The Year Ahead: 2022 for the Global Event Sector

The Year Ahead: 2022 for the Global Event Sector

One of my Christmas habits is making the time to read The Economist’s Year Ahead. Some of the content inspires me, other articles frustrate me, there are predictions and dates for the diary, above all it is an opportunity to create a picture of what the year ahead COULD be like. This year an article on 'Cancel Culture' clearly described The Economist's view on the year ahead for the event sector. Here is a quote from the content:

‘Like working from home, taking fewer unnecessary flights or learning to cook some of the habits acquired during this pandemic are worth keeping. Cancelling things if not people is one of them. The Olympic Games are a case in point….. They could be cancelled for several reasons including their financial and environmental costs which have become unsustainable over the past 30 years….yet fans of cancel culture need not restrict their efforts to big sporting events. The World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos where business and political leaders fly to pat each other on the back for saving the world is crying out to be cancelled'        

Is this the year ahead for the event sector? Is the future a cancellation of all events? I am passionate about human connection, the role of events in enabling participation and inclusion and the opportunity for events to advance action on the key issues of our time so I have written an alternative prediction* for the event sector in 2022

*these predictions are biased towards the potential solution and positive impact the event sector could have in the world!

2022 could offer an opportunity for the global event sector to launch a new narrative so society understands why meeting, gathering and coming together is vital for humanity. This narrative could align the purpose of events with the advancement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (the roadmap being followed by global business and governments ). Terms like 'inclusion', 'participation', 'engagement in decision making' could provide a new lense from which to view the impact of sport, cultural and business events. Legacy and impact reporting could reiterate the importance of events and lead to more attention being paid to HOW the event will enable human connection rather than showcasing the event destination (especially as the concept of in person only events is starting to seem outdated and exclusionary).

As CEOs and Heads of Sustainability start to question the impact of their corporate events expect the event supply chain to go straight to measuring their carbon emissions (long overdue) and expect those with an understanding of the scope of sustainability being beyond carbon to provide data on other event impacts including human rights, food waste, knowledge sharing, plastic consumption, gender equality of event content.?

Events could be recognised as a vehicle by which to launch circular economy supply chains, climate change adaptation infrastructure and enable equality of voices being heard.

Expect there to be tension between the speed of action on these new opportunities and a desire for ‘business as usual 2019 style ‘ to return by many event sector leaders who are too established in their careers to be able to think of a change in approach to the delivery and reporting of events. The clear understanding and unwavering commitment recent event graduates have for sustainability will overcome this tension. Expect a younger workforce to be taking action such as sharing examples of the positive impact of their events on social media (#shareapositiveimpact) and taking initiative to advance their CEO’s sustainability commitments beyond the initiative taken by their ‘event experienced’ peers.

While there will be no?shortage of sustainability education available for event professionals (expect event associations to become interested in the financial stability providing 2nd party certification to ISO 20121 could bring) it is likely that education will come increasingly from outside the sector. While interest from large global consultancy companies in the event sector could be advantageous for raising the sector's profile, the recent experience of the UK government's approach to a sustainability strategy with the delivery of COP26 shows that there are gaps when sustainability expertise is chosen over event expertise. For example the opportunity to transform the UK event sector supply chain so every supplier made a net zero carbon commitment was missed yet a significant amount of detailed data gathering on carbon emissions of the event was achieved.

As event professionals navigate a shift in focus from logistical planning for physical events to planning for events that enable connection in a way that meets the needs of the target community expect it to become the norm for an event professional to participate in networks outside the event sector. Increased learning on mental health, communication and sustainability will become a priority for a corporate event professional. Again there will be no shortage of learning opportunities but the forward thinking event professionals will look to participate in communities with credibility for example those linked with UN bodies or demonstrating globally recognised best practice eg ISO. There is likely to be a confusing proliferation of 'home made' education, standards and best practice created by an assortment of (majority well meaning) bodies. There is a risk that event professionals will use 'confusion' as an excuse to delay taking action but policy changes are on the horizon and expect the government focus on sectors that interact with the event sector (such as hospitality and air travel) to create increased requirements on measurement and reporting.

In 2022 ISO 20121 will be reviewed, expect forward thinking event professionals to contact their national standards body and ask to be on the committee and contribute to the development of the standard. Words like 'materiality' and 'interested parties' will become more common in the event planning process as an event kick off meeting will start with a focus on sustainability with questions like 'which sustainable development goals will this event advance and how can we measure and report on meaningful metrics'.

Reading these predictions may inspire or frustrate you but it is a fair assumption that most event professionals will agree 2022 is a turning point for the future of the event sector.

Extra Note: If this article has inspired you to be in action, join the Positive Impact community of over 3,000 global event professionals. 100% of the predictions detailed above are bought to life on January 13th (by experts outside of the event sector including government and UN bodies) during a 24 event designed for young corporate event professionals who want the knowledge and resources to advance career and show leadership in sustainability.www.positiveimpactevents.com