From new safety regulations to AI-driven strategies and immersive ecosystems, the way we design and evaluate events is changing fast. Here are five key developments to watch if you work with events.
1. Safety and Martyn’s Law in the Spotlight at UKCMA Conference 2026 (UK)
The UKCMA industry conference opened with a panel focused on the implementation of Martyn’s Law (Protect Duty) and new safety requirements for mass events in the UK. For venues and organizers, this means increased regulatory pressure and a need to revise crowd management and security protocols — a case that is likely to be replicated in other countries.
2. “Event Marketing Trends 2026” Published: Events = Strategic Brand Touchpoints
VOK DAMS together with Event Industry News presented 10 key trends where events are seen as a strategic tool for communication, culture and behaviour change, rather than a “one-off box-ticking event”. Highlights include: using events to explain corporate transformations, the growing role of AI in strategy and concept development, and a trend towards micro-events: fewer people, more meaning and personalization.
3. Immersive Formats Get Their Own Awards System
The Immersive Experience Awards have been launched — a dedicated awards programme for immersive events, XR/VR/AR projects, escape-room formats and projection-led exhibitions. This is a clear signal that the immersive events segment has fully formed into an independent field with its own ecosystem, quality metrics and benchmarks.
4. “AI and the Reinvention of B2B Events in 2026”: AI Has Moved from Experiment to Infrastructure
Event Tech Live has published an analytical piece on how AI has stopped being a “toy” and has become the core infrastructure of B2B events strategy: from attendance forecasting and matchmaking to programme design. The article also notes that networking has overtaken content as the primary reason to attend, and registration patterns have returned to pre-pandemic levels — but with much higher expectations around ROI.
5. APAC Market Collects Its Own Data: Encore Launches Event Trends 2026 Survey
Encore APAC has launched an industry survey on sentiment and technology trends in the region to capture which formats, technologies and KPIs matter most to local organizers right now. This continues the global move towards a data-driven approach in event planning and shows that the APAC market wants to rely on its own analytics, not only on Western reports.
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