4 event marketing trends to look out for in 2023

Everyone will agree that events are no longer the same since the pandemic, and we should expect further evolution in the way events of all kinds are organized (trade shows, conferences, panel discussions, webinars, etc.). If you’re thinking about putting a specific event on your schedule later this year or already in the coming year, pay attention to the most important trends shaping this area of marketing. Read on.

Event marketing trends 2023 – table of contents:

1. A hybrid form of events
2. Bleisure
3. Sustainable development
4. Modern technologies
5. Summary

A hybrid form of events

After the pandemic, people continue to expect flexibility in terms of the form of events – that is, the possibility to participate in them both online and offline (depending on their needs and capabilities at a given time). Many people appreciate the fact that they can participate in an event remotely, even during work or other activities, when they only need a phone or laptop.

The need to maintain the hybrid form of events in 2023 poses new challenges for organizers on the one hand (especially when it comes to logistics and promotion), but on the other hand offers the opportunity to attract more attendees to the entire event without significantly raising costs.

Bleisure

The trend, which undoubtedly cannot be ignored in 2023, has been described as bleisure and is a combination of the words business and pleasure. This is a result of 2 years of COVID-19 pandemic – these days we highly value the mere aspect of attending a live event, but we also care about being able to simply relax during it (away from family and daily duties). It is for this reason that the location of the event, including the hotel and its amenities, leisure opportunities in the area or additional activities offered by the organizers, will be of particular importance. When planning any live event, such needs of participants must also be taken into account.

Sustainable development

Events are often associated with tons of wasted food, great consumption of resources (e.g. energy) or increased waste production, which does not have a positive impact on the environment. There is a risk that participants will increasingly choose a remote form with less impact on the environment – so companies organizing events in 2023 must also pay attention to this aspect.

What can organizers do to minimize the negative impact of various types of events on the environment? Some of the most popular and simplest practices include:

• replacing disposable plastic products (cups, plates, cutlery, etc.) with more eco-friendly (e.g., paper) alternatives,
• taking care of waste recycling during the event by placing appropriate garbage containers in every possible place,
• providing participants with materials in digital form only
• using catering services focused on sustainable development (e.g., preparing food from local and organic products),
• ensuring that the leftover food is not thrown in the trash and goes to the appropriate entities (e.g. diners).

Modern technologies

The development of technology has significantly improved the daily operations of many businesses, allowed online stores to offer customers a similar shopping experience to a visit to the mall, and provided many opportunities to conduct data analysis. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the possibilities of using artificial intelligence and machine learning, AR or VR. Such technologies have already worked in many areas – so it is worth introducing them in event marketing as well. What will you get by doing so?

Modern solutions will allow you to improve handling of participants (e.g., through an automated chatbot answering the most important questions, relieving organizers of this duty), speed up participants’ registration (e.g., with a facial recognition system), increase networking opportunities (you can implement an app to contact other attendees) or simply enhance the experience during the event (interesting use of VR/AR technology in accordance with the theme of the event). If in 2023 you want to organize fully modern trade fairs, conferences or other events in which participants will enjoy taking part, you can’t forget about this element.

Event marketing trends – ummary

Reality is changing very dynamically, as the COVID-19 pandemic perfectly showed us – we will face the consequences of this period in the history of the whole world in various areas (including event marketing) for a long time to come.

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