Jodie McLean 0:04
Hey, I'm Jodie. Event Manager, business owner, educator and podcast host. I'm an introverted homebody, want to be wine master, and I truly believe in the power of events to inspire, delight and ignite human potential. Every week, I take you backstage into the wonderful world of business events, and give you the insider scoop on how to take your events to the next level. Before we begin, I'd like to acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and listen. Let's get into it.
Well, welcome back to another episode of the events insider podcast. I'm your host, Jodie. And it is great to be with you as always today. Before we dive into today's episode, I thought I'd give you a little snapshot into my world the past week. So at the time of recording, I finished up a big two day conference last week for 250 people across Australia and New Zealand. So that was a project that was probably about eight months of planning and working with a committee on that and kind of a global organisation as well. So that was definitely a big event. And I definitely took a couple of days off. After that, which I highly recommend. If you are gearing up for a big event, make sure that you clear your schedule a couple of days afterwards, just so that you can come back down from the high and the chaos that events are. So this month, we have a couple of smaller events, which is nice. I like the balance and the mix. And then I am gearing up to head to Bali in May, which is exciting. I'm heading up a four day conference over there for about 150 people. So again, another big one. So it's nice to have this month a little bit slower paced, and be able to work on a couple of other things that I've got in the works. So that's where I'm at, I'd love to hear where you're at to definitely get in touch. Let me know what you've got on what you need help with. I'm here to provide support and guidance and my tips. And in saying that I love sharing my learnings from all the events that I work on. So if you're not already following along on Instagram or LinkedIn, make sure you jump on in there for daily tips and inspiration. And as well make sure you're getting our weekly events insider email, because I share quite a bit there as well. So I'll put a link in the show notes for you there if you're not getting that so that you can join that. We promise no spam, just weekly emails with good content.
So for today's episode, we are talking all things event trends, and I thought it would be fitting given we're talking about trends to use my trusty friend chat GPT because sometimes, you know doing a podcast as a solo episode, you know, it gets a bit sad talking to yourself. So I thought, well, we're talking about trends, I'll use a trending piece of software to help me now chat GPT has told me that it's knowledge cut off date was 2021. But it has suggested some possible trends and events industry that might be relevant in 2023. So I'm going to share those with you. And then I'm going to give you my expert opinion from real world experience that I'm seeing in the industry as to whether chat GPT is correct or not. So let's get into it.
Okay, so for each of the trends that chat GPT thinks will be trending in 2023. I am going to say yes, it's here to stay or no, it needs to go. And I will give you my opinion on that. So the first one, quite unsurprisingly, is hybrid events. So chat GPT says that because of the COVID pandemic, forcing many events to shift to virtual, it expects that in person events will return but virtual will stay and therefore hybrid events will be popular. I have to say I disagree. Yes, there was a time when hybrid events were all the rage. But I personally think it needs to go. And I am seeing less and less hybrid events going on in the industry. And here's why. When you plan an event, you are trying to achieve an organization's objectives and you're trying to provide a really great guest experience. Ultimately, every event comes down to those two things. Hybrid events, unfortunately, always let one or both parties down from a guest perspective experience. So you know, you can either deliver a really great in person event and the virtual attendees feel left out or you can deliver a really great virtual experience, but it impacts the in person experience. I am yet to see an event that really nails both because I really feel like they're two different events. And more and more I think people are realising this, that they're trying to split their resources between in person and virtual and it's just not achieving the results that They weren't for either. And so what I'm actually seeing more and more is people want that in person connection. And in person events are definitely all the rage, and they're here to stay, and they will never go. But what I'm seeing more and more in, I guess, trying to tackle this element of and achieve or the positive elements of what a hybrid event was trying to do is having an in person event but then recording it and delivering in a digital format snippets of the event either as a whole or kind of chopped up in some way to live it virtually at a later date. But what I think needs to go is having virtual people live while you've got an in person event because it just doesn't work.
