The latest Freeman Experience Trends Report – Unpacking XLNC: Defining and Designing Attendee-Centric Experiences offers valuable insight into what truly drives engagement, satisfaction, and return attendance at exhibitions and live events. Drawing on responses from 2,672 participants, including over 2,100 attendees and nearly 500 organisers, the study redefines what the elusive “X factor” of events really means, and how organisers can better align design, programming, and production to deliver meaningful attendee experiences.
Experience Is More Than Atmosphere
Freeman’s XLNC framework, standing for eXperience, Learning, Networking, and Commerce, identifies experience as one of the four fundamental reasons people attend events. Yet, the report finds a critical disconnect while organisers often describe experience in emotional or aesthetic terms (energy, inspiration, atmosphere), attendees define it by outcomes, whether they learned something new, forged useful connections, or discovered valuable products.
Attendees, the report concludes, rarely attend for ambience alone. Their satisfaction depends on how effectively an event helps them achieve their core objectives. Production flair, décor, and technology only enhance experience when they serve these goals.
Friction Points: Where Experience Fails
The survey reveals that navigation and wayfinding are the biggest sources of attendee frustration, far outweighing issues like catering or pre-event communication. Confusing expo floor layouts, difficulty locating vendors, and poor signage all diminish satisfaction, yet many organisers underestimate their impact.
Freeman also identifies a misalignment in how personalisation is delivered. Attendees want tailored exhibitor and session recommendations that make their experience more efficient, but organisers are instead focusing on personalising areas like food choices or registration. Addressing this gap could significantly reduce friction and improve event flow.
Peak Moments and Perception Gaps
A particularly striking finding is the divergence between what organisers think creates “peak moments” and what attendees actually remember. While 78% of organisers believe their events deliver memorable highlights, only 40% of attendees agree. Organisers tend to cite keynote sessions, parties, and gala dinners, whereas attendees recall more practical, hands-on experiences, meeting vendors, discovering innovations, or engaging in peer problem-solving.
These active, personal moments are not only more meaningful but also drive loyalty: 85% of attendees who experienced a peak moment said it made them more likely to return to the event.
Immersion Means Participation
The report debunks a common myth: immersive doesn’t necessarily mean expensive. For most attendees, an immersive experience is one that involves doing, hands-on demonstrations, interactive workshops, or collaborative discussions. Over 60% define immersion as physical participation rather than sensory spectacle or virtual reality.
Attendees also link immersive value directly to tangible outcomes: 47% measure success by discovering new products, while 44% point to learning that benefits their company. Organisers, meanwhile, tend to equate value with memorability alone, a mismatch Freeman warns could leave key objectives unmet.
The Road Ahead: Designing With Purpose
Freeman’s takeaway is clear: the “X factor” in live events is not about flash but about fit. Experiences must revolve around attendee goals, learning, networking, and commerce, and be designed to deliver measurable outcomes. This means rethinking show layouts, using data-driven personalisation, and encouraging exhibitors to create interactive, objective-driven activations.
The report’s closing message to organisers is direct: stop designing events around your own reflections. Instead, build from the attendee’s perspective, remove friction, create participation, and deliver peak moments that matter. When that happens, the X factor ceases to be mysterious; it becomes measurable, repeatable, and unforgettable.
To view or download the full report visit: Freeman Experience Trends Report 2025 – Unpacking XLNC: Defining and Designing Attendee-Centric Experiences
