Transformational Trends in Industry Events: What can we expect in 2024?

Last year, we published an article on transformational trends in industry events for 2023. As the industry events landscape continues to evolve, we have identified some of the current trends shaping the conference market in 2024, to help marketers identify opportunities to enhance their presence at industry events, and/or build impactful proprietary events.

In 2023, event organisers, vendors, and audiences were re-learning to navigate the space, whereas in 2024, it seems that they are reinventing the space, with innovative new technologies driving further change in the way attendees experience events. Here are some of the major trends we expect to see over the next 12 months:

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AI-Powered Events: Delivering Intelligent Experiences

The rise of generative AI tools like ChatGPT are empowering event suppliers and marketers by giving them the opportunity to achieve more with fewer resources, automating tasks to give them back time to think more creatively. In fact, a LinkedIn poll by sensory storytellers Bluewater found that 43% of respondents believe that AI will be the leading trend shaping the events industry in 2024.

AI is a topic that dominates conference agendas, and has even become an events market in its own right, with forums such as Fortune Brainstorm AI, FT Live’s Future of AI, and The AI Summit London presenting the latest developments and thinking around AI.

Event suppliers are also exploring the potential of AI when integrated into events, offering time- and cost-efficiencies. Some of the practical applications of AI within events may include:

AI Use Pre-Event

Some suppliers are already experimenting with AI tools for event planning, with the controversial example of the first event fully powered by AI, announced last year. Solutions that automate event planning can help with audience targeting and selection, using data analysis and predictive intelligence to ensure that the event convenes the right audience.

Some ticketing platforms use AI to analyse previous attendance data and recommend events that match an individual’s preferences. AI tools can also streamline content creation through social listening, analysing social media conversations to identify topics that are likely to resonate with the event’s target audience. Conference organisers can use these insights to build content sessions for their events as a fail-safe way to align with their audiences’ interests.

In addition to catering to the entire audience, AI tools enable event suppliers to cater to individual participants. By analysing attendee data such as demographics, previous experience, and interests, AI algorithms can recommend relevant content for each audience member, providing a personalised itinerary, and even personalised networking suggestions or personalised event swag. Finally, GenAI can be leveraged to create campaign content to promote the event, be it email marketing, event website copy, or session descriptions.

AI Use During the Event

Wearable tech like Bluetooth wristbands, or built-in tech like facial recognition cameras can be used for check-in, but also to monitor attendees’ journeys through the conference space and offer guidance throughout the event experience. For example, AI-powered chatbots can be used to send personalised messages to attendees’ devices, recommending which sessions they should attend, or giving them directions on how to get to their next session. Facial recognition can also be used to measure engagement with content at the event, by tracking attendees’ eye movement.

Other use cases include AI captioning and translation, which help to make content experiences more accessible and inclusive, and intelligent attendee matching using AI avatars that analyse attendees’ profiles and behaviours to recommend attendees with similar interests to network with. Ultimately, on-site AI tools can help event organisers to gain insights on their audience’s behaviour, which results in richer attendee connections and can also inform post-event engagement actions such as repurposing content or planning follow-up events.

AI Use Post-Event

One of the most popular AI use cases that is already being applied to maximise ROI is repurposing content, helping marketers to extend the longevity of their content, and reaching new audiences beyond those attending the event. Text summarisation functions can also be used to provide live session summaries, for post-event write-ups.

An undoubtedly valuable application of AI is taking the insights derived from the audience data analysis to offer event organisers an inside look into how the event performed. Through AI, suppliers can identify what worked, and crucially what didn’t work, to improve future iterations of the event based on audience preferences and behaviour.

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Always-On Digital Communities: Events as Platforms for Long-Term Connections

Last year, we explored different strategies that event providers and marketers are taking to extend event engagement beyond the event, in a more intentional way than ever before, mainly through provision of post-event content such as webinars, podcasts, on-demand videos, and surveys. We also found that experience-first events were most likely to deliver a better ‘always-on’ experience.

Taking a long-term approach to post-event content strategy is something that we expect to continue seeing in 2024, with organisers and marketers repurposing content from event sessions into spin-off pieces, but also creating new content that is not directly taken from session messaging. This might include interviews or podcasts recorded on the show floor, or even surveys, quizzes, or polls conducted on site, to take the pulse of the attendees, and directly feed it back to a wider audience, beyond those at the event on the day.

What we expect to see in 2024 is a stronger focus on community-building, that is, curating an audience to share this content with. While creating communities centred around industry events is not news to marketers, events in 2024 are expected to focus even more on nurturing communities that thrive year-round. The idea is that, as so much resource is invested in planning and execution, continuing the conversation offsite maximises the value of these events by increasing their longevity in the market, through other channels.

Some event organisers may prefer to run one major event with satellite activities and post-event engagement opportunities stemming from it, whereas others have a multiple event touchpoint strategy, running a series of smaller events throughout the year, supplemented with content in between, to create intimate spaces for meaningful connections and relationship-building over an extended period. In any case, the goal is the same: ongoing engagement by setting up always-on digital communities.

