BA 410, Assignment 2

#transformation

10 Event Trends for 2019

10 Event Trends for 2019

C O P Y R I G H T

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page 2

10 Event Trends for 2019

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION page 5

TRANSFORMATION 8

10. PASSIVE ENGAGEMENT 10

9. CONTENT DESIGN 13

8. SEATING MATTERS 16

7. JOMO - THE JOY OF MISSING OUT 19

6. BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY 21

5. CAT SPONSORSHIP 23

4. SLOW TICKETING 25

3. READY TO BLOCKCHAIN 27

2. MARKETING BUDGETS SHIFTING MORE TO EVENTS 28

1. MORE THAN PLANNERS 30

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 31

CMP CREDITS 32

CREDITS AND THANKS 32

DISCLAIMER 32

page 3

INTERACTIVITY AT THE HEART OF YOUR MEETINGS

Liven up your presentations!

EVENIUM

ConnexMe

San Francisco/Paris [email protected]

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10 Event Trends for 2019

I am very glad to welcome you to the 8th edition of our annual

event trends. This is going to be a different one.

One element that made our event trends stand out from

the thousands of reports and articles on the topic is that we

don’t care about pleasing companies, pundits, suppliers, star

planners and the likes. Our only focus is you, the reader, to

help you navigate through very uncertain times.

This is why I decided to bring back this report, by far the most

popular in the industry, to its roots. 10 trends that will actually

materialize between now and November 2019, when we will

publish edition number nine.

I feel you have a lot going on, with your events I mean.

F&B, room blocks, sponsorship, marketing security, technology.

I think I failed you in previous editions. I think I gave you too

much. This report will be the most concise and strategic piece

of content you will need for next year.

If you don’t read anything else this year, it’s fine. As long as you

read the next few words.

INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION -

Julius Solaris EventMB Editor

page 5

10 Event Trends for 2019

How did I come up with these trends?

~ As part of this report, we reviewed 350 events. Some of the most successful worldwide.

~ Last year we started a community with a year-long trend watch. That helped us to constantly research new things happening in the industry.

~ We have reviewed north of 300 event technology solutions for our reports, case studies and reviews.

~ We ran two invite-only events last year. As part of the selection process, I interviewed, by phone, 150 event planners and marketers in North America,

asking them about what is challenging them.

~ Whenever you subscribe to EventMB - the editorial engine behind this report -

you get a chance to share what your biggest challenge is. I’ve replied to over

1,000 messages last year alone. That gave us unprecedented insights into

what really matters.

What’s in it for you?

~ Get a strategic roadmap. Your role has become too important to sail by sight.

Maybe you did not sign up for this, but as Coldplay says, nobody said it was

easy. You need strategic insight to stay afloat. If you want more business,

more attendees and a faster career progression, you cannot achieve this

without research-backed insight.

~ Protect your event. Next year will be the year when months and months

of planning will be wasted for a silly mistake. The risk of this scenario

materializing is higher than ever as more elements enter the event planning

mix. New skills, new threats, new needs we are simply not used too. The risk

of ending up in the media due to poor choices is higher than ever. We will

tell you what these risks are.

~ Easily digest our content. We have a new schematic structure for our trends.

Fewer words, more insight and a clear path to action. Great trends without

an action plan are just a waste of time.

Just a request...

EventMB is an independent media company. We have no funding or capital

investment. We are committed to free access to information. We started a

movement to open up content for our industry years ago. To support the

creation of unbiased, free and research-backed content, we ask you to share

this report with your colleagues and peers.

You can use this link to do so.

We also ask you to explore the advertisers supporting this report. While they have

nothing to do with the content of the report, they believe in what we do and they

make this report possible. You can get to know about them by simply clicking on

one of the ads.

page 6

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10 Event Trends for 2019

This is the theme of 2019.

2018 was the year when events became

experiences. 2019 is the year when we start

grasping how to deliver memorable experiences.

Joe Pine, who co-authored the Experience Economy

over 20 years ago, discusses how transformation is the outcome we should strive for in experiences that make an impact.

As a result, events are quickly evolving, faster than

ever, thanks to the attention of marketing budgets,

ditching many tools in favor of face to face.

Here is how events are evolving:

TRANSFORMATION

This is a tough predicament for events, limited in

time by nature and intangible in their essence.

Event professionals have a tough challenge, but

one with the largest potential for disruption in the

current economy.

