The Heavent trade show, dedicated to event innovation, was held in Paris on 26, 27 and 28 November. The By Kadrance Cercles team presents some of the event trends not to be missed that emerged during this event.

Emotion as a privileged way of creating connection

While events are a privileged opportunity for brands to reach their audience, they are also an opportunity to give guests a genuine experience. This is true of internal events as well as the most traditional trade shows, which tend to reinvent themselves by “festivalising”, in the words of the director of Heavent Paris.

This trend featured prominently throughout the show, notably through the conference looking behind the scenes of the 3 trendiest and most unusual events of the year. Scenographies aim to be ever more immersive, and the search for new spaces offering differentiating experiences is constant (rooftops, unusual venues, co-working…).

Play, a source of inspiration and a vehicle for immersion

Among the trends discussed during the show, play was a major topic. First because esports has come to the forefront of the French events landscape in recent months. It is notably shaking up the traditional codes of sports events, entertainment and ways of engaging a young audience. Enough to make brands envious and inspire events professionals!

Besides heralding a renewal of event scenography, esports has also highlighted play as a source of engagement. When you are trying to provide an experience, what could be better than a dopamine booster like play? The concept of gamification was even put into practice at the show with the mysterious disappearance of the innovation trophy, orchestrated by Urban Gaming…

Social media and influence strategies: the event trends that put people at the heart of the approach

Social media have changed the way events are organised and communicated about. Instagram in particular has changed how event scenography is approached. Stories have become essential content in brands’ communication strategies around their events.

As for influence strategies, they were addressed from different angles with one overall conclusion: they cannot be reduced to choosing the influencer with the most followers without much thought. The strategy should focus more on the human dimension the influencer can bring, and on how they can help develop interactivity and engage their audience.

The 19th edition of the Heavent show thus made it possible to understand the new challenges of events and better anticipate the events of tomorrow. If you were at the show, which of the innovations presented struck you most?