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Remember when landing that famous CEO or bestselling author was the golden ticket? Get the big name, sell out the event, call it a win. That was the formula, and for years it worked like clockwork.
Not anymore.
Freeman's latest trends report revealed something that should make every event planner pause: 51% of attendees say effective networking is reason enough to return to an event. Meanwhile, nearly one-third of younger professionals report that current networking formats actually detract from value or increase anxiety.
People are tired of sitting in the dark, listening to someone talk at them for an hour. They want to roll up their sleeves and dig into real problems with people who get it. They want that moment when someone across the table says "oh, we tried that too – here's what worked."
When was the last time a keynote changed how you did your job the next week? Now think about the last time a conversation with a peer in your industry gave you an idea you could actually use.
The old model was downloading wisdom from experts. The new model is problem-solving together. People show up with specific challenges and leave happy when they've found practical solutions through conversations with others in the trenches.
But here's the catch: 40% of attendees say networking feels awkward, and 30% struggle to start conversations. Nearly half want curated recommendations for who to meet before the event even starts. The demand is there, but most events are failing to deliver.
The star speaker strategy suddenly looks expensive and outdated. What works is helping people find their people – through smaller groups, interactive sessions, and structured conversations that give people permission to share what's working and what bombs.
Keynotes still have a place, but their job has changed. Instead of being the big finale, they're the opening act – setting up themes and questions that get explored through peer interaction for the rest of the program.
The new question: "how do we make it easy for people to have the conversations they actually need?"
Events that figure this out first will own the next decade. The rest will keep paying celebrity fees for half-empty auditoriums.
PS; Gevme helps attendees find the right people to meet based on their actual goals. Turns out when people know who they should connect with and why, those awkward conversations become a lot easier.
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