Virtual events are growing in popularity in 2025, and an increasing amount of event planners are wondering how they can optimize for success. What are the top trends for virtual events, and how can you use them to your advantage? Stick around as we break it all down and show you how event technology, such as some of the 25 best event management software tools for 2025, can help. Many event professionals are now prioritizing scalable tech solutions to meet shifting audience demands.
What Are the Current Event Trends?
In 2025 and beyond, one of the biggest event trends is organizations putting a greater focus on virtual and hybrid experiences. A study by Zoom found that, on average, event organizers are putting 37% of their budgets into hybrid events, 35% of their budgets into virtual events, and just 28% into in-person only events. This focus on virtual and hybrid events reflects a broader industry move toward accessibility and reach.
The focus on virtual and hybrid options can help make events feel more inclusive for everyone involved. Thus, there are several growing event trends in the virtual space, such as using event technology to provide more immersive experiences in virtual settings, leveraging data to personalize experiences, and delivering content in unique ways. Let’s dive deeper into what we’re seeing at current trending events and how virtual event platforms and event management tools are contributing. Keeping up with evolving event industry trends is crucial for planners who want to remain competitive.
What Are the Top 10 Trends in 2025 in Event Management?
The top 10 event management trends in 2025 are:
1. Advanced Personalization Through Data-Based Insights
One of the emerging trends in the event industry is a growing focus on personalization for attendees. When you can deliver topics, activities, and materials that feel focused on your guests’ needs, it increases the impact it has on them.
How do you determine which personalized elements to add? Reviewing data in event management software can help, such as seeing what activities attendees engaged with the most at your last event or gathering insights from association member feedback to better understand their needs.
2. Immersive and Interactive Experiences Using Event Technology
Another one of the top event trends in 2025 is making events feel more immersive or interactive. When you get attendees involved, the event feels more memorable and engaging.
Using event technology can help with this, such as having an event app that allows real-time audience responses or hosting live polls during presentations. Cutting-edge event technology is now essential for engaging and retaining attendees in competitive environments.
3. Using More Multi-Format Event Structures
Events can have many structures in 2025. For example, hybrid experiences allow attendees to attend in person or virtually. More organizations are also recording events, so audience members who couldn’t attend live can watch later. Event technology and livestreaming solutions are making this possible so events can become more accessible for different needs. Implementing multiple formats is key to hosting successful events that cater to diverse audience preferences.
4. Sustainability-Focused Event Planning
Sustainability is a big concern in today’s event planning industry. What can you reuse from your last event? What materials can you cut back on? Thinking about these elements can help your association operate more efficiently and cut costs, while reducing your impact on the environment at the same time.
Using more event technology for activities can help with this, such as event management software that can help you host virtual activities, previous event recordings, learning materials, or quizzes. Sustainable practices are also transforming the traditional in person event into a more environmentally conscious experience.
5. On-Demand and Asynchronous Content Delivery
Delivering on-demand or asynchronous content can help you extend the impact on attendees beyond the event itself. For example, you could provide helpful learning materials after hosting a live workshop. Whether virtual or live, hosting events with extended content access boosts long-term engagement.
6. Advanced Networking and Matchmaking Tools
Many attendees want to connect with professional associations and go to events to expand their network. When you can use technology to assist with networking or match attendees with similar interests, it makes a big difference in their experience. Choosing the right event space also influences how well attendees interact and build relationships.
7. Gamification to Boost Engagement
Adding game-like elements is another way you can make virtual events feel more engaging. For example, you can use solutions like our Eventscribe software at Cadmium to host a fun virtual scavenger hunt that your guests can partake in. Gamified features significantly enhance audience engagement and promote real-time participation.
8. Accessibility and Inclusion in Event Design
Events should feel accessible to anyone who wants to attend and participate. That could include making events hybrid to allow different forms of attendance, offering different activity options for varying interests your audience has, or choosing venues that are accessible for different transportation or mobility needs. Keeping up with virtual event trends ensures inclusivity is baked into your planning process.
9. Security and Privacy Enhancements
The rise in virtual events has also created a bigger need for cybersecurity. You’ll want to choose event management software and other tech from providers with high security standards while using strong internal security protocols within your team. High-security protocols also boost trust and improve attendee engagement at digital touchpoints.
10. Integration of Event Management Software
As mentioned in several of these points, using event management software can help you optimize for success.
Options such as our Eventscribe software at Cadmium can help you track important data, add engaging virtual activities, select appropriate venues, and more throughout the planning process. It’s a great option to keep your team organized and ensure successful outcomes. An advanced event platform like Eventscribe makes this level of integration seamless and effective.
What Is the Future of Virtual Events?
Based on the current trends, it’s likely that virtual events will continue to expand and play a bigger role in engaging audiences and association members. Both virtual and hybrid formats offer a great option for global accessibility that can connect people around the world and create shared experiences. These shifts reflect major corporate event trends aimed at maximizing ROI and flexibility.
Some growing trends that will contribute to that are:
- Continuous innovation in event technology, such as improvements in event management software and content delivery options. It’ll be important to choose software from companies that are continuously trying to improve their products.
- Attendee-driven experiences will continue to become more important. Attendees are why organizations host events, and the impact you have on your guests matters. Organizations will continue to take notice of that and want to optimize for engagement, personalization, and immersion.
- An increasing connection between educational experiences and events. A learning based seminar or workshop that’s connected to a course can help reinforce the information and make learners feel more connected to the topics, so watch out for those experiences to become more popular. Keeping an eye on the latest event technology trends will help you future-proof your planning approach.
What Are the Most Popular Event Technology Trends?
Event technology trends that are rising in 2025 and beyond include:
- A greater use of AI to help with planning, such as agenda recommendations or content suggestions
- An increasing need for all-in-one event management solutions that help you handle tasks at each event planning stage and organize all the information in one place
- A growing need for seamless mobile experiences, such as event apps that offer live engagement options
- A higher demand for event technology that integrates with the software organizations already use
When you need technology that fits those needs, a great place to start is with the right event management software. Our Eventscribe software from Cadmium is a great option that can help.
How Eventscribe From Cadmium Can Help as You’re Planning Virtual Events
Eventscribe, Cadmium’s event management system built for associations and nonprofits,can help at each stage of event planning and works for events of all sizes and types. That includes capabilities to help you organize each task involved in planning virtual and hybrid experiences.
Eventscribe is built to help event planners use many of the trends discussed in this article. It can help you:
- Create an event app and website
- Transform attendee engagement with immersive elements such as live audience responses, polls, and quizzes
- Track data and get insights to personalize experiences
- Deliver on-demand content before or after events
- Automate key tasks like logistics planning for more efficient management
- And more
Learn more about Eventscribe and discover how it can help you plan more engaging and impactful experiences today!