The task at hand is to align, align, align.

Successful events in 2019 will deliver a coherent

story at every stage of the planning process. This

means that your website will need to deliver the

same experience as your actual event. It means that

your venue has to be the perfect container of your

plan and that the city where you host your event has

to be the perfect scenario to make your message

resonate. It means that the performers you selected

for your event need to be aligned on your brief and

deliver for the higher purpose of the event.

Speaking of purpose, events without a clear

purpose will struggle to deliver transformative

experiences. They will be fun events nobody wants

to go to. Events without purpose will incur in the

‘been there, done that’ feedback.

Not because attendees or sponsors want

something new. They, in fact, want change.

Powerful, high involvement experiences that deliver

change. Time and budgets are limited. We cannot

afford to waste them on events that do not deliver.

The following 10 trends will help you to deliver

transformative experiences next year. They

range from marketing to technology, venue

and destination selection, meeting design, and

sponsorship.

We’ve summed up the most relevant and recurrent

in our research so that you can confidently embrace

2019 and the challenges associated with it.

In essence, if there is no change in those attending

or in general having stakes in your events, you are

failing.

If your experiences foster change in those

participating, you are winning.

EVENTS

EXPERIENCES

TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCES

TRANSFORMATION - page 8

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10 Event Trends for 2019

Passive engagement refers to the lack of

active involvement from attendees to engage

with different aspects of the event. Especially

when it comes to the use of technology at

events; asking attendees to search through

countless screens in an app for very specific

and relevant information will negatively affect

the experience.

Events are fast paced. Spending 2 to 3

minutes during an eight-hour event feels

like an eternity. There is no time to wait for

a technology that does not deliver the most

relevant information in the fastest fashion.

Passive engagement refers to all those

techniques and tools aimed at engaging

without any action required by the attendee.

In event technology, a practical application of

passive engagements is the use of RFID, NFC

or beacon technology to engage attendees

without any action needed.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

We are facing consumers that expect and

need their questions answered in the best way

possible, but most of all the fastest way. Google

reports that the searches for ‘open now’ grew

by 300% in the last year, and the searches for

‘wait times’ grew by 120% in two years.

It is safe to assume that this pressure is

even more impellent in an event scenario

where time is limited and information is

overwhelming.

WHY IT MATTERS

Attendees will feel a general sense of

frustration when they are not able to either

interact with the event or ask information

about the event through technology. The

current technology stack that is available

to live experience and event professionals

is somewhat limited and tied to perfectly

functioning infrastructure (Wifi), which

oftentimes fails.

Helping attendees to engage or to inquire

without having to go through countless screens

or to navigate complex navigation tools can

quickly elevate the experience of the event.

Engagement = involvement = change.

This is a powerful equation.

10 PASSIVE ENGAGEMENT

PASSIVE ENGAGEMENT - page 10

10 Event Trends for 2019

1. Adopt meeting design practices that focus on engagement first. Choosing a room layout that stimulates interaction, puts

attendees in an environment where sharing is inevitable.

2. Choose a destination that has engagement elements built in. It will save your budget and time. You can rely, for

example, on the entertainment of Las Vegas or Orlando

to highly engage your attendees, or the adrenaline of

the outdoors in Cape Town or Auckland to drench your

attendees in an engaging activity.

3. Choose technology that delivers what attendees need. Fast. Chatbots deliver information quickly if they are correctly

set up. They require a fraction of the time investment.

4. Utilize RFID/NFC bracelets to allow attendees to deliver engagement through LED lights at large events. Attendees

become part of the light experience without being involved.

5. Choose smart badges over regular print badges. The wealth of data available to sponsors will be massive and

more convenient than the awkward ‘let me scan your

badge’ moment.

PASSIVE ENGAGEMENT

-

H O W T O I M P L E M E N T I T

PASSIVE ENGAGEMENT - page 11

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10 Event Trends for 2019

Transformational experiences need to have

a plan to deliver change. Change cannot be

left to serendipity. Thinking perhaps your

attendees will meet someone meaningful or

that a sponsor might get some business out

of your event is a recipe for failure.

Content is usually the vehicle through

which change happens. In a conference, for

example, the largest chunk of your content is

your program, this is where we fail attendees

and stakeholders constantly.

Our analysis tells us that events investing

heavily in content design have better results.

The usual formula of keynote/breakout, multi-

day, opening/closing session, thousands of

sessions split into tracks doesn’t work.

