Founder and director of Autumn Live, Jan has comprehensive background in event management, marketing and social media developed over the past 25 years, working across public, private and third sector organisations. Working agency side, Jan has previously been the Operations Manager for the National Institute of Clinical Excellence’s national exhibitions at all the major UK exhibition centres with hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of delegates. She has also managed events in Munich, Paris, Lisbon and Milan and has completed the Complete Sustainable Events Course delivered by The Meetings Show and ISLA.

A group of 6 people celebrating their BIMA awards - stood in front of BIMA-themed backdrop, holding their 2 award trophies and smiling

Event Trends for 2026

Events / Event Trends for 2026By /

We are heading into 2026 and events are continuously evolving and we are looking at event trends for 2026.

While uncertainty has become the new normal – tight budgets, rising costs, and the pressure to deliver more with less we think there’s genuine optimism in the air as we head into the New Year.

Clients who were postponing decisions or waiting for the UK budget actually made decisions in December 2025 to go ahead with their Q1 events. Usually December is quiet for decision making, so we were pleased to see this. Two of our clients, one long standing and a newer client we first worked with in October 2025, confirmed their 2026 events.  

At Autumn Live we are still seeing smart strategies that put human connection and meaningful impact at the heart of everything we do. We know people like to connect in person. The team are looking forward to much more of it.

This is what we’re thinking about event trends for 2026…

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platform 4 at Warsaw Centralna train showing to Krakow 06:40

Inspired by “Race Across the World” Is Train travel really more sustainable?

Sustainability / Inspired by “Race Across the World” Is Train travel really more sustainable?By /

If you’ve been captivated by the BBC’s Race Across the World, you’ll know the thrill of travelling between destinations without planes, phones, or debit cards. The show celebrates travelling through, not just over  – the joy of actually seeing and experiencing the world as you move through it. Join us as we explore the sustainability of train travel which may result in you choosing train travel for your next event

After a recent series, we saw on Instagram one of the contestants, Alfie, embark on an incredible budget journey from London to Dubai via Poland, Albania, and Georgia, taking the next cheapest flight. It got us thinking: how could we recreate that Race Across the World adventure while not compromising the planet?

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Scrolling is killing your attention span

Communications, Social Media / Scrolling is killing your attention spanBy /

Scrolling is killing our attention spans! Apparently scrolling reels and videos is destroying our ability to concentrate. We are now seeing shorter TED talks. We’ve all heard we have to grab people’s attention in the first 3 seconds of a video or they scroll past. That, together with our demand for short form video has led us to believe our attention spans are getting shorter. But are they?

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Woman with brown hair in a ponytail, standing with her hands on her hips, with her back to the camera wearing a black t-shirt saying "Binary Festival" on the back in bright green. Next to her on the left is a man with a black coat on. They are both standing at an event venue.

Everyone thinks organising events is easy

Event Planning / Everyone thinks organising events is easyBy /

Everyone thinks organising events is easy. After all, we’ve all organised a birthday get-together, a holiday, a hen doo, or maybe even a wedding. Before you start, you think it’s easy – everyone does it – it must be! We, as humans, usually default to what everyone else does and put the emphasis on the logistics because that’s all that matters, right?

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what event producers can learn from unreasonable hospitality

What event producers can learn from Unreasonable Hospitality

Business, Connection, Event Planning / What event producers can learn from Unreasonable HospitalityBy /


Event producers can learn from unreasonable hospitality – the book by Will Guidara how to create belonging, love, joy, and extraordinary experience. In the book Unreasonable Hospitality, Will Guidara shares the philosophy that helped him transform a GREAT restaurant into the BEST IN THE WORLD – not through perfection, but through connection. For those of us designing and delivering events, his message is a powerful reminder: it’s not just about who is speaking or how good the tech set up is. It’s about how we make people feel.

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Image of a Tea&Toast flyer on a breadboard with sliced bread, a pot of marmalade and a butter knife

Building the Tea and Toast community

Community, Events / Building the Tea and Toast communityBy /

This is the story of building the Tea and Toast community. A few years ago, we were having a conversation with Hannah, a marketing manager for a local organisation, and thought it would be nice to start the day off well by having a cuppa and meeting other interesting creatives in the local area.

The idea for Tea&Toast was planted. We were bored of business networking, referral groups and pressure to demonstrate how successful and accomplished you were. There was an appetite to meet, have a cuppa, an interesting and stimulating chat and leave saying, “Hope you have a great day!”, feeling positive for the day ahead.

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small images of different event platforms eventbrite, ticket tailor, cvent

7 Essential Tools for Streamlined Event Planning

Tech platforms / 7 Essential Tools for Streamlined Event PlanningBy /

At Autumn Live, we know that the right tools for streamlined event planning can elevate your event from organised to unforgettable. Whether it’s streamlining task management, boosting audience engagement, or gathering meaningful feedback, these platforms are industry trusted go-tos. They can help us and our clients deliver smooth, impactful events every time. Here’s our curated list of essential event tools that’ll take your events to the next level.

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Manchester private dining – Our top 10 recommended restaurants

Business, Communications, Community, Connection, Event Planning, Marketing / Manchester private dining – Our top 10 recommended restaurantsBy /

One of the best ways to connect with your clients or potential clients is to host a private dinner. This can be a carefully curated combination of your clients (clients love to meet each other!) or you could be connecting a community of different people to build your reputation in your sector. With so many restaurants in Manchester to consider – get our top 10 restaurants for Manchester private dining, plus our tips and key things to consider…

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London private dining events - top London restaurants

London private dining – Our top 10 recommended restaurants

Business, Community, Connection, Event Planning, Marketing / London private dining – Our top 10 recommended restaurantsBy /

One of the best ways to connect with your clients or potential clients is to host a private dinner. This can be a carefully curated combination of your clients (clients love to meet each other!) or you could be connecting a community of different people to build your reputation in your sector. With so many restaurants in London to consider – get our top 10 restaurants for London private dining, plus our tips and key things to consider…

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An image of a group of people at an outside activity, as part of an event. The group is stood by the old walls of an Italian city as someone speaks to them.

Work is a lonely place – Why events are the new office

Community, Connection / Work is a lonely place – Why events are the new officeBy /

As we continue to work remotely, the traditional office dynamics have changed. Work is a lonely place. This is why events can be the new office. An opportunity to build connection, creativity, and collaboration among teams. As humans, we are inherently wired for connection (Brené Brown). Yet, we often see our workdays being isolated in our work, even though we maybe surrounded by others, whether in a coffee shop or at home. Forbes highlights that 40% of us work from home at least one day a week, we are still looking for ways to cultivate workplace camaraderie.

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