Brand Experience in 2022

The uncertain landscape of the world over the past 2 years has created a catalyst for a new era of events. So, as we move our way into the new year, we explored predictions and trends we expect to see over the next 12 months.

There is a growing appetite to get back to live event experiences, that’s a given, whether it be for business or personal joy. The biggest question is how do we ensure these live experiences continue to grow and progress to achieve their full potential and not fall back into old ways?

Despite the progress of vaccines and medicines over the last year the growing threat of new variants put’s a version of stability on a very thin edge. If you are sitting there waiting for ‘the new normal to return”, this is it. Only by company versatility and adaptation can we hope to survive and thrive over the coming months.

In 2021 we saw the arrival of Hybrid Events, a new concept to connect remote visitors to the show floor. With a strong likelihood that we will see a drop in physical attendance numbers, events need to gear up for Hybrid delivery, giving the choice whether to travel and network face to face or engage with content online- creating a huge opportunity to communicate with a wider global audience more sustainability.

There’s a lot of noise within the industry currently about the Metaverse, whether it’s a fad that will go away or is it here to stay. It’s almost like an expansion of hybrid experiences and almost blurs the lines between virtual and real-world spaces. Having watched brands engage successfully in the gaming world it’s assumed it could be here to stay but will take time to evolve into a high-quality experience. Zaha Hadid Architects is a high-quality example of the potential this concept could have:

The addition of Hybrid events presents an opportunity to progress the concept of sustainability on the show floor. An ever-growing point of interest and one that now must be tackled head-on following information from the G7 summit and environmental activists. Towards the end of last year, we explored the importance of Sustainability within the events industry, you can read more about our findings here.

The pandemic had a huge effect on thousands of businesses across the globe, belts had to be tightened and that meant budget cuts. Cost-effective solutions and options will be pivotal to ROI and client satisfaction throughout 2022. Brand experience design can be imagined anytime anywhere not just for 1x week a year at an exhibition or Live event. For this reason, investing in great re-usable content and sustainable design options should be at the top of the event “to do” list.

Even roadshow experiences could come out of the water on a mass scale this year. With Sustainability, restrictions and budgets a conscious point for clients, roadshows allow you to take your story out to your audience 365 days/year with mitigated risk and measurable ROI success. Read more about the rise of roadshows here. 

So, the 2022 motto? Adapt and innovate.

As we plan for events and exhibitions it’s important to remember not to fall back into old habits but to use the knowledge and experiences from the past two years as an opportunity for innovation, to progress and embrace a new era of events. But as the uncertainty of covid continues it’s important to be flexible and agile, to mould ourselves to the situation at hand and be prepared for anything to continue to do what we do best.

We look forward to what this year has to offer and we’ll keep you updated every step of the way. Make sure you subscribe to stay up to date with all things Cook + Associates.