Event Trends To Incorporate In Planning

During my recent stay at Novotel Hotels Vijayawada Varun, I saw firsthand how hospitality brands are beginning to embrace sustainability. While I know these steps don’t yet make the hotel fully sustainable, it’s good to see meaningful action being taken. From biodegradable dental kits and refillable dispensers to glass water bottles, and cloth napkins, their commitment to reducing waste was clear.  They even provided sterilized reusable footwear - a practical and sustainable alternative to the typical disposable white slippers. Here are the three most impressive sustainability efforts that stood out during my stay: 1️⃣ Green Building: Powered by solar energy and equipped with LED lighting, sustainability is built into its foundation. 2️⃣ EV Charging Station: The first in Vijayawada, encouraging greener travel. 3️⃣ Composting & Herb Garden: Onsite composting and a vertical herb garden reduce waste and support local sourcing. These initiatives have earned Novotel Vijayawada Varun a Bronze Level in Accor’s Planet 21 initiative, a recognition of their efforts to support environmental stewardship. Accor, the parent company, has also committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and significant emissions reductions by 2030. While there’s still a long way to go, it’s encouraging to see brands I’ve grown up with starting to integrate sustainability into their operations. Every step counts, and it’s these thoughtful initiatives that can inspire broader change in the hospitality industry. What small sustainable changes have you seen recently that made an impression? Let’s share ideas! #Sustainability #GreenHospitality #EcoFriendly #ResponsibleTourism

You don’t stop being disabled when conference or event sessions end, so why do so many organisers forget about inclusion at conference dinners and networking events? It’s great to see more events offering sign language interpreters, quiet rooms, and accessible seating during the main agenda. But what about during the coffee breaks? The networking dinner? The drinks at the end? If those adjustments vanish the moment the keynote’s over, it’s not inclusion – it’s performance. Disabled people don’t just attend the content. We build relationships, grab lunch, join the side conversations. And if those moments aren’t accessible, we’re being excluded from the most valuable parts of the day. Having sign language interpreters available throughout all event elements; keeping quiet rooms open; offering seated areas during networking; telling people food and drink menus in advance; offering sighted assistance for intros; having portable hearing loops in place; or providing enetworking options. These are all things you can do to show you actually want to host an inclusive event in full, not just meet minimum requirements. Inclusion isn’t a scheduled item. It’s a commitment. #DisabilityInclusion #Disability #DisabilityEmployment #Adjustments #DiversityAndInclusion #Content

Over 300,000 people are expected to attend the Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix this weekend, but not a single one of these fans will arrive by car. Here's how Zandvoort used incentives to create the world's most sustainable sporting event (and why other events should copy their strategy) 👇 First, it's essential to understand why Zandvoort is so unique. The race track is surrounded by water, beaches, dunes, and even a natural park. It's essentially a dead end — there is only one way in and one way out. This is why race organizers banned cars altogether. Instead, they increased the frequency of trains so that one would arrive every 5-10 minutes before, during, and after the race. It's just a short walk to the track from there. Then, race organizers set up "Park & Bike" stations, allowing fans to park their cars a few miles away from the venue and then rent a bicycle to complete the final leg of their journey through the scenic dunes. The result is 40,000 bikes parked directly outside the track, with 98% of attendees arriving via train, bus, or bicycle. The only people allowed to drive into the venue (2%) were drivers, media members, team employees, and F1 personnel. But even more impressive than the Dutch Grand Prix's transportation initiative is how they eliminated waste through a gamified system. When fans arrive at the track, they are given a token that can be exchanged for a plastic cup when purchasing a drink. If you bring your plastic cup back when purchasing your second drink, you will receive another plastic cup in exchange. If you lose your cup, you will be charged 2 euros for a replacement cup. Once the race is over (and you return your last cup), you can then enter the code on the back of each token to win prizes online. This system is commonly used at other events in the Netherlands (concerts, etc.), but it helped achieve a 75% recycling rate for cups during the race. It worked so well because it gamified the recycling process with incentives. Some people held onto their cups to avoid paying the fee, while others proactively picked up trash to increase their chances of winning a prize. Think of it like this: Instead of spending money to hire hundreds of crew members to pick up trash, organizers paid fans (via prizes) to do it for them. This saved them money in the long run, but also produced better results, as people are more likely to recycle when everyone else is doing it too. Genius! P.S. Follow me (Joe Pompliano) for more sports business content! #sports #sportsbiz #linkedinsports

