A good 30 years ago, promotion demanded far more than simply pressing the record button on a smartphone and pointing it in the direction of a trending influencer. While that image might feel reductive, it does capture how dramatically the world of publicity has changed.
As we bid adieu to the 90s, we welcomed the complete overhaul that is the 21st century: social media stimulated new streams of income, the pandemic reshaped physical and digital interaction (especially in relation to the workplace), and AI jumped in at the tail end of it all — stirring up questions about creativity and authenticity.
Yet, none of this happened in a vacuum. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. famously wrote, "Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly". That same pace of change extends to the spaces and industries that operate within the world — including publicity.
This transformation is particularly evident in the way live events now function. They exist in hybrid format, where the physical experience is only one part of a much larger media cycle. Pre-event anticipation, real-time sharing and post-event amplification all extend the life cycle of the event.
That means that every second on a stage is designed for circulation —fragmented moments that travel through media spaces — irrespective of whether such circulation is intentional or not.
The Savanna Comics Choice Comedy Awards stands as a prime example of this. When you see a comedian perform, their act is not confined to just the stage and the audience. Instead, they perform and generate content that moves across multiple platforms and reach a diverse, but still targeted, group of people. An event like the Savanna Comics Choice Comedy Awards then amplifies that reach by bringing all the comedians together in one place.
Still, despite the digital extension, the appeal of live events remains deeply human. Online spaces are, after all, just a reflection or imitation of real life — it does not offer the same sense of shared presence and cultural participation that a live event does.
While most of us are living digital lives in 2026, it is not the only life publicists should be catering to. Research from Data-Driven Innovation in the Creative Industries shows that audiences continue to value in-person experiences, not in opposition to digital, but alongside it as part of a blended engagement.
Live events might require more effort and financial investment than a simple press release or 30-second reel, but they remain highly valuable. Not only do they meet audience demand for connection and interaction, but they also offer networking opportunities and support much stronger information retention than comparable online alternatives.
So,the most significant shift in live events is not really how relevant they are, but rather how their value is determined. Visibility cannot be defined by attendance alone. Since the event is now happening in real-time and across multiple platforms, it requires a more integrated approach to measurement.
This means understanding and tracking how audiences respond before, during and after the event to assess its overall success. In this way, live events continue to hold value in a primarily digital world, especially when brands can measure audience sentiment across every touchpoint.
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*Image courtesy of Canva
**Information sourced from Data-Driven Innovation in the Creative Industries and BluePoint Antwerpen