In This Article
- What’s trending now: From AI planning tools to sustainability to inclusive event design.
- How to apply it: Practical, budget-friendly ways to refresh your next event big or small.
- What’s next: The trends shaping 2026 and how to stay ahead.
What Trends are Shaping the Fall Event Season (and How to Actually Use Them) 🍁
The leaves are changing, the badges are printing, and the event world is in full swing.
Fall is peak season for conferences, summits, trade shows, and leadership retreats, and as 2025 wraps up, event professionals are getting smarter, more strategic, and more creative than ever.
So we put together this list of the Top 7 Event Industry Trends to Know This Fall (and a BONUS Tip at the end). Plus, what’s sticking around for 2026? And how you can make these trends work for your event (without blowing your budget).
Disclaimer: Sorry folks, If you’re here for pumpkin spice and autumn-hue swag ideas, this isn’t a “fall themed events” trend article 😂
#1. In-Person Connections (with a Hybrid Boost)
Attendees are showing up in-person and in full-force. Look no further than IMEX America, which wrapped in early October and boasted another year of record attendance with over 17,000 global participants. It’s not just for the sessions, but for the energy and those “have to be there” moments that only happen in-person.
But what does this mean for virtual event tech? Interestingly, we’re seeing a new trend in hybrid events that’s not just an “if you can’t be there” option, but rather uses virtual event technology to “extend” events. Creating hybrid online touchpoints that aren’t just session archives or live streams, but actually offer unique follow-up content and related material that can extend engagement online even after showtime.
What you can do:
- Stream key sessions or host virtual roundtables or discussion boards post-event to keep conversations alive.
- Give attendees access to recordings and resources for ongoing learning.
- Use your mobile event app to post follow-up content, bonus materials, or related session materials to draw in-person and virtual audiences to continue to engage with your event (even after the sessions end).
💡 Pro Tip: All-in-one event technology solutions that offer registration tools, event apps, and virtual conference technology can simplify data tracking and setup headaches, eliminating multi-platform chaos that can cost your team a ton of time. A great feature of Expo Pass is that it easily let’s you customize your event page for pre-event, live-event, and post-event content.
#2. Using AI as Part of Your Event Team
Not surprisingly, Artificial intelligence continues to be at the top of the trend board, as event organizers continue to innovate and find ways to actually use AI to improve their conference planning process. Of course, this comes with the important disclaimer that we’re still seeing AI at its best when there’s someone there to guide it (and make sure it doesn’t make mistakes).
While some of the more inventive AI tools — like attendee matchmaking or generative video — may not fit the bill for every planner, there are many practical ways we’re seeing professionals in the industry implement AI to boost efficiency.
What you can do:
- Use AI tools to save time drafting event emails, summarizing feedback, or personalizing outreach.
- Try AI image generation tools to help with branded graphics, web, and social collateral.
- Lean into what AI is great at: data. Ask AI for help crunching numbers, organizing and comparing spreadsheets, or filtering post-event reports.
🤓 Industry Insight: These tools continue to get better and better, and we’re sure to see even more improvements and innovation heading into 2026. Just know that AI does make mistakes (and “hallucinate,” or make up false information on occasion), so it’s essential you’re still reviewing everything as a human!
#3. Immersive, Personalized Attendee Experiences
Ever watched a speaker just talking alongside an endless PowerPoint? Yeah, we’ve all been there, which is why we’re all in when events try to deliver attendee experiences that feel personal, interactive, and memorable.
You may not be able to escape PowerPoint altogether, but planners are exploring creative programming, sensory design, and “choose-your-own-adventure” agendas.
What you can do:
- Mix formats: instead of just presentations, weave in hands-on workshops, Q&As, panel discussions, or micro-focused sessions.
- Design interactive environments, like networking lounges, pop-up demos, or photo-friendly spaces.
- Integrate a mobile event app that encourages networking, feedback, and participation.
✨ Easy Win: Customize attendee badges with color-coded categories or sponsor accents that are easily identifiable from afar, making networking effortless and branding shine.
