The Most Important Event Management Trend of 2017 – And Why You Should Care

There are plenty of things that are changing about the event industry this year. Today, we’re going to talk about one of the biggest – and why it matters.
2016 was a big year for event management – but 2017 is slated to be even bigger. After all, change is in the air. As always, everyone’s all abuzz about the various trends that are prevalent in the industry.
Of all the predictions, patterns, and opinions, there’s one prevailing trend that you should pay attention to. It involves technology, but not in the way you might think.
“Event technology has been pushing the strongest bits of innovation over the past 6 years,” explains Julius Solaris of the Event Manager Blog.“If you look at registration, mobile apps and engagement – the contribution that technology has made to change events has been incredible.”
“I believe such contribution has peaked,” he continues. “Event technology is not a driving force for change anymore. It is an established pillar of every event. Those that don’t embrace it will be out of business soon, and frankly, we won’t miss them. Event tech is not a new thing anymore, we are past that.”
With event technology now playing such a prominent role in event management, the next ‘big thing’ will be event organizers finding new and innovative ways to design their events. Industries that were once thought to be disparate and distinct from one another are now converging into single experiences – TED is one of the best examples of this, but there are plenty of others.
The underlying idea here is that people are starting to put attendees first. They’re designing events that challenge the status quo, making use of existing tech like virtual reality, livestreams, and mobility.
The key to doing this is to focus on the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of your events rather than the ‘why:’

• What can you do to make your event distinct from all others in your industry?
• How can you present your information in an interesting, distinctive way?
• How can you make your event feel less like a trade show or conference, and more like some form of exciting festival?
• What larger, industry-spanning idea can you base your event around?

“More interesting, multidisciplinary events like C2 have inspired a groundswell of convergence-building in other events of all sizes,” reads the Skift blog. “Convergence is the new catalyst for starting conversations naturally among different types of people to drive organic networking and build engagement.”
Innovation. Festivilization. Convergence. These are all buzzwords that disguise the truths behind the modern events industry. Namely, that we’ve reached the point where everyone’s aware of the value of events technology, and now it’s time we figure out exactly how to best put that value to work.
And we’re on a time limit for that.
“Attendees are getting bored,” says Solaris. “Sponsors are moving away. They are attending and investing in events with a purpose. Events that change behaviors. Events that innovate.” The Most Important Event Management Trend of 2017 – And Why You Should Care

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