When we put out a call asking event professionals what’s keeping them up at night, the responses came flooding in. “I want to take my career to the next level, but I’m hesitant because we’re trying for a baby,” one corporate planner told us about the challenges of her high-stress role. “The event industry doesn’t get the credit or the respect we deserve,” said another.
After all, event planning is consistently listed as one of the world’s most stressful jobs—and that doesn’t show many signs of changing. “During these unprecedented times (aren't we all sick of that descriptor?), it feels like there's a lot working against the event industry and creative fields at large,” says Dana Twyman, owner of Dana Twyman Productions in Southern California. “The rise of AI, supply chain issues, finding more eco-conscious solutions to temporary experiences, clients expecting more for less year after year as budgets are slashed to increase profits... I could go on and on.”
But if anyone’s an expert on finding solutions to challenges, it’s event professionals. Here are some of the common challenges we heard listed—and the innovative ways top event professionals are working to overcome them.
The Challenge: Rising Costs
Kieran Traynor, director of growth and strategy for Dublin-based event management company Verve, says that balancing rising costs is his biggest challenge right now. “Budgets are creeping up, but nowhere near fast enough to keep pace with skyrocketing expenses—food and bev, entertainment, transport, venues, AV, you name it,” he says. “We are challenged to deliver premium experiences with increasingly tight budgets, requiring us to be more creative than ever.”Melissa Van Dyke, senior vice president of integrated marketing and innovation at Illinois-based meeting agency Creative Group, is seeing some expenses increase by more than 20% compared to pre-pandemic levels. "At the same time, attendee expectations are higher than ever, demanding unique experiences, seamless technology, and greater personalization," she says.
The Solution: “We’re tackling this by rethinking everything,” says Traynor, noting that includes negotiating with suppliers, using AI to drive efficiencies, building longer-term partnership models, and embracing hybrid elements to scale impact. “But beyond the numbers, it’s also about having honest conversations, aligning expectations with stakeholders, and making the case for budgets with real data.”
Sarah Martin, CEO and founder of Experience Epic Events in South Florida, is also leaning into those honest conversations. “At Experience Epic Events, we created the E.P.I.C. Corporate Event Budgeting Calculator to help clients understand real costs early in the process, setting clear expectations and avoiding last-minute budget struggles,” she explains. “We’re [also] leaning on our strong vendor partnerships to secure competitive pricing and maximize value without cutting corners.”
To Van Dyke, the solution lies in intentional design. It's about "ensuring we are investing in the right memorable moments across the attendee journey," she says. "Helping make impactful, intentional trade-offs is so important in 2025."
The Challenge: Demonstrating Valuable ROI
“Something front of mind as we continue to grow our events business is the balance between great experiences and measurable business value,” says Helen Bassett, senior vice president and head of live journalism and events for Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal. “People's time is valuable (as are the investments made), and if we're asking people to 'spend' with us, we better make it count. It has to be valuable—across the board—and there's an increasing demand to quantify that value.”The Solution: “We need to move beyond the focus on a moment in time, and double down on the long-term strategic value—however you choose to measure it,” Bassett explains. “Today, we need to think about how the events we produce and the experiences we create become part of what is considered highly curated 'business trips' with opportunities to learn, build connections, and close deals, all wrapped up in a beautiful experience. Likewise—for us, for our partners—the value of creating meaningful connections to the brand, the storytelling, and the business agenda at the event still stands. But that value needs to carry long after the event has wrapped.”
The Challenge: Staying Creative
“One challenge we’re seeing in the event and meeting industry right now is the demand for something out of the box,” notes Katie Meyer, CEO and director of events at MoonLab Productions in Los Angeles. “We live in a world where experiential moments and activations are everywhere—brands and influencers are constantly sharing their pop-up experiences, and it’s all becoming a bit saturated. We're seeing and hearing reactions across the board that it's all starting to feel a bit ‘rinse and repeat.’ People are looking for something more than just an exciting experience or a cool activation. They’ve seen it before, and it’s no longer creating the kind of lasting impact that experiential moments once did.”The Solution: For Meyer and her team, the key has been diving deeper into the “why” and the impact behind each event. “Understanding the core message and purpose of the event can help guide creative decisions that don’t just meet expectations but elevate the experience entirely,” she says. “One way to make things truly stand out is by leaning into our company’s mission and impact pillars—whether it's exploring new sustainable materials hitting the market, or creating opportunities for connection and giving back. People are craving meaningful experiences, and aligning our work with these values helps drive that impact.”
