Event trends for 2022: starting afresh, but how?

Hybrid events are here to stay

Just as companies are committed to managing remote work more and more effectively, events are not ready to let go of hybrid solutions.

A great deal of energy will therefore be devoted to building and managing digital platforms capable of engaging online audiences. Virtual audiences will replace or add to the physical ones, following the lead of the sport-event industry, which has pioneered this model for years. But are we sure that digital events will not also need to be rethought? This brings us straight to point 2.

Virtual events need to be redesigned: the initial model no longer works

Over the past two years, a massive decline in virtual event attendance has been registered. At the beginning of the pandemic, the attendance was 70% and participants used to follow an event for up to 6/8 hours straight. At the moment, attendance has dropped to a dramatic 35/40% and attendees spend much less time online. This is due to many problems that need to be addressed if the industry wants to “win back” its former audience. Event planners will likely play a key role in the process.

A new format will be essential. The first thing to bear in mind is that a virtual event is not a webinar and cannot follow the same rules. Planning the online equivalent of an in-person event that lasts hours doesn’t work, because the virtual audience tends to have a shorter attention span. Virtual events should never exceed 2/3 hours per day and should combine different formats designed with a models taken from the entertainment industry. Participants must be considered as viewers to be constantly engaged, rather than resources that have been acquired once and for all. Therefore, virtual events will probably involve a mix of alternating keynotes, interviews and interactive panels, with the audience taking part in them through chats, surveys and entertainment breaks. Variety is the operative word.

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New opportunities, new needs, new models

No more big “annual events”, but a year-round engagement

Organising one big annual event has turned out to be a dead-end for many companies. Connecting just once and for a few days means lagging behind and having to deal with diminished audience engagement for the rest of the year, not to mention a lower data quality.

In 2022 marketing efforts will likely align with a year-round engagement model. Such an operation can increase brand awareness and the number of possible participants and grant more reliable data. It will become essential to think more broadly, if necessary also relying on agencies able to implement long-term promotion and marketing strategies.

Data security will become a priority

Last but not least, as virtual events take place more often, the exponential increase in the amount of data will make data protection particularly important. Those attending virtual or hybrid events will need to be sure that their data is protected and ISO 27001 certification will become essential for event planners.

These are the main new event trends for 2022: better virtual experiences, a year-round engagement rather than big annual events, and a bigger need for data protection in a world increasingly dominated by digital models. 

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