5 Innovative Trends in Event Management

Event organisation is changing not only due to the new tech tools for content sharing, networking and operations, but most of all for the strategic approach and creative mind-set used to create personalised experiences and powerful learning. 

by Annalisa Ponchia, Director of Innovation & Customer Experience, AIM Group International

Events are often the best assets of a scientific association, their major revenue source, and a crucial representation of an association or a corporate brand. Events enables to create a conversation with the target audiences as well as to influence change when needed. When a corporate or association client entrusts a professional company to take care of its congresses or event organisation, it looks not only for the best partners but also for someone to provide added value.

In the past, event management was all about the perfect execution and attention to details. Nowadays, logistics are still important, but they are the standard offering of all professional event organisers. Today, event organisers need to help clients create personalized experiences for each target audience that attend the event.

The main areas where innovation will change event and meetings management are as follows:

• Education formats. Education for adult learners must be placed in the context of the attendee’s professional environment and respond to their daily practice and work, but they should also offer occasions for networking and best practice sharing. The design of the event must closely correlate with the meeting scope and purpose and scientific programs should also reflect the vision of the organization/association.
• Environmental and Social Sustainability. Taking a sustainable approach to the management of events can also make a fantastic impression on attendees while helping the environment and saving money. Fostering community development, promoting local culture and leaving a lasting legacy: all of these are clear priorities for our generation.
• “Edu-Exhibition” area. Trade shows at congresses should focus more on content and education. For instance, introducing initiatives like a Big Interactive Lab where products are showcased for learning.
• “Soft” technologies. Technological innovations play an important role for all aspects of event management. But we also need to leverage technology to deliver new services, solutions, that can create real emotional engagement from participants.
• Digital Marketing and Communication. Corporate and associations clients are giving more and more importance to promoting their events with personalised and multichannel campaigns, in particularly adapted to the young generation attending events.

Finally, innovation is all about having the right mind-set, it means that we need to think outside the box and unleash creativity, in order to respond to challenges and find the right solutions. Innovation means that we can respond to client’s unmet needs. It means that we can introduce  process improvement and commoditizes sophisticated tech tools, making them available for all clients at all levels.

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