Trends in regional events for 2023

Here are trends and opportunities we’ve been hearing about to have on your radar for 2023 to incorporate into your event next year.

Sustainability

Being sustainable is not a passing trend that’s going to go away – in fact, grant providers are now starting to require evidence of how applicants plan to improve their environmental impact each year.

This year we developed a new Responsible Event Plan template which includes information on how to reduce your event’s emissions and environmental impacts, as well as how to be more socially inclusive. Check out this video walk-through of the template.

We will be launching a new module in our event management training program in 2023 on Responsible Events.

 

Accessibility

As with being sustainable, being accessible is not optional – after all, events are all about building community, and 1 in 5 of us live with disability! (That’s a lot of potential attendees!).

This great video outlines what helps people with disability enjoy an event, from the point of view of people with disability.

We’ve developed an Access and Inclusion Plan template – soon to be loaded to our website.

 

Inclusion and diversity

Do your committee members, presenters, exhibitors, and musicians all look they’ve come from the same mould? 

How can you become more inclusive? Start by inviting diverse members of your community to join your committee – if your team is diverse, you have a better chance of creating a diverse event.

Is it time to update your policies to, for example,

• ensure at least half of entertainers and headline acts are female
• offer a low-priced or free tickets for Low Income Card holders and free tickets for Companion Card holders
• use images to promote the event that show diversity in attendees and entertainers
• provide spaces for mothers and carers (e.g. changing rooms either parent can use)
• provide a variety of dietary options (e.g. vegetarian and halal)

A new model

There’s an opportunity to rethink the model of your event, such as to aim to attract fewer but higher yielding attendees who pay a higher ticket price, or having a series of events (e.g. one each season) that are smaller and easier to manage, and spread the workload across the year. Some rural towns find they can get more economic benefit out of attracting a small number of overnight visitors, and filling available accommodation, rather than attracting a lot of daytrippers, or sending most of the event’s economic impact away to nearby towns when nearby accommodation gets full!

 

Sponsorship that adds to the event experience

The days of Gold, Silver and Bronze sponsorship are gone! How can you create meaningful and mutually beneficial partnerships with businesses and community groups to increase benefits for your community.

CSEnergy, which sponsors Chinchilla Melon Festival, is a great example of a company adding to an event experience (the sad caveat to this otherwise great case study is that the event is being used to build social license for a highly polluting corporation – the days for this should also be over!).

Check out these free toolkits we developed to help businesses and community groups to leverage events, and to help event organisers maximise community benefits from their events.