Byline: Devi Paulsen-Abbott, Chair of the African Association of Exhibition Organisers (AAXO) and Vice President of dmg events.
Trend #1: Quality over quantity
Whilst foot traffic at events remains a key performance metric for organising teams, organisers will need to adjust focus and efforts in improving the quality of their attending audience to ensure right-fit collaboration and networking opportunities. Outreach will need to be more personalised and a bigger focus on value will need to be articulated.
“Organisers will need to adjust focus and efforts in improving the quality of their attending audience to ensure right-fit collaboration and networking opportunities.”
Trend #2: Meaningful engagement trumps “entertainment”
2023 will see a greater focus on ensuring that events create really meaningful engagements, which may mean reshaping how organisers connect their buyers and sellers. Audiences are looking for meaningful connection opportunities such as matchmaking programmes and intimate networking. Larger, extravagant receptions and dinners will be less likely for many exhibitions, due to budget constraints and audience appetite.
Trend #3: Greater localisation of participation based on geography
Organisers will need to manage expectations around the geographic profile of visitors given the rising cost of passenger air travel in South Africa, which has increased by almost 50% over the last 12 months (due to the pent-up demand and the closure of several domestic airlines). This is going to have a substantial impact on geographic reach and participation of visitors (and possibly exhibitors) whose ability to travel domestically may be stifled due to the cost and capacity of travel.
Trend #4: The business of marketing is becoming increasingly complex
This trend is supporting by the following data:
- 80% of people on earth will have a digital presence online by 2023. (Source: Quantumrun’s 422 predictions for 2023). To give a comparable figure, at December 2015 the global digital presence was just over 40%!
- Our digital and physical lives have become inextricably linked, and this will continue to grow in importance. This trend applies to how organisers will be engaging with their exhibitors and visitors, pre-/during- and post-event as well as how organisers position their events in their customers’ marketing mix.
- Research by Statista shows that social commerce is on the rise for 2023 and not slowing down any time soon. Although anecdotal, event organisers too are no stranger to this trend with their ads being created to fit seamlessly into social media feeds and integrating transactional platforms into social channels.
Trend #5: ESG embedded in exhibitions
There is enormous support for a sustainable shift in the events industry. We are seeing a lot more focus on working with a circular economy, sourcing responsibly, achieving social value and reducing the carbon footprint of an event.
For more insights into the biggest MICE industry trends in 2023, don’t miss our Nov/Dec 2022 issue of Meetings magazine, out in December. We’ll cover conferences, exhibitions, incentives and venues. Sign up for your free copy here.
About the author
Spanning a 20-year career in media and events, Devi was a key member of the dmg events executive team who concluded the acquisition of Spintelligent by Clarion Events. Five years after co-founding Hypenica, she spearheaded the sale of its transport and built environment portfolios to dmg events.
She has a deep understanding of emerging markets and has conceptualized and developed hundreds of successful international specialist event products that are leaders in their categories today.
Devi serves as the Chair on the board for AAXO, the association representing credibility and professionalism for African exhibition organisers.
Image of two women talking by Christina @ wocintechchat.com and image of woman on her phone by Glen Anthony, both on Unsplash