‘If there is no DEI across the board, I am pulling my investment from your event.’ Silence in the room. The speaker: Tavar James - Global Head of Events at Riskified. The room: the top CEOs of the exhibition industry. A few moments earlier, Meera Somji - co-founder of Clusivity - shared that senior leaders at top event companies are 23% women and non-binary. 1% are ethnic minorities. A substantial mismatch of intents. Not that the event industry isn’t trying. On average, 30% of events globally are catering to DEI initiatives. The areas covered by the most recent AMEX Global Meetings and Events Forecast provide an indication. 1 out of 3 events: * Have a virtual option to attend * Focus on accessibility * Provide subtitles/sign language. * Use diverse/minority suppliers * Choose diverse speakers 1 out of 5 events: * Have a charitable element * Include gender pronoun preferences * Offer nursing rooms * Offer prayer multi-faith rooms DEI has been a consistent topic in the industry for a while. A new generation of marketers has entered the industry. If DEI was a matter of personal preference and individuality in the past, it is now an issue with very real business implications. What are you doing about DEI at your event?

Your CMO says “The CFO is trying to cut our event budget. What can I tell her?” Here’s what to do. First, pull all pipeline and closed won from events using a 365 day attribution window. Compare revenue to total event program cost including headcount. Now, break it out by event channel (owned in-person, virtual, 3rd party). Next, ask the CMO what percentage of the event budget they attribute to “brand”. I’ve asked dozens of CMOs and VPs their split. Here’s the typical breakdown: - 15-25% allocated to brand - 25-50% allocated to customer acquisition (net new) - 40-60% allocated to expansion revenue For larger companies with multiple products, it skews toward expansion. Now, re-run your ROI analysis with the brand budget removed from your event program expense. If the program is profitable - great. Review the ROI per event channel and propose a re-allocation. If it’s not profitable, is any event channel working? If so, double down on that. If not, something needs to change. Budget season has started. How has your event budget changed? Which channel is working best?

We’ve all seen how quickly a single moment on social media can spiral. One tone-deaf comment, one AI-generated response that misses the mark, or just a slow internal handoff and suddenly, your brand is trending for all the wrong reasons. When I started building our AI-First Mindset™ transformation program, I knew we couldn’t just focus on opportunity. We also had to prepare leaders for risk and that includes public-facing crises fueled by speed and automation. That’s why I developed a new module focused on building a social media crisis management plan designed for today’s AI-powered workplace. We cover the essentials: • How to build a clear, flexible crisis communication plan • The best crisis management tools to monitor and respond in real time • How to define team roles across marketing, legal, leadership and tech • And how to account for AI-powered systems that can escalate issues if not handled properly In a world where content and backlash move at machine speed, your people need clarity. That starts with a plan that’s actually usable and practiced before the pressure hits. This isn’t about fear. It’s about preparation. AI adoption comes with incredible potential, but it also changes how we manage trust. A good crisis response needs to e part of your broader AI change management strategy. If your team is using AI but hasn’t revisited your crisis plan, now’s the time. Stay tuned for practical guidance on creating crisis plans that perform under pressure. #DigitalCrisisStrategy #CrisisCommunication #CrisisResponse #DigitalCrisis #SocialMediaCrisis

Let's face it: No one likes to fill out a survey at the end or after a workshop. Here are 3 alternatives for evaluating workshops. Any self-respecting facilitator will want to know how well their session went and what the participants got from it. But surveys are a drag. You feel awkward doing it; your audience wants to get on with their lives. And everyone groans a little inside. Don't get me wrong - I like a good survey They're valuable in the monitoring & evaluation toolkit, but not every workshop needs them. Here are three alternative ways and tweaks to your workshop to track how well it went. 1️⃣ Describe objectives using active verbs - Active verbs help you see and hear if participants achieved the objectives. • Avoid objectives that start with 'to understand...' • Instead describe what they will do with that understanding. 2️⃣ Debrief and run a check-out - Good debrief allows the audience to capture learning and decide on what they'll do with it • Invite each person to share a reflection in a 'check-out' • This is an indicator of what resonated. 3️⃣ Create a feedback wall - Create a space on the wall (or interactive whiteboard, if remote) with tho columns: ↳ 1. 'What I appreciated about the session' ↳ 2. 'What would have made the session better for me'. • Ask the participants to leave their thoughts as they leave. These three techniques will give you a sense of how the participant's experience, whether the session met the objectives, and proxy indicators of their intention. And if you want, you can still give out a survey 😀 ~~ ✍️ What other ways do you use to monitor or evaluate your sessions? ♻️ Share if you found useful

