The fabric of meetings - everything is intertwined

Our industry is hugely influenced by global developments, from de-globalisation, AI, political unrest & choices to wars & conflicts, the energy transition, sustainability, Gen Z and inclusivity. As well as being concerned with the topic and content of your event, stakeholders also tend to view it through the lens of worldwide trends when deciding who they wish to be associated with. That’s why there are so many examples of people deciding to either join or withdraw from an event at the last minute.

Everything is interconnected. Do you take into account events outside your field and weave them into yours or do you keep the two worlds strictly apart? And what kind of world do you create with your event? This is why it’s so important to regularly evaluate whether your event remains a good fit or needs a new look & feel altogether.

People, sessions, networking, exhibition floors: sharing knowledge and doing business. The basics of meetings and events set the overall style and facilitate the rest of your outfit, ensuring you cover all touchpoints. Make sure you have everything in the right place.

At first glance, little seems to have changed in the basics. People still like to come together to learn and network, and are prepared to invest considerable travel time, effort, money and knowledge to make this happen. Stroll around any trade show in 2024 and you’ll likely see the classic aisles, session rooms, lunch breaks and networking lounges. While this offers a firm foundation on which to build, make no mistake: extra layers have been added to the basics.

Sustainability, technology, data, digital infrastructure, event design, interaction planning, customer journeys… These are just some of the examples of a growing trend in all aspects of your event. And this, in turn, is altering your relationship with visitors, exhibitors, sponsors and other stakeholders. Together we can ensure that the basics remain good by staying in touch with each other throughout the year. That can be virtually via webinars, or through smaller spin-off events, roadshows, exhibitor meetings in the region. There are many ways to ensure the basics are in place but you’ll need to look beyond the timing and boundaries of your physical event.

Eco-friendly design, realisation and connections

While the sustainability of an event used to be seen as an extra recommendation, today it is pure necessity. It’s also a complicated issue, requiring a wide range of measurements and a varied focus from event stakeholders. Sometimes it can revolve around one or two specific targets, on other occasions you may have to quantity the footprint of all products used during the event. Equally as important is the environmental impact of travel to and from an event, measurable results that your exhibitors and visitors can also take into account.

And then there’s the sustainable use of people’s time. This requires better preparation, with more appointments made in advance, other visits planned near the event destination, smaller meetings before, during and after your event, and what we call curated serendipity – where organisers make a difference by the smart use of data. Visitors or exhibitors are given greater responsibilities, which organisers can seamlessly facilitate. That’s serendipity-plus.

Made to measure
Events start well before registration opens and continue long after the doors have closed. The fact that visitors and exhibitors tend to sign up for events at an increasingly later stage allows organisers to keep their finger on the pulse and make adjustments in content and focus where necessary. It’s a process of co-creation as all stakeholders – visitors, exhibitors, organisers, venues and cities – work together to achieve sustainable growth. A growth that means a single event trip can lead to new contacts, knowledge, results and sustainable development in a particular field. While such benefits are tricky to calculate they’re most definitely of value.

We can learn from the clothing industry in this respect as it evolves from fast fashion to a more sustainable model. Reduce waste by reusing materials and encouraging circular stand construction, or by providing catering that features locally produced products and has a low footprint. Reuse, for instance by not having the year printed on your banners or banning disposable materials from your event. And recycle, like the exhibitor at the RAI who for years used a stand that was designed from old doors saved from the scrapyard. This is a fine example of something that combines smart thinking with a unique appearance.

Whatever you do, make sure your event also has a sustainable legacy in terms of content.

Look at the world and see how other industries or formats might impact your event

We are increasingly seeing events that temporarily incorporate one another. Sometimes this revolves around the subject matter, such as exhibitions with five titles that combine niches and focus on a broader development. A good example is tech events where segments like IoT, cybersecurity, AI, big data, cloud computing and blockchain are combined. Different topics, different events, all zipped together into a single garment.

But we can also go broader. Global issues such as sustainability, the energy transition, inclusiveness and so on can also be a fit for medical associations, both as organisations and as topics during an event breakout session. After all, every industry is ultimately facing the same issues. So why not look at HR during a conference on elderly care? Or examine how emerging technologies like AI are changing our daily work. Combine b2b with b2c, plan surprising guest lectures or full side-events where the interfaces with your own topic can generate major new insights.

These factors can vary to suit the moment. Zip one segment to your event, then zip in something else at the next edition. Or zip in a second element. You can add to and subtract from the core without affecting the heart of your objective. Think of a pair of jeans where you shorten the legs. Both physically and online, you can hook and unhook subjects. You might eventually even come up with a new stand-alone title, based on a different model altogether.

One thing’s for sure: a good zipper event will seamlessly knit together innovation, fixed components and new topics into one smart whole.

By combining different experiences, usually within one shared framework, the big picture becomes more colourful.

