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What Event Planners Should Know in 2027
Canadian event attendees want practical sessions they can use, keynotes that respect their time, and a clear idea of what a speaker will teach before they walk into the room. That is the main takeaway from Talent Bureau’s annual survey on event trends. We asked 250 Canadians who attended a work-related event in the past 12 months what makes an event or conference worth their time. The results give event planners a look at the year ahead from the audience’s perspective. Below are the questions planners ask us most often, answered with what attendees told us. Keep reading to discover 2027 event trends for meeting and event planners.
Key findings from the 2026 event trends survey
- 95% of respondents say they are likely or very likely to attend a work event in the next 12 months.
- Learning new skills (25%) and networking (24%) are the top reasons people attend.
- Interactive workshops are the most preferred session format at 50%, followed by keynote talks at 36%.
- AI and productivity is the most requested keynote topic at 41%, followed by mental health and burnout at 36%.
- 57% say a clear talk outline with learning outcomes is the signal they trust most before seeing a speaker.
- When budgets are tight, the keynote speaker is the first place attendees would spend (22%). Entertainment is the first thing they would cut (32%).
Audience Motivations & Satisfaction
Why do people attend work events?
Most Canadians attend work events to learn and to connect. In Talent Bureau’s 2026 survey, 25% said learning new skills or ideas is their main reason for going. 24% said networking and relationship building, and 14% said keeping up with industry trends.
Those goals put the keynote speaker at the centre of a great event. A strong keynote gives people new ideas to bring back to work, sets the tone for the sessions that follow, and gives the room something to talk about at the next break. Attendees see that value. Later in this survey, they name the keynote as the first place they would spend a tight budget.
A few other reasons came up as well. 13% attend because their employer requires it, 11% go for team motivation or recognition, and 7% attend to earn credits or certifications. For attendees required to be present for work, an inspiring speaker on a relevant topic can turn a required day into one they are glad they attended.
What makes attendees happy with an event?
Attendees judge an event mostly on its pace, its networking time and how relevant the content is to their work. Asked to pick the two factors that matter most, 33% chose schedule, length and pace, 31% chose time for networking, 30% chose keynote topic relevance, and 27% chose the quality of the keynote speaker.
The items lower on the list are still worth a planner’s attention. Session format mattered to 20%, food and beverage to 19%, and the cost, travel and effort to attend to 17%. Venue and AV came last at 10%. This suggests attendees forgive a plain room faster than a crowded schedule or a talk that misses the mark.
The practical lesson is to protect the agenda and address the factors attendees care about most. Leave free time between sessions, keep talks on schedule and brief the speaker on the audience’s work.
Event Formats & Keynote Programming
Which conference session formats and talk styles do attendees prefer?
Interactive workshops are the most preferred session format, chosen by 50% of attendees, and keynote talks come second at 36%. Panel discussions follow at 29%, with fireside chats at 22% and live demos and case-study talks each at 20%.
When we asked which talk styles keep people engaged, practical and how-to talks came first at 45%. Story-driven and inspirational talks were close behind at 40%, then research-backed talks and humour at 31% each, and industry-specific talks at 30%. Only 4% chose a tough-love or contrarian speaker.
These results point to a strong pairing for many events. A keynote that tells a good story and leaves the room with practical steps, followed by a workshop where attendees put those steps to work, covers the two formats and the two styles people rate highest.
Speakers who deliver practical, story-driven sessions
- Gayathri Shukla uses stories from her work in engineering and leadership to give teams practical ways to build trust and communicate.
- Daniel Lewis draws on building his tea company to teach audiences how to bring personality and purpose into customer service.
- Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe pairs her personal story with research and everyday strategies for managing stress and building resilience.
How long do attendees prefer a keynote speech to be?
When asked for their personal preference, the most common answer from attendees was 30 to 45 minutes, chosen by 36%. A quarter (26%) preferred 20 to 30 minutes and another quarter (25%) preferred 45 to 60 minutes. Only 5% preferred talks over an hour, and 8% said length doesn’t matter as long as the talk is engaging and valuable.
These numbers describe what an audience says it likes, and they are one input among many. Every event has its own agenda, and planners often have a set block of time to fill, such as a 20-minute opening or a 60-minute closing address. A strong speaker can hold a room for the full slot when the content earns it, and one in four attendees is happy with a 45 to 60 minute keynote.
What the results do suggest is that attendees value their time. When a slot runs longer, planners can talk with their speaker about building in a short Q&A or a practical segment, which lines up with the interactivity and talk-style preferences elsewhere in this survey.
How interactive should a keynote be?
Most attendees prefer a light touch of interaction. The largest group, 42%, wants sessions with some Q&A or light polling, while 27% prefer mostly listen-and-learn sessions. Structured interaction such as table exercises appealed to 20%, and only 10% want sessions that are highly interactive from start to finish.
For a keynote, this means a few well-placed moments of participation usually go further than a talk built around constant activity. A live poll early on, a question the audience answers with a show of hands, or a Q&A in the final ten minutes gives people a chance to take part without making the quieter 27% uncomfortable.
