We look into our crystal ball at what the future of event marketing trends will look like.

In order to see where we’re going, we need to see where we’ve been.

Looking back on 2015, it’s clear which event marketing trends were the most successful.

From here, we can get a good glimpse at what 2016 will have in store.

As we look to the new year, we can anticipate that the most important event marketing trends will continue on.

We can also start to understand how these trends are evolving, and make accurate predictions of the next big phase in these trends.

After we talk about each of the event marketing trends and how it was important, we’ll make a prediction of how they might branch off or advance into the coming years.

 

1. Creating an “Experience”

It’s not just about planning an event, it’s about creating an authentic experience for the attendees.

According to the Barkley Kalpak Agency, this is why experiential marketing is now more important than ever.

“Experiential marketing is now in a place where events are no longer on the fringes of the marketing mix; they are the center of it,” management says. “And, as we’ve had to legitimately shift our focus to the attendees at the center of those experiences as influencers–a savvy bunch with short attention spans and finely tuned B.S. meters, armed with an opinion, a mobile device and followers.” – Barkley Kalpak Agency, New York From this article.

What can you do to make an event more of an experience?

Make it interactive. Think hands-on demonstrations and contests. These interactions were simple and fun.

Think back to when you were a kid, and you were excited to do hands-on activities in class, instead of just sitting and listening to the teacher.

You learn more when you’re having fun and participating.

Having fun also creates good feelings and promotes a good relationship between the attendees and the brand, person, or whatever the event is centered around.

You definitely want these things to be happening, because you can count on your attendees to be Instagramming, Facebooking and tweeting about all the cool things that are happening at your event.

Our future prediction:

• Events held at interesting locations that are relevant to the event holders, beyond the regular conference halls.
• Events will be less and less about selling and more about learning through interactivity.
• Events will spend more money on making everything as on-brand as possible, for an immersive experience.

 

2. Email Marketing

The most recent success of email marketing has proved again that it’s here to stay.

With more people checking their emails through their phones than ever before, this would continue to be the best and easiest way to connect with your attendees.

How should you implement email marketing with event marketing?

Start collecting emails long before the event! The best way to do that would be to…

• Create a page where they can enter their email address.
• Create a free downloadable, easy-to-digest lead magnet, which they can access as soon as they sign up. (Learn about how to do that here.)
• Send a great welcoming email, promising them of the greatness to come. (Go here to send the best first impression email. Hint: It’s already made for you and it’s free.)

Email them during and after the event, as well. Make them feel part of the family. Keep them updated!

Our future prediction:

Since email marketing is relatively easy and inexpensive, it will completely overtake mobile apps for keeping in touch with attendees.

 

3. Mobile Event Apps

Depending on your event’s budget, planning through an app is a great idea.

Some cost a lot of money to use, but they make engaging with attendees incredibly easy.

You can check out this list of The Best Event Planning Apps on VenturePact, or look at Guidebook’s comparison chart of the Top Event Planning Apps and their features.

Our future prediction:

• Only a small handful of these apps will be used, much like Facebook and Twitter now dominate social networks.
• They will become more competitive, causing them to lower their prices.

 

4. Free Wifi Everywhere

What’s more important than fast free WiFi at an event?

Not just in hotel rooms, but throughout the venue is where attendees should be able to access the internet for free.

This of course, makes it easier for them to get on social networks and email.

They’ll remember this as being a very easy experience, because free WiFi is extremely useful.

Our future prediction:

Not much more to predict here, other than maybe (hopefully) all venues will have this feature built-in.

 

5. Creating Communities

With the power of everything we mentioned above, it will be increasingly easier to create a community or tribe around the event itself.

Email marketing especially, is a powerful tool for creating a community.

What does this mean exactly, for event planning?

• It will make the attendees feel like they’re part of a tight group.
• It will make them feel welcome, with messages that feel more personal.
• It allows them to chat with fellow attendees in a closed Facebook group or a forum on the event’s website.
• People will be more hyped up before the event, and they will hype others up, as well.

 

Basically, you can count on mobile devices and free, easily accessible WiFi giving your attendees access to your digital engagement more and more.

Your job is to make sure you take advantage of these things, and keep up with the times!

We also have something for you that will also give you a great head start:

That first impression email we mentioned? It’s already written for you. All you would need to do is fill it in with relevant info about your event, and send it out!

And it’s free.

Download the Free First Impression Email Template for Event Planners!