While zipper events usually have changing ideas related to content and form, with a quilt everything is fairly fixed. But that doesn’t necessarily make for boring or predictable events. On the contrary, a set mix of smaller parts can together form a single pattern that celebrates the multiple layers and diversity of your event. A place where attendees enjoy new experiences at every level along with a repetition that gives your event a certain rhythm. Each stakeholder can then opt for the groove of their choice.

By merging target groups and blending formats in a fusion of ages, session types, networking moments and times of rest, everything can be sewed into a fixed pattern. Combining substantive sessions with musical performances or sporting activities, wellness, networking moments, matchmaking sessions and unconference initiatives – memories last longer when feelings and reason are interchangeably addressed.

As an organiser you determine the patterns and are the master-tailor who brings shapes, colours, styles and materials together. While a quilt may not be seamless, the transitions are handmade and everything is doubly connected with an overall pattern. Surrounded by one overall frame.

What kind of patchwork quilt is your event? And how wide or narrow do you make the common framework?

It’s easier to take in information when you feel good

It’s remarkable how quickly the days of attending a conference in suit and tie seem to have disappeared. New target groups and generations see personal style as more important that conforming to the norm. Feeling comfortable and looking good is increasingly important. It’s can be well worth your time to add wellness elements to your event. People who feel good take more in, and that can only increase the value of an event.

From healthy eating choices to mindfulness sessions and active breaks, there are ever-more initiatives designed to enhance the overall experience for participants.

Use light, sounds and smells. Chill the senses. Make use of outdoor spaces and nature. Set up matchmaking sessions while enjoying a walk. You can also offer wellness in the overall setup of your event in different spaces. Sound therapy, spaces to unwind and escape the hustle and bustle of the exhibition floor. Moments to relax and recharge are not only for visitors and exhibitors. Think of ways to ensure your speakers start a session rested and focused by taking all their cares away.

Consider wellness corners and quiet zones to give everyone a place to relax, meditate or just get away from it all. Healthy food is another key pillar. Offer light and nutritious options that boost energy rather than causing a dip. These can range from fresh fruit and vegetables to salad bars and healthy smoothies or even a completely plant-based selection.

Increasingly we see active breaks on the menu such as short walks, stretching sessions and even group fitness classes. These time-outs help people stay physically active while reducing mental fatigue and improving concentration. They also provide an opportunity for networking and informal conversations outside the traditional meeting environment.

If the cap still fits

We know that you already regularly take stock of what needs renewing or changing in your event and format. The world is changing and new generations, techniques and materials are transforming ‘old skool’ meetings into immersive environment experiences that take participants on the journey you have made for and with them.

Everything is new.

In itself that’s all perfectly fine, of course, but just like in the fashion world styles and choices often come back around. There’s a good chance that half your delegates actively experienced the 80s and 90s while the other half see those days as trendy vintage. Be wary then of changing things too drastically as the old ways can quickly be back on trend. Whether you call it vintage, classic, old-fashioned or historical, take a good look at your format and stick to what works.

While we may no longer all be prepared to obediently attend large plenary sessions featuring that famous speaker, this is no reason to plan only small sessions. Nor do those small sessions have to maintain the speaker/audience format. Collaborating with rising stars or, say, starting from a pre-crowdsourced question, participants come up with a solution together. Here, too, the golden rule applies: keep the right balance between old and new – you can still easily plan that offline Q&A session with big industry names.

It’s useful to think of your event as a company with a multi-generational workforce: a mix of ages and styles that moves forward together. Step out of your bubble and try each other’s clothes.

Going vintage can also bring an inspirational look & feel to networking: tell a story featuring classics from your industry, showcase how things have developed and look forward to a bright future together. Reuse settings and speakers in a ‘where are they now’ segment. Or give your networking lounges and meeting points a classic ambience by serving popular dishes from your association’s founding year or spinning vinyl in a wellness setting. Vintage keeps coming back and that record player now works in harmony with the cloud.

Sleek and wrinkle-free

Seamless connections before, during and after an event are experiences that are increasingly taken for granted. And at a time when visitors (and sometimes even exhibitors) decide at the last moment whether to join your event, the start of the customer journey is growing in importance. Which tools can support you with this?

AI will help you predict the behaviour and preferences of your visitors, generate a personal offer and use your marketing more effectively. Also consider content generation, streamlined logistics planning and the seamless personalisation of visitor experiences. Registration pages and scripts for your social media posts can also have an impact. AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants will tailor an experience for participants and, last but not least, gather valuable insights for organisers. All in compliance with international privacy rules.

This seamless journey continues at the event venue itself, where the digital infrastructure must be dressed for the occasion. Data reception cannot suddenly be different when you walk into a venue; visitors expect the same 5G at an event as they enjoyed on the way there. Or at the very least the Wi-Fi they’re used to, even if thousands of others are also logged in.

In a similar vein, consider also the use of digital twins when designing the setting and checking your logistical planning. Visualising the design of your event in a virtual environment will allow you to spot potential bottlenecks and flag up options that you might not initially have thought about.

