Last year, the IBTM World Trends report found itself looking at new frontiers. How had the meetings and events landscape changed in the wake of the pandemic, what behaviours had been adopted, how were other industries looking at this same landscape? Also, how was the global economy dictating the future welfare of our own market sector, and what were the trends that sat behind all of these questions? This year we’re able to look back on twelve months of data and empirical evidence that not only gives us the answers to these questions but begins to unearth some robust predictions on the future direction of our industry.
All of the answers, which will be covered in depth within this report, point towards a fundamental shift in the tone of the industry, and business in general. This tonal shift is reflected in the theme of this year’s IBTM World… culture. Cultural shifts underwrite and help us to explain trends. In the past we have looked at the “Basic Human Needs” that dictate behaviours. Culture influences these needs and how they change in the face of global events.
The theme is certainly timely. The wake of the pandemic (and the future potential of another), a global cost of living crisis, the possible onset of recession, continual environmental damage to societies, a dangerous war in Ukraine and growing tensions amongst some of the biggest economies in the world, are all playing a role in how cultures are changing, both on a micro and macro level. All of them will influence both the events we create, and the people that attend them.
IBTM World Trends Report 2023 (IBTM World website, registration required)
Culture Creation at Heart of Event Success Says IBTM World Trends Report (Meetings & Incentive Travel article)
