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The Events Industry Council’s “Futures Landscape Report” looks at 12 forces facing the business events industry.
Among the trends identified by creative agency VML Intelligence in its most recent “The Future 100” report is the rise of the superforecaster. “From predicting everything from global conflicts and election results to stock prices and economic volatility,” according to the report, “superforecasters are at the frontier of change.”
VML Intelligence defines superforecasters as those with a solid track record of accurate predictions, who advise “individuals, businesses, and governments of the opportunities and challenges ahead.”
“Thinking probabilistically about an uncertain future” is how Warren Hatch, CEO of superforecasting agency Good Judgment, describes the work of his company in the report, which entails understanding the “drivers to date, the risks going forward, and the factors we should track in the future.” Superforecasters are everywhere among us, Hatch said. “All organizations would do well to identify and cultivate their own talent and get the best possible wisdom from their crowd.”
Perhaps the equivalent of “The Future 100” for the business events industry — and our version of getting the best possible wisdom from our community — is the Events Industry Council’s (EIC) “The Futures Landscape Report 2025,” The report is based on a series of workshops over the past year with industry leaders from EIC’s 60-plus association and corporate members and volunteer leaders, insights from the EIC APEX Critical Issues Working Group, a global survey of industry stakeholders across every region and sector, and market research company Ipso’s expertise.
“As a foresight tool,” Amy Calvert, EIC’s president and CEO, writes in the report’s forward, “the Futures Landscape Report was created to help our sector, business event professionals, and organizations better understand a wide swath of macro forces and correlating trends facing our world and global economies.”
The report looks at 12 forces facing the business events industry – none of which “are mutually exclusive, and none should be politicized,” Calvert said. They are:
1. Accessibility — awareness of disabilities, the regulatory environment, and adaptable and flexible environments
2. Climate Risk — emissions, policy and agendas, public perception, disruption mitigation efforts, and place-based impacts (e.g., displacement)
3. Infrastructure — capacity, changing models, technology, and infrastructure in need of investment/advances
4. Talent and Workforce Development — leadership opportunities new talent strategies, team growth needs, and generational differences
5. Advocacy — coordination, collaboration, urgency, unified voices, and proactive messages for industry success
6. DEI – driving and measuring change and impact within organizations across diversity, equity, and inclusivity
7. Mobility — protectionism, visa challenges, travel disruptions, and ability/access for participation in knowledge sharing
8. Technology — job security, trust equations, productivity impacts, regulatory changes, and training and education needs
9. Business Models — Budget and resource challenges, evolving expectations from participants, sponsors and exhibitors, and cost increases
10. ESG — public policy, compliance, messaging, corporate values, and employee and customer engagement
11. Risk & Security — data security, geopolitical-driven risk and risk management, technology evolution, and harm-reduction strategies
12. Wellbeing — workplace wellbeing (physical, mental, social, etc.), supportive environments, and employee longevity.
Michelle Russell is Convene‘s editor in chief.
“The Futures Landscape Report 2025” was conducted with the support of the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE) Foundation; GainingEdge, a consultancy focused on business events; and Ipsos, a global leader in market research.
ON THE WEB
- View EIC’s “Futures Landscape Report 2025”
- Download VML’s “The Future 100: 2025”