So the second event trend is personalization. And I am here for it. So chat GPT says that event attendees increasingly expect personalised experiences and event organisers are responding by offering tailored content, personalised networking opportunities and other customised features. I 100%. Agree, I think often we look at really large scale events with big budgets and the big name speakers and you know, the really cool experiences that they offer. And we think that that's the only way to achieve event objectives. And I think sometimes we can look at our smaller events and feel like they're not as good or they can't achieve what a big event can do. But we need to not discount the power that small intimate events have, because they can be a lot more personalised. I think sometimes when guests attend such a big event, they feel like they're just one of the many. And no one even knows that they're there. And people are becoming more and more fussy about what events they do attend. And you know, more and more we're craving in this digital world. We're craving deep human connection. And so I think we really need to look at, you know, how we do an intimate personalised event and whether that's actually the right avenue to achieve the objectives that we have. And so things that we are seeing around this is yeah, as it says tailored content, so I guess having more niche events, and kind of not going for the masses with a really broad topic, but actually niching down into something really specific and going after the people that it is absolutely perfect for and rather than going, we're gonna get 100 people to this event is actually going this event is for these particular people, we're gonna go after them, and we're going to provide the best experience we can for those people. And therefore conversion or whatever the objective is for the event is going to be a lot higher, because that person feels valued. They feel seen, they feel like the content is really there for them. And when you provide a personalised experience, people can't help but respond positively. Right? We all want to feel like we're seeing that we're thought of that people care. And when you can provide a personalised event experience and create those deep connections, whether it's networking or through the content, people are going to respond really positively. So I think it's really important that we don't discount small personalised events. I do think it's, it's harder to do a personalised event on a larger scale. So I think that personalised event experiences are definitely here to stay, I highly recommend them. And let's think about when we're looking at our business's objectives. Okay, is this more suited to an intimate personalised experience? And how can we, you know, really tailor that so that people feel really seen welcomed? Yeah, and how is that going to achieve our objectives?
Just jumping into let you know that this episode of the events insider podcast is brought to you by events Academy, Australia's first digital education platform for admin professionals to upskill in Event Management. At events Academy, we believe in the power of events to inspire, delight and ignite human potential. And if you want to learn how to plan amazing business events with confidence and creativity, then you're in the right place. So for now, let's get back to the episode.
Okay, two from two. It's going well so far. The third event trend is sustainability. So it says the focus on sustainability is growing in all areas of life, including events in 2023, we can expect to see more emphasis on reducing waste using eco friendly materials and promoting responsible practices. Yep. 100% agree. And this is a conversation that is happening more and more with my clients, even if they're not, I guess typically, you know, overly sustainably focused. You know, it's coming up in pretty much every client conversation that I have when we're planning particularly larger events, but yeah, a sustainably sustainability and sustainable events is definitely growing in popularity. And I think it's absolutely here to stay, some of the things that we're seeing and the things that we're working towards is using more Zero Waste catering companies is definitely something that's, you know, pretty easy to do. And so it's a pretty easy switch, biodegradable and recyclable materials. We recently used biodegradable lanyards at an event. And again, look, that's a pretty easy, you know, decision to make and supplier to choose. We're also seeing reusable items. So being able to reuse name badges, even reusing lanyards, or those sorts of materials that you might otherwise just throw in the bin, were seeing guests asking if we're going to reuse them, making sure that we're collecting at them at the end of the event so that we can reuse them. So think about with your event, you know, what are some of the things that you can reuse things that you may already have from previous events that you could reuse. And the other thing is just cutting out or reducing items altogether that may have previously been purchased or manufactured. So the main one here is merch, we're seeing a massive reduction in the request for merchandise, or at least reducing the amount of merch and kind of going for one nice item, as opposed to a bag full of merch from a million sponsors. And again, we're seeing this from being driven from the guests who are saying that they don't want those things and cannot be, you know, kind of reused or kind of not opting to take one and really requesting that we don't print those things. So the other thing that we really tried to reduce is just printing for the sake of it. So we absolutely aim to be digital when we're at events. And I think such an easy thing is just to cut out printing endless copies of things that aren't necessary, when it's just so easy these days to be digital. So I absolutely think that sustainability is a fairly easy switch with events in choosing who you work with, and the way that you work. And just really having that front of mind when you're making those decisions. It is absolutely a trend that is here to stay and is just gonna grow in popularity.