A transformative experience has a story

plot with a beginning, a middle and an end.

Participants need to be able to envision the

stages of change they will go through in the

content of your event. That also includes the

social program, the activities, the venue, and

the destination.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

72% of 350 events researched designed

their content with a progression in mind and

delivered a potential outcome for the event.

Prospective and actual attendees experience

the change that will happen or is happening

at the event through a carefully planned story.

WHY IT MATTERS

If I cannot envision the change your event

will bring along, I won’t attend, sponsor or

approve my team to attend your event. The

mission has to be carried out in practice

through the schedule of the conference,

activation, trade show, festival, corporate

retreat, team building activity, office holiday

party, you name it.

As someone planning to invest my time and

money in your event, you need to show me

in practice how I will be more educated,

entertained, connected, engaged and

informed than before.

9 CONTENT DESIGN

CONTENT DESIGN - page 13

10 Event Trends for 2019

1. Using storytelling in content design is one of the most effective ways to show your attendees ‘what could be’

if they attend. One of the most successful frameworks in

business is the hero journey adapted by Nancy Duarte in

many books; above all Resonate.

2. Giving purpose to each stage of your program helps attendees realize how they will change through the

experience. This is what Tony Robbins does in his Date With

Destiny, the event at the center of the Netflix documentary

‘I Am Not Your Guru’. It’s a 6-day event with a ‘Relationship

Day’, and an ‘Integration Day’ among others that clearly

communicate what the outcome of the day will be.

3. Another great example of content design that delivers a clear picture of the expected change is to create a different

ticket or registration options based on the desired outcome

of your attendees. An education pass for those willing to

learn, a party-only pass for those who want to have fun, a

trade show option for those willing to do business, a meet

and greet option for those desiring to get up close with

your performers. Segmenting the ticket based on individual

outcomes is a powerful example of content design.

CONTENT DESIGN

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H O W T O I M P L E M E N T I T

CONTENT DESIGN - page 14

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10 Event Trends for 2019

A transformative experience is one that

delivers on the needs of all those attending. It

respects different backgrounds and different

needs. It actually displays leadership in

catering and respects all participants.

This is a trend sparked by one article that

gained a lot of traction in several planners

communities, Dear Conference Organizers: You’re Doing Chairs Wrong. It raises some excellent points about female presenters

wrestling with their corporate outfits (often

dresses) and issues with stage furniture and

microphone battery packs.

The current seating practice is in favor of

minimalistic sets and funky furniture such as

high bar stools, director’s chairs, and low/soft

sofas, or even unusual, eye-catching statement

pieces such as bikes or swing chairs.

As well as being difficult to get into and out

of this furniture elegantly, it can be difficult for

speakers to focus on the discussion when

they are worried about their dress riding up,

accidentally flashing the audience or showing

too much leg. Tricky furniture can be difficult

for anyone wearing a skirt but, of course, it

can also cause issues or embarrassment for

those that are short, plus-sized, or have a

disability and face seating options that are

unworkable or difficult for them.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

This is a new issue voiced by many event

professionals in many communities. Yet, the

data supporting the rise of such trends is the

generational switch in the attendee population.

As younger generations attend more events,

they have a much deeper conception of diversity

and inclusion. One that is not simply made of

nice words, but one that is shown in practice.

WHY IT MATTERS

As anticipated at the beginning of this

report, respect for diversity is one of the new

requirements of successful events. Saying that

you care is not enough. It has to be shown

with leadership and attention to details.

If a speaker is made uncomfortable by a

poor seat choice, attendees will notice and

voice their dissent quite vocally on social

networks. You could look at it as a risk to be

exposed and ridiculed. You can look at it as

that tiny detail that makes all of your hard

work irrelevant. You can maybe look at it as

an opportunity to innovate, lead and bring

change to the industry.

8 SEATING MATTERS

SEATING MATTERS - page 16

10 Event Trends for 2019

1. Create a diversity policy that takes into consideration diversity of all types and addresses seating in panels as

part of it.

2. Work with suppliers that embrace your vision. Make it clear during the selection stage.

3. Brief speakers on the conference set and furniture in advance, so they can raise any concerns, advise of any

special requests or dress accordingly.

4. Use strategically placed non-transparent tables or cubes, flowers or plants, standing panels or old school clothed

tables to protect the modesty of the speakers.

