It’s safe to say that conferences have come a long way in the past decade. An industry that has felt more than a little homogeneous in the past, has evolved into a packed calendar of diverse events which have as much emphasis on entertainment, as they do education.

The proliferation of these less traditional conferences comes hot on the heels of music festivals growing increasingly popular, this has been dubbed “festivalisation”. These are the trends you’ll need to master if you want to get it right in 2018:

Going Green

Since millennials are the people responsible for festivalisation, it seems fitting to open this list with a trend that’s mostly being driven by young people – sustainability.

  • Choose a venue which utilises “green architecture”
  • Cut down on paper use by replacing timetables with an event app.
  • Replace the usual conference “swag” with sustainable options.

Big Programme Reveals

One of the biggest similarities between festivals and conferences these days is how organisers treat their event programmes.

The fervour that was previously reserved for the announcement of Glastonbury or Reading Festival line-ups. You should be treating the reveal of your line-up as a big deal.

Click here to continue reading this article in the Conference Buyer’s Guide 2018

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.