Events Industry Change: Are We Moving Too Fast?
The events industry is evolving faster than ever.
With new platforms, AI tools, and digital transformation initiatives accelerating across the sector, organisations are under pressure to adapt – quickly. However, I wonder if the speed of events technology transformation is now outpacing how companies support the people expected to deliver it.
In her recent Management Today article, “Are you moving fast and breaking your people?”, Gina Battye highlights why change management so often fails. Transformation isn’t just a technology upgrade or the latest shiny tool. It’s a human experience. When change is treated as a project rather than a people-first transformation, teams feel the strain. The result is change fatigue, anxiety, disengagement and resistance.
Why Change Management in Events Often Fails
Many organisations approach event transformation as a systems problem. They focus on the platform, the integration, and the rollout. But the real failure often happens when culture is ignored. Change in the events industry can fall short because organisations forget the people who make transformation possible – the teams on the ground, the conference producers, event managers, event marketers, sponsorship sales professionals, and client-facing teams.
When change is done to people instead of created with them, the human cost becomes obvious. Employee engagement drops. Team burnout increases. Psychological safety in events teams disappears, and people stop speaking up, sharing ideas, or taking risks – which are essential in our fast-paced industry.
The Five Layers of Culture That Determine Whether Change Succeeds
Battye explains that lasting transformation depends on understanding and reshaping culture at every level. These are the five layers that make or break change:
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Personal culture – how individuals show up, their values, and whether they feel safe
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One-to-one culture – manager and peer relationships, trust, and support
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Team culture – clarity, belonging, and collaboration within teams
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Collaboration culture – how departments work together, and whether silos exist
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Organisational culture – leadership behaviour, values, and what is truly rewarded
If even one of these layers is neglected, trust erodes and people slip into survival mode. Creativity, collaboration, and curiosity – the very qualities that drive successful events – are often the first casualties.
The Human Cost
When culture breaks down, the events industry feels it immediately. Teams can become competitive and resentful instead of collaborative, and instead of focusing on delivering great experiences, people are focused on just getting through the day.
When people feel overwhelmed or unsupported, they don’t always leave straight away — many start to mentally check out while quietly looking for their next role. They may still show up, but their energy, engagement and motivation are gone, which quickly impacts workload and morale across the team.
The work doesn’t disappear. It gets redistributed, increasing pressure on those left behind. Stress rises, negativity creeps in, and resistance to change grows. Over time, this drains teams and affects how they work together.
As morale drops, productivity follows. Creativity and innovation suffer, communication breaks down, and trust disappears when people no longer feel supported or heard. Turnover increases, creating even more pressure on remaining teams.
Managers feel this too. Instead of leading strategically, they spend their time firefighting — managing burnout, conflict and disengagement. When leaders are stretched thin, they become reactive rather than proactive, which further impacts productivity, culture and performance.
In the end, the cost isn’t just employee wellbeing — it’s the quality of delivery, client experience and the long-term health of the organisation.
How to Transform Events Organisations Without Breaking People
If organisations want change that builds capability instead of depleting people, they must rebuild culture from the inside out. This means:
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Prioritising psychological safety in events teams
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Improving change communication and clarity
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Aligning leadership behaviour with values
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Supporting wellbeing and engagement during transformation
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Creating cross-department collaboration rather than silos
The future belongs to organisations that understand that you cannot transform a business if your people feel unsafe. Speed means nothing if humans are compromised in the process, and progress isn’t genuine if employees are exhausted.
As change continues to accelerate across events, the real competitive advantage isn’t the next platform or piece of tech — it’s people who feel safe, trusted and empowered to lead change with their organisation, not just endure it.
For those working in events, how is change being handled where you work?
Do you feel involved, supported and heard — or simply expected to keep up?
What’s working, and what isn’t?
I’d love to hear your experiences, views and feelings.
T: 07799 898346
*Link to Gina’s article: Are you moving fast and breaking your people? *
Visit www.jbrecruitment.co.uk to learn more about how we connect top commercial talent with world-class media and events organisations.
About Jackson Barnes Recruitment
Jackson Barnes Recruitment delivers international recruitment solutions within the events, media, and publishing sectors. Jackson Barnes recruits Graduate to MD level in the following positions:
- Researcher
- Conference producer
- Event Marketing
- Sales – delegate, sponsorship & Business Development
- Event Manager
- Editor
We recruit for organisations in the UK and overseas, with success in London, Dubai, New York, Singapore and Australia.