SEATING MATTERS

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H O W T O I M P L E M E N T I T

SEATING MATTERS - page 17

ADAD

10 Event Trends for 2019

A few years ago, we were the first to talk

about the implications of FOMO, the fear of

missing out, for the event industry. Especially

for its application on social media for

marketing purposes.

What about when we are at an event? A

typical scenario at a business event includes

the need to learn, to meet new people, to do

business, to sell, to buy, to have fun, to share

on social networks and to visit the hosting

city, just to name a few. There is a lot going

on. Too much.

Burnout at events is a reality. JOMO or the joy

of missing out refers to the practice of giving

participants the opportunity to disconnect

from the hustle of the event. This has led to

the rise of areas where attendees can unplug

from the event information overload and

slowly process what is happening to them or

reconnect, even briefly, to the world they left

behind them.

Whether it is to recharge phone or body

batteries, JOMO is about inviting attendees to

unplug during the event in order to process

all the information gathered or to simply

take a break for meditation or catch up with

work. The fear of missing out while at an

event is substantial, especially with business

audiences. JOMO is about giving guilt-free

program breaks or areas to participants

so that they can swiftly reconnect with the

outside world and come back to the show in

an energized fashion.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

Our analysis shows that in a large environment,

such as a trade show, there is an average

of 120 sessions to attend, 10 to 15 satellite

events and many miles to be walked.

Information overload - which is just a segment

of the negative implications of attending

events, combined with physical fatigue,

dehydration, alcohol consumption, and poor

nutrition - often leads to analysis paralysis; the inability to take action. Hence no change.

WHY IT MATTERS

We cannot afford attendees experiencing

analysis paralysis and the subsequent

inability to change. Loading up our

participants with information, stress, infinite

walking and partying will negatively affect

their capacity to bring change along.

Not giving attendees the ability to unload what

they are learning, who they are meeting and

the stress they are accumulating will inevitably

compromise the outcome of most events.

The credence that an immersive experience

has to be ‘always on’ has gone. Energized

attendees are more responsive, engaged

and empathetic with the event..

7JOMO THE JOY OF MISSING OUT

JOMO - THE JOY OF MISSING OUT - page 19

10 Event Trends for 2019

1. Consider the physical setting, provide quieter seated areas and comfortable lounges with no WiFi connectivity where

people can have deeper conversations or simply recharge.

2. Brief the facilitator to give clear rules about disconnecting and advise that phones should be put away so participants

can get the most from the content and be fully focused

during key parts of the program.

3. Build in time for offline reflection within the event program. For example, participatory activities, partner work and small

group work exercises that are focused on sharing and the

exchange of ideas with peers (not screen-based).

4. The event lounge concept has been very well implemented with some low-level event involvement by having a TV

screen streaming the event. Think airport lounges applied

to events.

JOMO THE JOY OF

MISSING OUT -

H O W T O I M P L E M E N T I T

JOMO - THE JOY OF MISSING OUT - page 20

10 Event Trends for 2019

6 Security has been an overarching trend for

the industry over the past 5 years. When we

think security, we think terror attacks and

mass shootings. Quite rightly so. This cannot

be a trend anymore. It is a mandatory part of

the event planning process for all events.

What is unfortunately trending is another

aspect of security which is often overlooked

by even the most experienced event

professionals. Tech security. It is not an

exaggeration to say that event professionals

can be tech-resistant. Which is absolutely

justified. We chose to work in this industry

because we love face-to-face, not technology.

Yet the 2019 event faces a massive problem,

how can we scale without tech? The answer

is that it is impossible to grow an event or be

more efficient without the help of technology.

This is why the industry has gradually moved

towards event tech adoption. With adoption

comes problems. Just in the past few months,

we have heard about breaches in major

ticketing platforms, event apps potentially

accessible by anyone with bad intentions, hotel

chains hacked and subsequent data theft.

Safety and, more specifically, brand safety

for your event or event business is a primary

concern in 2019.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

We counted eight major breaches or exposed

data in the last year alone involving event

technology or hotel technology, oftentimes used

by groups at events. Hundreds of thousands of

sensitive data have been stolen or exposed.

Deloitte says that there is an 80% chance of a

company losing at least 20% of its value due to

a crisis in reputation. This was in 2014. These

numbers will go up for our industry, where it

seems many of the attacks are focusing.

WHY IT MATTERS

These breaches happened in all cases

within supplier technology. As a result of the

breach of data exploit, the event was all over

the media, not the supplier. This is a major

problem we now face for our brand.

