Dr Eliza Filby to Open IBTM World with Future-Audience Keynote

Historian of contemporary society and Sunday Times best-selling author Dr Eliza Filby will deliver the opening keynote at IBTM World this November, setting the scene for a conference focused on the future of business events and audience behaviour.

Filby, an internationally recognised speaker on generational and social change, will take the main stage on Tuesday 17 November at 09:00 to present a keynote titled “Now and Next”, exploring how current disruption is reshaping the expectations, values and habits of tomorrow’s event audiences.

Background and industry context

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The business events sector continues to navigate a period of rapid change, driven by technological innovation, shifting workforce demographics and evolving attendee expectations. Event organisers, venues and technology providers are under pressure to design experiences that meet the needs of multiple generations while also responding to wider social and economic uncertainty.

Questions about how different age cohorts discover, attend and engage with events, and how these behaviours may evolve, have become central to long-term planning. As hybrid formats, data-driven engagement strategies and new monetisation models develop, understanding the deeper social context behind these trends is increasingly seen as essential for sustainable growth.

IBTM World, one of the key global gatherings for the meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) industry, has positioned its education programme around these shifts. Filby’s keynote is intended to provide attendees with a wider lens on disruption, beyond immediate operational challenges, by examining the underlying generational and societal forces that are likely to shape the business events landscape over the coming decade.

Key developments and keynote focus

Dr Eliza Filby is known for her work on generational change and how different age groups interact with institutions, brands and technology. Her keynote, “Now and Next”, is expected to look at how today’s social, economic and technological disruption offers clues to the preferences and behaviours of future audiences that event professionals will need to serve.

While full session details have not been disclosed, the keynote is set to address several core themes:

How different generations respond to uncertainty and persistent disruption, and what this means for event engagement and loyalty.
The impact of technology on audience expectations for personalisation, immediacy and access to content before, during and after events.
Shifts in work patterns, learning styles and networking behaviour, and how these could influence event formats and programme design.
The role of values-driven decision-making among younger demographics and its implications for sustainability, inclusivity and corporate responsibility within business events.

By opening IBTM World with this session, organisers are foregrounding the question of who future audiences will be and how their evolving priorities will shape everything from content strategy and sponsorship models to venue choice and technology investment.

Industry impact and strategic relevance

The choice of a historian and generational expert as opening keynote signals a strong emphasis on long-term audience insight rather than solely short-term operational issues. For an industry that has had to react quickly to disruption in recent years, there is growing recognition that strategic planning must be grounded in robust understanding of demographic and cultural trends.

For event organisers, this may translate into rethinking how events are positioned, how value is communicated to different age groups, and how data is used to support more nuanced audience segmentation. For venues and destinations, understanding changing expectations around experience, accessibility and sustainability could influence future investment priorities and partnership models.

Technology providers, meanwhile, are facing rising demand for platforms that can support personalised journeys, seamless hybrid participation and insights driven by audience analytics. Filby’s perspective on how various generations adopt and trust technology may help suppliers and planners align their roadmaps more closely with emerging behaviours, rather than reacting to them after the fact.

Why this matters for event professionals and technology providers

Professionals across the events ecosystem are grappling with similar questions: what will motivate attendance in the years ahead, what experiences will keep delegates engaged, and how can technology enhance rather than overwhelm the human aspects of events?

The focus of the opening keynote on “Now and Next” is closely tied to several operational and strategic challenges:

Designing multi-generational experiences: Events increasingly attract participants from Gen Z through to late-career professionals. Each group brings different expectations around communication style, digital tools, learning formats and networking. Understanding these distinctions can help organisers tailor agendas, content delivery and engagement strategies.
Aligning technology choices with behaviour: Adoption of event tech—from mobile apps and AI-driven matchmaking to virtual environments—depends heavily on user attitudes and comfort levels. Insight into generational differences in digital behaviour can inform interface design, onboarding strategies and support models.
Reframing value propositions: As remote work and digital learning continue to evolve, attendees may reassess what justifies travel and on-site participation. Data on how different cohorts perceive value—whether in terms of networking, learning, community or brand alignment—can guide pricing, programming and marketing decisions.
Building resilient strategies: With disruption likely to remain a feature of the operating environment, scenario planning that incorporates social and generational trends can support more adaptable event portfolios and technology roadmaps.

For technology providers specifically, the keynote offers context on user expectations that go beyond functionality and feature checklists. Understanding the broader societal narratives shaping how people communicate, learn and build professional communities can support more relevant and sustainable product development for the event sector.

Conclusion

By inviting Dr Eliza Filby to open this year’s show, IBTM World is placing future audience insight at the centre of its agenda. The “Now and Next” keynote is designed to connect macro-level disruption with the day-to-day decisions event professionals must make about programme design, technology investment and audience engagement.

As the business events industry continues to evolve, sessions that link social, economic and generational trends to practical implications for formats, tools and experiences are likely to play a growing role in strategic planning. Filby’s contribution is positioned as a starting point for conversations across the show floor about what the next generation of attendees will expect—and how the sector can prepare.