THE FUTURE OF

EVENTS

BROADCASTS FROM TOMORROW

Whatdowemeanby

‘events’?

With the rise of digital events, the boundaries between

events and content have blurred. There are many
kinds of events from B2B to B2C, from festivals to
networking conferences. The dictionary definition of
an event is;

Event
a thing that happens or takes place, especially one of
importance.
a planned public or social occasion.

What we’re presenting are potential possibilities to be

aware of, the future is not defined. 
Context
Thepandemicdidn’tstopourdesireandneedfor
events,butwhat’schanged?
The Rise of Digital &
Livestream
79% of companies now expect to
host events that include an online
component even once in-person
events resume
(Source: Splash Report, 2020)
Year-on-year, the livestreaming
industry grew by 91.8%
(Source: Streamlabs 2020)
A Desire for New A Pining for Physical The Need for
Kinds of Digital and Social Connection Inspiration and
Experiences Cultural Connection
We discovered that digital Skin hunger is a neurological Virtual Museum was the top
experiences interest gamers and phenomenon that was trending virtual activity that was
non-gamers more than virtual supercharged by the pandemic. searched to experience in
gaming goods available today. Without touch, humans 2020
deteriorate physically and
Only 13% of gamers we surveyed emotionally. (google search) 
said they have bought virtual
currency, whiich was voted the (Source; Wired, NYT 2020)
top ‘virtual good’, but 30% of
gamers said they would be
interested in purchasing digital
experiences.
(source: Dazed/Squared Circles
study, 2020).
TheFundamentals Let’s take a step back and think
about why we go to events?
Social connection
Experience  

Expression 

70% of Gen Z and Millennials spend

more of their monthly income on
experiences over items they can own.
(Source: Dazed Future of Youth Culture Report, 2020). 
IRLexperiencesdooffer
somethingthatdigital
eventscurrentlycan’t
The power of the party
Physical events are more important than ever when
they can resume and the desire for them is clear. 
“Nightclubs since the 1960s have been a laboratory for
ideas that have gone on to influence popular culture.
People who live in a subculture know what is going to
happen in five years’ time,” 
Jefferson Hack

“Consumers will have different needs and a new

appreciation for live experiences. Audiences are craving
those in-person experiences again and there's a role for
all brands to connect in a real and emotional way.”
Campaign Live, 2021

Eventsof2020/2021thatgotairtime

Gaming, an Immersive Events with Purpose Serious Fandom

digital experience 
Together at Home  BTS virtual concert 
Travis Scott x Fortnite Fire Fight Australia Dua Lipa’s virtual concert 2054
TheMostSearched
Concertsof2020

1. Together At Home concert

2. Fire Fight Australia concert
3. Garth Brooks drive in concert
4. Travis Scott Fortnite concert
5. BTS online concert
WhatkindsofeventsandexperiencesdoGenZand
Millennialswant?

Culturally Social
Interactive Diverse Multimedia Purposeful
relevant connection
 Wellness & Beauty Education, support & Entertainment & a culturally
self betterment connected programme
Dazed Beauty Digital Spa Dazed Academy
Making It Up as You Go Along Dazed Live

(Source: Dazed Media Research Study X Squared Circles around Gaming, The Future of Youth Culture Report, 2020, our own events and feedback) 
Wellness&Beauty
Dazed Digital Spa 
Dazed Beauty’s digital spa offered an
accessible spa experience with articles,
workshops, live social events and more. 

Dazed Beauty Space

with Selfridges 
Connecting the physical and digital worlds,
Dazed Beauty Space was a physical
installation designed by Thomas Petherick
and curated with Dazed Beauty featuring
workshops, tutorials and live advice both in
store and broadcast online from established
and emerging beauty talent. 
Education,Support Dazed Academy
&SelfBetterment Making it Up as You Go Along
Dazed Academy is our educational programme
of free workshops that connect our audience to
industry and offer advice from industry experts.

Dazed 100 Workshops

With over 6K sign ups in just 3 days,
Beabadoobee's songwriting workshop
proved to us the power of fandom but also a
desire to interact and learn from talent. 

20 Years of Making a Magazine

With Susannah Frankel and Alexander Fury
100s of direct questions to our talent, attendees
from over 30 countries with an average age
tuning in of 22 years. 
Entertainment&a
CulturallyConnected NOWNESS 10
Programme On Wednesday 2nd December 2020, and with over
4,000 attendees NOWNESS presented a day of live
digital talks, screenings and workshops with film
directors, cinematographers, artists, fashion designers,
dancers and more including Luca Guadagnino, Doug
Aitken, Jefferson Hack, Matt Lambert, Andrew Thomas
Huang, Rina Yang, Priya Ahluwalia, Holly Blakey, Iggy
London, Leonn Ward, Saul Nash, Bafic and Ivan Michael
Blackstock. 

