In January, Mark Field Operations Director at the Club looked forward and made some predictions about the events landscape in 2024.
Cost-effectiveness remains a top priority for corporate organisers, and this is driving the return of the buffet. I know some people cringe at the very thought of a buffet, but they aren’t just beige anymore! And as well as being cost effective, serving food buffet style creates a more informal event, which is another trend for 2024.
We are seeing a rise in more informal reception style events rather than the traditional formal sitdown dinner and this trend will continue to increase in 2024. The rise of more informal business events is being led by several factors: Networking is far more important to employees because in a work from home culture, they seek peer to peer interaction at company events.
Post lockdown, employees are now far choosier about who they spent their time with, and this attitude is driving their decision to attend an event, and how long they will stay. A sit-down event does not give them any flexibility to leave when they like, and it also forces them to sit next to and network with two people not of their choosing.
And finally, a reception is a very cost-effective way to gather lots of people together, so we will see more events, higher volume of delegates/guests but less income from each event.
