Last December, Skift Meetings released its annual Skift Meetings Megatrends 2024 report, predicting business event trends for the coming year.
While some predictions have been accurate, others appear to have been rushed, showing early signs but not yet fully realized. The following introduces them one by one.
Remote working has lasting impact on business activities
Accuracy: Hard to say…
The trend toward remote work reshaping business exists somewhere between wishful thinking and reality. Yes, the hybrid working model impacted event scheduling, but a dramatic shift in event patterns failed to materialize. The recent avoidance of the remote workforce has led to a return to previous work arrangements and prompted an outcry from those who have rebuilt their lives remotely but now face a lack of opportunity. The return to office events hasn’t become a thing per se, but Google’s Xi Jinping’s recent announcement of a renewed focus on the workplace rather than events is a clear sign that event design is having an impact on HR, maybe just in unexpected ways .
Creativity shines in a sea of bland AI-driven event marketing
Accuracy Score: On the Money
This trend touches our hearts. Artificial intelligence-generated marketing content increasingly floods the business world, but creative breakthroughs in human-generated content are less obvious. We seem to be stuck in artificial intelligence marketing purgatory. AI-generated content is too automated to feel personal and not sophisticated enough to be truly innovative, but all indicators point to more AI-generated content being published. Warnings about generic content are now in full effect, but a sea of marketing noise makes it difficult to show true creativity. Perhaps “Visit Oslo”‘s satirical ad questioning the city’s credibility is one of the best examples of creativity. Meanwhile, Emma, the German National Tourism Board’s AI influencer, is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Climate crisis disrupts more and more activities
Accuracy: Fortunately, half of it is correct
Early signs support this trend, but weather patterns in 2024 are not as catastrophic as feared. Still, extreme rainfall in Dubai and two hurricanes in the southeastern United States are just two examples of extreme weather disrupting people’s lives around the world. Proactive planners have implemented enhanced contingency plans, but the expected mass evacuations during the shoulder season have yet to fully materialize. This trend appears to be taking off more slowly than expected.
Organizers are responsible for the sustainability of the event
Accuracy score: Correct, but early
Talk about getting a head start. While sustainability remains critical, strict enforcement of EU directives and widespread corporate policy changes are still expected to be in their infancy. Most companies are just beginning to address Scope 3 reporting requirements. This trend is real but still evolving, so we’re doubling down on it in 2025. EU initiatives, especially with regard to commercial activities.
The new normal in a polarized political world
Accuracy score: High accuracy
This trend addresses the challenge but underestimates its complexity. As we enter a new year that will see Trump return as President of the United States, political divisions show no signs of abating. For example, there are many unanswered questions about medical conferences, one of the largest verticals in business events. The expected “fixes” mentioned in the 2024 trends are proving to be more challenging to implement than expected. In particular, social offset schemes have not yet become the norm. However, they continue to come up with effective solutions that provide groups with a simple way to prioritize the social legacy of their meetings and events.
Activity costs reach critical point
Accuracy scores: The cost crisis is here, but we haven’t tipped it yet
Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid this trend. While calling it a tipping point is overly dramatic, cost and budget are top concerns for planners, according to multiple surveys and reports. While the industry has shown more resilience than expected, rising costs do force difficult decisions.
Data-driven event planning becomes the norm
Accuracy Score: Still stuck on garbage in, garbage out
This trend suffers from the classic techno-optimism syndrome. Despite improvements in data analysis tools, adoption has been slower than expected. Many organizations still struggle with basic data collection, let alone advanced AI analysis. The transformation is happening, just not at the pace expected.
Hybrid events thrive in new formats
Accuracy: half right
The shift to hybrid meeting formats is expected to be selective rather than universal, as organizations find creative ways to maintain an in-person experience despite limited budgets. It turns out that predictions of seamless integration of artificial intelligence and augmented reality were premature. Instead, organizations focus on practical hybrid solutions rather than cutting-edge experiments.
Event focuses on providing safe spaces for all
Accuracy Score: Checked, but work in progress
This trend shows promising early signs, but is still largely aspirational. Despite improvements in safety protocols, truly inclusive event design, especially when it comes to neurodiversity and psychological safety, is still more the exception than the rule. An interesting development is the growing awareness of the possibility of mental health crises that can affect attendees and staff alike. The industry is definitely moving in this direction, but full implementation will take time.
Charisma cautiously returns to incentive travel
Accuracy Score: Gold
This trend is largely accurate, but there are some caveats. The growth of the luxury element in corporate incentives has organizations carefully balancing vision and value. Planners also consider the preferences of new generations, who may not share the same values, meaning concepts of glamor and luxury may need to be redefined. Nonetheless, the anticipated tension between indulgence and return on investment played out as predicted.
In retrospect, these trends captured important industry directions but often overestimated the speed of change. Many trends are still developing, suggesting that the 2024 forecast is more suitable as a roadmap for 2025 and beyond. Cost pressures and sustainability concerns have proven to be valid, while technological and social change has progressed more slowly than expected. As we move forward, these trends are not going away; they are evolving. They’re just evolving. With the start of a new year, it’s time to review our latest reports and explore the biggest trends shaping meetings in 2025.
