Three Trends for Corporate Events Professionals to Consider in 2022

YourEventMarketplace is designed to help event professionals and specialists (like you!) connect with new partners and discover new resources to navigate the new “normal” in the world of corporate events. Producing an event – especially through a Virtual Event Platform – often means changing the plan at the last minute or while the production is already in motion. That’s one of the reasons why we exist! YourEventMarketplace is designed to help you find partners you can call on for Virtual Event Meal Delivery, Photographers & Videographers, Gifting & Promotional items and more through our free and paid listing services in categories that matter to professionals like you. 

Trends You Need to Know to Thrive in 2022

We know you’re busy – we get it – you barely have time to read your email, finish your RFPs and evaluate the latest in cybersecurity measures, let alone have extra time to read the trends. That’s where we come in! We’re here to unpack the latest and greatest in a way that gives you a chance to figure out if a trend applies to you and what to do with the information we’ve found to continue to grow your business.  We did the research so that you can focus on the activities that grow your business and take time to get your name out there by listing your business on marketplaces (like YourEventMarketplace) and directories designed to highlight all the amazing work you’ve done and continue to do in these interesting times.  

In our research, we found that: 

1. Personalization is the future of experiences, period
2. Companies large and small are looking for ways to “end” the Great Resignation 
3. Trends in engaging consumers at virtual events can easily be applied to corporate events 

All of these trends might not apply to your business, but we hope this is a resource that you find helpful and, if you do? That you’ll share it with your community, too.

Trends to Consider: Creating Personal, Corporate Experiences

Corporate Events have always created a way for professionals to come together and dedicate time to personal and professional development. This is true for employees, entrepreneurs and executives – the desire to be understood is a common thread no matter what your business card says and that’s something that we think event professionals should consider when it comes to producing virtual events in 2022.  As McKinsey & Company outlines in this article, personalization is a trend in consumer marketing that is here to stay. The technology used to keep us safe during the pandemic is now being used in new and interesting ways by corporate giants like Sephora and Starbucks. 

How does this apply to event professionals like you?

Personalization in virtual events means that you can support larger corporations and help companies create new strategies to engage their employees through a schedule of events large and small. It also might help you consider new partners to seek out in order to deliver the technology that manages the logistics of virtual events.  Our Founder, Lisa Schulteis, shared tips and tricks for producing virtual events with Authority Magazine in December of 2021 as well as one of the main reasons why she created this site in the first place!  “We have managed events that had 1800 attendees with 26 tracks where every attendee was assigned a different combination of sessions within those tracks!” Schulteis shared. “We had another event that only had 500 attendees, but because of their unique individual schedules and the three different languages the site needed to be in, we had to set 600 unique permissions in the system to ensure they only saw the content they were allowed to see in the correct language.” How are you managing the logistics of the events you’re producing this year? Are you looking for new partners who can manage a security scenario like the one outlined by our Founder for Authority Magazine? Tell us about the unique scenarios you’re encountering as you produce events this year and we might just feature it in a future article! 

Trends to Consider: Events to End the Great Resignation

It would be amazing if you could – as a corporate events professional – provide your clients with a magic recipe to end the Great Resignation. Unfortunately, we don’t think any of you have that ability (and if you do, we might need to add a new category for you!) so we’re going to suggest the next best thing – creating hybrid event experiences to help teams stay connected while working remotely (as we shared in this resource from last October). In this article from Forbes, re-engagement seems to be one remedy many corporations are considering when it comes to turning the tide on the Great Resignation within their own organizations. This trend focuses on making employees active partners in the organization – and this is one area where event professionals (like you!) can find opportunities to increase their own offerings.  Think about how you have engaged remote audiences at events in the past two years – are there any trends or special methods you can share with the community? Asking your past clients to highlight the interesting – and proven! – ways your company engaged their audience in a review on your website, Google Business or YourEventMarketplace listing might be the reason why you win an RFP instead of a competitor.

Trends to Consider: Unique Ways to Engage the Audience 

Most corporate events professionals aren’t tasked with getting a client’s team engaged, but what if you brought ideas to the table before you were asked for them? According to Forbes, small things like music, starting the event with a moment of gratitude or creating a dedicated communications channel for celebrations during an event could make a world of difference for the audience involved.  From tastings to polls, games, participation prizes and more, there are tons of opportunities for you to suggest unique ways to engage the audience at corporate events. And don’t forget about the other “E’s” of events – as Our Founder shared with Authority Magazine, the best virtual events focus on incorporating excitement, engagement and experience. “Remember — your audience is unique, so make sure you are meeting their needs… not chasing someone else’s idea of an event,” Schulteis said in this interview with Authority Magazine. 

Making it Count

From personalized experiences to incorporating the three E’s, there are many aspects of events that have already been considered by professionals like you in the wake of the pandemic. And yet, there are always new things to consider, especially as the Great Resignation continues to be a challenge for companies all over the world.  The best thing you can do is continue to be an advocate and strategist for your clients, network with like-minded professionals and seek out partners who have a track record of success.  Do you want to contribute to a future article for YourEventMarketplace? Have questions about claiming your free listing? Want to connect with our team? Contact us here.

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Getting Started with Hybrid Events How to Improve Audience Engagement During Virtual Events   YourEventMarketplace is an online marketplace directory for event planning. It is designed to connect vendors with companies and individuals looking for vetted service providers for in-person, virtual and hybrid events. Learn more about listing your business (for free plus our premium perks) here.