As 2024 comes to a close, the event industry has many reasons to look forward with cautious optimism. To share a little positivity, we asked event professionals from around the globe to share their biggest hopes for the new year. Their responses touched on a range of topics—from the ethical use of AI and the importance of human connection to the need for more sustainable event practices and deeper, more meaningful audience engagement.
Louisa O’Connor, managing director, Seen Presents, London
"As we end a year of mixed investment from clients in live experiences, my hopes for 2025 are that they are given the focus and investment they deserve. Nothing makes you feel like a live experience. The tactile and tangible environments they produce—touch, smell, sound—allow you to create much longer-lasting memories with your audiences. With current stats showing only 29% of brands are harnessing live events in their marketing strategies, I hope brands continue to get braver and embrace live events so that genuine human emotion remains at the center of our industry."Erica Taylor Haskins, co-founder and chief growth officer, Tinsel Experiential Design, New York
"I know there is so much industrywide excitement about AI, but I would love more human perspectives on how to equitably and ethically utilize AI (e.g., not just plugging a brief into Midjourney to create beautiful renderings that would otherwise be a real human's job, and not just using ChatGPT to write blog posts with a real human voice and opinion)."Elliott Ferguson, president and CEO, Destination DC
"My greatest hope for the event industry in 2025 is that America’s political climate continues to foster the positive momentum we've seen with the recent surge in visa and passport issuances. This progress strengthens the U.S. as a premier destination for global meetings and enhances our ability to host domestically based events with significant international participation." Michelle Thornton, senior procurement manager, events, Penske Media Corporation, Los Angeles
"Continue to keep the human connection and interaction at the forefront of building activations and events. All the tech is cool—but being authentic is always more powerful."Simon Hambley, CEO, Strata, London
“My biggest hope is to see an improvement in lead times and longer-term planning. It’s coming, slowly. It helps everyone to plan further in advance. The obvious [benefit is that] better time to plan means a better outcome for clients and agencies. It puts everyone under less pressure, and as a result they perform better. Less (costly) mistakes are likely to be made. It would also help counter the recent hike in cost of venues and suppliers generally, which is not helped by ‘last minute’ buying.”Miguel Peguero, founder and head of production, One Way Event Productions, New York
"I’d love to see breakout rooms evolve into true working sessions where attendees can actively engage, collaborate, and put ideas into action on the topic at hand. Too often they become another panel of influencers or speakers sharing generic, Google-able insights. Let’s turn these sessions into spaces for real problem-solving and actionable takeaways."George Morgan, freelance experiential specialist, Austin, Texas
"A continued light being shone on 'hustle culture' and the mental health of event industry profs!"Matt Grey, CEO, event:decision, London
"While sustainability has been a dominant theme, responsible event delivery—a wider focus on ethical practices and social responsibility—will match it in significance from 2025. Clients are increasingly aware of the broader impacts of events, from social equity to community engagement. As a result, the definition of a successful event will shift to balance environmental sustainability with social responsibility. Expect clients to demand comprehensive approaches that measure not just carbon footprints but also the event’s contributions to the local community, jobs, and supply chain integrity."Dan Curtis, chief strategy officer, emc3, New York
“I would love to see sustainability and inclusivity take center stage. I hope the industry continues to embrace sustainable practices and tools to make events more accessible, delivering content in diverse formats to meet everyone’s needs while reducing resource use. It’s about leveling the playing field and creating meaningful experiences for all, with minimal environmental impact.”
Amanda Ma, CEO, Innovate Marketing Group, Pasadena, Calif.
“My biggest hope for the event industry in 2025 is to see a surge in purpose-driven, personalized, and sustainable events that foster genuine connections, embrace cutting-edge technologies, and prioritize well-being and inclusivity. Additionally, I hope the industry unites to advocate for greater recognition of its economic impact, securing the policy and funding support it truly deserves.”Sophie Billi-Hardwick, global chief marketing director, DesignScene, London
"Less waste, more purpose. I’m a little bit tired of extravagant events with single-use scenic builds that are tossed the moment they’re done—unless, of course, the stunning set supports an artist with real purpose. I crave more intimacy, more meaning—less in-your-face social media vibes (or is that just my age showing?). I just want to be amazed and fully present in the moment!"Cliff Kennedy, public speaking consultant, Kennedy Speech Communications, Chicago
"My hope for 2025? The performance of every speaker at every session is on par with the creative elements and advancements in tech. A real commitment to: 'No more boring speeches, presentations, and conversations!'"Michele Fox, founder, MUSE (Members United for Sustainable Events), New York
"Include a dedicated line item in event budgets for sustainable initiatives to normalize discussions about sustainability and integrate them into every event. While sustainability efforts don’t always increase costs (like removing red meat from menus is cost-neutral), having a designated fund, even as a contingency, provides flexibility for adaptive decision-making as needs arise during planning.Potential uses for a sustainability budget include hiring a truck to donate leftover materials, managing waste responsibly, composting, or offsetting carbon emissions. This line item could operate as an opt-out system, such as a 'Green Fee,' which clients can remove upon request, ensuring transparency while fostering environmentally responsible practices."
