15 Event Trends to Watch for in 2020Ideas and trends to implement in your events strategy that will deliver more value for attendees, exhibitors and sponsors

15 Events Trends to Watch for in 2020 2

As the events industry celebrates the start of a new decade, every organization wants to know, what are the must-haves in 2020?

Organizers often barely wrap-up one event to start planning the next. For those with multiple shows, it is a perpetual cycle of planning and executing while improving. With the Center for Exhibition Industry Research's (CEIR) 2019 Index Report only predicting a modest 1.1% increase in growth for 2020, everyone will be tasked to maximize their events. From increasing attendance and retention to driving better satisfaction, all areas should be evaluated.

While there are many ideas, how do you separate out the trends versus the fads? What can you do to make an impact this year?

Personify’s Top Predictions for 2020 revolve around three

core areas

Data and Analytics

The Attendee and Exhibitor Experience

Creativity and Mindfulness

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The amount of data show organizers have at their disposal in the past ten years has grown exponentially. With so much data and limited resources, it is increasingly important to focus on the following key areas.

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Data Analytics by Affinity

• Revenue Operations (RevOps) Data

• Data Privacy and Protection

• Interoperability and Extensibility

Data and Analytics

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While KPIs are not a new concept, they are gaining traction in the events industry. KPIs are

a quick and digestible way to gauge the health of your show and make strategic decisions

via a real-time approach. KPIs will vary by event based on many factors, including your

organization’s goals, type of show and available data sets. They should help you measure

critical areas of your event. Two of the most common and essential KPIs are attendee

registration and exhibitor/sponsor participation, which equates to revenue.

These KPIs should not only be regularly monitored, but they should also be compared to

historical data and benchmarked if the data exists. Personify has partnered with CEIR to

develop an Exhibitor Benchmarking Tool1 to enable organizations to understand their

retention rates and compare it to benchmarks for their industry.

1. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

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Often times, data is presented at its face value. As part of developing personas

(see prediction #6), understanding the characteristics of certain audiences or

affinity groups at a micro level is critical.

Registration type(s) is a common data set to start with, for example, member versus

non-member. While it is convenient to report that X% is a member of the association,

does that percent change for first-time attendees? Are there differences for those

members who have attended 5+ years? Do these numbers vary by state? Age?

Do any of those groups rank the event higher or lower in post-show surveys?

How has that changed year after year? This level of data analysis will present

a clearer picture and narrative for your various constituent groups.

2. Data Analytics by Affinity

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Attendee, exhibitor and sponsor data are often siloed in the various organizing functions that

generate this information. RevOps (as an organizational function or approach) is designed

to de-silo the data and share it in its entirety. Once an organization can see the full picture,

they can align the marketing, sales, customer service and education teams to a common goal

and have accountability to achieve that goal.

An example of a RevOps approach is making sure the team evaluates the entire schedule

across the event as each function has different (and many times competing goals).

Does the keynote speech overlap with an opening reception during a sponsor’s product

demo? While this example is unlikely, there are often situations where siloed information

and data-points create a challenge for each group to meet their goals.

3. Revenue Operations (RevOps) Data

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With GDPR and the recently enacted legislation of the California Consumer Privacy

Act (CCPA), data privacy is of growing importance to attendees. Event organizers must

consider how to protect information while allowing for the frictionless exchange of

information at your event.

Using event tech tools is the best way to accomplish this. For the attendee-to-exhibitor

exchange of information, lead retrieval solutions provide a safe opt-in alternative to attendee

lists. For attendee-to-attendee communications, mobile apps and networking solutions

provide the flow of information without putting privacy at risk.

4. Data Privacy and Protection

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As event tech platforms continue to evolve, it will be critical for these systems to easily

exchange information (interoperability) and be designed to allow for new capabilities or

functionality (extensibility).

Events are fluid and ever-changing. This “connectivity” and ability to scale will allow

organizers to collect and quantify more information on individuals and companies with

business intelligence and reporting. This information can drive increased revenue and

satisfaction because organizers can make adjustments and improve the constituent journey

before, during and after the event as information flows between solutions.

5. Interoperability and Extensibility

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While the term “personalization” has been a buzzword for the past several years—ironically, many organizations still lack a cohesive journey, let alone a personalized one. The one-size-fits-all approach to the attendee and exhibitor experience is problematic because both audiences want to be treated as individual contributors, not just participants.

• Personas and Personalization

• Purchasing Journey Audit

• Show Experience Audit

• Exhibitor Success Audits

• Exhibitor Concierge Services

The Attendee and Exhibitor Experience

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6. Personas and Personalization While a truly personalized experience is still an aspirational goal for most

events, developing and refining attendee personas should be a top priority

for the year ahead.

Personas are primarily fictional representations of your attendees. They

broadly define the various behaviors during the event lifecycle from when

they first register to defining their attendance goals. Savvy event marketers

develop specific campaigns and marketing elements to attract each segment

based on those behaviors. In addition, organizers build event components

(educational content, networking opportunities, related products by exhibitors,

etc.) to satisfy the needs of the audience to drive attendance and satisfaction.

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7. Purchasing Journey Audit Regardless of the audience, auditing every touchpoint of the constituent

journey from the start to end is critical. Organizations will be surprised to find

what challenges (and missed opportunities) exist in the process.

For attendees, it often starts with the follow-up from the previous event

or website for prospective attendees. Ironically, the most common piece of

missing information from event sites are the show dates. If attendees can’t

find when the event is, where can they start their decision process?

For exhibitors and sponsors, the journey is often far more challenging since

most event websites are designed for the attendee. How easy is it to buy

a booth? Can you sign a contract and pay online? Can you easily purchase

sponsorships? Once they purchase, can they easily purchase digital upgrades,

buy lead retrieval and register booth staff all in one place?