Ready to wear
The seamless journey during an event can also be made easier through the use of wearables such as a smart badge. Think access to event rooms or personalised recommendations based on interests and preferences. Monitoring the data from badges in real time gives organisers other helpful insights, enabling you for example to make a switch if a session threatens to get too full or give advice on crowded catering points.

The keys to success here, however, are to keep things simple and think carefully about the design of the badge. What would you like to be instantly accessible? Should you use the badge for access or payments, add a game element, or place something behind the QR code or in the RFID chip?

Make no mistake, they’re more than just nice-to-haves.

Yes, you can ask ChatGPT to create a marketing plan and format for an event with 300 attendees that includes five breakout sessions, loads of networking opportunities and a party night. But is that enough? Of course not.

We’ve already mentioned the importance of aspects beyond the content of the programme. Components such as catering, event tech and other services have moved from peripherals to integral parts of your event, as have the wellness elements. All these ‘accessories’ and more should contribute to the overall experience. They can make the difference between a standard meeting and a transformative gathering, one where all the stars align and tell a cohesive story. Form and content, physical and online, within and beyond the boundaries of your event.

So which accessories should you include in your boutique event? Linking an overall theme to your event can provide a framework within which to work and ensure everything fits. Examples might include greenery & nature, hyper-localisation, adding an air of extravagance or keeping it simple. What suits your stakeholders? And how far can you extend the theme? Outside the event dates you could organise meetings for exhibitors or delegates in the form of a quick catch-up or a roadshow, share your filmed content online and discuss new insights or developments, place monthly Q&As in your portal or launch blogs. You might even take accessories literally and open a webshop with items related to your organisation this specific edition of your event.

We could go so far as to say that good accessories make an event. After all, your outfit is never complete without buttons, shoes, umbrella or a bag: what will your big picture look be?

Standard garments or tailor-made gear – adding a personal touch

In an age of hyper-personalisation, your event should ideally offer a unique experience to every exhibitor and visitor. But do you create it using a standard pattern or should you design a bespoke concept for everyone? And who is actually more than happy with the standard format?

How you cut the cloth depends on the wishes of your stakeholders. Exhibitors, for instance, see things from different perspectives (and certainly a financial one) while looking to have everything taken care of wherever possible. Many will find standard stand packages a godsend and you can still add personal touches with layering in size and decoration. Customising within clear frameworks in other words, this solution is ideal for smaller exhibitors. It’s also very relevant from a sustainability point of view, offering reuse of existing packages and involving less moving around of stand materials. Exhibitors often welcome the sense of clarity and the fact that costs are known in advance, facilitating both their objectives and ROI calculations.

The hyper-personal experience of delegates can be challenging, however, with everyone starting from a different point. Repeat visitors attending a familiar event in their own country are likely to be more relaxed than first-time attendees who missed their train and couldn't check into their hotel on time. Yet, they both find themselves in the first session of your immersive, sensory-stimulating event. Anticipate these (and other) starting points by creating entrances, setups and flows that include relaxation points, allowing for a calm beginning to the shared journey.

AI is transforming ways to keep your event personalised and relevant throughout the year. The better you analyse your data and sources, the more you can respond and anticipate individual needs. Think carefully about the sources you already have and the data you specifically request or collect. Use all the feedback from your previous event and traffic on your online channels. Draw up tailor-made schedules, endorsements for sessions and exhibitors, curated 1-on-1 conversations and notifications about alternative sessions. And don’t forget tips for relaxation or a recommendation to take a half-hour walk outside to exchange ideas with delegates who are thinking about specific subjects and will also welcome a little time out.

Event venues are increasingly a blank canvas with sufficient tech and space to realise your ideas, depending on the target group and budget. But if you are still pondering a ‘one size fits all’ approach, think outside the box of your venue. A bus or a boat that take people from A to B might also be ideal for your elevator pitch or a min-breakout session.

Citywide events are no longer the exclusive reserve of large gatherings. Smaller meetings can also incorporate urban surroundings into the plan, content, target audience and scope. Viewed this way, there is always a perfect fit.

Countless opportunities also exist to design various micro-events within a broad framework, making every participant feel at home. Whether keeping it calm or stimulating busyness, everything becomes part of a carefully crafted immersive experience. And when people feel good, the overall ROI of their event participation is significantly higher.

From experience to transformation

Your event is all about generating experiences that inspire, inform and stimulate participants into action. By weaving stories into the fabric of a programme, you can create a memorable and impactful experience that lingers long after the event ends. This in turn contributes to enhanced engagement, higher satisfaction levels and an added value event for everyone. From experience to transformation.

One more tip before we end: no matter how much technology we use, the handiwork of the creator is seen in every event. Each piece of fabric stitched and joined, including using the frayed edges. Colour your event with different materials and remember that it remains an interplay of designer and wearer, always looking for the perfect fit.

Let’s get weaving…and see where the loose ends lead us.