GLOBAL TRENDS FORECAST 2026
Introduction
The experience economy, a concept coined in 1997 by Pine and Gilmore has now to come to fruition. Escalated by the pandemic, with adults opting to spend their money on experiences rather than material goods, the global shift towards experientialism is evident. The events and experiences industry now stands at a crossroads: it must evolve again — from experiences that entertain, to experiences that transform.
By 2032, the global value of the experience economy is projected to hit $2.1 trillion (Squire, 2024). Yet, financial growth tells only part of the story. A recent Mastercard survey across Europe revealed that, despite economic uncertainty, people are spending more on once-in-a-lifetime moments and travel, seeing them as ‘investments in selfhood’ (Mastercard, 2025). These purchases are not luxuries; they are about identity, belonging, and wellbeing.
We live in an aging world; demographics are shifting profoundly. The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs reports that more than 700 million people are now over the age of 65 — a number set to more than double by 2050 (UN DESA, 2025). This ageing curve is not a fringe concern; it defines the mainstream audiences of tomorrow. As experience designers, we are designing for our futures; a future that must consider and accommodate an older population.
In this experiential landscape, experiences must be transformative, personalised, inclusive, and innovate in conceptThe following chapters explore the future-facing trends reshaping our sector: the shift to transformationalism, the demand for hyper-personalisation, the imperative of ultra-accessibility in an ageing world, the rise of audience sophistication, and the urgent need to escape ‘imagination poverty.’
From Experiences to Transformations
For centuries, human beings have gathered — around fire, in temples, at theatres, in stadiums — to share experiences. These gatherings were not just a form or survival or entertainment; they were ritualistic acts of belonging. Today, audiences are rediscovering this instinct, but with a new demand: experiences must not only connect, but they must also transform.
Transformation speaks to the deepest human need; a transformational experience is anything that instigates a change within in us. Situated at the top of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, self-actualisation is the ultimate goal: modern audiences are increasingly structuring their lives around the pursuit of growth, purpose, and meaning. No longer satisfied with the ‘spectacle economy’ of big screens and light shows, they crave events that leave them fundamentally changed — challenged, elevated, and expanded.
Businesses that recognise this are already seeing results. Barclays’ 2024 report revealed that organisations who redesigned their offerings to provide more memorable and meaningful experiences saw an average 15% revenue uplift (Barclays, 2024). This isn’t just about profit. It is about relevance.
In 2026 and beyond, for companies to stay relevant and hold the competitive edge, they must move from being experience providers to transformation architects. The future of the industry lies not in events that we attend, but in experiences that become part of who we are.
Personalisation and Human-Centred Design
To deliver transformation, experiences must feel deeply personal. In the age of hyper-choice, a generic programme no longer satisfies. Attendees expect an environment that flexes to their preferences, their interests, and even their emotional states. Therefore the requirement to design personalisation into every event and experience is a core ingredient for success.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly enabling this. Recommendation engines are evolving beyond e-commerce into live environments: suggesting conference sessions, nudging festival-goers towards performances, or curating real-time ‘choose-your-own-journey’ pathways. But personalisation is not just digital. It includes spatial design that accommodates diverse needs, sensory details that resonate with individual profiles, and emotional touchpoints that speak to the unique story each attendee carries.
This level of tailoring creates extraordinary value. When an attendee feels an event has been bespokely created for them, they not only engage more fully but become long-term advocates. The participation through increased engaged optimises the opportunity for transformationlism and the the word-of-mouth advertising escalates companies to a heightened reputational hierarcy. Predictive personalisation — environments adapting live to audience needs — will be standard practice.
The shift to human-centred design means thinking less about ‘what we want to showcase’ and more about ‘what they want to feel.’ Designing for the end-user through experience design best practice principles, the more deeply experiences mirror the lives and aspirations of their audiences, the more powerful their transformative effect.
Ultra-Accessibility in an Ageing World
Perhaps the most profound change shaping the sector is the need to design for longevity. We are living longer than ever before, and with that comes an evolution in our physical, sensory, and cognitive needs. Ultra-accessibility is not only about meeting the requirements of today’s older populations — it is about designing for our future selves.
What does it mean to plan an event in a world where a 70-year-old is as likely to be in the audience as a 30-year-old? It means acknowledging that accessibility is not a niche add-on but a universal design principle. It means recognising that what feels unnecessary for us now may be essential later in our lives. Designing for accessibility is, in truth, designing for continuity of human experience.
