Six of the best business trends for 2022 and how they impact on events

As we start the new year, we have gathered some insight into the trends that are impacting on businesses and how they filter into the events industry:

1 Sustainability

A topic that cannot and should not be ignored – both by the business in our sector and for the events we are creating. Sustainability is linked to resilience too; ensuring your company and the events you produce are adaptable and able to survive for the long term. As Forbes magazine said “Any business that ignores sustainability is unlikely to do well in this age of conscious consumption.” Choosing venues that have solid sustainability credentials will become more and more important to clients and brands. Most brands now have sustainability at their core, and their events will need to reflect these values. Here at The Venues Collection, we are focused on ensuring that our venues are sustainable and we are also working towards targets to improve too. Our Future First Charter lists all the ways we are helping to create a sustainable future. TVC is also part of Lime Venues Portfolio and part of the ‘Meetings for Change’ initiative.

2 Automation

Automation may seem scary and be all about big factories, but it’s a growing trend and it can be translated to small businesses too. Automation could mean using software to automate a task that you have to do all the time, using web tools or automating email responses. Technology is still advancing and helping us to deal with the parts of our role that do not need experience or a human touch. Are there elements of your job that you could automate in order to leave you more time to do the more complicated parts?

3 The shifting talent pool and changing employee experience

The gig economy has been around for a while, and we will continue to see a shift in employment, with more people having two or more ways in which they bring income into their lives. This could be a full-time role with a ‘side hustle,’ or several jobs that they do concurrently. In ‘The Human Cloud’, a book by Matthew Mottola and Matthew Coatney they say that traditional full-time employment will become obsolete, as companies will hire people on a contract basis, and those contractors will work remotely. Over the past couple of years, we have seen this trend rocket as many more people have enjoyed and indeed have flourished working from home, and redundancies have resulted in a huge increase in the number of people who have set up companies and become self-employed. You may or may not have staff to deal with, but you may have to adapt to the changing working patterns of your clients and suppliers.

We believe in inclusive working environments, where everyone can feel welcome and equally represented no matter what area of our business they work in. Everyone matters and everyone is valued so a key part of our Future First Charter is focused on ensuring that our people are nurtured and happy.

4 Authenticity

This is another trend that has been amplified by the events of the last two years; people are becoming more discerning with where they spend their money and the ethos and morals of the companies and people that they work with, buy from or employ. Businesses are now picking up on this and are now working at creating more meaningful connections with their customers. Creating authentic business connections has never been so important. How can you ensure that your client and supplier transactions are transparent, honest and open?

5 Co-operation and integration

The business world has never been so fragmented – with so many businesses outsourcing their needs, especially as the world builds back. Working together to create a transaction, a deal or an event is imperative to its success. Creating close partnerships with suppliers and of course venues ensures that everyone benefits and that specialist knowledge and experience is shared and used to everyone’s best advantage. Co-operation and partnerships have never been so essential to success.

6 Wellness

The 2022 IBTM World Trends Watch Report states: “Many health authorities are seeing mental health as an impending epidemic in its own right, and there is a genuine fear that infrastructure will struggle to deal with both. In our own industry, the seriousness of the ‘mental health pandemic’ should be taken more seriously than others. Previously this report has covered both the incidence of mental health within the industry and why our professionals are more susceptible to its issues.” Whether you are caring for the needs of employees, clients or yourself, mental and physical health awareness in how we work, the venues we chose and the events we create, has never been so important.

Wellness at events is important to us; for example, TVC has introduced walking routes at each of our venues and from April 2022 we will be including low-calorie options and listing calorie counts across all our menus to help our clients to make informed food choices.

Even at its most basic level, how are you looking after your own mental and physical wellbeing?

We hope that you enjoyed reading these trends. Our knowledgeable team is happy to help and to discuss your venue needs, please contact us at: enquiries@thevenuescollection.co.uk

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Ellie