We are not Barbara Walters, but this is 2020; and these are our event predictions for the year.

– Balloons will be in trend and big. We will see more unique styles in carious sizes, designs, materials, and types will be combined to create even more volume and texture. We will continue to see these worked into backdrops, arches, dessert bars, etc. while incorporating elements such as colored paper, leaves, dried pants and more.

– Sustainability has been a major focus in corporate events and will continue to be so, even becoming more of a focus for wedding and social events as well. We know conferences will continue to make a dedicated effort to support sustainability at their events, which will be marketed and now we will also more people focus their attention here as well for their wedding or social event.
– We’ve seen personalization of any thing, and every thing. From signature drinks with custom foam designs, to story telling through signage at weddings we will see personalization become a focal point of event design. It is becoming easier and more accessible to do so, so this will continue but will be done so in more and more ways throughout the events. This will even spill over to gifts and favors (think meaningful experiences rather than gifts).

Photo: Danyelle Dee Photography

– Fun and original photo booths are continuing to capture event guests. From ball pits, to repurposed vehicles, events are offering photo booths as an experience in our image-driven world. Growth of video has been the key the last few years, so we will also see much more video booths, 3D model videos, quick clips and more in 2020.
– Specific to weddings, ceremony backdrops will shift from the traditional arch to a more enclosed feel. Even large weddings will attempt to achieve a more intimate moment for the ceremony.
– We are moving away from traditional florals and seeing more dried greenery, shrubbery, and a lot of painted leaves.

Photo: Danny Dong Photography

– Another trend we are pleased to see continue into 2020: an extreme focus on food and beverage. Event guests and planners alike are very conscious of the food and drink served from a variety of options for special dietary needs to craft experiences and fresh flavors. A great example is the transformation of the dessert bar to the hire of a local vendors such as ice cream, cookies, custom popsicles, donut making stations and more.

Photo: Carlie Statsky Photography

A couple overarching themes we are seeing throughout each of these are the increase of environmental consciousness, and the desire to expand entertainment at events from the traditional sense. We are no longer relying on the band or DJ to get the party started; the party starts as soon as the first guest arrives and they stop by the appetizer station or snaps a selfie at the one-of-a-kind photo booth.