Eventbrite’s monthly Events Industry Report is designed to keep event creators like you informed about the shifting landscape of the events industry. Read on for expert industry insights, event marketing tips, health and safety updates, and much more.

Event Industry Insights

  • On Jan. 19, arts and culture advocates testified before the Small Business Committee in a Congressional House Hearing titled “The Power, Peril, and Promise of the Creative Economy.” Among the witnesses speaking: Carson Elrod, co-founder of the Be An #ArtsHero initiative and Arts Workers United. The goal was to make arts workers and the creative economy a priority in long-term recovery efforts. “I hope that Congress will work with the President to immediately create a Secretary of Arts & Culture to oversee targeted investment in the Creative Economy and sit on the Domestic Policy Council,” Elrod testified. “You have the opportunity to help ignite not just a sunrise, but a supernova of creative small businesses that will trigger a chain reaction of … socio-economic prosperity.”
  • Events in the metaverse (a collection of virtual-reality worlds) are becoming increasingly common: A metaverse fashion week is planned for March, and the Australian Open hosted a tournament-long metaverse gathering for fans. Lachlan Phillips, the CEO of Orbits, predicts this trend will have a significant impact on event planners: “The impact of metaverse on events and meetings will be similar to the impact email had on snail mail.” So what’s so appealing about metaverse events, compared to regular old online events? They “transform the way we meet by remedying the number-one grievance event planners have about virtual events — that current virtual event platforms do not allow for the level of engagement they desire at their events,” Jennifer Best, vice president of marketing at speaker bureau All American Entertainment, told BizBash. 
  • An upside to moving events online or employing a hybrid format: It can drastically cut carbon emissions. A new study suggests that shifting conferences online can reduce the carbon footprint by 94 percent and energy use by 90 percent.

Event Marketing Moves

  • Even if you’re a summer lover, there are ways to take advantage of cold weather. At a recent Under Armour activation at a football game, for example, the company leaned into the cold by creating a “multisensory environment enhanced by dry ice effects, wind, fake snow, and lights.” Patrons could take a turn in an Ice Gym featuring kettlebells and other equipment made out of ice.
  • Drive-through events — or “interactive ticket adventures” — will continue to be popular in 2022. Some organizers are leveling up the experience by utilizing live actors who play culturally important characters, plus transportive audio and visual effects. For example, Netflix is extending its “Stranger Things” drive-through, which covers 400,000 square feet, for a third year.

Health & Safety Updates

US Updates

  • New coronavirus cases are declining in the US, and mask mandates are being relaxed across the country. Officials say the US is moving into a new phase of the pandemic, which will involve living with the coronavirus. “I’m going to go on a trip in March. I feel fairly comfortable re-engaging in life,” Linda Vail, the health officer in Ingham County, Mich., told the New York Times. For event creators, it’s more important than ever to clearly communicate their health and safety measures to attendees. 

International Insights

  • New Zealand’s Business Events Industry Aotearoa — which is the member-based association for business events professionals — is calling for a change to the country’s isolation policy. The rules require visitors to self-isolate upon arrival. “The reality is a business visitor will not isolate in a hotel for seven to 10 days if they are expected to attend a three-day conference,” chief executive Lisa Hopkins said. 
  • Denmark announced that the coronavirus is no longer a “socially critical disease” and ended essentially all pandemic-related restrictions. That includes masking in most situations, as well as vaccination passes to eat indoors or to enter nightclubs.
  • Nearly two years after Australia closed its borders to nearly all noncitizens, the country will reopen to fully vaccinated international tourists, starting Feb. 21. “The condition is you must be double vaccinated to come to Australia. That’s the rule. Everyone is expected to abide by it,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.
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Event Planning & Management Insights

  • The Event Service Professionals Association held its annual conference in person in late January, and organizers shared a few takeaways: First, the rapid-testing company CrowdPass proved a useful way to monitor attendees’ health status before, during, and after the event. “We found that CrowdPass was the easiest one to access—you can do it online on their app, and onsite they could cross-reference our database,” ESPA President Paola Bowman said. Throughout the conference, attendees could wear a red, yellow, or green lanyard to indicate their comfort level with physical proximity. (Wearing red, for example, meant “I’m keeping my distance.”) There were signs scattered throughout the space reminding people to respect others’ wishes.
  • Think of your virtual event like a Netflix special, advises the Event Manager Blog. For example, consider adding a cohesive theme across the broadcast, complemented by titles and backdrops.

Inspiration & Further Reading

Eventbrite’s blog is full of resources and tips that can help event creators like you navigate every aspect of the event planning process. Here’s what’s new:

  • Making that final marketing push for your Valentine’s Day event? These tips will help spice up your promotion plan.
  • Are you keeping it local? Here’s a guide to advertising community events.
  • Learn how Black creators use Eventbrite to bring communities together with cultural events and raise awareness of important causes during Black History Month and beyond.
  • Whether you’re passionate about the environment or your attendees are asking you to up your eco credentials, knowing how to plan a sustainable event can be an important skill. Learn more.
  • Bonus content: Oakland-based DJ DAGHE created an exclusive Black History Month playlist for Eventbrite. Check it out here.

For more resources on safely staging in-person events, consult Eventbrite’s COVID-19 Safety Playbook for Events.

This report is provided for general information only and is not medical, legal, or professional advice. Consult your specific state and local government sources for the most up-to-date guidance to ensure compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, and orders before hosting in-person events.