The top 4 Event Industry Trends which will define 2021

Although 2020 is now over, it still feels like we are living in the same year. There are good reasons for the Deja-vu. With the COVID-19 virus showing no signs of slowing down & mass-vaccinations still a long shot away, event planners & organizers are stuck providing users with virtual experiences.

But as the year changes, so do the various trends that shaped 2020 when it came to the event industry.

While 2020 was big on Virtual Events, Virtual conferences, webinars, & digital summits, it’s safe to assume that 2021 will have different things in store.

Even though it has been a whole year since the world went into lockdown mode & Virtual Events started witnessing a boom, event planners & organizers are still largely uninitiated.

And with the ever-changing trends in the event industry comes the pressure to always stay on top of each new technology that comes your way.

This can understandably be a hectic task, along with the expert planning & precision that events require.

However, to stand out from the crowd when it comes to hosting successful, informative Virtual events & Hybrid Events, learning & constantly evolving is the only way.

For event planners & organizers looking to begin sketching out their 2021 event strategy, this means understanding the recent trends that are set to shape 2021.

Below, is a list of the top 5 event trends that will rule the roost when it comes to planning & organizing events of any kind in 2021.

1. Be prepared for a future of Virtual Events

Industry predictions indicate that we might be able to make a move towards physical, in-person events by the second half of the year. However, it’s important to keep in mind that even if this does come true, it will be a slow, controlled transition.

Which only goes to say that as exciting these predictions are, it will still be a long time before we are able to move to a fully live event space.

Hence, in the time being, most organizers & companies will want to stay their course of Virtual/Hybrid Events.

This includes organizations that have previously dabbled in Virtual/Hybrid Events, as well as those that will be trying their hand at virtual events for the first time.

This only translates to one thing, increased competition in the event market. To differentiate yourself from all the others, you need to constantly introduce new technologies & features to make your event strategy stand out.

For event planners/organizers: Keep the focus on Virtual/Hybrid events for the time being, & come up with more intuitive, interactive strategies & features to keep the audience engaged.

Hybrid Events are the buzzword for 2021, as more & more organizations will want to give their attendees an experience comprising both the real & the virtual world.

Design Virtual events with as many elements of a live, in-person event as you can, & focus on making the event more friendly for virtual attendees.

In the meantime, be prepared for a gradual shift towards live, in-person events. Hybrid Events will prove to be an excellent demonstration of organizing in-person events, so you should definitely focus on creating immersive Hybrid Event experiences for attendees.

For venue owners/providers: In the face of an inevitable comeback of live, in-person events, it’s important to prepare for the same. The key factors to consider will be: safety of attendees, accessibility of the venue, & design that is largely ‘touch-free’.

It’s also important to increase the size of the venue, or design events in a way that attendees are not forced to assemble close together.

2. Hybrid Events are the key to success

As the restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic gradually decrease, the world is projected to witness a sudden boom in travels, in-person events, & get-togethers.

Organizers are likely to be in a hurry to catch up on the trend, & the onus of ensuring safe, stress-free travel & lodging for attendees will fall on event planners.

However, there is no telling if the increased travel will not lead to another wave of infections, as mass vaccination programmes in most countries are still not in place.

For event planners/organizers: In the light of these uncertainties, it’s smart to focus on your Hybrid Event strategy for the long run.

Keep designing interactive & immersive Hybrid Events for your attendees, with the latest technology in place to provide them with an in-person esque Hybrid event experience.

For venue owners/providers: Design event venues in such a way that when in-person events do begin taking place again, the attendees stay safe.

Try keeping the various sessions far away from each other so that the place doesn’t get swarmed with attendees.

You can also provide PPE kits for the few attendees that are present at the venue in a Hybrid Event setting for increased safety.

Also try keeping event policies as ‘touch-free’ & distanced as possible, & ensure that bathrooms, lobbies, & auditoriums don’t get too crowded.

3. Attendees will make or break the event

This is probably the easiest point to understand, yet the most overlooked one. In this age of DIY YouTube tutorials, & educational videos aplenty on tik-tok & other video sharing sites, your audience is easily bored.

If you wish to have their undivided attention, you need to give them just what they want.

Try studying your audience demographic, their interests, & figure out some of the topmost things they want to learn about.

Then armed with this knowledge, try to integrate these topics of interest into your Virtual/Hybrid Event planning, & rope your attendees in subtly!

For event planners/organizers: Do thorough research about the various interests & trending topics within your audience community. Try to modify the content of your Virtual/Hybrid event according to those findings, & focus on what exactly your attendees want.

You don’t need to venture far away from your event niche to accomplish this. You can simply(& smartly) integrate your audience’s interests & any current trends going around in your event content to make the event experience much better for them.

For example, if your Virtual/Hybrid Event is a product launch in the technology domain, then simply work a few audience polls in the event mix. You can also keep their attention through an interactive presentation that explains various concepts using various AV tools, & some fun activities and games using VR technology.

For venue owners/providers: Hybrid Events are set to rule the year 2021 by a large vote. You would need to be prepared to provide the geographical input & help required to implement the latest technology at Virtual/Hybrid events. Also, be prepared to dynamically scale event type & size at the last minute, considering how quickly the event landscape & the medical situation in the world is changing.

4. Event knowledge & technical know-how will matter more than ever

At first glance, this shouldn’t even make the list. Yet here it is, reminding us of the ugly truth that most event organizers & hosts don’t even understand the basics of the technology they are using.

According to event surveys of attendees, around 40% of virtual events face the issue of technical difficulties & attendee fatigue due to hosts that are technologically indifferent.

However, the world is quickly moving towards Virtual/Hybrid events & attendees are quickly becoming more cognizant of the latest trends in event technology.

This shift requires event organizers & hosts to become aware of the tiniest detail of the event technology they are using.

This not only helps them design & host a brilliant Virtual/Hybrid event, but also makes it easier for attendees to experience the event in its entirety without any annoying interruptions.

For event planners/organizers: Read up on the basics of event technology, then go into each minute detail you can find of the specific technology you’re using. There is nothing that infuriates your attendees more than lousy event organizers/hosts, & interruptions that can be easily avoided with a little more knowledge about the technology.

If you want to keep your attendees engaged & interested in your event, as well as provide them with a holistic virtual/hybrid event experience, then you must brush up your event skills.

For venue owners/providers: Gaining an expertise in event technology might not seem like something you would want to do, but it’s important. If you wish to keep the bookings flowing & maintain a reputation for facilitating effective event technology implementation, then you must also do your homework.

Learn about the various hacks of hosting virtual/hybrid events, & read up on how to solve some of the most common bottlenecks that occur in those.

Doing this will help you generate more business, & also get some pretty solid word-of-mouth from your clients. And you know just how important that is!

Liked what you just read? Keep following this space for more informational content on Virtual Events, & the latest trends in event technology.