As part of the quest to create communities off the back of industry events, a controversial view is to prioritise networking over event content. This comes from the notion that, it is not a content agenda that makes an event, but the audience. Reviewing networking with a refreshed perspective, in that it is not an add-on to an event programme, but an equally important element, has led some suppliers to revamp the structure of their events, to offer more networking opportunities. These go beyond the traditional cocktail reception and one-to-one meetings format, and may include health and wellness activities (such as the wellbeing workshops at the B2B Marketing Expo, including stress management, posture & back care, and mindfulness), or games and immersive experiences (for example, Netflix offered a wearable display experience based on its sci-fi drama series, 3 Body Problem, at CES 2024).

Audiences increasingly want to have a voice and share their experiences. The more innovative the activations you introduce at your event, the more likely audiences are to share their experiences on social media. This enhances the longevity of your event by continuing the conversation, while enhancing the user experience by giving attendees an opportunity to actively participate in the conversation. Do things that people will post about! Examples include:

·??????? Virtual and Augmented Reality: Using VR/AR for product showcases and interactive demos, to make audience members feel they are actively participating at the event by experiencing products hands-on.

·??????? AI exhibition booths: Using AI exhibits interacting with attendees in real-time, adapting to their responses, offering a more dynamic experience than static displays.

·??????? Interactive content and games: Hubspot ran ‘Throw Like a Pro’ at their INBOUND conference in 2023, a game where participants posed in a throw-down with each other, with their names posted on a leaderboard that they could take a picture of and share with their followers.

·??????? One-of-a kind experiences: Bloomberg’s 2024 Technology Summit will offer attendees the opportunity to engage with one of the most advanced humanoid robots in the world, Ameca. Participants will be able to ask the robot questions, take a selfie, and gain a better understanding of how the AI-powered robot works. Last year’s Dell Technologies World?featured an immersive?Solutions Expo?where attendees could turn themselves into a video advertisement using Dell technology.??

Communities thrive on interaction. The more opportunities you present to your audience for interactions to happen, the stronger the sense of community will be.

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Unlocking Access: Advancing Inclusivity at Industry Events

Our 2023 review of the industry events landscape found that organisers were more focused on sustainability, and while this continues to be a priority in 2024, suppliers are increasingly looking to demonstrate their commitment to making events accessible to everyone.

According to Amex’s 2023 Global Meetings and Events Forecast, 80% of event attendees consider D&I initiatives as essential elements when selecting which events to attend. At the same time, a trends report by Zuddl on The Future of B2B Events found that 59.6% of event marketers have a plan for addressing accessibility and inclusivity.

Key tactics to make events more inclusive include:

·??????? Making event participation possible for everyone by offering virtual platforms to attendees who are unable to experience the in-person event and running physical events at accessible venues.

·??????? Ensuring diversity and inclusion in the speaker line-up, so that the event can become a platform for sharing different perspectives and experiences.

·??????? Leveraging assistive event technology that is designed with accessibility at its core, to cater to diverse audience needs. Automatic closed captioning across event stages, multilingual options such as AI-powered real-time translation to break down language barriers, inclusive communication, quiet sensory rooms available for breaks between sessions or to avoid the busy show floor, and flexible programming, are tactics that help to make sure that all attendees feel welcome and are easily able to navigate the event and engage with content.

·??????? Staff inclusivity training ensures that it’s not just the technology, but also the people on the show floor, offering an accessible environment to all attendees, including those whose needs aren’t immediately evident.

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What Does this Mean for Marketers?

1)??????? The rapid evolution of AI tools means that marketers should be laser focused on how best to take advantage of the insights that AI can provide on event audiences. According to Forbes, Current adoption of AI for B2B events is low, with 87% of marketers saying they’re in learning mode, but a majority believe that AI will fundamentally transform how they plan and execute events within the next 24 months. If you’re not already experimenting with AI, educate yourself on the different tools and use cases available by exploring sources such as Futurepedia, a website designed to help you find the best AI tools for your work, or LinkedIn groups dedicated to sharing posts on AI, such as AI Marketing Community 2024 or Digital Marketing & AI.

2)??????? If partnering with a supplier or sponsoring an event, marketers should quiz event organisers on their approach to community-building and creating longevity in the market through year-long satellite activities and/or content. When it comes to experiential activations at events, do things that attendees will post about on social media.

3)??????? Ensure you have a strong DE&I strategy integrated into any proprietary events you run, and any third-party events that you participate in. In your supplier selection process, make sure that your values and actions around inclusivity are aligned. Pick a venue that is accessible for those with visible and hidden disabilities.

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EI Advisory’s Analyst Team provides consultancy services on B2B event sponsorship, speaking and partnership, agenda development and marketing collateral development.? If you are looking to sponsor B2B events or develop your own, please get in touch at [email protected] to find out how we can help.