It's been almost 20 years since I rolled up the first cable soaked in alcohol (I hope it was) after a middle management party of a multinational company, as a stage hand, or as they called it back then: a packer.
This profession has given me countless experiences. I could visit the entertainment venues of the country; I don't think there was a party venue in the 2000s where I didn't show up. I held the Champions League trophy in my hands, got to know the „love” from my childhood TV screen, could enter concerts and backstage areas out of turn, and tested the physical limits of my body (I stayed awake for almost 3 days). I have been to various accommodations, from rundown guesthouses to the Four Seasons, and I could sleep in the most exotic places, such as on a speaker while the music was playing, under the stage, and in the cargo area of various transport vehicles.
I ate roadside „rat burgers” on my way home at dawn and Michelin-star chef's dishes in a presidential suite. Perhaps I will write these down someday, but for now, I would rather write about how I experienced the different stages of communication-focused event organization. A subjective history lesson follows with some predictions.
The 90s
I wouldn't be credible if I went into this too much, considering that at that time I didn't even know this profession existed. I owe it to luck that I stumbled into this field, just as I owe it to luck that over time I got to know several people who were there at the beginning and shaped history. From their accounts, I know that back then was the golden age of the profession, which developed autodidactically in the absence of international experience. Business event organization is relatively young, a profession since the early 90s; before that, there was only the ORI There was.
According to my acquaintances, communication-focused event organization in the 90s initially consisted of themed parties and exhibitions, later the era of promotional events, and it was more of an entertainment industry than communication. The companies dealing with event marketing emerged from the first catering and event „swallows” and the domestic advertising agencies of that time. Although reports indicate that this was not a conscious transformation. For example, at my first workplace, there was a legend that when they snagged their first promotion, since there was no available capacity, they entrusted it to the courier, as he was coming and going anyway and could organize things. And he did organize. From a phone booth. When this situation became untenable, he received a mobile phone (the bag type), the first in the company. He had it before the company leaders.
Those I know remember these times with pleasant nostalgia. The term KPI was unknown, the primary goal was mostly entertainment, but what is even more interesting is that at that time, financial awareness was also in its infancy. The happy peaceful times.
The 2000s
Thanks to coincidences and some awareness, I ended up in the International Marketing and Total Quality Management (TQM) program at Külker. As strange as it may sound, the quality management perspective is very useful in event organization. Here, I first came into contact with the entertainment industry aspect of event organization, the college parties. Meanwhile, I specialized in the advertising major, which included communication-focused event organization as a subject (although only for half a year). Back then, we learned that this is event marketing and part of BTL – unfortunately, many still view it this way today.
When I entered the labor market, this approach still prevailed. BTL agencies organized events for communication purposes and brand events, although even then, several tried to cross the line, for example, there was someone who called themselves a TTL (Through The Line) agency (it didn't last long like that).
During this period, I encountered a lot of promotional events in entertainment venues and stores, which made up a large part of my work. What really drew me into this profession were the festival appearances that were becoming widespread at that time. It was around this time that the Sziget brand transformed into a brand forest.
What also comes to mind from this period is mainly the Guinness record. I never understood why Hungarians have a fetish for Guinness records, but the fact is that it appeared in many briefs at that time (and has recently returned in traces). Perhaps only the balloon mania is more indelible than this.
In internal communication, team-building trainings prevailed, but back then we didn't approach it from a scientific perspective, but rather from the idea of „let's do some task and get drunk,” similar to client events.
In the second half of the 2000s, communication awareness began to become prominent in both client and employee events (still spiced with strong entertaining content), there were product presentations that I really liked (e.g., in the case of cars), or consumer events (e.g., fashion shows). But then the crisis hit, which fundamentally shook up the profession.
The years of the crisis
In November 2008, we still reassured ourselves that the crisis would not reach us. The following January is etched in my memory as Black January; I will never forget this period. Several large employee events and client parties were canceled for that year, creating a huge hole in our annual plan. That was how the whole year went.
During this period, multinationals turned to the simplest cost-cutting methods. I would say it was a lawnmower approach, but it was more of a chainsaw principle. They cut down internal employee events (e.g., family days), Christmas celebrations were canceled or took place in a more modest manner on their own terms. External, event-based communication, similar to other areas of communication, also fell victim to cost-cutting. Even where there would have been financial opportunities to do good, it wasn't simple („let's not be extravagant,” „there's a crisis, it shouldn't be expensive,” etc.)
At this time, true cost awareness appeared among clients. There is nothing wrong with this, only if the expectations are excessive. The most frequently heard sentence at that time was:
„the same as last time, just cheaper.”.
We worked a lot to maintain the usual standard. Our work has transformed, there are fewer beautiful parts and more operational (negotiating, cost-cutting) parts. I really didn't like this period, there was little need for creativity. In other words, this concept appeared differently, one had to be creative in the implementation. However, it is a fact that there was a positive outcome to all of this. The market has cleared. The non-quality, non-„strong” companies exited the competition, and those who remained grew up.
The 2010s
Over time, the market gradually consolidated. The big spenders (not the literary figures, but the clients with larger budgets) returned, and many things restarted. More consciously and with better attention, but definitely positively. This is also evidenced by the ongoing increase in the number of tenders since then. What has changed and continues to change is the current trending topic.
At the beginning of the 2010s, cost-effectiveness was no longer the buzzword (although the mindset remained) but the experience. Communication agencies, not just event organizers, picked up this term. During this period, the term experience appeared in every brief. Brand experience, customer experience, user experience were, in my opinion, the most frequently mentioned words. The funny thing is that we event organizers have always done this, we created experiences, at least in the field of events. Nevertheless, many jumped on this wave and began to call themselves experience agencies. Moreover, classic communication agencies also became experts in the field.
Every wave eventually comes to an end and is replaced by another. With smaller or larger amplitudes, it can generally be said that a theme defines a period. Nowadays, for example, the concept of „employer branding” has strengthened, obviously in response to changes in the labor market. The concept of sustainability is also becoming increasingly fashionable (very rightly so).
What comes next?
Awareness is no longer present only in the new generation, but has also seeped into the lives of agencies dealing with communication-related events (what the connection is between the two, if there is any at all, only God knows). Agencies are increasingly consciously shaping their own profession. For example, a long-awaited initiative has started the fairtender, which aims to serve the economic sustainability of the profession, and domestic agencies have also stepped onto the international stage. Some by founding companies abroad, some by organizing events at foreign locations from home, and some by joining an international agency network..
Whichever path a company chooses, it will definitely have a positive impact on the domestic market. As has been revealed from the above, just like in many areas, we were very closed off in the field of communication events. We only saw what others were doing on the internet and tried to adapt these to domestic conditions. Concepts that promised not just temporary solutions, like Live Communication, eluded us, which places the event-centered communication profession in an excellent context. This term has been used and applied in thinking for years further west of us. It is just now starting to spread here.
Whatever happens, it is certain that by connecting to the international bloodstream, changes will reach us faster, which will be good for agencies, clients, and people working in this field. In my opinion, the waves of names (and themes) reacting to external influences will disappear in the near future, and the communication event profession will anchor where it has always belonged, in live communication.
