At the beginning of 2021, event professionals were looking optimistically toward the future. However, the year turned out to be challenging for many in the industry. Even as online events made a comeback, the emergence of a new COVID‑19 strain dealt another blow to event specialists. So what can we expect in 2022?

1. Ongoing uncertainty

The hope that 2022 would pass smoothly and mark a clear return to “normal” has not fully materialized. The main piece of advice for organizers is simple: make sure the benefits of holding an event clearly outweigh the risks involved.

2. Asynchronous events

Traditional boundaries of time and location continue to blur. The trend now is to make full use of staggered live‑streaming, allowing participants to watch sessions at different times and giving them access to on‑demand content whenever it suits them.

3. High‑quality content

Event professionals are finding increasingly effective ways to build communities through content. Audiences have become “content‑dependent,” especially at scientific and medical conferences, where recorded sessions preserve the substance of the research. Investing in strong content‑creation skills and resources is becoming essential, as it is precisely this content that draws the majority of the audience to events.

4. Hybrid events: moving forward

Thanks to remarkable advances in event technology, hybrid events have become almost as easy to manage as fully virtual ones. This format allows audiences to move freely between in‑person and virtual participation using their devices, regardless of their physical location.

As we step into this new year with a familiar sense of uncertainty, the events industry keeps evolving and growing. The key direction for its development will be the adoption of modern, creative solutions for all event formats — offline, online, and hybrid.