A Practical Guide for Event Organizers Based on the Zero Project Team's experience organising the Zero Project Conference, we have put together this practical guide for event organizers to create inclusive events where everyone can fully participate. No event will ever be 100% accessible but with this guide there is practical advice for practical decisions—not final or one-size-fits-all solutions, nor a scientific approach to conference accessibility. It does not offer perfection, but rather realistic and actionable insights. One key takeaway from the guide: involve local DPOs early and engage directly with participants. Practical advice and direct feedback from participants lead to more realistic, effective, and cost-efficient solutions while avoiding last-minute challenges. Download the accessible PDF now and explore ways to make your event more inclusive! #ZeroProject #InclusiveEvents #AccessibilityGuide #CRPD #WeAreBillionStrong #AXSChat #HumanInclusion #LifeUSA #accessibility #A11Y

I spend hours on TikTok to identify event trends watching what Gen Z is actually doing. And something massive is shifting in the events space. Young people are swapping out big conferences for hyper-specific interest communities: – Book clubs for international women – Young female professionals meetups – Walking social clubs – Photo walks And the list goes on… The pattern? – Keeping it small – No networking pressure – One very specific shared interest I'm seeing 90% show-up rates for these micro-events on social media vs. not seeing enough young professionals at business events I go to. Why? Because when you're passionate about something specific, you actually want to be there. Smart brands are already catching on offering their spaces and budgets to be where this community lives. This is the current state of professional networking: Connections happen when you connect over shared obsessions, not business objectives. Moving into 2026 event planning, remember this: The most successful events will be stepping into a room where everyone shares your vision, values, or drive. Where the connection comes first and business happens naturally after. How are you rethinking networking in your event design?

This start-up turned Trash into Treasure at the Paris Olympics 🏅 Here’s how → With the 2024 Paris Olympic Games now concluded, it's time to reflect on the innovative contributions that made these Games truly special. Le Pavé® , a French startup played a crucial role in promoting sustainability by transforming plastic waste into functional and eco-friendly products used during the Olympics. Founded in 2018 by Marius Hamelot and Jim Pasquet, Le Pavé® set out with a vision to address the environmental impact of plastic waste. What started as an experiment in a repurposed steel foundry has grown into a pioneering enterprise at the forefront of sustainable innovation. Le Pavé crafted the Olympic and Paralympic podiums entirely from recycled plastic food containers. These silver-colored podiums were a first for any Olympic Games, showcasing a strong commitment to sustainability. To create the panels for the 68 victory podiums, Le Pavé used 18 metric tons of recycled plastic and plastic foam food containers. The company produced 11,000 bleacher seats for two Olympic venues using recycled materials like shampoo bottles and bottle caps, consuming about 100 metric tonnes of waste plastic in the process. Fun Facts: - Marius Hamelot began experimenting with melting discarded plastic using a pizza oven. This creative approach laid the groundwork for Le Pavé's patented thermal compression molding technology. - Le Pavé engaged local schools in the Ile-de-France region to collect bottle caps, involving 1,700 schoolchildren in the recycling process. This educational initiative not only provided materials but also raised awareness about environmental sustainability. - The company hired employees from Seine-Saint-Denis, including those who faced long-term unemployment, asylum-seekers, and former prisoners, demonstrating a commitment to social impact. Le Pavé's work aligned with the Paris Olympic committee's goal to make the 2024 Games the greenest in history. By repurposing plastic waste into durable products, Le Pavé set a new standard for sustainability at major sporting events. As the Games have concluded, Le Pavé stands as a shining example of how innovation and environmental consciousness can come together to create a brighter, greener future. 🌍 What do you think about this? Share your thoughts in the comments! #LePavé #Sustainability #Paris2024 #Olympics #Innovation #Recycling #GreenFuture *** Enjoy this? Share it with your network and follow me Vaibhav Sharma for more in future!   I write about interesting businesses, entrepreneurs, and high performance. Join my inner circle here: https://lnkd.in/gZKZ_Zdb