There’s a lot of recent discussion in the events community that our world has changed at an unprecedented speed, and we need to innovate how we create impactful events. That premise spurred Encore to do in-depth research with the world-leading research firm, Kantar, to analyze the priorities and challenges faced by event owners. What we uncovered were powerful insights into the human experience at events. From economists and anthropologists to futurists and CEOs, the research tracks measurable and sustained macro shifts in culture and validates those broader trends for the events industry. The research culminated with ‘streetscape’ interviews with professionals around the globe to understand their attitudes, values, priorities, and needs, and it was followed up with direct customer insights from meeting professionals.
From the long-evolving consumer expectation to have a customizable, personalized experience to an increased value system around social well-being and inclusivity, key trends around people and behaviors, as well as technology and attitudes about the environment underpin the insights.
Encore has leveraged this body of work to advise the industry on how to design for impact-– the practice of optimizing the event experience to deliver the best outcomes for your organization. The research also guides a product roadmap that aligns our pipeline of technology solutions to the shifts in business culture.
“One of the defining insights that impacted attitudes in all areas of life was that 69% of global adults believe “humanness”—seeking to connect with real people—is an extremely or very important personal value. How we approach delivering on connections and acknowledging our humanness through events is key to the future,” said Higgins. Below are just a few core principles from the research.