One part of the hysteria surrounding summer is the excitement that comes with its sun-soaked events â low necklines and cold drinks, dancing outside, and enjoying the hazy days of summer with friends and family.
Everything is better in the summer heat, and every year, event planners aim to make their event the talk of the season. The summer represents a great opportunity to stage an event, with it being one of the most lucrative seasons for professional event planners.
Event attendees â especially those who are accustomed to high-budget corporate events â wonât be wooed by the same gimmicks as last year. It may come as a surprise to those who arenât in the business of planning amazing events, but there are trends that are ushered in each summer that can take an event from same-old to never-be-the-same-again.
Itâs all about differentiation and making your event stand out in the minds of your guests. Itâs about finding ways to bring people together, fostering connections, and making everything a bit more efficient to set-up and tear down. Here are seven summer event trends weâve seen this summer that take events to the next level and impress guests with thoughtful ingenuity.
- Technology (Apps, Live Streaming, Live SM Interaction)
Itâs hardly news at this point; people are plugged in. Over 90% of North Americans own smartphones and are on them for multiple hours a day. Itâs the perfect opportunity to connect with guests and have them put their cell phones to good use.
Specialized event apps are amazing for large events that span a day or more, especially when multiple locations, speakers, and itineraries are involved. For a sprawling corporate event with several types of speakers and seminars, it can help to have an app developed that is specific to your event for widespread download.
Encourage your guests to live tweet and post with personalized event hashtags. Modern weddings often combine the last names of the spouses-to-be, allowing everyone who posts to look up each other’s photos and moments easily. Live streaming your event will let those who couldnât be there feel included. Itâs an extension of hospitality that will truly add a caring and trendy touch.
- Drone Videos
We all know someone with a drone, and theyâre amazing for capturing aerial video. If your summer event is being held in a beautiful outdoor space, capture its magnificence with drone video. Youâll get a beautiful perspective you never thought youâd see, and it makes for great content in a post-event video for attendees to look back on after your event is over.
- Non-Traditional Spaces
Barns, warehouses, factories; donât limit yourself to traditional event venues. Non-traditional spaces offer different pricing than conference centres or banquet halls, have enormous capacity, and have interesting interior elements. Exposed bricks, metal beams, thirty-foot ceilings â your guests will be wowed by your event as soon as they arrive.
- Memorable Bars
One of the best parts of any event is the food and beverage. Go the extra mile and create a memorable bar setting. Great drinks are a given, but the bar area itself is a spot where people gather, laugh a little harder, and find the courage to connect with strangers. Up your hosting game from a traditional bar to make your guests feel like theyâre at a truly all-out event.
- Food Trends on Point
Next to the drinks is the food. If you have mediocre food, often thatâs what people will remember about your event. Amazing food will have your guests on cloud nine, pleasing their inner foodies and appreciating your attention to culinary detail.
Donut walls and live cooking are two food trends that are catching on. People also appreciate plant-based, healthy options as more and more folks develop open minds to different diet preferences.
- Bring the Dancers
It isnât a party until thereâs dancing! Exploring entertaining with acrobatic tricks and aerial arts, itâs like having a free show alongside your gathering. Your guests will feel so much more inspired to dance when they see the professionals joyously busting out their moves.
- Bold Yet Classic Colours
2018 has been a year of experimentation as well as a year of returning to traditional roots, and colour and design schemes are reflecting this. The need to be modern has fallen away and classically beautiful colour combinations are proving to be classics for a reason. Itâs always a good thing to give your colour scheme a slight edge, a personal touch that reflects you.
Author
Summer Filippopoulos
Freeman Audio Visual Canada, Sales Manager
Toronto, ON â December 7, 2017 â Freeman Audio Visual Canada is proud to announce that Heidi Welker, Senior VP, Business Development & Industry Partnerships has been elected as 2018 Chair for Meetings Mean Business Canada (MMBC). MMBC relaunched in January 2017 to advocate on behalf of the Canadian Business Events Industry and has since grown rapidly cross-country with over 100 senior executives signing on to show support and raising over $100,000 CAD in initial funding.
1. Make a Budget & Check it Twice. First things first, determine how much you have to spend and what your event objectives are, and then allocate your funds accordingly. Be sure to document your budget and check it often to make sure youâre fulfilling the priorities you set.
3. Trim the Excess with an Accurate Headcount. Send invites out early, give several reminders and set a definitive RSVP date. Once you know how many people are attending, you can properly plan all other details, like venue size and meal requirements.
6. Consult Your AV Partner at the Beginning of Your Planning Process. Lighting, audio, projection, video services and internet access will make a huge impact on you event experience, but if youâre not careful, they can also make a sizable impact on your wallet. Involve your technology provider in the early planning stages, be realistic about the environment you hope to achieve and the funds you have to work with, and your technologist will collaborate with you to customize an experience design based on your needs.
Teamwork and collaboration are absolute necessities for a successful conference. One of the key players on your team is the AV provider. In the spirit of collaboration and, given the many recent exciting advances in the AV world, 
Le travail dâĂ©quipe et la collaboration sont des conditions sine qua non pour assurer le succĂšs dâune confĂ©rence. Et lâun des joueurs clĂ©s dans lâĂ©quipe est le fournisseur de services audiovisuels. Dans un esprit de collaboration et en raison des nombreuses avancĂ©es spectaculaires quâa rĂ©cemment connues le monde de lâaudiovisuel, 
have them amped up before the scheduled date. 
on their personal mobile devices, mobile apps allow you to make various informationâlike event agendas, facility logistics, speaker profile, and much moreâreadily available. Whatâs more, you can integrate social networking to promote peer-to-peer communication.