Events move people, bring brands to life, and create community. But as much as they are about emotion and experience, the way we design these moments has also changed significantly. When people talk about successful events today, they no longer just talk about stage sets and wow effects, but about the journey to get there: How do you create formats that strike a chord with your target audience? To answer this question, it's worth taking a look at how the industry has developed – from a time when passion and creativity were everything, through a phase of data-based evaluation, to a new chapter in which artificial intelligence is providing the decisive edge.

The first wave: No-data events

The first major phase of event design was characterized by intuition, experience, and an unshakeable belief in creativity. Data played no role in this – it simply did not exist. Instead, event organizers relied on their instincts, their market knowledge, and their ability to create unforgettable moments with bold ideas. This type of event planning was successful. With a lot of gut feeling and a deep understanding of staging, formats were created that inspired people, aroused emotions, and anchored brands in the long term. The aim was to create something extraordinary that had to be seen, heard, and felt. The strength of this wave lay in its uncompromising focus on the quality of the experience: spectacular shows, powerful images, moments that fostered a sense of community. Events were temporary works of art – driven by expertise, passion, and the confidence that the audience would go home thrilled.

The second wave: post-data & KPI events

With increasing opportunities for professionalization in marketing and communications, a new phase began. Companies wanted to measure success, managers needed figures to justify budgets, and events were viewed more closely from the perspective of efficiency and impact. This brought data into focus—but in a very specific form: it was usually collected after the event. KPIs, surveys, and evaluations provided valuable insights into how content was received, which target groups were reached, and where there was potential for optimization. This information created transparency and helped to communicate success more clearly. For the first time, it gave event organizers the opportunity to back up their work with reliable figures. But the logic of this phase was backward-looking: the data only came to light after the event. You found out afterwards what you could have done better. Lessons learned could be carried over into the future, but they remained snapshots in time. Because while past events made us smarter, social issues, markets, and target groups had often already changed again. The post-data wave brought clarity and control, but it only changed the rhythm of the industry to a limited extent—because looking in the rearview mirror could never show the whole truth about the way forward.

The third wave: Pre-data in the age of AI

Today, we are at a turning point. With the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence, the event industry has reached a new dimension: data is becoming a design tool in the run-up to events. In the past, surveys or questionnaires were necessary for this. However, these methods were time-consuming, expensive, and limited in their significance. One key problem was what is known as negativity bias. People tend to emphasize negative experiences and expectations, while positive impressions often go unspoken. This creates a distorted picture in which critical voices are overrepresented. In addition, respondents do not always dare to answer openly or in a nuanced way, which limits the quality of the data. AI is changing that. Today, we can analyze and model large amounts of data and translate it into scenarios that show us how target groups will react – even before the event takes place. This creates a new form of certainty: concepts can be tested, variants played through, ideas refined. This is precisely where the next big development comes in: digital doppelgangers. They make the possibilities of AI tangible and translate them into a practical tool for event planning.

Digital Doppelgänger: The next step

Digital Doppelgänger are AI-based profiles of participants. They realistically reflect the expectations, interests, and behaviors of virtual target groups. A Digital Doppelgänger profile responds to dramaturgy, content, or format issues as early as the conception phase. This makes it possible to test event ideas in advance, simulate reactions, and further develop concepts together with the target group. Planning becomes a process of co-creation: teams can run through scenarios, compare variants, and thus design the best solution before the event begins. The result is experiences that are more relevant, precise, and effective. This is because they are not based solely on experience or gut feeling, but on a virtual resonance chamber in which target groups are present from the very beginning. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in live communication. Digital Doppelgänger are already available today. The crucial question is: How quickly are companies willing to integrate this potential into their processes?

Would you like to design and test your event with your target audience before it starts with the help of Digital Doppelgänger? Then feel free to contact us at info@vokdams.de.

RELATED ARTICLES:

COMMUNITY NEEDS EVENT - WHY EVENTS ARE STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP POINTS

KICK-OFF EVENTS: DRIVING BUSINESS SUCCESS WITH TEAM SPIRIT

SUSTAINABILITY AT VOK DAMS