event spaces, aesthetics and outdoor space,” he said. “Budget is always going to be at the top of a planner's concerns; it’s imperative to be acutely aware of how much each aspect of an event costs because you just can't overpay. Unique, special venues offer that breath of fresh air - and as corporate events are not often their primary source of income, they can be more flexible with pricing.”

He adds that outdoor spaces are also proving popular as they are primed for social sharing, from an outdoor patio on a golf course, to the view from a field or a stadium.

AI development

The industry is at an early stage when it comes to AI. This year will see event planners and marketers continuing to experiment with AI tools. “You can use generative AI specifically to create content for your website or for email and social media campaigns,” said Victoria Akinsowon, team lead, content marketing at Cvent. “Use AI to get feedback on whether that content really resonates - it’s about using AI to enhance that event experience but you need to understand what your attendees want.”

She added that AI can help to analyse feedback surveys, identifying patterns in attendee responses that you can build on to further understand attendees’ preferences, gaining insights into how you can improve future events.

Engagement patterns

Attendees now have shifting engagement patterns and expectations at events. “Content has got to go from being taught to being much more interactive,” said Mike Dietrich, VP, product marketing at Cvent. “Increasingly, the time and dollar investment that attendees are putting into an event have to bring return on skills, so we’re seeing skills-based content come to the fore.” Dietrich pointed to how sessions such as hands-on training and technology tours were oversubscribed at a recent Cvent user conference.

Networking early

Make sure that attendees have a chance to start connecting and building their network long before the event starts. “Make networking smarter - AI can know your title, your organisation and what sessions you're interested in and registered for,” said Dietrich. “Making this data available to attendees can help them start smart - connecting with others who share similar titles in similar industries or with similar interests.”

Provide more networking opportunities too - not just on the last day at a party, but from day one, giving attendees the chance to learn more throughout the course of an event.

Leverage an event’s greatest hits

Extend an event’s engagement year-round. Cvent noted a trend towards leveraging event content, hosting it in a digital destination and continuing to drive audiences to that content year-round, highlighting its ‘greatest hits’. Organisations are also marketing and merchandising upcoming events next to this content. Potential attendees can therefore see content and networking options from a past event and start to see how the next event could benefit them, and perhaps register from this interface.

Marketing power

Events are shifting further towards marketing. There is a closer alignment between event and marketing teams, as well as a change in reporting structure, with an increasing number of events teams reporting to marketing.

“This highlights the recognition that events are bringing strategic value, and that overall marketing efforts and events are really part and parcel of that omnichannel marketing strategy,” said Akinsowon.

“Marketing budgets reflect this too, with around 14% of a marketing budget dedicated to events. Clearly, marketers are prioritising events as a marketing channel to help achieve specific goals, whether that's to drive leads, to increase revenue and sales pipeline or build brand awareness.”

Akinsowon added that it is also important to touch on the alignment of event objectives with overall marketing goals. “Both teams really need to come together to work on developing event programmes, content and promotional strategies that target the right audience, to really drive impact and support those wider organisational goals,” she said.

Emergence of event technologists

Around a quarter of organisations now have a dedicated event technologist, according to research from Hanover, but most organisations believe this role will only become more important over the next few years.

“The (event technologist) role is really understanding those event management and planning processes, but also having a deep knowledge of technology,” said Akinsowon. “Event technologists may focus on things like managing the event tech stack, finding new and innovative tech solutions to implement at your events, and monitoring relevant KPIs like app adoption or engagement rates.”