Dazed Live October 2021

Dazed Magazine celebrates 30 years with a three day
festival and exhibition at its HQ at 180 The Strand
programmed with 30 moments open to the public to
raise money for Centrepoint UK. The programme will
feature live performances, talks, workshops,
merchandise and more.
Weaskedanumberof
oureventattendees
whattheywanttosee
fromevents
They all said they’d continue to attend digital events
post lockdown
‘I want to see more hands-on sessions, less
participants, more interaction between attendees from
digital events.’’
Dazed Audience, Gen Z

‘I miss  the physicality of in-person events, the

connection, the atmosphere, the conversations beyond
the event itself - the social aspect.’
Dazed Audience, Millennial 

Source: Dazed focus group with 10 Gen Z and 5 Millennial respondents who attended Dazed events
What’snext?
Keytrendsforbrandstoacknowledgewhenitcomestoevents.
Audiencebehaviours,driversanddesireswillbeimportanttotrack.

69.6% Having a point of view

67.7% Being sustainable and

having strong ethics
56.4% Having purpose and living by it

43.8% Working with relevant cultural partners

13.7% Creating all the latest products

12.9% Creating / hosting events I can go to

3.1% Other
 ‘As we move back into in person events, we anticipate that demand will always
outweigh the size of any venue and that digital events can offer experiences that
you wouldn’t necessarily get going to a venue. For example a look behind the
scenes, watching rehearsals, virtual meet and greets as well as verch (virtual
merchandise).’
Nicola Miller, Global Head of Communications & PR at LIVENow

Event organisers are no longer as pure ‘organisers’; “rather their role is to

facilitate business, connections, education and advocacy.”

Denzil Rankine and Marco Giberti, Reinventing Live, the always on future of live events
TheageofIRL+
TheageofIRL+

(orHybrid)
In real life events will need to have a strong digital
element that enhance the experience and can allow
for further storytelling and access.

The future is hybrid - the blending of the physical with

the virtual. The virtual is here to stay.’
Emma Bartholomew, The Drum, The Future of Live Events Podcast


Even when in-person events are safe again, only 15%

of members want to return to mostly or entirely in-
person events in the second half of 2021. Half of
respondents said they would prefer mostly or entirely
virtual events, and 33% wanted a hybrid option.

(Source: Personify study 2020)

Live streaming - if it is to be successful - can’t simply

replicate the live experience. Live gigs are coming
back, what we have an opportunity to do is offer a
marketing opportunity alongside.
 Tip: Make sure you’re marketing and storytelling each part of the event, teasers,
personal invites, countdowns, post event follow up. Make the most of the
James Sutcliffe, Chief Content and Marketing Officer for LIVENow
content across various platforms 
Memorable,reallife
experiencesthatare
trulyvaluable

Real life experiences will need to hold more meaning,

memorability and value. They will focus on
experiences that touch the senses in a more
heightened way, whether that’s through enhancing
social connection or a more immersive experience.

‘There’s been some digital fatigue and moving

forwards events and experience will have to go the
extra mile to add value to people's lives, I hope briefs
for events start with “how do we want someone to feel
here” and will embrace true sensorial experiences.’ 
Georgina Harding, Trend Forecaster
BeyondFunctionality,a
focusontheuser
experienceandmore
immersiveexperiences

Whether that’s IRL or Online; the power of epic

experiences and storytelling.
As wearables become more widely adopted and
technology improves the user experience of events
will improve, whether that’s an event live streamed
through AR in your home or an enhanced real life
experience. 
Powertothepeople

More niche, more community and peer to peer driven

events.
Subculture Party has become one of the biggest
spaces for alt kids to gather and make new friends,
with almost every partygoer donning eccentric
makeup, outfits and occasionally cosplay before
joining.
“We have always encouraged self expression because
part of the fun is dressing up and living your fantasy,”
Tyler S, Co-founder of Subculture Party (ringtonemag 2020)
Powertothepeople

Platforms such as Twitch, we can see the dramatic

growth with a 550% year-on-year increase and the
total number of broadcasters creating music content
tripling between Q2 2019 to Q2 2020
Tip: Partnering with relevant cultural partners and
platforms is key, giving power and support to artists is
important.
Virtualworldsinthe
metaverse

Brand experiences, entertainment, socialising and

shopping all in one virtual reality

‘The Metaverse is arguably as big a shift in online

communication as the telephone or the internet. Within
the next few decades its applications will exceed our
wildest imaginations.’
David Baszucki, inventor, CEO and Founder of Roblox, Wired, 2021

‘I’ve met lifelong friends and made some great

memories in games and online spaces such as Rec
Room. The future lies in creating meaningful and fun
ways to connect socially in digital spaces.’
Chris Marotta, Ustwo, Dazed X SC Gaming Report, 2020

Real life or XR? Believe it or not, this cityscape balcony view was designed in x
Space, proving how realistic of an environment XR can offer.
Recap;keytakeaways

The user experience is at the core; try to create a What is important to remember:
mood and community moments

Break down barriers and create more social
connection opportunities, from peer to peer and host 1. Interactive
to audience 
 2. Climate Conscious
Partner with the right platforms to authentically reach 3. Altruistic
audiences and improve technical capabilities 
 4. Valuable
Experiment with new formats and think about events
that cross into different sectors, collaborating with
new kinds of people to create unexpected
experiences 

Understand your audience’s needs and try to design
an experience around them, how can you build hype?
What’s the live moment? Is there content living post
the event?
Thanksforjoining