I remember when I recognized the impact a research entrepreneur could have. It was November 2011 at the Web 2.0 Summit at San Francisco's Palace Hotel, watching Mary Meeker present her Internet Trends Report. As she identified the coming shift from desktop to mobile, I realized she wasn't just a research pioneer, she was a research entrepreneur.
Anyone who’s seen Shark Tank has heard them say entrepreneurs always strive to make a better mousetrap. The mousetrap I wound up being a part of creating was the Freeman Trends Report, a collection of insights designed to help live events organizers, planners, and decision makers better understand their attendees as a collective audience.
The Freeman Trends Report was born as the industry emerged from the pandemic, when clarity about what came next was urgently needed. Our soon to be CEO Janet Dell championed a vision of industry research that put attendees at the center. Research not just for organizers or exhibitors, though they would be a part of it, but the people who actually show up.
We assembled a cross-disciplinary team of data scientists, researchers, analysts, strategists, and marketers to bring the report to life. They created an approach that blended quantitative and qualitative methods to understand both what attendees wanted and why.
As the industry shifted rapidly, the data helped forecast how event professionals could ramp back up and when the resurgence of live events would accelerate. The Freeman Trends Report became a compass to help navigate uncertainty.
Our approach to developing the XLNC framework, Experience, Learning, Networking, Commerce, followed four clear steps.
Consume Knowledge
Grounded in large-scale data sets, including millions of attendees, exhibit marketers, and meeting organizers.
Look For Patterns
Identifying meaningful signals in the noise, especially how clearly visualized data resonates with decision makers.
Talk To People
Adding context and meaning to the data by understanding what the numbers actually represent.
Shape Questions
Continuously refining research to stay relevant, forward looking, and responsive to change.
Beyond insights alone, the real value comes from the So what section in every report, translating findings into practical direction the industry can act on.
Today, the Freeman Trends Report focuses on generational and technological shifts shaping live experiences. As audiences lean further into AI and digital tools, the research shows they trust face to face interactions more, not less.
That balance points to a future where live events remain essential. By turning data into insight and insight into action, the Freeman Trends Report continues to help the industry navigate complexity and move forward with confidence.