Doug Corbett, director of sales and marketing, JW Marriott Marco Island, Marco Island, Fla.
"My biggest hope is for a continued strong resurgence of group travel and destination events, reconnecting people through meaningful shared experiences in spectacular locations like ours. In 2025, tourism growth is expected to plateau across Florida—which will undoubtedly lead to increased competition within the state. Paired with the recent hurricanes and the sentiment that Florida may still be experiencing damages is also a threat to bookings for meetings and events. It will be essential for resorts and DMOs to market with more frequency and more creatively than they have done in the past in order to drive demand. Support at the county level makes a big difference, and I'm pleased with the recent approval of increased tourism marketing spend by our local CVB, Naples Marco Island, and the Everglades."Bianca Amato, creative strategist, DesignScene, New York
"Capturing more of the human touch, especially within B2B events—I want to see events creating more meaningful moments versus just showing off flashy tech. My biggest hope: That we don’t lose sight of human-led storytelling and find more emotionally driven ways to immerse people in their favorite worlds through all five senses."Mary Anne Broccolo, executive creative director of design, MKG, Philadelphia
"2025 will be a year of big opportunity to build brand loyalty by furthering support for both local and online/global communities, and I hope to see brands seizing this. Brand experiences will be integral in demonstrating shared values, committing to action, showing up with purpose, developing lasting connection, and spreading joy. Related, we've increasingly seen brands wanting to reach smaller markets across the U.S. and I would expect this trend to continue. Brands are wanting to connect on a more face-to-face, human level with their fans, and potential fans, in their local markets—midsize or smaller cities, rather than focusing only on NYC and LA.I hope and expect to see further integration of physical brand experiences as part of, or core to, wider campaigns, as opposed to one-off activations. I think brands are seeing more and more that a bigger payoff can be achieved when activations are tied to digital and social channels, and even more so when there is an emphasis on content."
Melissa Riley, senior vice president of convention sales and services, Destination DC
"My biggest hope is for the event industry to embrace evolving business models that align with the changing nature of meetings and events. This includes adopting new ways to measure success that reflect the diverse goals and priorities of all stakeholders."Alex Hirsch, modern calligrapher, Signs of Our Lives, San Diego
"My hope for the event industry in 2025 is a continued shift in how events are planned. Eventgoers want intentional. They want something meaningful. They want a story. One of the best ways to do this would be through thoughtful experiences, where people can learn something new, experience something unique, and feel something more deeply.I might be biased here as an event artist, but my hope for 2025 is [fewer] gifts that aren't useful and get thrown away, and more gifts that are thoughtful and are provided through an interactive experience, like live lettering. I am confident that gifting something personalized while also gifting a live art experience is the perfect way to do exactly this, and take events to the next level. When new parents are gifted a custom hand-painted baby bag, and get to watch the craft in real time, they feel thought of, like the event and the experience was created with them in mind."
David Ogiste, founder, Nobody's Café, London
"2025 is going to be a transformative year for the event industry, and I hope we'll see more brands deliver event-first creative campaigns. I hope this shift also drives more creative cohesion with content, media, and influencers around these campaigns to help them get the amplification that their impact deserves."Matthew Byrne, founder and president, Byrne Production Services, Toronto
"As an industry that champions gathering together to solve problems, building community, and sharing stories, looking at what 2025 could bring seems a little daunting. But I know people in this industry; I know how resilient they can be. At an event while I was speaking on a panel a while back, I was asked whether we could withstand another economic shock like the pandemic. My answer was and always will be absolutely. I'm never worried about event professionals.As an industry, we have proven time and time again that no matter what is thrown at us, we adapt. We meet it head-on and we make things happen. We do this by being hyperfocused on objectives; being realistic with our teams, clients, and stakeholders; and refusing to assume anything will go well. Look—event professionals have contingency plans for contingency plans. ... So as I look into 2025 with the threats of labor shortages, inflation, and tariff tit for tat, things that will affect us and the work we do, I'm not worried. We are the most resilient and agile industry in the world and I am immensely proud to be part of it."