Retailers have long analyzed the buying “experience” both online and in retail.

This omnichannel approach2 is also relevant to show organizers since the

process is often similar in selecting events (a mix of experiences) with the goal

of making a purchase regardless of the device.

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8. Show Experience Audit The journey doesn’t end after the booth purchase or registration. From

communications after sign-up to on-site signage, most events cannot see

beyond the event details they have organized and agonized over for months,

if not years. Experiential audits from various groups of constituents can rarely

be conducted by internal stakeholders as they have a built-in bias. Therefore,

secret shoppers can provide an objective view of their experiences from staff

interactions to the ease of favoriting their top educational sessions.

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9. Exhibitor Success Audits Similar to the Experiece Audit, auditing each exhibitor’s presence at the event

is critical to the success of both parties. Many times, companies don’t realize

that their booth (or booth behavior) is decreasing their ability to connect

with prospects and current clients. Having experienced auditors review and

document each exhibitor’s activation is critical to increasing revenue and

retention.

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10. Exhibitor Concierge Services Mapping the journey is the start of building a better purchasing experience.

The desire for concierge-level exhibitor and sponsor services is growing (at all

booth sizes). “Hand-holding” this group is not new. However, the demand for a

higher level of customer service is here.

What does this mean for this year? 2020 is the year of the exhibitor and

sponsor and many are already rebranding themselves as the exhibit’s

concierge team. They are adding educational sessions on successful exhibit

strategies and increasing included or packaged services. They are taking the

guesswork out for new exhibitors. The ability for your team to increase the

velocity of sales while reducing the friction to the exhibitor is critical.

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Creativity and Mindfulness

The world is growing busier and busier. One of the biggest competitors for events is time. As such, events should focus on creating experiences that are both creative and mindful.

• Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)

• Sustainability

• Community

• Mindfulness

• Make an Impact

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11. Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)As traditional events incorporate tactics from festivals, B2B events will look

more and more look like B2C events to increase revenue and keep attendees

interested. Engaging the five senses is now part of the value proposition for

both attendees and exhibitors.

For years, many event professionals have not been a big fan of the concept of

“festivalization” because it seemed to distract from the business of connecting

buyers to suppliers along with learning opportunities and accreditations

associated with events. But as registration trends skew far closer to the

event start date, it highlights that people are becoming more protective and

selective of their time. They are often still managing day-to-day work and

trading event attendance from their time at home with friends, family and

loved ones.

It only then makes sense to cultivate events that are more engaging and

creative – on and off the show floor, in education sessions and immersed in

the cities they are located in. People want to enjoy their time at an event.

Event technology is further fueling the ability to provide more profound

connections with speakers, attendees and exhibitors. Projection mapping,

gamification, VR/AR and tech activations create a more memorable experience

that attendees are willing to pay for and will come back again.

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12. SustainabilityAudiences realize that everything has an environmental impact. Events are

embracing and modifying practices to reflect the changing nature (and

demands) of new audiences who find sustainability critical to the brands for

which they associate with and make purchases.

Event organizers must work to align with partners closely. Both need

not only a commitment but an action plan that includes best practices

for sustainability. Removing one-time use plastics such as water bottles

and straws or reducing paper by moving solely to a mobile app for event

communications and the event program are great examples that shows can

quickly implement.

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13. CommunityAttendees want to network and connect before, during and after the event

with their peers in meaningful and affinity-driven communities. They want

to make sure they not only have someone to learn with; they want a dinner

companion or an early morning running partner as well.

During the event, they want to solve problems with their industry peers. After

sessions, they want to share feedback with other attendees and the speaker.

They want to “unpack” their sessions long after the event to further the value

of the event for them and their organization.

Events who build online communities to support these efforts will see earlier

registrations, increased satisfaction and stronger engagement since it will

extend the value of your event for the full year.

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14. MindfulnessThe mind, body and soul are important to a growing number of attendees

and exhibitors. Opportunities to exercise or have an education session

outside, eat healthier foods (a traditional challenge for most events),

mock-tail bars and moments that aren’t scheduled are of increasing

significance for today’s attendee.

Organizers must take these cues in planning their event. While some may

be in direct conflict with the goals of exhibitors, they also offer up unique

sponsorship ideas that cast a positive brand image during a unique activation.

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15. Make an Impact Whether it’s donating exhibitor materials back to the community, providing

hotel amenities to local shelters or giving back through volunteer projects,

attendees want to give as much as they take at events. Events should

incorporate these activities to continue to attract younger generations and

align their brand with a mission or cause.

VOLU N T E ER S

Wrapping Up2020 is going to be an exciting and challenging year for event organizers.

As quickly as technology and constituent tastes change, data and business

intelligence surrounding it will become even more critical. Demands will

increase and events and organizations who remain agile and committed

to recognizing and planning for many of these trends will see far better

results regardless of any headwinds.

Ensure that your technology solutions help you take advantage of your

data to drive insights and create experiences for attendees, exhibitors

and sponsors at each step of the journey, whether it is before, during

or after an event.

Have any predictions we missed? We would

love to hear them, please reach out to us at

marketing@personifycorp.com to share yours.

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Personify is the market-leading Constituent Management and Engagement

(CME) platform that empowers modern organizations to better engage their

constituents, maximize revenue and optimize operations. For over 20 years,

we have been driving growth for a diverse group of organizations including

organizations, nonprofits, event professionals, YMCAs and JCCs. For additional

information, visit www.personifycorp.com.

About Personify

1 Center for Exhibition Industry Research, “Exhibitor Retention Benchmarking Tool.” 2020. http://generate.a2zinc.net/CEIR

1 Personify, "Member Experience 2.0." 2019. https://personifycorp.com/resources/ebooks/member-experience-download

References

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