By Emma Little, CEO and Founder of ExecSpace

2019 is set to be a big year for the events industry, according to the Events are GREAT Britain report its now estimated to be worth a staggering £39.1bn. There are some 1.3m meetings held in the UK each year so the team here at ExecSpace have spent time talking to customers and analysing booking data to understand the five key trends which we believe are set to define the venue and events industry this coming year, and beyond.

  1. Wellness is more often than not, top of the agenda 

Meetings and events that offer healthy activities as part of the programme will boost attendees’ endorphins and help generate positive moods. From light activities such as Yoga and Pilates, to a quick spin session – fitness is an element that planners need to consider. To complement this, providing healthy food options, to help sustain energy levels and keep attendees focused is also hot on the agenda for 2019. We found Mindfulness is appearing more and more on the Agenda; creating time to focus on your delegates and the world around them during an event – positively impacting their mental wellbeing.

  1. Events to be remembered 

This year organisations will really need to be focussed on creating memorable and engaging events that communicate to their audience personally. Events that create positive experiences will be remembered much more so than those that don’t, leaving the brand at the forefront of customers’ minds so personalisation, uniqueness and memorability are all key factors for meeting planners to consider.

  1. Venues with a story/heritage will rise in popularity 

Venues are becoming much more focused on promoting their individuality and ability to stand apart from their competitors so it’s important for marketeers to consider this when pulling together their comms plans. Customers are constantly searching for a venue that has ‘The Wow Factor’ and in turn an impressive setting will ensure a successful and popular event experience.

  1. Sustainability remains a hot trend for 2019

Sustainability remains a hot trend for 2019, and meeting planners need to continually find ways to ensure that their meeting is as carbon neutral as possible. Events can cause a lot of waste in terms of excessive rubbish and food surplus, delegate transportation and a large energy usage to name a few sustainability issues for consideration and organisers have a responsibility to ensure that events are more sustainable than previous years.

  1. VR will become an integral part of venue marketing 

With or without a venue finding agency in place to support, when it comes to booking a venue, sometimes it’s neither practical nor sustainable for the organiser to site visit each individual venue, especially if they are considering different locations, which are many miles apart from one another. The demand for VR in venue marketing is set to become common practise with the ability to engage with customers from their own office – at a time to suit.

For more information visit www.execspace.co.uk

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.

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