The events industry is evolving as sustainability and digitalization increasingly shape how events are designed, organized, and experienced. This report explores how these twin transitions unfold in the Swedish event industry and their influence on transport efficiency.

Using a mixed-methods approach, this study draws on interviews, field observations, document analyses, and survey data collected between 2021 and 2025 across a diverse range of events, including fairs, congresses, conferences, and sports events.

The findings show that digitalization is now a structurally embedded feature of the industry. Digital and hybrid formats expand accessibility, extend the temporal and spatial boundaries of events, and enable new forms of experience design, while reinforcing the unique value of physical co-presence for networking, informal interaction, and sensory engagement.

Sustainability has moved from a peripheral concern to a strategic priority, supported by certifications, circular material practices, and climate-smart catering, although its implementation varies across event types and actors. Transport efficiency emerges as both a challenge and an opportunity, highlighting the need to reconsider when physical travel is necessary and how events are organized in space and time. Overall, the report suggests that the future of the event industry lies not in replacing physical events but in integrating digitalization, sustainability, and transport efficiency in ways that balance environmental responsibility with the social and experiential value of events.