2026 Event Trends Report

56% of attendees expect to attend more events in 2026. The challenge is making sure yours is one of them.

The emc3 Collective Event Trends Report 2026 brings together industry data and perspectives from leaders across Meta, Mastercard, Pinterest, Lenovo, Stripe, Dolby, Tines, Figma, Nokia, Ramp, Athletic Brewing Company and the emc3 Collective to explore what modern event strategy now needs to account for.

Audiences still value in-person experiences, but they are becoming more selective about where they spend their time, travel and attention. Budgets are under pressure. AI is moving from hype into workflow. Content quality, responsible design and commercial clarity are becoming harder to separate from the success of the event itself.

What’s inside?

1. Fewer moments, stronger meaning
Why event teams are moving away from volume and towards more intentional, higher-value experiences.

2. B2B becomes B2Human
How business audiences are bringing consumer-level expectations into professional environments.

3. Selective audiences, higher stakes
Why attendance is still strong, but no longer automatic.

4. Content becomes the experience
How content is becoming the narrative backbone of the whole event journey.

5. AI moves past hype to utility
Where AI is genuinely useful, and where it risks adding noise.

6. Responsible design becomes a quality signal
Why sustainability, accessibility and inclusion are moving into the brief, the sourcing process and the commercial conversation.

7. Planning in a volatile world
How trust, destination confidence and localisation are shaping global event decisions.