Among the keynote themes at the Human2Human Summit on 15 January 2026 were next-generation audiences and the role of technology in human connection. We think the two belong together. This piece does not report what was said on stage. It sets out the questions we think every venue, exhibition organiser, conference producer and attraction should be putting to itself, offered as the community's perspective and as an invitation to argue.
The premise is the one at the heart of H2H. As the world becomes more digital, face-to-face experience becomes more valuable, not less. The organisers call human connection "the ultimate currency". If that is true, we would argue that the audiences now arriving are not the ones least interested in the room. They may be the ones who ask the most of it.
First, define who you mean
"Next generation" is easy to say and hard to plan for. Age is the obvious reading, and probably the least useful on its own. We suggest testing at least four lenses:
| Lens | Who it captures | The question it raises |
|---|---|---|
| Age | Younger visitors and delegates | Which habits do they bring with them? |
| First-timers | Anyone new to your event or site | What do we assume they already know? |
| New decision-makers | People inheriting budgets and teams | Why would they keep what their predecessors bought? |
| New behaviours | Audiences of any age whose expectations have shifted | Which expectations are now the baseline? |
Each lens points to a different redesign. Choosing one deliberately is better than blending all four into a vague persona.
Seven questions worth asking
1. Why would they come at all?
Content, product information and even introductions are available on a screen. The in-person promise has to be something only presence delivers. Can your team say, in one sentence, what a visitor gets in the room that they cannot get at home?
2. Where is the decision made?
We suspect the choice to attend is often made long before arrival, in conversations you do not control: a peer's recommendation, a colleague's post, a manager's nod. Are you present in those moments, or only on the day?
3. Is technology clearing the path or blocking the walk?
One line from the day summed up five principles for using AI in live experiences:
AI cleans the path, humans walk it.
Our hunch is that newer audiences are the least impressed by technology for its own sake. They expect ticketing, wayfinding and matchmaking simply to work. Where does your technology remove friction, and where does it put a screen between people who came to meet?
4. Is there room to take part?
Watching is something people can do anywhere. Taking part is much harder to replicate. How much of your programme, floor or park asks the audience to do something: to vote, build, play, question or perform?
5. Who are they there to meet?
For many visitors the people are the product. Peers, mentors and the chance encounter in a corridor can matter more than any session. Is networking designed with the same care as the stage, or left to the coffee break?
6. What happens after they leave?
A single visit is a transaction. A relationship needs a reason to stay in touch between editions. Do your audiences hear from you in a way they value, and can they reach each other?
7. Are you designing for them, or with them?
The quickest route to relevance may be to put newer voices in the planning meeting: younger staff, first-time exhibitors, recent visitors. Who in your organisation is allowed to say "this would not work for me"?
A three-stage check
To make the questions practical, map them onto the visit.
- Before: Do people find you through voices they trust, and is registering or buying a ticket effortless?
- During: Is technology invisible where it should be, and is there space for participation and real conversation?
- After: Is there a reason to come back, and somewhere to stay connected until they do?
If one of these stages has no clear owner in your organisation, we would look there first for where newer audiences drift away.
What we are not saying
We are not saying experienced audiences matter less, or that younger people want everything digital. The 2026 programme set next-generation audiences alongside the role of technology in human connection and the future of live-engagement ecosystems. Read together, we think those themes point to a single challenge: design for people who have every alternative, and give them a reason to choose the room.
It is also a cross-industry question. An attraction, a conference and a trade show may be courting the same person in the same month. Each has something to learn from how the others are adapting.
Join the conversation
Which of these seven questions is hardest for your organisation to answer today, and which lens on "next generation" matters most in your sector?
- Compare answers with peers from other sectors through Connect.
- Propose next-generation audiences as a theme for future editions on Get involved.
- Revisit the 2026 programme in The Summit recap, or ask Amal anything about H2H.
- Follow plans for Dubai 2027 on What's next, and read more on Insights.