Planners who want deeper participation can save it for the workshop that follows, where half of attendees say they want to be.
What conference keynote topics do attendees want in the year ahead?
AI and productivity is the keynote topic attendees most want to hear more about, chosen by 41% of respondents. Mental health and burnout came second at 36%, the future of work third at 34%, and innovation and creativity fourth at 30%. Leadership and culture (26%) and customer-focused topics (24%) round out the top six.
AI and productivity
AI sits at the top of the list and also tops the list of topics people want to hear less about, at 16%. The split suggests a large group wants practical help with AI, while a smaller group has heard enough general talk about it. A talk that shows specific tools and workflows for the audience’s industry serves both groups.
- Rebecca Bultsma helps professionals identify useful AI applications in their work while making thoughtful decisions about risk and ethics.
- Jim Harris shows business audiences how AI can change workflows and improve productivity through specific examples.
Mental health and burnout
More than a third of attendees want this topic on the agenda, which makes it the second most requested subject in the survey. Talks that give people practical ways to manage stress and support their teams tend to land best with workplace audiences.
- Jennifer Moss gives leaders research-based ways to address burnout through workplace culture and healthier work practices.
- Dr. Jody Carrington helps teams understand burnout and disconnection, then offers practical ways to reconnect and support one another. Watch Jody’s segment about resilience and bouncing back on the Today Show.
Future of work
At 34%, the future of work covers subjects such as hybrid teams, new skills and how roles will change. A strong session here connects big trends to what people can do in their roles next year.
- Nikolas Badminton draws on more than 30 years of work in foresight and strategy to help leaders plan for changes in technology, skills and the way people work.
- Seth Mattison uses research and case studies to help leaders support teams working across office, remote and hybrid settings.
- Joe O’Connor draws on four-day-workweek trials to show organizations how to rethink time, focus and performance as work changes.
Innovation and creativity
Three in ten attendees want more talks on innovation and creativity. These sessions work well as openers, since they give an audience fresh ways of thinking before the more technical content begins.
- Duncan Wardle shares tools developed through his work leading innovation and creativity at Disney to help teams generate and test ideas.
- Dr. Chitra Anand helps organizations build a culture where employees can develop ideas and drive change from within.
One in five respondents (20%) said they are happy with the current mix of topics and don’t want to see less of anything. Canada-US relations and trade came last among requested topics at 10%.
Speaker Selection & Trust Building
What kind of conference keynote speaker do attendees want to hear?
Given the choice, attendees most want to hear from a successful business leader or CEO (24%) or someone with a powerful personal story of survival, adventure or overcoming adversity (21%). Researchers, authors and academics came third at 16%, followed by a lesser-known expert from the attendee’s own industry at 10%. Celebrity names ranked much lower. Comedians and entertainers drew 8%, futurists 6%, celebrities 6% and pro athletes or Olympians 3%. Attendees appear to favour speakers whose lessons connect directly to their work, which matches the strong preference for practical talks.
Business leaders and CEOs
- Arlene Dickinson brings lessons from building businesses and investing in entrepreneurs to talks on leadership, marketing and reinvention.
- Marc Randolph draws on co-founding Netflix to discuss experimentation, persistence and building a company around a new idea.
Powerful personal stories
- Joe Roberts tells the story of moving from homelessness to business leadership and connects it to resilience and purposeful action.
- Stephanie Case draws on ultrarunning and human rights work to speak about endurance, risk and supporting women and girls through sport. Most recently, she completed the Antarctic Ice Ultra in November 2026, check out the full story at CBC.
- Jesse Thistle draws on his journey through homelessness and addiction, and his work as a Métis-Cree scholar, to speak about resilience, belonging and the support that helps people rebuild their lives.
- Amanda Lindhout shares her story of surviving captivity in Somalia and the years of recovery that followed, giving audiences a practical framework for resilience built around connection, gratitude, presence and purpose.
Researchers and authors
- Eric Termuende brings his research on trust, workplace culture and change to leaders preparing teams for uncertain conditions.
- Erica Dhawan is a bestselling author and researcher on teamwork who uses case studies and practical tools to help leaders improve collaboration as AI changes how teams work.
What makes attendees trust a speaker before an event?
A clear talk outline with learning outcomes is the signal attendees trust most before seeing a keynote speaker, chosen by 57% of respondents. It finished well ahead of audience ratings and testimonials (36%), case studies from similar organizations (36%) and references attendees could contact (32%). The signals many speakers lean on ranked lower. Media appearances on TV, podcasts or in articles drew 26%, social media content 23%, a video reel 21% and a published book 10%. These still help a speaker get noticed, but the outline is what tells an attendee the hour will be worth it.
Event and meeting planners can put this to use right away. Asking speakers for a short outline with three or four learning outcomes, and sharing it in the event agenda and promotional emails, gives attendees the information they say they trust most.
Where should planners spend a tight event budget?
