New York event planners understand that creativity and innovation are key to their success. As an event professional yourself, you recognize that putting on events with outdated themes, designs, menus, and aesthetics is an absolute no-no. You do your best to always pitch the latest event elements to impress your clients and wow your event guests.
But how can you keep up with all the events industry trends ongoing? And how can you be sure the event ideas you’re working with are the most cutting-edge and trendsetting? Keep reading. We’ll share a shortlist of resources you can tap into to keep your event planning finger on the pulse of what clients and attendees want most from their experiences.
Talking to Clients and Prospects About Event Trends
When you’re brainstorming new ideas for an upcoming event or conference, talk with your clients. It’s always a reliable and great place to start. There can be incredible inspiration from those client conversations. And you might hear about a new trend you wouldn’t have heard about elsewhere. Your clients might not be event aficionados like you. However, it’s important to remember that brilliant new ideas for designs, breakout sessions, stage presentations, menus, and themes can come from anywhere.
Signing up for Industry Newsletters
As an event planner, you keep a pretty hectic schedule. You don’t always have time to sit down and search for news. A solution for this includes signing up for industry newsletters. Get the latest event topic conversations delivered to your inbox. Subscribe to news emails from local organizations, non-profits you support, and your clients, too. Without having to invest hours into searching for trends, you’ll have tons of headlines to peruse at your fingertips.
Grow Your Networking Circle
One of the best methods for exchanging ideas and information continues to be with networking. You might already have a healthy network of colleagues, vendors, and community partners with whom you routinely connect. But don’t be afraid to grow that network and look for new circles of professionals to join and connect with ongoing. Meeting new people means opening the conversation to new ideas and event innovations. So, look for new networking organizations with regular meetings and community connection efforts that you can join.
Active Listening for Event Trends on Social Media
New and emerging event trends will almost always show up on social media first. While you likely have a social media strategy for your event planning business intended to generate leads and market your brand, you can also be using your social channels to keep up with the latest trends. Practice active listening with your social platforms and pay attention to what conversations are taking place in your feeds, your event groups, and within your community. You might be inspired to get new ideas. And you’ll spot emerging event pain points, too.
Attend Events and Conferences
The holy grail of methods for keeping up with event trends lies in your ability to attend events industry conferences and trade shows. These gatherings invite professionals like you and usually assemble new potential clients, new-to-you event vendors, and inspirational speakers. And the best of these conferences is The Event Planner Expo right here in New York City every October. Experience three full days of networking, get in the room with your biggest clients, and learn all the latest event trends from top industry leaders!
Consider adopting these methods for staying on top of the latest event trends. And get on the waitlist now for The Event Planner Expo 2023! You can receive exclusive offers and be the first to receive announcements for the #1 events industry conference in NYC.
