The final IMEX report of the year is out: 25 in 2025: A brief history of (a) time. Our entirely subjective look back, and brief look forward, is a quick, skimmable, dare we say, enjoyable read.
Here’s a taste of what lies within…
The quiet revolution
In October 2025, something unexpected happened in Tompkins Square Park, New York.
Crowds gathered—not for a concert, not for a protest, but to delete their social media accounts. Together. They called it Delete Days, and now 7.5 million people worldwide have joined a movement to go offline.
The irony’s not lost on us: This crowd came together in real life to disconnect from digital life.
If that doesn't tell you everything about where we are as a society right now, what does?
While the world has been anxiously watching AI disrupt everything and doom-scrolling through another crisis, something profound has been unfolding in the events industry.
Event planners have been leading a revolution. And most of us didn't even realize it.
This isn't about better AV systems or hybrid platforms. This is about our industry becoming the frontline response to what researchers are calling a silent epidemic of disconnection.
Friendship as medicine
Author and speaker Simon Sinek has admitted he's "obsessed with friendship right now." His reasoning? "There's an entire industry to help us be better leaders, better parents, better at eating and exercising—and yet there's barely anything on how to be a friend. And yet friendship is the ultimate bio hack."
Research from Dr. Sonja Lyubomirsky backs this up. She found that up to 40% of our happiness comes from intentional activities and habits—not circumstances, not luck. Intentional design.
And who knows more about designing intentional experiences than event planners?
The global meetings and events industry has been creating the conditions for connection for years. We call it networking (side note, this report also explores what’s not working about networking).
Now there’s a reframe: Events as social healing.
Jessica Turek Weickert, VP of Strategy at XDA, put it this way: "There's a medicine that has the power to heal us, transform us, and give us resilience to combat loneliness. This medicine is what I like to call: experiences."
Want the whole story?
What's changing on the ground
This year we saw remarkable shifts. Science-backed wellness activations timed to circadian rhythms. Resilience rooms offering spaces to pause and restore. The start of a dialog about industry-specific mental health standards recognizing that event professionals work in a deadline-driven, stressful field.
At IMEX America, we partnered with the American Psychological Association and Australian Psychological Society on a new event industry certification. We were thrilled to earn Level III Comprehensive Neurodivergent Accommodation—designing off-show floor spaces where all minds can thrive, not just some.
Metrics are changing
Cvent's 2025 research introduced Return on Relationships (ROR) as a key success marker. Not just ROI. Not just brand awareness. The strength of relationships built at events matters. The challenge is can we prove it.
And yes, there's now technology that can measure joy in real time. You’ll have to read our report for a deeper dive.
For those who missed it, our colleague Tahira Endean literally wrote a book on it too: Our KPI is Joy.
The paradox of slowing down
At IMEX Frankfurt Venezuelan communication coach José Ucar challenged us to do something counter intuitive: slow down. Not just speak slower—think slower. But be more present.
Meanwhile, Hilton's 2026 Trends Report introduced us to "hushpitality"—travelers seeking destinations that dial down life's distractions; seeking calm and even extended moments of silence. It’s a more refined version of ‘sofa rotting’which parents of teens no doubt know well!
We also learned the most innovative event planners are now talking like theater directors—mapping emotional journeys, thinking in acts, building in moments of rest alongside peak experiences. The language of event design itself is shifting from logistics to feelings. Expect a lot more about the ‘felt experience’ of an event in 2026.
This one's all yours
So, here's our question: What positive impact will you create in 2026?
What will you design or facilitate that helps people connect with each other, heal, or feel truly seen?
Because if 2025 taught us anything, it's that the small intentional acts we create ripple out in ways we can't always measure—but that matter more than ever.
