From Germany: Trends in the Industry (and Some Tips)

Trend 1: Sustainability… now with Risk Management

In the event sector in Germany, what will change — and I believe this will also affect Southern Europe — is the impact of sustainability. We’re talking about how to create sustainable events, but at the same time, we must prepare for the second phase: adapting to climate change. It’s an unpopular topic because it may seem like we’re not even fully addressing sustainable events yet, but we’ve already seen several events canceled due to climate-related issues — events in California canceled because of wildfires, in Italy due to floods, and now in Iceland for the same reason. We need to start thinking about how to prepare for these new scenarios. There are many elements to consider, like event dates (summer may make it difficult to hold events in certain places) or securing backup venues in case of emergencies.

Another change related to sustainability is that events are becoming more decentralized, as this helps reduce both emissions and risk.

Trend 2: Agile Event Management

Companies have been doing it for years, and we’ve applied it to our events, but it has now become a necessity because event lead times are shorter than ever. Therefore, it’s essential to start planning early, but maintain flexibility, analyze data, and learn in order to adjust the actions being implemented.

Agile events: start planning, but stay flexible, analyze the data, and be ready to adjust actions.

Trend 3: Data-Driven Event Management

The main idea behind data-driven event management is to establish a foundation for decision-making and to monitor results. This supports agile event planning… but it’s also extremely useful for proposing sustainable events and tracking their impact.

Trend 4: Mindful Event Experiences

In a time when we love having our smartphones, recording everything, and multitasking, it makes a lot of sense to include moments within an event that are not about sharing or documenting, but about paying attention. You may have seen that at Coldplay concerts, smartphones are no longer allowed. Studies show that when you’re recording something, the information stays on the phone and doesn’t fully register in your mind. That’s why events need short, shareable content… but also moments focused on mindfulness — on being present, experiencing and enjoying the event, and getting the most out of it.

(In the age of multitasking) it makes sense to dedicate moments without phones — to be together, to experience, and to enjoy the event.

Trend 5: The Metaverse (Yes, Still!)

I was at CES in Las Vegas: the metaverse is coming, and it’s not being driven by our industry, but by medicine and other sectors. We had been waiting for the technological trigger, and it’s already here — not as a simple “brick” like the Apple Vision Pro that you strap to your face and can’t use to share the experience or interact. There are Asian companies producing regular-looking glasses that blend the virtual and the real. And this is what we call the Metaverse. It will become the operating system for hybrid events.

We were waiting for the technological trigger for the metaverse — and it’s here now, with new mixed reality glasses.

Trend 6: Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI-powered tools will greatly help save time in event planning, content creation, and personalizing the experience… but that’s a whole other conversation!

And as a bonus, two strategic ideas for agencies:

1. Client Segmentation: What type of decision-maker are you dealing with?

As an agency, it’s important to identify which type of decision-maker you’re dealing with. We distinguish three main profiles, as outlined here:

“Three Types of Clients, Three Sets of Needs”

• The “Why” Client — the one who questions and decides which part of the marketing mix budget should be allocated to the event.

• The “What” Client — usually the person in charge of the event, who decides what we’re going to do: a trade show, a road show, etc.

• The “How” Client — the client’s project manager, who is told what to do and is responsible for executing the plan.

If our client requests a roadshow, it means the “why” has already been defined — so there’s no point in proposing a different type of event, because that strategic decision has already been made. It’s more like: ‘I just need to make it happen, and you’re here to help me.’ Thinking this way is incredibly useful!

2. Strategic Questions to Drive Attendee Behavior

There are two key questions that lead to data-driven event management.

The first question is: What do you want attendees to do after the event?
And the next is: Why aren’t they doing it now? What’s stopping them?
Sometimes, we explore this with clients — talking to their teams or even their customers — and gain a deep understanding of the key factors behind behavior change. Occasionally, we even discover that the challenge can be addressed with an alternative solution to an event, and we advise the client accordingly — sometimes with non-event solutions.
These two simple questions are incredibly powerful when it comes to strategically designing a solution to a business problem.

Read the full interview at eventosMagazine.

Discover the reality of the events industry in France in this article.