#4. Sustainability and Inclusion
Event planning continues to trend toward more responsible conferences, and attendees notice and appreciate the effort. From recycled materials to inclusive programming, sustainability and accessibility are shaping every part of the event lifecycle.
What you can do:
- Source eco-friendly event badges, event lanyards, and swag.
- Offer diverse speaker lineups and accessibility options, from in-persion considerations to online and virtual tools.
- Ditch printed materials when it makes sense, opting for digital schedules utilizing your mobile event app for instance.
🌱 Next Step: Opt for on-site (or “on-demand”) badge printing to reduce pre-printed badge waste, and even try more sustainable materials like tear-resistant thick paper conference badges, which can hold up to the rigours of most events with a lower environmental impact than typical plastic badges.
#5. Wellness and Safety
With in-person events, personalization, and inclusion all trending, it might come as no surprise that attendee wellness is something planners are also focusing on these days. From small gestures to boost attendee morale, to broader safety protocols, these important measures are essential to your audience experience and making sure they feel safe and appreciated.
What you can do:
- Communicate security and health protocols before the event.
- Integrate wellness into your programming and agenda, from sessions specific to wellness activities or mindfulness, to purposeful breaks between content.
- Designate recharge spaces for attendees to unwind between sessions.
🙌 Real-World Insight: Look for wellness brands as unconventional sponsors for your event. For instance, a local yoga studio or healthy eatery may get great exposure to new customers through your attendees, while your attendees benefit from their services. That’s a win-win!
#6. Tighter Budgets, Bigger Expectations
Costs are up. Budgets are tightening. And expectations? Always climbing 😬.
So how are event pros spending smarter this fall? Looking beyond dollars to measure Return on Relationships, like the partnerships, connections, and brand loyalty their events create.
What you can do:
- Invest in aspects that drive attendee value, like great content, and tools like event mobile apps that offer a meaningful networking platform.
- Cut where it makes sense, like unnecessary swag or overly complex setups.
- Opt for tools that improve attendee experience and your team’s efficiency, like on-site badge printing.
🙋 Planner’s Take: Sometimes a smaller, high-impact event does more for your brand than a massive one. Focus on quality over quantity, attendees will feel it.
#7. New Attendees, New Expectations
Younger professionals and remote teams are changing event culture. Gen Z attendees value authenticity, social impact, and experiences they can share. They’re also booking later. Like, way later.
Many are also taking conference trips as opportunities to mix business and local exploration (we personally aren’t sure we can get behind the term “bleisure,” but apparently some people want to make that a thing).
What you can do:
- Offer flexible registration options and last-minute sign-up incentives.
- Highlight your destination: partner with local restaurants, tours, or cultural spots.
- Build social spaces and shareable community moments into the schedule.
⚡ Try this: Content worth sharing or incentives for social activity can turn your attendees into your best marketing channel and your event into its own marketing engine, which is a huge win.
BONUS TIP!
🎉 Big Trends Aren’t Just For Big Events
“Industry trend” doesn’t mean “corporate events only.” And not every trend requires a massive budget or 10,000 attendees to make sense. Many of these ideas scale from giant in-person expos to 100-person association meetings.
What you can do:
- Use an event app to reduce paper and boost engagement.
- Add on-site badge printing to personalize check-in and eliminate pre-printing chaos.
- Test an AI tool like ChatGPT to see if it can save you time drafting outreach or summarizing content.
- Integrate simple event tech to start tracking ROI metrics (like attendee check-in rates, session feedback, or leads scanned).
These top event trends are trending for a reason, and small changes stack up fast. Events of any size can benefit from integrating these features and technologies.
Wrapping It Up
The events industry is closing 2025 stronger than ever and heading into 2026 tech-driven, people-focused, and bursting with creativity. Savvy event professionals are combining solid planning with smarter choices, thoughtful design, reliable tech, and experiences that are built for attendees.
Need a little help getting there? From on-site badge printing and smoother check-ins, to full registration and mobile event apps, Expo Pass has your back. Reach out anytime!
