Research: Connection at events is most important and insufficiently facilitated

Encore and Boldpush have published The Experience Design Report, based on research among 447 event professionals. Connection is seen as the most important core factor of gatherings, but programming lags behind in this regard.

Almost half of the respondents identify peer networking as the most important success factor of an event. Yet, only 8 percent of the program space explicitly focuses on structured connection. 18 percent leave it entirely to chance.

Participation works better than presentation

Roundtables and practice-oriented workshops score highest in terms of participant satisfaction. Keynotes perform significantly worse: only 7 percent of respondents consider them among the most valuable program elements. Keynotes are changing, however: shorter, more interactive, and offering more perspectives. In this regard, spontaneous, unscripted keynote speakers who truly connect with the audience are most appreciated.

72 percent of respondents view face-to-face conversations as the primary trust builder. Scale determines form

For events with up to 5,000 participants, roundtables score the highest. Above 10,000 participants, panel discussions take over that position, provided they are well organized.

Only 3 percent offer AI-driven participant routes. 53 percent stick to basic personalization such as dietary requirements and accessibility. Researcher Julius Solaris is clear about this: a personalized agenda already puts you well ahead of the competition.

Participant survey

The report by Encore and Boldpush is based on a survey of 447 event professionals in February 2026. Of these, 34 percent were event planners, 15 percent marketers, 11 percent consultants, 11 percent freelance organizers, and 10 percent agencies. Three-quarters of the respondents organize events with fewer than 2,000 participants, and the meetings organized include congresses, trade fairs, user conferences, and association meetings.

The Experience Design Report 2026 can be downloaded here.