There was a time not too long ago when trends moved slowly. A design theme, color palette, or furniture style could stay on-trend for years before falling by the wayside. These conditions made things easy for planners because they could commit to trends without worrying about whether they would fall out of favor before an event.
Needless to say, those days are over. Social media, generational influence, and digital tools have compressed the life cycle of trends to months, sometimes even weeks. Studies have shown that social media — especially TikTok — can burn through trends in a matter of weeks. Online trend fatigue is a real phenomenon, one that you’ve probably experienced yourself, and the faster a trend or idea spreads, the faster it burns out.
This isn’t just a problem with fashion or retail; it’s creeping into the event industry. Trend fatigue can change attendees’ expectations on a dime, and in this article, we’re going to explore how technology and media affect event design and why agility is the order of the day.
The pace at which trends come and go these days is strongly due to generational influence. Gen Z is used to the algorithm-driven rhythm of social media, so this generation lives with and expects rapid cycles of aesthetics and constant refreshes. They’re growing in their share of the workforce.
“By 2034, 80% of the workforce in advanced economies will comprise millennials, Gen Z and the first Gen Alphas to become adults,” reports the World Economic Forum (WEF), and they’re bringing their cultural tastes into the career arena.
”Gen Z values – community, a global mindset, access not ownership, the side hustle, authenticity over polish – are driving workplace culture across generations,” the WEF adds. “They learn new technologies quickly and draw on massive amounts of data and information in a way that was inconceivable to prior generations. Their experiences outside the workplace are also spilling into shifting workplace demands. For example, Gen Z expects tech tools at work to match the ease of use of social media apps.”
Unlike their forebears, Gen Z sees rapid change and movement as the default. When it comes to event planning, you have to stay ahead of this generation’s expectations, and that means rather than sticking to one aesthetic, your events must be flexible and able to adapt spaces to emerging priorities in real time.
Social media plays a dual role in affecting event design these days; it serves as an engine for inspiration, and it helps set expectations for attendees. Not only does social media get trends off the ground, but it also accelerates their obsolescence.
“Nowadays, some micro trends take just a few weeks to be adopted by the population vs the 1–2 years it took before,” explains Heuritech. “Not only do brands have to react very quickly to adjust their design and stock, but they also have to learn to anticipate, or they will miss the next big trend.”
Heuritech is speaking more about fashion, but you can see this at play in event design as well. Attendees who are used to fast-paced aesthetics in their social feeds will look for similar experiences in live settings. Space setups, color palettes, and other ideas that felt fresh and exciting six months ago are stale relics of trends gone by. This obviously creates new challenges for you as you learn to navigate designing spaces that feel relevant when you plan months in advance.
Another factor that is revolutionizing the way you plan events is artificial intelligence (AI). Generative AI accelerates the trend cycle by saturating social feeds with thousands of design concepts in seconds, making aesthetics spread faster but also wearing audiences out more quickly. Users can rely on tools like MidJourney or Pinterest AI to create instant mood boards that are awash with inspiration but also make the line between fresh and fatigued much shorter.
Technological tools also allow attendees to see new trends arise in real time. Smartphones, livestreams, and digital communities expose guests to new ideas in real time, and this pushes them to expect the same fast-paced wave of trends in live experiences. It’s another reason why agility is a requirement for you as you design for denizens of a digital culture.
In this fast-paced world of ever-changing trends, flexibility has become a critical metric for success. As a planner, you have to be agile and able to pivot quickly as trends evolve. That might mean changing out accent colors weeks before the event, reconfiguring space plans for a different feel, or adding powered furniture to align with digital-first expectations.
When you design with agility, you can adjust aesthetics to reflect trends closer to the event date, scale plans up or down in response to budget shifts or reconfigure layouts as attendee demographics or priorities change. Your flexibility allows you to design spaces in ways that balance relevance with timeless design.
Designing with agility isn’t running after every viral moment like a dog chasing its tail; it’s building a framework that gives you the flexibility to adjust to changing trends without sacrificing brand integrity. This mindset helps you thrive.
When it comes to agility, having the right partner in your corner is a massive benefit — that’s where CORT comes in. You may have to plan an event months in advance, but CORT has your back with nationwide inventory and expert service that allows you to be flexible enough to adapt at the speed of culture.
You can reconfigure modular furniture into fresh and flexible looks without purchasing more pieces. Our extensive catalog update allows you to stay on-trend with the latest colors, textures, and styles. Our team of experts can help you turn fast-moving social trends into designs that remain functional, inclusive, and brand-aligned.
We also have a nationwide service and logistics footprint that makes it not only possible but easy for you to pivot at the last minute, no matter if you’re changing individual pieces out or rethinking layouts in real time. CORT empowers you to stay ahead of rapidly changing trends, even when you’re planning months away.
With today’s trends coming and going so quickly, you can risk designing an event that feels outdated if you don’t bring flexibility into your space planning. Generational shifts, an increased digital presence, and ubiquitous social media will only accelerate this phenomenon, which raises the stakes when it comes to relevance and freshness.
This is why agility is essential — and it’s why you need CORT Events. Our unique combination of on-trend inventory, flexible design, and human expertise allows us to help you ensure that your event keeps up with changing times and delivers experiences, no matter how far ahead of time you’ve had to plan.
CORT Events is your ideal partner for designing with agility. Contact us when you’re ready to deliver events that are always current, relevant, and unforgettable.