It seems in every industry that this time of the year is dedicated to writing about trends, and event planning is no different. With all the information available about this, we carefully chose a few important ones to highlight.
Authenticity And Originality
No one wants to attend an event that’s simply a “knock off” of another, successful one. Unfortunately copying successful events is a nasty habit some event planners have. Sure, it makes sense to emulate success; however, the downside of this approach is that, after awhile, the events tend to look very similar and they all suffer for that.
Adding ‘Hands-On’ Activities
Speaker after speaker and presentation after presentation can wear down the most attentive of us. Well-planned events recognize this and emphasize activities that engage the participants.
Whether it’s one of the infamous “team building” events or a hands-on demonstration of a product, just about anything that gets attendees out of their seats and interacting with others is a good thing.
READ MORE: active learning activities
READ MORE: 15 brilliant examples of participatory activities at events
Blending Pleasure With Business
Weave relaxing and pleasurable experiences into the main thrust of the event. This is not just important for attendees and their attentiveness, but it’s often also critical to make satisfying activities available to the traveling partner(s) of the attendee.
These activities can really take two forms: those woven into the event to help attendees relax or get more out of the session, and activities away from the event for attendees and guests.
By arranging some nice activities of that second type, you can make for a memorable event that gets lots of support “at home” for attending next year! Although focusing on Florida, this post has some great ideas: mixing business with pleasure.
Beating Back WiFi Costs
Everyone expects Internet access and conference attendees are certainly no different. In fact, improperly configured or unreliable connectivity can bring an event to its knees in a hurry. But that’s not a reason to simply pay whatever is asked for WiFi access at event venues and accommodation sites.
In additiona to good old negotiation skills, there are other approaches you can use to manage WiFi costs. For example, sell a Wifi sponsorship; this is one of the most popular tactics.
Enhancing Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity is one of those things that’s hardly ever front-of-mind, except when the unthinkable happens (and then it is too late). But with the expectation of non-stop connectivity during the event, data security is important in every location associated with the event, including attendees’ hotels.
And with the advent of GDPR, there are legal issues that must be considered if any of your attendees will be from the European Community.
Fully addressing event cybersecurity is well beyond the scope of this post, and in fact would merit an event of its own. Here’s some great information on overall event security.
Embrace Diversity & Accessibility
Perhaps in 2019 it goes without saying, but diversity, accessibility, and inclusion are keys to a successful event. In fact, the more people who can benefit from your event, the large pool of prospects you have. Plus, there are many related laws and regulations that your event must comply with. So, at the end of the day, it should be a point of emphasis for every event.
READ MORE: 6 ways to make your events more inclusive
Wrapping It All Up
So you’ve had a quick look at what the experts see coming in 2019 for events. Having been in this business for some time, one thing we know never changes: event planners need reliable vendors to support them. We’re proud to be the Northwest’s largest provider of luxury restroom trailers and related site services: from the Canadian border to the California border, we have the largest fleet, the most choices, and the largest service area.
Give us a call today!
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