8 min read 15th May 2023
The 2023 conference season is just around the corner and is expected to be bigger and better than ever.
We’ve taken a look at the latest trends that you can expect to see at business conferences this year – and what you can do to ensure that your conference is impactful, energising and inspiring!
So what are the trends that you can expect from business conferences and events this summer and autumn?
“Topics around well-being and mindset are expected to feature strongly this year .”
In-person events to return to pre-pandemic levels
Getting back to ‘normal’ since the pandemic has been an incredibly lengthy process for businesses. Although the last couple of years have given some fantastic opportunities for teams to get together in more creative ways, including using hybrid and virtual technology, in-person events have been slower to return to pre-pandemic levels.
That is expected to change this year.
According to Amex’s Global Meetings and Events forecast for 2023, two-thirds of people expect in-person events to return to pre-pandemic levels this year, with companies seeing ‘substantial increases’ in face-to-face meetings or conferences compared to 2022.
Face-to-face training is something that employees find incredibly valuable – a survey by Markletic revealed that a whopping 72% of people believe they get the most value out of attending an event in person compared to virtually.
Spending on conferences and events expected to increase
The amount of money businesses spend on events and conferences is expected to increase, with some estimates suggesting that spending could rise as much as 83%.
Whilst increasing costs of hosting events affect all businesses, this higher spend is also reflective of growing confidence in events post-pandemic and companies seeing the value in investing in staff training.
Focus on Health and Well-being
The focus on employee mental health is now greater than ever, so we’re expecting to see topics around well-being and mindset to feature strongly in company conferences and events in 2023.
In a recent Body Talk survey, we asked more than two thousand people which area of training they would value most in 2023. The most requested subject was mindset and well-being, with 42% of all respondents saying that they’d like to receive training on it this year.
Increase in team-building activities
Whilst traditional conferences may have had people sitting and watching a speaker for the whole day, the focus now is on creating energetic and inspiring events which encourage audience or team participation.
Expect to see an increase in events specifically designed to inspire, motivate and energise, getting people out of their seats and having fun!
Increase in external motivational speakers
Having a motivational speaker present at your business event can be a transformative experience for your employees. In fact, having high-quality presenters is perhaps the best investment you can make when planning a conference.
Although motivational speakers have been around for many years, more and more businesses are choosing to bring them into their annual events to help to inspire their employees. The right motivational speaker can give a breath of fresh air, sharing stories, tips and inspiration.
As well as lending expertise, passion and new ideas to a conference audience, one of the great advantages of an external speaker is their objectivity. In many companies, people are often reluctant to make changes for fear of rocking the boat or from ingrained habits – but both of these things could be holding your business back from progress.
An external speaker is objective, unencumbered by existing ‘bad habits’ and can really help to bring about positive change without causing friction.
Add a Body Talk Masterclass to your event!
One way of bringing something extra to your company conference is by including a short masterclass session on a specific topic, such as storytelling, performance mindset or personal impact.
At Body Talk, we are highly experienced in delivering masterclasses to fit in with any company event. Our talks are lively, interactive and practical, sharing powerful strategies to inspire and motivate an audience, getting them ready to create even better results when they get back to work.
We regularly deliver these events for between 50 to 1000 people, keeping the full audience engaged through inspiring delivery and practical activities, so you can be assured that your team will gain lasting benefits from this event.
Each 60-90 min masterclass keeps the audience engaged through inspiring delivery and practical activities to help people gain lasting benefits.
Some of the masterclasses that we offer include:
- The Science of Storytelling
- Advanced Storytelling
- Personal Impact, Gravitas and Influence
- Advanced Personal Impact
- Peak Performance Mindset
- Visual Aids
- Time Management
We can also tailor masterclasses and keynote presentations to fit your business and conference themes – just get in touch with us today, and we’ll be happy to discuss it with you.
Book Richard Newman for your event
Best-selling author, podcast host and CEO of Body Talk Richard Newman is an expert conference speaker on peak performance mindset and personal influence, empowering audiences with practical communication and storytelling tips that build influence.
Richard’s electric personality and passion for communication make him a hugely popular keynote speaker.
If you would like to speak to us about booking Richard or another member of our highly-experienced team to present at your conference, get in touch with us today.
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