As the world changes around us, so does the Events industry. And perhaps at a faster pace than we feel we can keep up with? This week i've put together a few observations as to how I believe the Events Industry has evolved throughout the year and how it continues to do so... But don't let that scare you, this is an extremely exciting and creative time to be working in the industry. There are now endless opportunities for creative output and the ability to turn brilliant ideas and concepts into a reality. We truly are limitless.

Here are my top three pieces of advice for being successful in 2017...

1. Event or Experience? 
What are you trying to achieve from your next project? Are you looking to just create an event? Or are you trying to create something a little bit more? A unforgettable experience so to speak? Of course you are! And for us, it is certainly the latter. In my opinion, events are often associated with a hefty price tag, whereas experiences are something more. Experiences can't bought, as they are a journey. They are something that is remembered and admired for years to come. The term 'experience' in 2016 seems be exactly what people are searching for. From an Event Marketing perspective, projects are now generally being looked at and referred to as an experience - which is right, you are working with a client on a project from the start until the bitter end. The ups the downs... And so on and so on. Because after all, that is all part of the EXPERIENCE. 

2. The Personable Approach.
Gone are the days in which there lies a barrier or a tv screen between consumer and brand. Brands in 2016 are your new best friend. With the rise of experiential marketing, consumers couldn't be closer to brands and know more about them. With the opportunity to now feel, touch and test out a product before you buy, brands are now creating individual experiences (there's that word again!)
For consumers or would-be consumers this reach goes far beyond the impact of print, broadcast and online copy. A recent study showed that consumers were 96% more likely to purchase a product after participating in an experiential activation and 74% will have a more positive outlook of your brand. Now that's some pretty high stats!

3. Getting Inside Your Brain... The Psychology Behind Event Marketing.
​​...Firstly, people love free stuff. It's a fact. Anything of value, that would usually cost money can be used to promote your brand or event with real ease. Not got stuff to give away? Then why not team up with a relevant brand for your event? Not only does it work brilliantly when it comes to getting consumers to brag about their freebies on social media (whilst tagging you in it), it also teams you up with potential sponsors for your next event, alongside some cracking cross promotion. Everyone's a winner! This also links back to the successful nature of Experiential Events and Marketing - bring yourself closer to your consumer by plying them with free gifts and presents, how could they possible resist you? 

Secondly, people love cool stuff and by 'cool stuff' I mean cutting edge technology, things they couldn't usually experience at home. This brings me to the development of augmented and virtual reality...

So, you've all heard of Pokémon Go right? Right. Well this technology is called Augmented Reality: Augmented Reality combines both computer generated elements and the reality to create an augmented world. With augmented reality, viewers interact with computer generated overlays as they move within the real world.

Now for Virtual Reality: A little more well known, virtual reality is a three dimensional completely computer generated environment. Users usually need to wear a Virtual Reality headset and may also need compatible gloves or handsets to be able to effectively interact with this world.

​Both AR and VR are taking the world by storm and you may be wondering what it's got to do with events? Well let me tell you, with so much potential, VR and AR have the ability to change the way we discuss, attend, and interact at events...

Event organisers are quickly clocking on to what can actually be done and created through these technologies - For example, you can create virtual venues and fully immersive event spaces and on the flip side, people can also attend these virtual events. It really is amazing!

​So there you have it, my top three tips to think about when planning your next event or *ahem* 'experience' in 2017.
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And lastly, I shall leave you with this... Tom experiencing virtual reality for the first time. Enjoy!

Author: Thea Wise