When budgets are tight, attendees say the keynote speaker is the first place organizers should spend, chosen by 22%. Workshops and facilitator time followed closely at 21%, and networking time came third at 18%. Food and beverage (14%), venue (10%) and production such as AV and lighting (8%) ranked lower.
The cut list tells the same story from the other side. Entertainment and music is by far the first thing attendees would cut, at 32%, followed by production at 14% and venue at 10%. Only 10% would cut the keynote first, and 7% would cut networking time.
Put together, attendees want the budget to go toward the people and sessions that teach them something and the time to connect with each other. For planners making hard choices, that points to protecting the keynote, the workshops and the breaks, and trimming the extras around them.
How important is it to see a range of voices on stage?
Three in four attendees (76%) say it is very or somewhat important to see a range of voices represented on stage across an event. That includes 42% who call it very important and 34% who call it somewhat important. Another 16% are neutral, and 7% say it is not very or not at all important.
This is about who is on the agenda as a whole, and it applies to every topic. A lineup that brings in speakers with different backgrounds and points of view gives more people in the audience someone they can relate to.
- Dr. Candace Manitopyes brings Indigenous scholarship and education to conversations about leadership, learning and meaningful organizational change.
- Angela Sterritt brings investigative journalism and Indigenous perspectives to discussions of public affairs, community and accountability.
Post-Event Value & Actionable Planning
What resources do attendees use after an event?
Follow-up Q&A is the post-event resource attendees use most, chosen by 45%. Slides or summary notes came second at 35%, the attendee’s own personal notes third at 32%, and session recordings fourth at 24%. One-page playbooks or checklists and curated resource lists each drew 13%.
These answers show that the value of a keynote can carry on well past the day itself. A speaker who offers a follow-up Q&A session, or shares slides and a short summary with the organizer, gives attendees the two things they say they come back to most. When booking a speaker, it is worth asking what they provide after the event. Some speakers can provide follow-up material or a virtual Q&A, so it helps to raise it early in the booking conversation.
What this means for your next event
The survey results translate into a short list of event trends planners can consider when building an event or conference agenda.
- Ask every speaker for a talk outline with clear learning outcomes, and use it in your agenda and event promotion.
- Choose topics your audience can apply at work. AI and productivity, mental health and burnout, and the future of work are the most requested keynote topics.
- Look for speakers who pair a good story with practical takeaways.
- Consider following a keynote with a workshop for audiences who want hands-on time.
- Build in light interaction, such as a short poll or a Q&A, to suit the largest group of attendees.
- Talk with your speaker about how to use your time slot well, especially for longer sessions.
- Protect networking time and keep the schedule on track, since pace and networking are the top satisfaction factors.
- When the budget is tight, keep the keynote and workshops and look at entertainment and production first.
- Plan a follow-up Q&A or share slides after the event.
Resources & Additional Information
About the survey
Talent Bureau ran this survey on the Pollfish platform in October 2026, with results finalized on October 21, 2026. The survey targeted respondents in Canada and collected 250 completed responses. Every respondent confirmed they had attended a work-related event in the past 12 months.
Respondents came from a range of departments. The largest groups were operations, finance and procurement (28%), executive and leadership roles (16%) and IT and technology (13%), followed by sales and customer success (10%), HR and people and culture (10%), events and meetings (7%) and marketing and communications (6%).
With 250 respondents, results have a margin of error of about plus or minus 6 percentage points at a 95% confidence level. Percentages are rounded to the nearest whole number, and questions that allowed more than one answer add up to more than 100%.
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Frequently Asked Questions
There is no single right length, since it depends on the event’s agenda and the time slot available. In Talent Bureau’s 2026 survey of 250 Canadian event attendees, the most common personal preference was 30 to 45 minutes (36%). A quarter of attendees preferred 45 to 60 minutes.
AI and productivity (41%), mental health and burnout (36%), the future of work (34%) and innovation and creativity (30%) were the most requested keynote topics among Canadian attendees in Talent Bureau’s 2026 survey.
Attendees want practical content they can use and a clear idea of what they will learn. Practical, how-to talks were the most engaging style (45%). 57% said a clear talk outline with learning outcomes is the signal they trust most before seeing a speaker.
A strong keynote gives attendees the new ideas and learning that bring them to events in the first place. In Talent Bureau’s 2026 survey, attendees named the keynote speaker as the first place organizers should spend when budgets are tight (22%). Only 10% would cut the keynote first.
Interactive workshops are the most preferred session format, chosen by 50% of attendees in Talent Bureau’s 2026 survey. Keynote talks came second at 36% and panel discussions third at 29%.
A successful business leader or CEO (24%) and someone with a powerful personal story (21%) are the most wanted keynote speakers, followed by researchers and authors (16%). Celebrities (6%) and pro athletes (3%) ranked near the bottom.
Talent Bureau is a speakers bureau. Our agents match speakers to an event’s audience, topics, time slot and budget. Event planners can request a keynote speaker’s presentation outline and learning outcomes before booking. Attendees in this survey said they trust these signals most.
