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25.01.2024
Event Trends to Look Out for in 2024
Navigating a shifting industry can be a challenge, but also offers exciting opportunities for 2024. Empowerment, experience and meaning can be made practical. Take the lead with these 3 key event trends.
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The past few years have pushed forth a transformation. A variety of large scale developments have been shaking up the corporate world for a while now. Navigating a shifting industry can be a challenge, but also offers new possibilities for 2024.
Modern-day audiences crave excitement and care about the deeper layer. This is the ideal time to win them over with a meaningful experience that sparks conversation. It’s an opportunity waiting to be taken. So, let’s take a look at three major event trends, and how they can transform your next event.
Don’t wait around. Take the lead.
1. Generative AI
After last year’s launch into common life, generative AI has grown from a fun novelty to both a useful and controversial tool. As with each new technological development, we are yet to uncover its full potential. It fuels debate on originality, creativity, and ethics – but also overflows with potential. With the right approach generative AI can significantly boost your event.
Tip: Use generative AI to foster connection.
Where technological inventions often replace human interaction, generative AI can be used to empower it instead. This tool takes a transactional experience – such as Googling information – and makes it personal.How to use in a live experience:
Have your guests create prompts beforehand describing the main theme of your event. For example, have them finish sentences such as “If I were to compare X to a travel destination, it would be…” or “If X was a playlist, it would sound like…” Perhaps you set up a generative AI station at the event itself, and let your guests experiment with such prompts on the spot. Or use these prompts to prepare for your event instead. The theme, the music, or something as elementary as the welcome speech could reference the answers. All options to show your guests that their input is valued.
AI cannot replace. But it can empower.
2. Improved Multi-Sensory Experience
“Multi-sensory” has been a buzz word for quite some time. For many of us its meaning has become “great visuals and good audio”. This leaves plenty of senses disengaged: taste, smell and touch.
The quality of our personal devices has been raising the bar for a while now. Visuals and sound alone are no longer enough to impress audiences. This makes for the ideal moment to add another sense to the mix.
Tip: Enhance your audio-visual experience with physical attributes.
Create opportunities for your guests to physically interact with. We have seen time and time again how the majority of guests find such an opportunity irresistible. Encourage curiosity and watch engagement grow.
How to use in a live experience:
Add pieces of decor that guests can touch, or have to walk through. Hand out coloured glasses that allow guests to see images or parts of text that were previously unclear. Add a sense of touch to your multi-sensory experience.
For the recent Project Playground event we collaborated with caterer Hete Peper and decorator Boozed to create a day of inspiration surrounding the theme of sustainability. The speeches discussed the theme, show moments turned it visual, decor made it immersive and catering gave opportunities to interact with the theme. This collaboration turned a theme into a true experience.
3. Purpose-Driven Is the Norm
Advancement in one area always pushes forth a need for the opposite. With increased reliance on technology, there’s a contrary trend towards immersive and transformative group experiences in unique settings.
While online meetings and conferences are no longer lawfully required, digitalisation of corporate life continues to grow. With excellent digital accommodations, live interactions take place less frequently. However, the desire for such interactions still persists. This shifts face-to-face events from a commodity to a special occasion.
Tip: Make your guests’ event journey a meaningful one through distinct experience design.
An experience needs context. From the moment you enter the event location all the way to the networking drinks. When the full event journey carries the same message, that’s when all experiences combined become meaningful. Especially when networking-goals are in play.
A meaningful experience doesn’t happen on its own. It is a journey.
How to use in a live experience:
A core message gains impact when the moments leading up to it give momentum. The most important moment of an event is often established as the main presentation. By sprinkling hints throughout the event in design, side entertainment, music, and such you introduce the experience. Catch your guests’ attention with a show moment custom-made for your message, and the stage is set for the key presenter. All that’s left is to drive your point home.
