In 2013, we asked event professionals to break down the best and worst of the year with one limit: using only five words. The unfiltered answers were a snapshot of a moment of time, with answers such as "Gatsby themes: amazing but overdone," "government shutdown caused needless uncertainty," and "event technology, helpful as ever."
Five years later, we thought it would be fun to revisit that prompt and see how the event world and its priorities have changed. Here's a look at what industry pros think were the best—and worst—things about 2018.
Best: "Collaboration is becoming more widespread."
Worst: "Stale trends will not die!"
—Brian Worley, director of design, Bold Catering & Design, Atlanta
Best: "Speed, global, digital, multi-sensory, Instagram."
Worst: "Speed, imitation, digital, over-exposure, Instagram."
—David Stark, chief creative officer, David Stark Design and Production, New York
Best: "My current project in Mumbai."
Worst: "Pinterest mood board RFPs."
—Ira Levy, creative director, Levy NYC, New York
Best: “Acceleration toward single-use plastic bans.”
Worst: “Untapped value from strategic sustainability”
—Brett Blumberg, sales and sustainability manager, Kilowatt Events, San Diego
Best: "C.M.O.s loved themselves some experiential."
Worst: "Firm launch date, spongy deadlines."
—The team at Manifold, San Francisco
Best: "Increased diversity in festival lineups."
Worst: "Treason, Racism, Underpaid-workers, Massacres, Police-brutality."
—Rehan Choudhry, founder and C.E.O., A Beautiful Perspective, Las Vegas
Best: "Increased awareness of dietary needs."
Worst: "Hotels devaluing meeting-planner partnerships."
—Tracy Stuckrath, president, Thrive! Meetings & Events, Greer, South Carolina
Best: "Authentic experiences in curated environments."
Worst: "Narcissistic, look at me social."
—Dan Mannix, C.E.O., CSM LeadDog, New York
Best: "Collaborating becoming easier than ever."
Worst: "Keeping information secure is not."
—Matthew King, audience engagement specialist, Glisser, New York
Best: "Innovation, growth/strength, community, authenticity, opportunity."
Worst: "Waste, timing, transitions, budgets, fires."
—Alexandra Rembac, principal and creative director, Sterling Engagements, Studio City, California
Best: "Meeting tech is getting better."
Worst: "Staff budgets being slashed dramatically."
—Eugene Malone, owner, True Blue Connected, Ridgewood, New Jersey
Best: "Creativity truly knows no bounds."
Worst: "Safety/security concerns plague us."
—Tyra Hilliard, professor of hospitality and tourism management, College of Coastal Georgia, Brunswick, Georgia
Best: "Creative, supportive, thriving, collaborative, driven."
Worst: "Unpredictable (weather), overwhelming (everyone wants their events in the same time of the year), demanding, exhausting, working-round-the-clock."
—Danielle Gibson, owner, Danielle Gibson Events, Napa, California
Best: "The year is almost over."
Worst: "Only 30 days lead time."
—Matt Stoelt, C.E.O. and creative director, Stoelt Productions, Los Angeles
Best: "Couples being true to themselves."
Worst: "Easier for vendors to deceive."
—Joe Rogers, founder, Contagious Events, Boston
Best: "Innovative, stupendous, creative, informative, fun."
Worst: "Downsizing, budgets, miscommunication, tardiness, sleeplessness."
—Sylvia Wildfire, C.E.O., On Call Medic, Thousand Oaks, California
Best: "Increased budgets and collaborative partnerships."
Worst: "That this year is ending."
—Eyal Simko, creative director, The One Up Group, Los Angeles
Best: "Too creative to be stressed."
Worst: "Why friends always want discounts?"
—Armina Hicks, event planner, AJ Hicks Events, Hyattsville, Maryland
Editor's note: Some of these comments were shared on our social media networks. Join our discussions on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.
