Top Trends for Event Planners in 2017
When you’re creating an event experience, it’s important to think about how you can make it memorable and awesome for your guests. In today’s saturated environment of parties and events, it’s more important than ever to host an event that stands out in the minds of your guests. Thankfully, there are a lot of new technologies, strategies and activities that you can incorporate into your planning to execute your event smoothly and make sure it leaves a mark. Here are some of the top trends for event planners to embrace in 2017.
Share Event Experiences
One of the downfalls of hosting live events is that not everyone can make them. Now, attendees can share experiences with invited guests who weren’t able to be there in person. Mixed reality allows physical and digital objects to coexist and interact in real time, and it’s becoming one of the hottest trends in the events industry. People can digitally walk through venues and interact with others as if they were physically there. Technologies such as Bridge and Structure are soon going to become mainstream, so event planners can use them at any event. You can also expect to see more live streaming via drones.
Increase Engagement With AI
Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is going to have a big impact on event planning this year. AI assistants such as Siri and Alexa can be implemented to provide an extra boost of personalization for events. You can have a chatbot be a personal concierge at any event. They learn by observing questions and responses from tons of different users and then applying that information to unique experiences. Event planners can use AI as a digital event assistant to help with anything from registering guests to planning and budgeting for meals.
Amazingly Engaging Experiences
Keeping your event audience engaged is more important than ever. Activities should be fulfilling, and guests should be excited to participate in them. Emotion is going to play a bigger role, and event planners should tap into the promise of emotionally intelligent events such as experience area and sensory lounges to keep participants stimulated and immersed. These experiences should be tailored for specific demographics; twenty-somethings react differently to certain experiences than senior citizens.
Use Local Flavor
Another trend you’ll see is enhancing the event experience with local aspects like culture, cuisines, craft beers and music to evoke an emotional connection and to personalize the event. This is all part of creating a uniquely authentic experience. For example, a hotel could host an event with booths offering food from some of the city’s most popular restaurants.
Nontraditional Locations
Things like surprise pop-up events have been exploding in popularity lately. Event planners are finding unlikely places and remodeling them to fit the brand’s identity, and then presenting offerings from this space for a short time. It’s a great way to tap into the in-the-know phenomenon because most people find out about the space by word of mouth.
Positive Messages
This year, it’s more important than ever to make a social impact with your events. Leaving a positive message and having an event that promotes diversity, environmental friendliness and a sense of giving back to the community — all of these things help to spread a positive message and create an emotional experience for guests.
Event planning largely boils down to creating unforgettable events. Incorporating these trends into your event management will help you leave a lasting impression on your guests and increase your chances of pulling off an awesome event.