Corporate events are taking a turn – These trends are expected to govern 2024

Corporate events are no longer about kitschy, wall-mirrored ballrooms with satin-covered chairs and endless trails of decorations embedding the corridors. They have gone beyond the formality and sobriety they used to be about. Now, participants are more relaxed than ever, with flexibility, versatility, and attendance being the fundamental concepts of the year.

Corporate events serve numerous purposes and must cross off the "must-achieve" list of many features, from securing a high attendance rate to bonding teams to attracting new stakeholders. However, the means to conduct such meetings have changed tremendously over the years, especially since the pandemic kicked in and transformed the way we perceive "accessibility". These business-organized gatherings now unfold in diverse places oriented more towards facilitating communication among the participants, meeting needs like entertainment or socialization, and raising barriers common to traditional spaces designated for corporate events. Attendees nowadays can enjoy more authentic and inspiring experiences in settings organized in nature, such as Industrial Tents, or go further and enter the Metaverse realm.

Needless to say, times are changing, and so are corporate event trends. Should you plan one in the near or distant future, you need to discover and revise the tendencies that experts expect to dominate 2024, so don't stop reading.

Data-driven events have become a standard

Your attention translated into data is the modern era's new currency. To get under customers' skin and predict future needs and wants, or even shape upcoming trends on the market stage, you see platforms that streamline free videos valuing a fortune. This example makes it easy to digest why data leads the way corporate events are organized and unfold this year and in the upcoming ones.

Every participant represents a priceless source of information, whether you look at employees, sponsors, stakeholders, and so on, helping hosting companies draw valuable information that helps them further build strategies that deliver accurate results. In this regard, you will see the trends shaping up in 2024 being more focused on the following aspects and features:

The talk of the town revolves and will keep revolving around relevant content that suffices the longing to receive helpful information packed in easy-to-digest formats. To better meet this demand, you can analyze topics, experiences, or activities that were met with great success and engagement. Discover the subjects and circumstances your corporate event attendees find the most exciting and create content that will provoke their interest again. Unsurprisingly, you may unearth some tendencies that may serve as the foundation for your corporate event projects for years down the road.
Sponsorships have long been a pillar in the emerging business world and are now more vital than ever. Because sponsors are aware of the contribution they add, they want to be assured that their time and financial investment in your project is worth it. In light of the ever-growing importance of gaining sponsors' trust, you want to garner data outlining their involvement's effect on their brand. The focus will be on demonstrating to sponsors their commitment is not in vain, and their continuous involvement will pay off.
Customized experiences tailored to the needs, interests, and offerings will be the main focus. It will also be commonplace to see companies offer specific perks for loyal participants, as all the currently conducted studies pinpoint the need for individuals and employees specifically to feel understood and appreciated to be more receptive.

In-person events are making a comeback

Starting with 2023, hybrid events permitting any invited individual to participate in the meeting seemed to become the new standard and mark years to come, leaving face-to-face gatherings in the dark. For what's worth, around 71% of organizations having more than 5K employees looked to organize hybrid corporate events.

However, the trend wasn't set to last forever, and in-person attendance now leads in corporate event trends. Furthermore, they have little to no resemblance to the traditional events held in the pre-pandemic days. In the modern business world, it's standard to seek tent renting or tent trading agencies to organize a short-notice corporate event and be dumbfounded to discover that they are fully reserved for the upcoming, targeted period. The same goes for any other environment that may offer attendants the opportunity to have more excellent times compared to the conventional settings where corporate events were mainly organized during the pre-pandemic times. Sports halls, parks, eateries, and more represent settings allowing relaxed, laid-back meetings where participants become more receptive and focused on the discussed topics. For reasons like these and the advantages of F2F meetings, it's unneglectable to acknowledge the staying power this returning trend holds and not be taken aback when hybrid meetings become less common. The latter is passing the test of time due to the benefits provided and the relocation of workers, whatsoever. Still, where it's possible, in-person corporate events will likely be favored.

Sustainability will no longer be optional

Despite the preponderance of corporate events in the business world, an aspect long neglected is their massive impact on the surrounding nature and the upcoming generations whose environment is supposed to be protected and preserved. However, fortunately, as the awareness of environmental issues and the substantial CO2 emissions associated with corporate events continues to expand, companies are left with no alternative but to acknowledge the irreversible impacts they're contributing to. Not only are they encouraged to do so, but today's customer is quickly shifting their focus from unsustainable businesses to those making a goal of preserving natural resources, adhering to sustainable practices, protecting the workforce, calling out on detrimental habits, and so on.

Sustainable corporate events will mark 2024 and beyond, so let's uncover some of the eco-friendly practices that should be on your checklist from now on:

Accessible, green event venues that facilitate corporate gatherings without harming the surroundings
Public transport, ridesharing, shuttles, and other eco-friendly transportation methods
Increased focus on recycling despite potential additional expenses
Virtual events when face-to-face ones are not necessary
Environmentally conscious event planning and policies
Donating food and leftovers to charities.

As you can see, modern corporate events are shifting away from traditional concepts and increasingly focus on sustainability, face-to-face gatherings, and data-driven projects. How are you planning to tackle the upcoming tendencies, and what's your take on this?

Image by rawpixel.com on Freepik