Meyer is also leaning on what she calls a “diverse team of creative thinkers—whether from art, design, technology, or entertainment” to breathe fresh life into projects. “Larger brainstorming sessions, lunch-and-learns, and dedicating extra time in the pitch phase to dive deep into researching above and beyond our standard go-tos also play a crucial role in refining ideas and sparking innovation,” she explains. “It’s about breaking free from the event playbook and pushing boundaries to surprise and delight our guests in new ways.”
The Challenge: Shorter Lead Times
Many event professionals we spoke with called out diminishing lead times. "Planning timelines are getting tighter, with many corporate clients making decisions later than ever before," says Experience Epic Events' Martin. Wayne Hoffman, a Florida-based event performer and speaker who runs Hoffman Entertainment Inc., notes that's also bleeding into the entertainment booking world. “We are increasingly contacted by clients who want to book entertainment days or weeks out," he says. "Early in my career, clients would book six months to two years in advance. I suppose the world has gotten used to an ‘Amazon Prime’ mentality.”The Solution: Organization and templates can help here. Martin's team, for example, has refined its "E.P.I.C. Event Formula," which she describes as "a four-phase system that streamlines planning and ensures we optimize every moment."
Hoffman has also learned to adapt and focus more on preplanning. “We’re expanding our network to have a larger number of entertainers available to fill the last-minute demand, and partnering with entertainers who respond to requests quickly,” he says. “Our commitment to providing quality entertainment has allowed us to adapt and meet clients where they are.”
The Challenge: The Shift Away From DEI
“A major pain point right now is the corporate shift away from DEI&A initiatives while the cultural demand for it is at an all-time high,” says Twyman. “With any event, a positive attendee experience is paramount—that is why we do this, right? While we have spent the last nine-plus years working hard to ensure all our events, regardless of scale or scope, are accessible and inclusive for all attendees, it is disheartening to see many companies disengaged from those initiatives.”The Solution: “The solution to this challenge, for us, is to continue engaging our current list of diverse vendors, continue suggesting clients include DEI&A elements that ultimately enhance attendee experience, build up our community, and focus on developing and fostering relationships with more purpose-driven clients and collaborators that align with our core values,” Twyman says. “At the end of the day, we all want to feel like we are putting good out into the world.”
The Challenge: The Seasonal Nature of the Event Industry
The event industry's freelance-heavy workforce has always dealt with seasonal ebbs and flows, and companies like Encore have recently been stepping in to fill some of those gaps. But even full-time staffers are starting to feel the burden. “Seasonality has become a new hurdle,” says Martin. “Following COVID, events flowed continuously throughout the year, but now we’re seeing a strong peak season followed by a Sahara Desert of business in the summer.”The Solution: “This unpredictability is pushing us to expand beyond our local market and explore new destinations and venues to maintain momentum year-round,” she says. “The landscape is shifting, but we’re staying ahead by being agile, proactive, and always solution-focused.”
The Challenge: Integrating Technology in Smart Ways
"The pace of change in event technology and AI is accelerating so quickly, with potential to greatly impact how events are planned, executed, and experienced," points out Creative Group's Van Dyke. "AI-powered personalization and chatbots, real-time analytics, immersive virtual experiences, and new innovations are reshaping attendee engagement and event efficiency."Jeremy Campbell, executive vice president of Atlanta-based catering company Proof of the Pudding, is also seeing technology affecting the F&B industry. "Integrating AI into the food and beverage sector at large events offers immense potential to elevate guest experiences and streamline operations. However, balancing innovation with the complexities of event logistics, guest preferences, the growing desire for personalization, and data security remains a key challenge," he says.
The Solution: Regardless of the area of the event industry you're in, educating yourself on the pros and cons of the latest technology can be crucial. "As these technologies evolve, it’s critical to stay ahead of their greatest potential balanced with impact and risk avoidance," says Van Dyke. And never lose sight of the human experience at the core of the event industry, adds Campbell: "Successful integration requires a thoughtful approach, blending cutting-edge technology with human touch to create a seamless and personalized service.”