Poor technology selection or lack of proper risk

coverage for breaches will inevitably port the

damage to planners, rather than suppliers. The

event industry media and associations have

done a very poor job (with a few exceptions) in

reporting these stories. At the end of the day,

there is no bigger story than this when it comes

to the event industry. Therefore you have been

left in the wild with very poor information and

tools to face the single issue that can disrupt

your projects next year.

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY -

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BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

page 21

10 Event Trends for 2019

1. There is no excuse for not vetting your suppliers in depth. Ask in-depth questions, require references and proof of

compliance.

2. Start vetting your existing suppliers, unless you checked their credentials in-depth at time of selection.

3. Pay attention to details (WiFi, USBs, social media use by staff). There is no flexibility allowed when it comes to

securing physical technology.

4. Check that the venue hosting you or the hotel with your room block has all the measures in place to protect you

from liability in case of a breach.

5. Avoid DIY event technology at all costs. Also, beware of new startups that handle data. Steer clear if they don’t have

all the measures in place to secure your data and insurance

to cover potential breaches, and prefer new tools over less

sensible operations.

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY

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H O W T O F I X T H E S E C U R I T Y P R O B L E M

BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY - page 22

10 Event Trends for 2019

Our research speaks loud and clear, event

professionals struggle with sponsorship. If

you plan corporate events, don’t skip this

section. Sponsorship means your boss or

management buy-in for your programs. Did I

capture your attention?

There is one overarching trend in terms of

effective event sponsorship, value. This trend

signifies different things for different events,

but we can sum it up as follows. Effective

sponsorship programs are:

CREATIVE. The usual banners don’t cut

it anymore. Finding new ways to deliver a

sponsor message is hot. This is what brands

want; a sponsorship moment that attendees

will deliver on social media with pride,

happiness, involvement, or as we like to call

it, engagement.

ALIGNED. Effective sponsorship programs

deliver on the objectives of the client. If you

don’t know the objectives of your client

because you sent a 12-page document

for them to make their decision, you

can appreciate the value of having this

conversation.

TANGIBLE. The event industry has professed

the lie of exposure for too long. This is one

element that sponsors feel very strongly

about, especially as more marketers move to

face-to-face and start comparing results with

channels such as online advertising.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

EventMB research says that 53% of event professionals struggle to sell sponsorship.

43% are unable to prove the return on

investment to sponsors.

These two stats alone are enough to signal

a growing tendency in our industry requiring

more accountability for the money spent on

events. Every activity is tangible online. We

are flooded by an unprecedented amount

of data about marketing activities. Events

have to be able to deliver a similar level of

tangibility.

WHY IT MATTERS

Most events cannot survive without

sponsorship. Face-to-face is extremely

effective when it comes to marketing.

Yet, planners have the hard task to make

what is a very large investment tangible.

Lack of tangibility or aligned sponsorship

opportunities will result in sponsors

navigating away, jeopardizing your success.

5 CAT

SPONSORSHIP

CAT SPONSORSHIP - page 23

10 Event Trends for 2019

1. Offer a la carte options for your sponsorship package. More and more brands prefer to pick and choose, rather

than being cornered in bronze packages.

2. Discuss objectives with your prospective sponsors. Come up with proposals that deliver on these objectives. As

a general rule, preparing sponsorship packages that

deliver on different marketing needs (awareness, traffic,

impressions, and leads) is always wise.

3. Add layers of technology to deliver more tangible reporting. Use smart mats, RFID or beacons to capture footfall

movement on the show floor.

4. VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) have their most effective application in sponsorship activations.

Suggest it as an option to sponsors that want to help

attendees experience their product.

CAT SPONSORSHIP

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H O W T O I M P L E M E N T I T

CAT SPONSORSHIP - page 24

10 Event Trends for 2019

Traditionally, a large sporting event, festival

or, more recently, a conference has been

defined an incredible success when tickets

sell out fast. You can replace ticket sales with

registration if you work with corporate events.

Everybody is amazed by sell-outs that

happen in minutes.

Well, it seems that we may have got it

all wrong, and Taylor Swift showed up

to tell us how it really works. The recent

announcement of her Reputation Tour will

be remembered as the most successful tour

announcement that didn’t sell out. The tour

is anticipated to sell in excess of $450M. The

highest grossing tour in history.

