As an event professional, you do not only need organizational talent and a great deal of knowledge, but also a confident feel for new lifestyle trends. If you know what inspires people today and tomorrow, you can create exciting event themes and activities. This applies not only to private events and major public events, but also to business events such as conferences, exhibitions and corporate festivals.
The editors of the EventMasterBook.com Magazine have done a brief trend check for 2023 and selected 5 hot topics that are relevant for planning customer or employee events, networking events, trade fairs and congresses. After all, that’s what event planning is all about: offering participants and visitors exciting experiences that reflect the current spirit of the times.
If you’re currently planning an event for 2023, see if you can include any of the following major social trends in the event program/agenda:
1. Vegan Lifestyle / Basic Skills
Many people want to eat more consciously in the new year and try vegan foods at least one day a week. A basic vegan cooking workshop can therefore generate a lot of interest. It’s definitely worth planning a session for your next big business event.
2. Technology as a Wow! factor
Innovative technology – and the opportunity to try it out (whether real or virtual) – not only exerts a special fascination on genuine tech nerds, but can also be a very real source of enthusiasm for business events and business festivals. An "Innovation Parcours" or a "VR / AR Testing Arena" can usually be realized relatively easily with the help of sponsor partners from the tech industry and in cooperation with universities.
3. Digital Arts / AI / VR / AR – unlock new horizons
One thing to start with: not everyone is a fan of fine arts. Most people think visits to classical art exhibitions are rather boring. But when art comes in new forms, e.g. is AI-driven, and/or takes place in new virtual spaces, it becomes relevant to a wider target audience (see point 2). So why not tie a business event to an innovative art experience? The combination of arts and technology – and the opportunity to experience and understand it in a live setting – is interesting for many people. Because at the end of the day, everyone wants to have a say and needs new "talking points" for get-togethers or upcoming social media postings. Today, NFT art is marketed as an innovative investment product (which is definitely very speculative, but has a high fun and adrenaline factor). For success-oriented business target groups in particular, an excursion into the new art worlds could hit the spot.
4. Glam & Lifestyle – Party on!
Hey guys, we’ve been in the 20s for three years now – and still no major brand anywhere in sight has implemented a really big glamorous golden 20s party (because of the Corona pandemic, of course). That’s going to have to change in 2023! After all the pandemic-related deprivations, people (and that includes business people) finally want to have a glamorous party again. Theme/motto parties as a supporting/evening program for a congress, conference or trade fair are definitely not to be missed in 2023. (Important: Please call for a dress code that is easy to implement for everyone).
5. CSR Activities – Green Events and Social Projects
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) also plays a major role in the event sector. Green activities, such as tree planting, have experienced a real boom in recent years, e.g. as an interactive session in the context of a team-building event. Collaborative planting (still) has a certain potential for enthusiasm and is ideal if you want to give an event a "green touch". In principle, all fallow areas for which a revegetation project (planting heat-resistant trees, insect flower gardens, etc.) has been officially permitted are suitable as planting areas. However, other projects are also possible as CSR activities, e.g. an ideation workshop for more sustainability in the office, or (for sporty target groups) a plogging event (this is a combination of running/jogging and garbage collection), instead of the usual company or city run. The whole thing is perfect if the the event organizer and/or the sponsor partners donate xxx EUR for every kilo of trash collected.
There are many more cultural and social trends, such as DIY, recycling, upcycling, glamping, remote work, etc., that you can take advantage of when designing an exciting event program. Always look out for new trends and add variety to your agenda/schedule. Much success with your event projects in the new year 2023 and personally all the best to you. Best wishes, the eventmasterbook.de / .com editorial team.
Cover image (collage): Editorial team eventmasterbook.de / AdCoach adcoach.de (Publisher)
Related topics:
Event, events, event planning, event trends, trends, event ideas, ideas, business events, customer event, employee event, trade shows, trade show planning, conventions, festivals, AR, VR, technology, digital arts, NFT, party, 20s, twenties, experiences, MICE, event organization, event management, green events, vegan, lifestyle, eventmasterbook
(This article is a translation of the original version in German language at eventmasterbook.de. Please excuse any translation errors.)
