Top Event Industry Trends For 2022
Events have gone through a few significant changes throughout the past few years. From the long-lasting impact of the pandemic affecting organizations to the huge shift in cultural perspectives about work, social issues are having a major effect on 2022 event trends. While nothing is sure, particularly in this always-evolving industry, staying aware of changing patterns can assist all event professionals to stay relevant. Hence, whether you're an event company owner, an event planner, a venue manager, or a vendor, make sure that you don't miss out on these top event trends for 2022:
Adoption of more virtual and augmented reality integrations
Virtual trends have been getting popular during the past few years. According to recent data, AR is turning into a common event trend, since AR experiences are a more reasonable and available option for a large number of event professionals. AR event planning solutions can be utilized for -
- keeping the audience entertained
- increasing the engagement of in-person or virtual attendees
- using interactive maps to build networking opportunities
- creating product demos
Virtual and hybrid events become more common
The event industry is witnessing a steady increase in the frequency of virtual and hybrid events. These types of events are generally more environmentally friendly and sustainable compared to in-person gatherings. They can likewise offer organizers the chance to reach a larger audience.
Because of the low overhead expenses, numerous organizers who embraced virtual events have successfully improved their ROI. As a matter of fact, 84% of organizers find virtual events to be significantly more cost-effective than in-person events. Also, 93% of event industry professionals plan to put their resources into virtual events in the near future.
Organizing virtual events more often will require investment in good software and tech solutions. Have virtual gamification tools that would enable attendees to interact with each other in an interesting way.
In-person events are making a comeback, however with a bit of uncertainty
According to the American Express Meetings and Events, there's a high expectation of in-person events to become common again in 2022. 67% of respondents think in-person events will shoot back up to their pre-pandemic numbers in a couple of years. Event staff, venues, and other different essential services are expected to be in great demand. Getting bookings with important services and vendors can become a challenge.
Operations managers and venue owners must assess booking & cancellation policies carefully. Plenty of venues will have to figure out what amount of flexibility they can provide in 2022 with regards to event cancellations due to COVID-19. Updates, policies, and changes must be explained clearly in all documents & contracts pertaining to event planning.
Health & safety will be greatly prioritized during events
During the last few years, there has been a great amount of emphasis on hygiene and social distancing at events of all kinds. Virtual event communication and touch technology solutions have had a significant role to play in making more in-person events safer. 2022 will show us that these techniques might be here to stick around for long. Health and safety have become a necessity for events rather than being just an expectation.
Make sure that there are plenty of sanitation stations as well as enough spacing for everyone at your events. Venues might need to experiment with new styles of seating for improving safety, rethink venue capacity or add outdoor spaces.
Create engaging event experiences in 2022 by incorporating the unique solution of gamification into your planning strategy. Reach out to us for custom gamified event solutions.