Okay, the next one is virtual and augmented reality. So this one is kind of both in the sense of part of it, I think, yes, here to stay and part of it, I think has to go. I think when we went down the virtual event path, we went too far in this whole augmented reality world and trying to provide a realistic in person experience, but fully digitally and online. And it got really complex. And you look, there was some amazing technology that came out and some, you know, amazing experiences that you could have, but at a really high cost. And so we did see some really big conferences, doing some really cool stuff. But I'm really seeing that being pulled back in favour of in person, I think that the people have spoken and we want in person. But I would say that virtual is definitely here to stay in a more simplistic format. So what I'm seeing is kind of a lot more virtual events, but just really simple, you know, a zoom webinar or a Zoom meeting something that's just, you know, really simple and saves it being in person if it doesn't need to be. And also being able to reach, you know, wider audience, we're seeing all of those benefits of virtual events. And it's definitely here to stay because of all of those benefits. But you know, I think we just went too far and made things too complicated. With augmented reality. And I think we're just kind of really dialling it back to, let's just jump online and hold an event. And so I think, yeah, virtual events are definitely here to stay. Keep it simple, absolutely be as polished as you can. I think, unfortunately, there are a lot of people kind of not putting in as much effort or not making things polished, not practising and rehearsing beforehand. Because we are, you know, online every day, and we think, oh, we'll just, you know, easily jump on. If you're putting on event it still needs to be really polished and really professional. I mean, I mean, I guess depending on your kind of business and your objectives. But I do think we still need to put effort in but definitely seeing a trend towards keeping things simple for people. You know, from a guest experience perspective, I think some of the technology got too complicated. And people got confused. And it was kind of distracting from what the event was and what the content was. And so the simpler that you can keep it in a format that people are used to the better experience they're going to have guests want to feel comfortable and confident with the technology that they're using. And so if you throw something new at them, it's just not going to end well. So virtual is definitely here to stay, keep it simple. And I think we don't need to go too far down the augmented reality path because people just want human connection.
So the fifth and final event trends that chat GPT gave me is health and safety. But I'm not even going to indulge that because how boring and that's not an event trend. So instead, I'm going to give you what I think is kind of the number one trend that's arisen over the past maybe 12 to 18 months, and that is retreats. So in a non business context, I'm seeing so many more retreats popping up, kind of intimate small group retreats, people really needing a break from their day to day life. But in a business event context, definitely seeing the rise of retreats, particularly around leadership teams getting out of the office and off site, whether it's one day or multi day, and really a mix of work and play. So kind of structured facilitated sessions or guest speakers, and then some social stuff as well, I think more and more after work, drinks are not cutting it. And we've kind of been there done that when it comes to team building activities. And so I'm seeing more and more people wanting to go all in on a bigger retreat experience kind of once a year, rather than doing lots of smaller, less exciting things. And so yeah, kind of getting off site away from the office. But also, with people working more at home, it's kind of a chance to bring teams together as well in one place, and be really focused on what they want to get out of, you know, that day or that or a few days, bringing in external facilitators, and then having some really structured kind of social getting to know your time. And when you're kind of away from your normal life. And on a retreat, those connections can be a lot deeper than what you would get at just social drinks or a team building activity one afternoon, so definitely seeing the rise, I guess, as we've kind of seen through all of these trends of that desire for deep human connection that events provide. And I think that's so true with these retreats as well that are popping up everywhere is people want to connect deeply and get away from their day to day and into another environment and have a whole experience rather than just kind of smaller bits here and there. So I think a team retreat is definitely something to consider. If that would suit your business, whether it's just a leadership team or a whole company retreat, you know, we've done a whole company retreat where their staff are scattered all over Australia. And we brought them all together, they work completely digitally 365 days of the year. And so we brought them together, some of them meeting for the first time. And then we've also done kind of leadership team retreats where it's just a one day off site, and evening. And the amount of I guess deep thinking and deep connection that you can achieve with retreats is just so valuable. So that would be I guess, what I think is the number one event that's on the rise and has been for a little while now. So definitely something to consider if that would suit your business objectives. So there you have it, the 2023 event trends that are here to stay and some that just need to go. I hope that was helpful. As always make sure you reach out and connect with us and we'll chat to you next week.
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Events Insider Podcast. If you loved it, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, share with your friends, and I'll chat to you next week. Bye
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