Effectively, Taylor Swift is giving us a lesson in

demand management. In a textbook course

of action that reminds us of the Blue Ocean

Shift book, she introduced a Verified Fan

platform to give tickets to hardcore fans,

charging more and canceling the myriad of

scalpers ready to take advantage.

In a market where early birds are still the

preferred marketing tactic, we should really

ask ourselves why saving money is still the

strongest marketing message. Increasing

value should be the objective and getting

attendees to pay more, rather than less,

should be the desired outcome.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

Taylor Swift is on track to hit $300M in gross

sales. She is adding more dates. She is not

alone. The rapper Jay-Z is reported to have

recently cleared $50 million in profit thanks to a

slow ticketing strategy. Despite facing criticism

for not selling out, the numbers are hard to

argue with.g.

WHY IT MATTERS

Going down on price is not a sustainable

business strategy. Continuously discounting

tickets in the form of early birds is a tactic that

may work in the short term but really does not

deliver brand equity to any event.

Slow ticketing is about cleverly managing

demand and creating opportunities for

upselling rather than discounting. We

discussed these in detail last year when we

highlighted the trend of many events offering

experience packages rather than discounts.

4 SLOW TICKETING

SLOW TICKETING - page 25

10 Event Trends for 2019

1. Are you creating different levels of pricing that help you to manage demand more organically over time?

2. Are you able to give priority to those that are willing to spend more or those that are your key stakeholders?

3. Can you create opportunities to upsell current ticketing? 4. Can you substitute your early bird strategy with a late

bird strategy that takes into account the whole pre-event

lifecycle and maximizes your profits?

SLOW TICKETING

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H O W T O I M P L E M E N T I T

SLOW TICKETING - page 26

10 Event Trends for 2019

It seems that times are mature enough for the

rise of blockchain in the event industry. This is

particularly true for ticketing and registration.

Two main issues; security and demand

management.

The blockchain model is very powerful for events, potentially disruptive.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

69% of banks are experimenting with blockchain technology. There is a reported 30% saving in implementing a blockchain structure

for financial institutions.

WHY IT MATTERS

Having a negative ticketing experience will

inevitably affect the experience. Being sold

a ticket at five times the price will impact the

experience. Having a ticketing platform crash

because of too many requests to the server

will negatively affect the experience

Blockchain makes transactions more secure.

By decentralizing transactions, it reduces the

risk of breaches. This is especially important

in our industry for trend number six. Watch

out though, as risks are not reduced to zero.

There will still be a potential for breach, but

the complexity of the model makes it less

practical.

Blockchain handles large ticket demand more

conveniently.

Blockchain kills scalping. If you are affected

by scalping, this could be a permanent

solution as the ticket price stays with the

ticket forever and cannot be altered.

COMPANIE TO WATCH

For this section, your action is to get in

touch and understand the opportunities of

blockchain for your event.

Secutix - https://www.secutix.com/

Aventus - https://aventus.io/

Cypto Tickets - https://crypto.tickets

Guts - https://guts.tickets/

3 READY TO BLOCKCHAIN

READY TO BLOCKCHAIN - page 27

10 Event Trends for 2019

2

In 2019, our industry will not be made purely of

event professionals. Marketing professionals

are joining the party, with an incredible amount

of opportunities and some risks.

What started last year as an attention to

experiences is opening the amazing world of

events to marketing departments around the

world. With the demise of social networks and

the decreased organic opportunities in social

media, marketers are looking at face-to-face

as the most effective channel to deliver brand

engagement.

Compared to 10 years ago, running a series

of events is definitely more affordable and

more measurable. The convergence of

martech and eventtech is also highlighting

how live experiences deliver on clear

business opportunities.

Transformative experiences are especially

needed with brand interactions where trillions

have been spent on advertising and the ‘seen

that, been there’ element is strong.

SUPPORT RESEARCH AND DATA

Reuters reported in July 2018 that large event planning companies were benefiting from a

shift in marketing budgets towards events.

PWC reports that 65% of consumers signal that a positive experience with a brand is more

valuable than great advertising.

WHY IT MATTERS

It is great that marketers finally understand

the power of events. The thing is that they will

need help to deliver great experiences. Event

professionals are uniquely positioned to

capitalize on this unprecedented opportunity.

Yet, a strong business acumen is needed.

Also, a strategic perception of what matters in

marketing is needed to capitalize on growing

budgets available to the industry.

