The end of the year is upon us already? How can it be?! Shocking to know we’re down to the final weeks of the year, but it sure is a good year to look back on. The past few months have been varied in terms of types of events and clients, which we’ve loved.
In Q4, our Events team touched 15 events hosted in DC, Napa, Las Vegas, SF/Bay Area, NYC - and we went international with two events in Vancouver, Canada. Among these 15 events, we were onsite for over half of them, traveling to represent cred as well as our clients in the industries of technology, VC, wealth management, and more.
What else have we been involved with in Q4 2024?
We worked with a new client on their partner Summit which featured content tailored for client-centric advisors in the RIA and Multi-Family Office space. ONEHOPE in Napa served as a stunning backdrop to the interesting sessions on best practices, emerging trends and technology. Our scope for this event involved management and/or coordination of the venue, hotel block, and all vendors, and the planning and execution of a delicious welcome dinner at Ad Hoc. We were also onsite in wine country to manage the experience in-person.
Vegas was calling our name quite frequently this quarter with planned mixers and dinners at HLTH, Money 20/20 and AWS re:Invent (featuring a double-header event day in early December). A reminder that micro events are great small-scale opportunities to create a unique and memorable experience for attendees while keeping resources low.
In late October, cred’s 21-person team descended on San Francisco for our three-day company offsite. The theme to inspire a competitive spirit? Survivor: Outwit, Outplay, Outlast. We enjoyed an improv course, goal-setting, making infant care kits for UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, and team dinners. Safe to say we drew upon our summertime blog about planning internal gatherings for this one!
In mid-November, we reminded ourselves not to restrict events to the typical spaces for hosting as we rented out a modern art gallery for a knowledge mixer in NYC. It certainly eliminated our need for extra decor! One caution, however, is that a non-traditional event space typically demands extra planning and coordination. To ensure everything ran smoothly, our event team made sure communication with both venue and vendors was detailed and clear, especially given the multiple load-in times and deliveries involved.
Passports please! We checked another international onsite location off our list, managing two events in Vancouver, Canada during the recent Neurips conference - hosted by non-profit corporation Neural Information Processing Systems Foundation, whose purpose is to foster the exchange of research advances in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
We’ve been onsite frequently in Q4. Here’s what we took notice of:
Event planners are increasingly adopting a community meetup format, reflecting a broader shift towards fostering authentic connections and grassroots engagement. These smaller, more informal gatherings emphasize networking, knowledge-sharing, and building a sense of belonging among participants. Our clients in the VC and tech space have embraced this trend, hosting events that mirror community-driven meetups rather than traditional corporate conferences. By prioritizing localized, attendee-centric interactions, these events not only enhance brand loyalty but also align with the growing demand for meaningful, less transactional experiences in the professional world.
Speaking of networking, this continues to be a top priority for attendees. We’re seeing more and more companies integrate interest-driven elements to foster deeper, more memorable interactions that extend beyond typical business discussions. Activities like group hikes or culinary classes are becoming staples at events, encouraging participants to bond over shared passions while naturally building professional relationships. These tailored experiences create a relaxed atmosphere that facilitates authentic connections, making it easier for attendees to engage meaningfully. As a result, organizations are seeing increased engagement and stronger community ties, reinforcing the importance of blending personal interests with professional goals to enhance the overall event experience.
At TechCrunch Disrupt, some of our team went onsite to experience the cutting-edge event technology from Bizzabo’s smart event badges, underscoring a growing trend of integrating advanced tech to elevate attendee experiences. These badges utilized Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to facilitate seamless networking, session check-ins, and real-time data capture, creating a highly personalized and efficient environment for attendees. This innovation reflects the broader industry shift towards leveraging tools that merge physical and digital interactions, making events more engaging and data-driven, a trend increasingly embraced by planners to maximize ROI and attendee satisfaction.
Throughout this year, many of the events we coordinated served as valuable complements to major industry conferences—ranging from exclusive mixers to intimate dinners and networking opportunities. As you look ahead to the coming year, we encourage you to brainstorm which conferences and events will drive the most value for your brand and target audience - and consider hosting an ancillary event around them. By strategically aligning your initiatives with key conferences and industry milestones, you can amplify your impact and ensure your presence is felt where it matters most.
We are ending the year having worked with over 330 speakers from companies like Google Cloud, Shopify, IBM, Anthropic, TikTok, OpenAI, and Slack. We continue to prioritize exposure for women and underrepresented speakers on stage. 40% of these speakers are from underrepresented groups and 30% are women. We will continue to push our clients towards achieving at least 50% in both categories.
After planning, executing, and strategizing for over 100 events this year, we certainly have a lot to be proud of! Let’s break down the numbers:
100+ events touched, that’s one event every 3 ½ days!
10 of those events were mixer-type events while 21 of them were dinners
Our team was onsite for 40% of events we helped plan and we clocked 125,000+ airline miles traveling and 80 hotel nights booked
We planned events in 14 different cities across the world
We worked with over 330 speakers across 27 different events
And lastly, but certainly not least: the number of shirley temples (a team favorite!) celebrating the close of an event: immeasurable!
Looking ahead to 2025, our goals are set on continuing to enhance and expand our clients’ in-person presence with customers, prospects, and their teams, increasing our social media presence, and traveling to work onsite in new, exciting locations cred has not yet set foot in before while also revisiting the top conferences of the world!
Planning is underway for events in DC, NYC and SF/Bay Area in early 2025, and we’re ready to take your event on as well! Have an event you are looking to bring to life or need help finalizing your 2025 event strategy? We’d love to help - email us at events@credpr.com.
