Event Trends of 2020

We thought that since we started off the year with intentions that we might as well include the predicted event trends for 2020. Here at Riad, we love to see what our clients come up with and dream up for their events. It’s our job to make these ideas and visions come to life so it’s important to stay on top of what’s new and trending.,

Sustainability

The health of our climate is becoming increasingly prevalent. Clients and consumers are extremely passionate about sustainability and expect their brands to be the same way in return. In California, we’ve seen more restrictions on the use of plastic straws, plastic bags, and food waste to make our state a more eco-friendly place. This has translated directly over to event planning. Marketing Insider Group states that event spaces and planners can be more sustainable by “switching to digital ticketing systems to replacing plastic bottles and cutlery with biodegradable alternatives, using seasonal, local produce in catering, and donating leftover food to local charities.”

Events for Networking

After LinkedIn stepped into the scene, all of a sudden the term “networking” started to appear everywhere. In 2020, we expect that more venue spaces will host networking events with panels, speakers, performances, and food. This not only gives every guest a chance to make connections and meet new people but also works to promote the venue space to potential future corporate clients. This makes the event space much more intimate and facilitates more one-on-one interactions. At Riad, this past year we experimented with this through our Mountain Gate and guesthouse.la events.

Personalized Events, Content, and Resources

Every individual is different. We offer different opinions, perspectives, opinions, and backgrounds that contribute to our experiences. Simple ways to personalize events are to send out individual invites including their names, sending guests an activity to do prior to the event so they can talk about it in break-out groups during the event, filling out a survey, and including details that are important to the brand mission and theme.

Experiential Events

We are now seeing a rise in people spending more money on experiences rather than tangible goods. Experiential events have started to pop-up everywhere. This could entail food trucks, sampling for new products and services, or pop-up themed events. More events will become focused around learning how to do something or learning more about a product or service, selling something or purchasing something, participating in a social media challenge, and spreading the word about their personal experience.