From Now - 5 key takeaways from the From Now Forum

What event leaders should be working into their 2026 strategy.

Our latest From Now Forum sparked the kind of conversation that lingers.

On paper, the session covered sustainability, supplier relationships, storytelling, audience priorities and behaviour change. In practice, it got to something more useful: how event leaders can build strategies that people actually buy into, act on and help carry forward.

That feels especially relevant now. Plenty of plans still look strong in a deck, then lose energy when they hit real people, real partners and real-world delivery. The ideas that came through in this discussion offered a more grounded route through that. Less surface-level signalling, more substance. Less telling people what matters, more understanding what will genuinely bring them with you.

Here are five takeaways worth working into the rest of 2026.

1. Bring people in early

One of the strongest points raised during the panel was also one of the clearest: collaboration works best when it starts early.

Mandating rarely creates the same energy as involvement.

That applies across clients, teams, partners and suppliers. When people are involved from the outset, they are more likely to understand the thinking, support the direction and feel invested in the outcome. Leave those conversations too late and even sensible decisions can feel imposed. That is where friction creeps in. Not always because the idea is wrong, but because there has been no room to shape it together.

For 2026 planning, that is a useful check. If the goal is stronger buy-in, involvement cannot be an afterthought. It needs to be part of the build.

2. Make action visible

Social proof came through as a major driver of behaviour.

People are more likely to engage when they can see action happening around them. Visibility gives momentum to individual decisions. It creates a sense of shared movement and helps people understand that their effort connects to something larger than a one-off moment. That is where community becomes powerful. Not as a vague feel-good idea, but as a mechanism for participation, reinforcement and progress.

There is a practical lesson in that for brands and event teams. Participation is easier to build when people can see where they fit, what is already happening and what difference it is making. Visibility helps turn intention into action.

3. Storytelling will aways work harder than mechanics alone

Gamification came up in the discussion as a useful way to encourage participation, and rightly so. It can create energy, prompt action and add a sense of reward. There is value in that.

But the bigger opportunity sits elsewhere.

Storytelling is what gives action meaning. When people understand the reality behind an issue, can picture the outcome more clearly and feel a genuine connection to what is at stake, engagement tends to go deeper. The rewarding feeling does not just come from points, rankings or competition. It’s less about the mechanic and more about the reason for taking part in the first place.

That is an important distinction for 2026. Tactics can help open the door. Story is what makes people want to walk through it.

4. Meet your audience where they are

A standout insight was the importance of understanding which sustainability elements matter most to an audience, then reflecting that back through the event.

It is a simple point, but an important one. Too many strategies are still built around internal priorities first, with the expectation that audiences will automatically connect with them. Stronger work starts with a better read on what people actually care about. That could be accessibility, waste, local impact, travel, wellbeing or something else entirely. The point is to listen properly and build from there.

This does mean you’re softening your strategy, but increasing the chance of it landing. Relevance is what helps people see themselves in the message, the experience and the choices around it.

5. Credibility comes from honesty and alignment

A clear thread running through the conversation was transparency. Not only in reporting, but in how organisations talk about progress more broadly.

That means being open about what is working and what still needs work. Setting targets matters, but so does being honest around the gaps, the trade-offs and the parts that are moving more slowly than expected. That kind of visibility builds far more trust than a polished version of events with all the rough edges removed.

The same principle applies to suppliers. A good partner will flag opportunities to reduce waste, improve efficiency and make better decisions. A weaker one will stay quiet where silence serves margin. If people are not aligned behind the same intent, it shows up quickly in the outcome.

There was also an important shift in tone underneath this point. Work in this space should not be framed as a shiny differentiator. It needs to be treated with more weight than that. Less performance. More accountability.

The bigger takeaway

What came through most clearly at the Forum was that people are far more likely to engage when they feel included, informed and able to see the impact of what they’re doing.

That applies to sustainability. It applies to events. It applies to brand and business strategy more broadly.

There is a lot competing for attention in 2026. A lot of noise, a lot of promises and no shortage of polished messaging. The challenge now is building strategies with enough clarity, relevance and honesty to hold people in. That is where momentum comes from.

To watch the full session, become a member at From Now Access.