MARKETING BUDGETS SHIFTING

MORE TO EVENTS

MARKETING BUDGET SHIFTING MORE TO EVENTS - page 28

10 Event Trends for 2019

1. Think strategically rather than exceptionally. Event professionals are becoming live experience strategists.

This is what is needed to gain marketing dollars from

brands, in desperate need of meaningful interactions.

2. Improve your marketing knowledge. Understanding the core concepts of marketing is key to be able to work with

marketers.

3. Improve your sponsorship packages. CAT sponsorships are the getaway to obtain more marketing budgets.

MARKETING BUDGETS

SHIFTING MORE TO EVENTS

-

H O W T O T A K E A D V A N T A G E

MARKETING BUDGET SHIFTING MORE TO EVENTS - page 29

10 Event Trends for 2019

There is no change without awareness. This

is without any doubt the most significant trend

impacting you, and event professionals from

around the world.

Masters of live experiences, able to handle

incredible stress, always delivering on the

smallest detail.

You know that already.

Awareness of our role is growing. The trend

though is that we are becoming, as a group,

more vocal about things that we don’t like.

I still remember the amount of negativity we

received when we published, way ahead

of the #metoo movement, a report about

sexual harassment at academic conferences.

The number of negative comments was

astounding, where the essence was ‘why do

you create a problem that is not there?’.

What is changing is the demise of such

hypocrisy. There is a group of event

professionals, some very young, that do not

take things for granted and combat issues at

hand with force and connection.

Problems like the poor representation of

women at industry events in a widely women

dominated sector. Problems like sexual

harassment, alcohol abuse, all white male

panels, bribery and inflated commissions to

win business.

As a result, spontaneous movements are

popping up where traditional associations are

failing to offer a platform for discussion.

These are just some of the movements

changing our industry that I invite you to join:

~ The MeetingsToo Initiative

~ The Association of Women in Events ~ The National Coalition of Black

Meeting Planners ~ LGBT Meeting Professionals

Association

We are living the transformation happening

around us in our jobs. We are becoming more

aware of the power that we have, and we are

voicing discontent to finally push our industry

into a much-needed evolution.

1

MORE THAN PLANNERS

MORE THAN PLANNERS - page 30

10 Event Trends for 2019

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ABOUT -

t. Started in 2007, EventMB is the number one blog worldwide for

event professionals. He is the founder of the Event Innovation Lab, an immersive training program for Fortune 500 companies and high-growth

event teams.

He has been named one of the 25 most influential individuals in the

Meeting Industry.

He is the author of over 10 books on event technology and innovation

(The Eventtech Bible, The Good Event Management Software Guide,

The Event App Bible, Meeting Design, The Future of Event Marketing,

The Art of Venue Negotiation, the annual Event Trends Report, Social

Media for Events, Engaging Events and The Venue of the Future).

ABOUT EVENTMB Event Manager Blog is the most influential website in the meeting and

event industry. It offers education, innovation, and inspiration through

regular articles and industry reports.

Founded in 2007, EventMB has been widely referenced as the go-to

resource for innovative event professionals wanting to learn more about

trends in the event planning industry.

EventMB releases industry reports and intelligence about event

technology, social media, and engagement at events.

Thousands of event professionals have downloaded EventMB free

reports at http://www.eventmanagerblog.com.

-

J U L I U S S O L A R I S

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10 Event Trends for 2019

CMP CREDITS EventMB is a CMP Preferred Provider accredited by the Events Industry

Council and provides Continuing Education credits for learning activities.

This report is worth 2 CE Credits.

To acquire CE credits through this or other reports, webinars and reading

material from EventMB, please refer to www.eventmanagerblog.com/cmp.

For more information about the CMP credential or Preferred Provider

Program, please visit http://www.eventscouncil.org/.

CREDITS AND THANKS

This guide would not have been possible without the help of an incredi-

ble team of people.

We would like to thank:

Our sponsors - for bringing you this report.

Carmen Boscolo - for making the project a reality.

Becki Cross, MD of Events Northern Ltd and Deputy Editor of EventMB -

for editing.

Camille Wagner - for project management and support.

Marta Gambazza - for project management and support.

Lauren Toro - for support.

Beatrice Tagliaferri - for cover and ebook design.

Vector credits: Pikisuperstar.

DISCLAIMER While this report has been sponsored by advertisers, EventMB’s analysis

is completely unbiased.

Publishing date: November 28, 2018.

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