Have Event Pros Lost Their Way?

Many event professionals are off track.

After years in the industry, I made a deliberate choice to step away from the event bubble. You know the one—where we all follow the same speakers, attend the same conferences, scroll the same trend reports, and chase the same flashy productions. Instead, I focused my attention where it actually matters: on the clients and guests themselves. What do they need? What are they experiencing? What do they remember months later?
What I discovered was eye-opening.

Much of what we in the events world consider "standard" or even tired is completely fresh and impactful to those outside our industry. Not every gathering needs to be a high-production conference with multiple stages, AV wizardry, and a roster of celebrity speakers. In many cases, the most effective events are the ones that feel more human—conversations over cocktails, intimate roundtables, or structured networking that actually leads to real dialogue.

The hidden cost of "efficiency"
Think about the last time you attended an event where you were funneled through a rapid check-in process—scanning 1,000 barcodes, digital tickets flashing on phones, staff glued to tablets. Operationally smooth? Yes. But what’s lost in that process?

• The eye contact
• The warm welcome
• The moment someone puts a face to a name
• The tone-setting first impression

In our relentless pursuit of efficiency and scale, we’re often sacrificing the very connection points that make events powerful in the first place.

I recently produced a corporate event for a group of management-level professionals. The production plan was tight, the talking points were crafted, and the run of show looked perfect on paper. There was just one problem: the team itself wasn’t comfortable with face-to-face interaction. They were highly proficient in Slack, email, and group chats—but actual in-person conversation felt foreign.

This gap didn’t just affect how they engaged with each other. It impacted their interactions with invited guests. It made me realize something uncomfortable: as event professionals, we may inadvertently be contributing to the erosion of genuine human connection rather than fixing it.

The "us vs. them" trap

Too often we default to putting people on stage while the audience sits in the dark—the classic speaker-audience divide. While this format has its place, it shouldn’t be the default. What if we designed more events that created meaningful, direct conversation opportunities? What if we measured success less by production value and more by the quality of relationships formed and outcomes achieved?
I’ve come to believe we sometimes plan events to impress ourselves and our peers more than the people who actually matter—the clients and attendees. That mistake can be fatal to both the event’s success and our industry’s relevance.
A better approach
Here’s what I recommend:

• Focus on the goal, not the spectacle. Stop trying to create "the best event ever." Aim to be the best solution for the specific objective at hand.
• Be selective with speakers. That motivational speaker delivering the same talk in a different city every week might look impressive on a website, but does their message actually move the needle for your audience?
• Choose venues with purpose. The most expensive location isn’t always the right one. Sometimes a thoughtful, well-suited space creates a better experience and stronger ROI.
• Rethink influencers. You don’t need to chase social media stars. Treat every attendee with respect and intention, and you’ll discover that everyone can become an influencer for your brand or event.
• Smaller can be significantly better. An intimate, well-designed gathering often creates more value than a bloated production.

Finally, be cautious about who you listen to. Many "experts" and trendsetters have agendas—sponsorships, vendor relationships, or personal brands to protect. Their advice may not serve your clients’ best interests.

The events industry has incredible potential to create meaningful human experiences in a world that’s increasingly digital and disconnected. But we’ll only fulfill that potential if we stay grounded in reality—focused on people, not production for production’s sake.
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What are your thoughts? Have you attended or produced an event recently where simplicity and connection outperformed big production value? Or have you seen the opposite—where flash got in the way of results?
I’d love to hear your experiences.
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