Most people don’t realise just how big the corporate events industry really is. If it were a country, it would rank among the world’s largest economies. A study from the Events Industry Council and Oxford Economics puts the impact at more than $600 billion in direct GDP and $1.5 trillion overall, supporting over 25 million jobs. For context, that’s a number that’s bigger than the economies of Spain or Australia.

With that kind of scale, even small changes in the way events happen can have a considerable impact that shapes industries, cities, and entire regions. Currently, one of the most significant changes is clear: events are expanding beyond the ballroom.

The Slow Decline of Conventional Event Spaces

For decades, the ballroom and convention centre ruled. They were predictable: built-in AV, banquet menus, and enough space for a few hundred chairs in theatre-style rows. But today, the model feels tired.

A Cvent survey of European planners found that 48% are now actively sourcing unique venues—from galleries and cinemas to golf courses and cultural landmarks. In the UK, the figure climbs above 55%. A later update confirms that nearly half of all planners (49%) now include “special event venues” in their sourcing strategies.

The reason? Attendees expect more. A ballroom may be efficient, but it rarely inspires.

The Pivot Into Experience-Driven Events

This shift extends beyond swapping ballrooms for trendier spaces. The real change is in the new parameters of success. Events are judged on the experience they create.

Study after study reveals the same thing: people desire settings that feel distinct from their everyday routines. American Express Global Business Travel’s 2025 forecast puts it plainly: connection, personalisation, and creativity are what matter most. Attendees don’t just want to sit through content; they want to feel something: surprise, delight, even awe.

That’s why venue choices are starting to say as much as the programming itself. A sustainability conference inside a greenhouse. A leadership retreat in a centuries-old monastery. A product launch in a warehouse covered in graffiti. Spaces like these send signals a hotel ballroom never could. The venue has become part of the story.

The Rise of Immersive Venues

Immersion has become the holy grail of event design. Attendees often find that the venue significantly shapes their experience—a reminder that the environment isn’t neutral; it sets tone, energy, and memory.

The trend shows up in a variety of ways:

• Rooftops and Sky Terraces: Iconic cityscapes provide built-in drama.
  
• Historic Palaces and Mansions: Heritage settings add gravitas to leadership summits.
  
• Converted Warehouses and Lofts: Raw, industrial spaces communicate creativity and edge.
  
• Museums and Galleries: Art and culture provide natural themes and conversation starters for events.
  

Attendees increasingly remember the space as much as the content, a reminder that immersion is now a key component of ROI.

It’s a shift that platforms like Eventflare have been tracking closely across cities. With a presence in over 40 global hubs, the company has seen firsthand how rooftop terraces, warehouses, heritage villas, and garden courtyards are being reimagined not just as venues, but as storytelling devices. Their teams work with planners to map venue choices against the emotional arc of an event—whether it’s a high-impact product launch or an intimate offsite—proving that space is no longer just the backdrop. It’s the message.

The Global Dimensions of Shift

The trend is global, but it’s been localised for every city, country, and continent.

In Europe, tradition and reinvention are friends. Think palaces in Vienna hosting leadership summits, Berlin lofts turned into brainstorming hubs, or rooftop terraces in Barcelona with the city spread out below. Sustainability also carries real weight here—venues with strong eco-credentials don’t just look good, they win business.

South America leans into its cultural roots. In São Paulo and Buenos Aires, companies are booking colonial-era mansions and art museums, making the setting itself part of the story they want to tell.

Asia plays with contrast. In Tokyo, Singapore, and Dubai, planners move between ancient temples and futuristic cultural centres, choosing spaces that can toggle between heritage and hypermodern depending on the mood.

And the scale is massive. Even before the pandemic, Asia was already home to the largest share of global business-event participants, with Europe and North America close behind.

Technology: The Silent Partner

While venue design is visible, technology is the invisible driver of change. HITEC’s 2025 trend report notes that more than half of planners are embracing non-traditional venues alongside AI-powered sourcing tools, gamification, and hybrid formats.

Practical tech use cases abound:

• Visualisation tools help planners model a warehouse or gallery for flow and sightlines.
  
• AI matchmaking personalises networking in larger, more fluid venues.
  
• Hybrid integrations expand reach, ensuring non-traditional venues don’t sacrifice accessibility.
  

Technology, in other words, is helping planners take risks with space by reducing operational uncertainty.

Purpose, Sustainability, and Impact

Another driver is purpose. Companies want venues that reflect values. Sustainability is now a sourcing criterion in Europe, with planners scrutinising energy use, food provenance, and waste policies. Repurposed industrial spaces and restored cultural sites naturally carry greener narratives than new builds.

Social impact also plays a role: hosting events in cultural or community venues embeds the gathering in a local context, fostering goodwill and deeper meaning.

What Attendees Actually Want

This isn’t just about chasing novelty. Research from PCMA and Freeman shows that attendees are seeking something different: shorter sessions, increased interaction, and formats that incorporate time for wellness. That’s not so easy to do in a fixed-seat ballroom. It’s much easier in spaces with flexibility like galleries, courtyards, and rooftops since these can be reconfigured around the flow of the day.

The takeaway is simple: the future of event engagement isn’t in marathon keynotes. It’s in formats that feel alive, participatory, experiential, and powered by spaces that make those moments possible.

Eventflare: Turning Trends Into Reality

For companies eager to ride these shifts, sourcing a rooftop or palace is only half the battle. The real challenge is turning vision into execution—especially in cities where permits, suppliers, access, and infrastructure can vary block by block.

That’s where Eventflare stands out. With curated, character-rich venues across Europe, South America, and Asia, the platform pairs discovery with delivery. Their embedded local teams offer on-the-ground insight that algorithms can’t reach—identifying venues that inspire and work, while managing details from catering and AV to compliance and logistics.

The model is already delivering results. When a Danish software company brought over 150 employees to Lisbon for a four-day offsite, Eventflare transformed a sprawling wishlist into a seamless experience. From a scavenger hunt through the Alfama to a twilight rooftop party, the retreat ran like clockwork. The company later called the experience “smooth, personal, and unforgettable”—a direct result of Eventflare’s local curation and two-steps-ahead planning.

In a world where creative venues bring complexity, Eventflare’s approach—tech-enabled, human-driven, logistics-focused—helps companies not just find the right space, but make it sing.

Final Thoughts

The ballroom isn’t disappearing. It still has its role and will always do so. But it’s no longer the frontier. The real momentum is on rooftops with skyline views, in warehouses charged with creative energy, and in heritage sites that fold culture into a brand’s story.

What’s shifting is the expectation. Companies aren’t just competing for attention; what they’re competing for is meaning. And in that contest, the venue itself speaks volumes. In a $1.5 trillion industry, the most successful events won’t just be staged inside a space. They’ll be shaped by it—crafted with intention, adapted in real time, and delivered by partners like Eventflare, who treat space not as scenery, but as strategy.