Tag Digital 2023 Team Predictions: The Future of Event Marketing
What will the events industry look like in 2023? We asked the Tag Digital team to share their 2023 event predictions, sharing what trends to expect, as well as a reflection on 2022…
What are your predictions for digital marketing trends in 2023?
Karolina, Growth Manager:
“More and more videos. We keep talking about video but I think it’s going to grow even more the next year. There was an interesting statistic that in 2022, it was predicted that 82% of traffic would come from video (Cisco), I think it will grow even more in 2023″.
Jamie, Paid Media Team Lead:
“More of a focus on the collection of first-party data and utilising first-party data. Getting people focused on building up secondary conversions and touch points on their website so we can collect and market to these people. Also from a Google perspective, I’m excited to see what YouTube Shorts bring to the table as a platform”.
Steph, Marketing Manager:
“I think in 2023 we’re going to see a massive boost in programmatic advertising. Connected TV is going to be huge! Connected TV ad spend is expected to grow over 14% in 2023”.
Jonny, Paid Social Team Lead:
“YouTube shorts is going to surprise everyone. Short-form video is huge and YouTube is perfectly positioned to take a big chunk of TikTok’s market share”.
Laura, CEO:
“Audio ads are going to become a much bigger part of the ecosystem. Getting more involved in voice search and how that becomes commericialised as well as podcasts and other types of audios. Also, I think more connected buying across Programmatic, starting to explore out-of-home or connected TV and linking the possibilities with Programmatic”.
Conall, Senior Paid Media Manager :
“Every year video becomes more prevalent, next year there will be even more video or more emphasis on video. Also, a push towards automation, platforms like Google and Meta are starting to take the reigns in campaigns and this will be pushed more next year”.
Kirsty, Growth Manager:
“TikTok will start to rival search, and introduce their own bidding strategies for keywords. They are already a competitor for search as this is how Gen Z searches and looks for recommendations. I think that TikTok will work something into their ad accounts to combat that”.
Nicola, Head of Growth:
“I think TV ads are coming back! I see what is happening with Netflix and Amazon Prime, I think that non-skippable ads will be introduced onto their platforms. From a digital marketing perspective, the challenge will be how you get these TV ads”.
What has surprised you most in the world of events?
Karolina, Growth Manager:
“I’m quite surprised at the events industry and the scope of how events have grown so fast since the pandemic – it’s amazing how it’s been able to recover”.
Jamie, Paid Media Team Lead:
“The speed at which the industry bounced back since COVID. I think we expected more volatile trends in terms of CPA, CPM, and CPC, but it has been fairly steady across the whole year”.
Steph, Marketing Manager:
“People have really got back into the swing of live in-person events post-pandemic – much more than I had originally expected. As event exhibitors, we have seen less busy show floors but a higher quality of attendees than previously – the people at the live events really want to be there”.
Jonny, Paid Social Team Lead:
“The rise of TikTok has surprised me the most, I’m more of a long-form video kind of person. So to see a lot of people spending time on short-form video and seeing it explode over the last few years has been really interesting”.
Laura, CEO:
“How ready people were to get back together, how people were saying yes to absolutely everything. So many of our clients have surpassed 2018 and 2019 numbers – people have had a real zest for life and there was maybe an expectation that might have been a slower ramp up but we’ve all felt the excitement to get back to our normal lives”.
Conall, Senior Paid Media Manager:
“How quickly Google got Performance Max working, they released it as more of a BETA last year and pushed it into full production this year. Over the last few months, they have improved it a lot, this was the most noticeable jump and surprise!”
Nicola, Head of Growth:
“On the more pessimistic side, how everyone brought back the same event they ran in 2019 after the pandemic. The event ran the exact same way and didn’t make many adaptations to the event space and exhibitor stands. I think they missed a trick for innovating during this time and just went back to their old ways”.
Kirsty, Growth Manager:
“The pivot back to in-person events, virtual was so big for so long and I think people thought it would be around a lot longer and transform the events industry. We all crave that in-person element and we’ve seen virtual fade out a bit and see in-person thrive again”.
What are your predictions for event trends in 2023?
Karolina, Growth Manager:
“I think it will be highly experience-focused, experimental, and fun engaging pop-ups and activities. Also, I think more unusual event venues will be used”.
Jamie, Paid Media Team Lead:
“Event marketers or event organisers will have to bring more to the table to get exhibitors to sign up. Offering a complete package or experience to get people to physically exhibit at events as it is a quite big investment of time and money”.
Steph, Marketing Manager:
“There has been a bigger bounce back for in-person events post-pandemic and my expectation is that this is going to continue to rise.
Attendees and exhibitors want to ensure they are utlising their time, event organisers are going to have to really creative and innovative to make sure they are nailing the experience. Also, the drive for sustainability within the events sphere, and I hope this takes off in 2023″.
Jonny, Paid Social Team Lead:
“Bigger attendances in 2023. 2022 has been more of a test year with people coming back to in-person events. A lot of people’s anxieties around COVID have reduced, so 2023 will be all about big attendances and really busy exhibitions and conferences”.
Laura, CEO:
“I see events becoming career highlights, for example, a business event is going to be really experiential. People’s time is so valuable, they need to feel they are getting really good content, and making good business decisions, whilst having fun.
Starting to see a decline in fully hybrid events, it’s become too difficult for people to do well, but there will still be a demand for on-demand that is created from live events”.
Conall, Senior Paid Media Manager:
“More in-person, less virtual. There was a bit of a turning point halfway through the year when everything opened up again and virtual events fell off the radar a bit”.
Nicola, Head of Growth:
“Events will infiltrate tech into the actual expo, allowing exhibitors to attend virtually but still be present within the event space hall. I’ve seen this happen a few times with big tech events, I think this will be rolled out so exhibitors from around the world can be there without having to travel”.
A huge thank you to the team for sharing their 2023 predictions and highlights from 2022. It has been a great year and we can’t wait to see it what 2023 brings!
Do you want to know what our clients and industry friends predicted for 2023? Read them all here.