Can’t Miss 2025 Event Trends in Culture, Color & Innovation

By: Annalise Corso, Creative Services Manager, Corporate

2025 event trends you can’t miss! When you think of event trends, many things come to mind: design, color, entertainment, activities… This year, we are challenging ourselves to think bigger (never fear; we’ll still cover those fave topics here)! In 2025, it’s all about building holistic events that weave in deeper cultural and societal threads. Now is the time to embrace empathy, increase inclusion, supercharge serenity, and celebrate the beauty of imperfection.

Cultural Trends to Consider

2025 has ushered in change on many levels, from political to social and economic. To ignore these signals when planning events would be a misstep. Instead, the hospitality industry must adapt to the changing global mood by understanding and anticipating the impact these changes have had on their attendees. In a culture that can feel very divided, focusing on the shared joys that bring people together is more important than ever. Emphasize authentic local experiences, pump up the volume on fun, and ensure that everyone has a well-deserved sense of belonging.

NeuroDesign: Creating Environments Where Everyone Thrives

The importance of empathy in event planning really can’t be overstated. Compassion and understanding have always been crucial to event management as they strengthen relationships and build trust. However, a caring and inclusive touch is more important now than ever. NeuroDesign, or neuro-inclusive design, is an emerging practice that applies neuroscience and psychology to create spaces that are accessible to people with a range of sensory sensitivities. Most of the principles are focused on preventing sensory overload, which occurs when the brain receives more sensory input than it can handle. Think of it as having too many notifications on your phone or an overwhelming number of tabs on your browser. It just doesn’t feel good! While research shows that events are more memorable when all senses are engaged, overstimulation can lead to negative experiences. Approximately 16.5% of people in the U.S. experience sensory processing difficulties. Here are some guidelines you can use to help you plan more sensory-inclusive events.

• Conscious Event Design: Evaluate what is being placed in an event space and how it affects the body as a whole. Consider everything that stimulates the senses, such as texture, sound, layout, light quality, color, and functionality. When in doubt, make things flexible by incorporating strategies like dimmable lights, soothing wellness-focused spaces, and adjustable walls and furniture to allow for movement.

• Design Strategies & Solutions: Soft, smooth surfaces promote relaxation, whereas rough textures boost alertness. When in doubt, always opt for a soft touch! If planning a large conference or unavoidably stimulating event, provide attendees with sensory kits, including sunglasses, calming essential oils, earplugs, crunchy or chewy snacks, and stress balls.

• Scent Management: In this case, the nose really does know! Try to avoid strong synthetic scents and opt for natural oils or fragrances instead (think mint, citrus, eucalyptus, lavender.) A soothing scentscape can prevent discomfort for individuals with sensory sensitivity (and pregnant people, too!). Incorporating proper ventilation in indoor environments also helps minimize negative scent impacts.

Embracing Nature & Sustainability

Biophilic design is a hot topic from a neuroscience and interior design perspective (more on interior design trends shortly!). This practice integrates natural elements like wood, stone, and live plants into spaces to serve a number of essential functions. Here are some ways to make Momma Nature proud at your next event!

• The Power of Plants: On a scientific level, adding plants to a space purifies the air and reduces cortisol levels, promoting a sense of calm and well-being. While succulents have dominated the design scene in recent years, other equally hardy options, such as spider plants, snake plants, pothos, aloe vera, fiddle leaf fig, and Boston fern, can add more depth and vibrancy to your event.

• Organic Shapes, Materials, & Patterns: Another way to celebrate nature is to literally take a leaf out of her book. Forget sharp corners and find furniture or decor pieces that echo the lines and features found outdoors. When embracing materials and patterns, focus on wood grains or abstract representations of organic forms. Repurpose or find recycled materials to boost sustainability.

• Shed Some Light on Sustainability: Speaking of eco-friendly alternatives, lighting is another big consideration when designing your events. LED bulbs and fixtures are highly energy-efficient and use up to 75% less energy than traditional incandescent bulbs; plus, they last up to 25 times longer! Try to maximize natural lighting, too, by using light colors or even mirrors around the perimeter of your space to reflect and amplify daylight. Consider portable, rechargeable, battery-powered lights for temporary setups and solar options for outdoor evening settings. Don’t forget the fixtures! Opt for sustainable materials such as bamboo, recycled metal, or glass.

Get Inspired by Interior Design

We are forever following in the footsteps of our interior design heroes! Here are a couple of trends that we are definitely going to make our own this year.

• Wabi-Sabi: This Japanese aesthetic embraces imperfection, transience, and simplicity. It often utilizes asymmetrical layouts to create visual interest and celebrates craftsmanship with handmade, local decor elements. Earth tones and muted colors are another must-have (here’s looking at you, Pantone’s Color of the Year Mocha Mousse!). Opt for color palettes that are soft, warm, and harmonious with nature.

• Color Drenching: This year is certainly one of bold moves and strong choices, so why not try out color drenching? This immersive technique involves saturating a space with a single color. You can use various shades of the same tone in your draping, linens, lighting, textiles, and decor to add depth and interest. Different finishes can do the same. For example, utilize a matte finish on a photo op wall backdrop and a glossy finish behind the bar. Color drenching can help you define how a space should make your attendees feel as soon as they see it. In fact, designing spaces according to their feeling or purpose is called spatial zoning, and it’s another big design trend this year! Use zoning to designate areas for innovation, connection, and engagement.

Event Tech and Innovation

Don’t be afraid to use the latest technology to your advantage! Here are some ideas for groundbreaking solutions that can add an edge to your event promotion and planning.

• Get Personal with AI: We’ve written a number of posts about how to leverage AI into your day-to-day event planning activities. One really great way to do this is to use this tech to personalize your promotional materials so every attendee feels like the only one. You can also get feedback from them and feed that back into the tool so it further customizes communications moving forward based on their preferences.
• Get Futuristic With It: Holograms, VR, and robotics? Oh my! Cutting-edge activations and entertainment can enhance guest interaction and provide unique experiences they’re not soon to forget. A drone cocktail delivery system can bring some unexpected tech whimsy to the party!

At 360 Destination Group, we’re always on the lookout for new trends to try and innovative ways to support you and what you do. We’re here to make your event planning dreams come true. Reach out to take your next corporate event to a new level.