“If there is one thing that event planners from all over the world love, it’s current trends in event planning. It’s fun to speculate on what the future may look like. But if you have a business or an event to run, you don’t have time for chit chat. Give us the facts, not fluff. So we are doing just that!”
This was the promise that the Southern African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) Tshwane branch made for its Event Trends for Event Professionals get together on 11 February 2020. And they delivered, giving their attendees the chance to experience trends in tech, greening, AV and production, as well as meeting design.
Setting the scene
The experience began before the event started, with guests using a Flock event app to receive clues to find its mystery location. The venue was an unconventional one; an empty retail store in Menlyn Maine. Unusual venues remain a popular trend for events because of their novelty factor. In this case, the space was a blank canvas which Event Wizards transformed using astro-turf, recycled furniture and other fun furnishings
The set-up followed the principles of collaborative learning design (read about this HERE), where all-matching formal seating was replaced with a variety of seating options, such as bean-bags, ottomans, astro-grass, and chairs. “People could literally take their choice-of-seating and sit anywhere,” says Corne Engelbrecht, CEO of Savetcon and Vice-chair of the SAACI Tshwane branch. “This is a much more comfortable way for guests to experience an event, as it caters to their different preferences, which is why it is also a growing trend in the event space.”
For refreshments, guests were able to enjoy the latest coffee crazes – iced coffee frappe’s and CBD oil (read more about this HERE). These were served with healthy food options, a trend that ties into the wellness movement, and which is increasingly expected at business events.
The role of tech
Mike Lysko from Flock Event Platform gave a talk on tech trends. He shared the following trends that we can look forward to at events, both now and in the near future:
- Facial recognition for extreme personalisation and ease of registration;
- Artificial Reality (AR) & Virtual Reality (VR) experiences for entertainment, and for meetings and engagements without people having to be at a single venue;
- Event Apps as a critical, and expected, portal for all the information that the guest needs;
- Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbots for guests to get instant feedback to their questions; and
- Integration across various platforms with attendee data, improving personalisation throughout the event experience.
He also touched on the possibilities of Quantum computers, which he says will have a big impact on events; “Events will no longer be restricted by a physical venue, the guest experience will become more engaging than ever, and registering and paying for events will become as simple as smiling for the camera.” (You can find out more about the impact of Quantum computing on events HERE.)
Following Lysko’s talk, a panel discussion gave guests the opportunity to find out about other trends in tech, greening, audiovisual (AV) and production, as well as meeting design. The Flock event app came in handy again, with its Q&A and live polling functionality. These kind of tools help to encourage attendee engagement, which is another popular practice at events as it in turn promotes learning.
During the discussion, Leon Pheiffer, founder of EPH Productions and chair of the SAACI Tshwane branch, gave examples of AV and production trends currently top of the list for our SA market. These include the use of temporary structures as alternative venue spaces, and the use of holograms and projection mapping to highlight and focus on specific content delivery as part of experience creation. He also touched on how effectively production can be used to create bespoke experiences for your delegates, which in turn drives ROI for event planners without needing to break your budget (which is a common misconception).
A final collective message from the panel was once again the importance of collaboration between all service providers, ideally from the initial planning stages of an event, as a trend in creating maximum value for clients and ultimately driving the industry forward.
SAACI Tshwane asked that the following sponsors be thanked for their contribution to the event: Barmotion, Brewers Coffee, Flock Event Platform, EPH Group, Monte de Dios, Event Wizards, Avianto, Menlyn Maine, GingerBiscuit, Aquazania, Old Time Italy, THAT.FUN.FIT.FEST.
