Seven Emerging Trends in Live Events

The past few years have been turbulent for the live events industry. With the pandemic came a shift in the very concept of live events and live events PR, and now in a post-pandemic world and live events back to full swing, there have been notable changes taking place.

With change comes new opportunities. Live events are booming and these trends are worth keeping a close eye on. Taking inspiration from trends like this can increase success and awareness of your event and the PR campaign, too.

So without further ado, let’s look at these emerging event industry trends.

1. AR and VR Events

AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality) are transforming areas of live events.

Imagine a venue that has an unlimited capacity and costs virtually (excuse the pun) nothing to hire? That’s the power of hosting a VR event. VR allows users to attend computer generated 3D events which require nothing more than an internet connection and a VR headset.

With the rising popularity of live video, VR can offer a much more immersive experience for users. One of the biggest benefits of hosting a VR event is the cost implications. With no venue to book, organisers are making savings. 

That being said, the drawbacks of VR events are still there to contend with. They can make networking less viable than in person events and people have reported to suffer with nausea and sickness due to the large number of visual stimuli they experience. 

AR is similar to VR but is used in conjunction with live events as opposed to replacing them entirely. With AR technology, companies are enhancing the experience attendees are having at live events. 

It’s important to explore new and innovative ways to showcase the best that your event has to offer. With AR you can do a number of things including:

• Gamification – hosting mini games using AR can leave a more impactful mark on your audience. Gamification allows for a more engaging way for attendees to interact with your brand.   

• Boost sponsorship engagement – events are littered with sponsorship. Having AR intertwined with sponsorship stands allows attendees to physically engage with them.

• Promote new products and services – does your event  involve the promotion of any new products and services your brand releases? Why not allow attendees to use these new products and services using AR. This way you minimise the risk of a negative interaction by making the experience way more immersive and fun.

2. Data is Unlocking Beneficial Insights

With data being seen as one of the most valuable resources on earth it’s not surprising that event organisers are using it to their benefit. Due to online events, and online bookings becoming more and more of an occurrence, attendees data is being captured at pace.

So, how is this beneficial?

Using key insights, organisers and marketers can enhance the experience of online live events. They can track which part of the event experienced the most activity, as well as which demographic of their audience participated the most.

With this type of data being collected over a period of time it allows online live events to be more tailored towards user experience. Resulting in a better overall experience for the people attending the event.  

3. Events are Being Hybridised 

A new type of hybrid live event is being adopted. A hybrid event benefits more niche events allowing them to attract a bigger and broader audience.

How, you might ask?

Well, by offering extra services such as food and drink stalls, niche events are able to cast a wider net. The opportunity here is massive as live hybrid events can stimulate the local economy and boost tourism for their region.

4. Mobile is Being Utilised

The mobile phone is  one of the single most revolutionary pieces of technology ever to be created, making a huge and immediate impact on every industry, and the live events industry is no exception.

Here are just a few ways in which mobiles phones are being used to change live events:

• Mobile cash register – mobiles are being used as portable cash registers. Long gone are the days where a huge cash register stocked with physical currency is needed for transactions to take place. Through cashless live events, all you need now is a phone and a small card reader as virtually everyone has a contactless bank card.

• Ticket entry – physical tickets are still in use but they are nowhere near as popular as they used to be. There are countless mobile ticket apps available and using them has plenty of benefits. For example, tickets are less likely to be fraudulent, get lost or be stolen. And it’s one less thing to remember when packing your bag! 

• QR code interactions – QR codes are having a real moment these days. From ordering food to your table to entering a prize draw, there are endless possibilities to use it. Having QR integration at your event allows for a more engaged audience as well as enhanced sponsorship opportunities.

5. Eco Focused Events

The entire world is putting more of an emphasis on becoming more sustainable and reducing our carbon footprints. Events can contribute massively to carbon emissions so promoting a more sustainable event could drive awareness and position the event as more attractive due to its green policies and initiatives. Event greening is a concept that refers to making an event more sustainable, this is becoming more evident in 2023 festival trends.

These ‘Green Events’ aim to minimise the environmental impact that events have by introducing some more sustainable measures.

These measures may include:  

• Having adequate recycling facilities
• Compostable packaging
• Ban on single use plastics
• Paperless menus for food stalls
• More vegan and vegetarian options
• Encouraging the use of bikes and public transport to attend the event

These are just a few ways in which events can become more sustainable and greener. All of these efforts, which will be built year-on-year, enable the industry as a whole to operate in a greener way, with the support of attendees, too. 

6. Cyber Security Increased

Data breaches are becoming more and more of an occurrence in today’s society. With tech giants such as Google and Facebook at the heart of leaked data scandals in the news, people are naturally becoming more cautious about sharing their data online.

As a result, it is clear to see that events will need to be more strict on how they handle and process the data of their attendants. Any breaches in their security could be damaging to the brand and business as consumers will view them as untrustworthy. Cyber security and data protection will be at the forefront of event organisers’ minds so they can avoid a situation like this occurring. 

7. Social Media as a Promo Tool

Social media is playing an important role in how live events are marketed and promoted. We know that social media use has been on the rise since the early 2000s when it was first adopted. With social media there is a lot of opportunity to not only promote events but to integrate them into the social media platforms.

More and more users are turning to social media to search for products and services because social media can give users confidence due to positive engagement and social proof. Events have the ability to tap into this by becoming social media friendly and offering a platform for their future attendees to come and explore.

Events can offer pre-sale ticket competitions, private facebook groups as well as shareable content on their social media platforms. All which would contribute massively to their online presence, which could boost event attendance.

2023 Festival Trends with GALA PR for Live Events

The live events industry is ever-evolving with shifts taking place all the time. The more traditional events that people are used to are starting to adopt new and exciting concepts. Also with the pandemic in our rear view mirror it’s evident that it has left an impact on live events and how they are organised.

Gala PR was established in 2020 so we’re based on the principles of driving awareness and promoting creative and engaging live events. Mixing our expertise with the ten plus years of experience means we have an adaptive approach to getting your live event in front of the right audience.