Ultra-accessibility moves us beyond compliance. It demands step-free environments and ergonomic seating, but also sensory diversity, cognitive inclusivity, and psychological comfort. It embraces technologies that translate in real time, caption dynamically, and provide navigation through haptic or audio guidance. It integrates quiet zones for neurodiverse attendees and ensures that accessibility is embedded from concept to execution, not retrofitted as an afterthought. Combined with personalisation, ultra-accessibility means the experiences of the future will be finely tuned to our own needs and motivations, again providing the environmental framework in which transformation is more likely to be achieved.
Events in 2025 already point towards this trajectory. The Meetings Show in London reimagined inclusivity by creating sensory-friendly zones and neuro-inclusive programming, while RNIB’s Inclusive Design for Sustainability Conference highlighted how environmental and accessibility goals can coexist (Travel and Tour World, 2025; RNIB, 2025).
Ultra-accessibility also makes commercial sense. Older audiences often possess higher disposable income and exhibit strong brand loyalty. Designing for them is not only ethical but strategically vital. Yet the bigger opportunity lies in universality: when you design for the edges, you improve the centre.
As we look ahead, the industry must understand that accessibility is the future of experience design. We are all ageing, and the standards we set today will be the environments we inhabit tomorrow. Ultra-accessibility is not only an industry responsibility; it is a promise to our future selves.
Wiser Audiences, Higher Expectations
Another force reshaping the landscape is audience sophistication. People have become adept at recognising the mechanics of curation. They know when they are being funnelled through a formula, when the peak moment has been recycled, and when creativity is being diluated. This heightened awareness calls for experience design concept innovation.
Social media has accelerated this awareness; with access to global benchmarks, attendees can compare one festival to another, one conference to its peers, and they arrive primed with expectations. They are no longer passive participants but savvy critics, often with megaphones in the form of digital platforms. Our audiences are the loudest voice for our events and experiences; ensuring that voice is a positive one requires pioneering concept design, operational elitism and an environmental framework that allows for personalisation and transformation.
This sophistication demands that experience designers push harder. It requires fresh concepts, deeper cultural integration, and formats that surprise and stretch audiences in ways they didn’t anticipate.
The challenge is steep, but the opportunity is immense. A sophisticated audience, though harder to impress, is also more capable of appreciating nuance, depth, and originality. For those willing to innovate, the rewards will be richer loyalty and sharper resonance.
Imagination Poverty
Yet here lies a danger. In recent years, our sector has risked falling into what I call imagination poverty. Too many experiences look and feel the same. Too many terms have been stretched to breaking point – diluted due to misuse in lazy marketing, used where there is a lack of aware of the term – and consequently the industry is bored of ‘immersive’ (as just one case in point).
Conferences are casually labelled “festivals,” stripping the word of its cultural weight. Any event with a combination of touchpoints and flashing lights calls itself ‘immersive,’ when true immersion requires depth, narrative, and sensory engagement, not just audience participation. ‘Transformational’ is used as marketing garnish rather than a genuine outcome. This dilution of language reflects a dilution of imagination.
Imagination poverty is not only lazy; it is dangerous. When every experience feels familiar, the audience disengages. When terms lose their meaning, they lose their power. And when sameness dominates, the industry stagnates.
As the curates of events and experiences it our responsibility to take accountablility in our work, to use the correct terminology, to design for a desirable (not probable future) and reduce the imagination poverty our industry is falling victim to.
The way forward is to reclaim originality. That means looking beyond sector norms and drawing inspiration from unexpected places: science, ritual, theatre, urban design, even nature. It means daring to create experiences that are not easily categorised, that defy clichés, and that resonate at the level of story and spirit, not just spectacle.
Imagination is not a luxury in this industry; it is the raw material of transformation.
Outlook: Designing for Transformation
By 2030, the most successful experiences will be those that embody three qualities: transformational impact, radical inclusivity, and imaginative originality. Together, these qualities will redefine what it means to gather.
Transformation ensures that events are not just consumed but lived. Inclusivity ensures they are for everyone, across age, ability, and background. Originality ensures that they remain fresh, resonant, and meaningful in a world where sameness is instantly spotted and dismissed.
The events industry stands not only as an economic driver but as a cultural force. Done well, it can foster identity, wellbeing, and belonging at a time when societies face fragmentation and disconnection. Done poorly, it risks irrelevance.
Conclusion
As we move through 2026 and beyond, the mandate is clear: experiences must matter more. They must be transformational, not transactional. They must be designed for our future selves as well as our present needs. They must anticipate wiser audiences and reward their discernment with originality. And they must break free from imagination poverty to deliver experiences that are as unique and expansive as the people they serve.
The experience economy is no longer about spectacle alone. Its future lies in its capacity to transform lives, inclusively and imaginatively. For those willing to embrace this vision, the opportunity is profound: to create gatherings that are not only remembered, but that re-shape who we are and how we live.
