In this piece, Lucy Eden, founder of Be In Your Element Events, shares her thoughts on the value of disconnecting from digital devices.
February marks the unofficial kick-off to conference season. Diaries fill fast, inboxes get louder, and for many of us in the events industry, this is where the pace really accelerates. Valentine’s Day sneaks in mid-month, reminding us of love, but it’s worth asking, how much of that love are we really feeling? Not just romantically, but professionally and personally. For ourselves. For our teams. For our clients, and for the guests we’re designing experiences for.
Because let’s be honest, this is silly season. We’re tired, stretched, and operating in a world that constantly sells us quick fixes to feel better: new tech, new tools, new trends promising instant relief. And yet, as event professionals, we sit on something far more powerful.
Unlike almost any other service industry, events have the ability to make people feel something deeply and immediately. Calm, joy, inspiration, creativity, belonging. That’s the golden egg! We don’t just deliver agendas, production schedules, and speaker line-ups. We create moments. Moments that can genuinely shift someone’s state of mind, even if only for a short time. But the uncomfortable question is, are we making the most of that power? And are we doing it intentionally?
A growing trend heading into 2026, echoed across podcasts, panels, and countless industry conversations, is this idea that in a digital world filled with AI, misinformation, and endless noise, events keep it real.
Events bring people together. Events create real connection. But here’s the thing, how many of us are actually there?
That dreaded device, the email ping, the teams notification, the ‘just one quick message’.
We talk endlessly about creating spaces of belonging and deeper connection, yet we allow the very thing that fragments attention to sit in everyone’s hands. Can we truly expect meaningful connection when half the room is mentally elsewhere?
I’ve been to several phone-free events, from immersive theatre to Secret Cinema, and most recently finding myself transported to 1930s New York on 58th Street, while physically standing in Peckham Rye. No phones allowed, no documentation, no distractions and without exception, those are the events I remember most vividly.
I can’t recall the slide I once photographed because I liked the quote or the data. I don’t remember what it said, or even who presented it. But I remember every second of those immersive, unplugged experiences. Presence changes everything.
We’re already craving offline connection. Look around and you’ll see the signs everywhere.
Offline clubs are popping up in cities across the globe. Cafés and spaces where people are encouraged to sit, talk, read, or simply enjoy their coffee while looking out at nature, no laptops, no phones, no pressure to be “productive.” These places aren’t a novelty. They exist for a reason.
Ask yourself, when was the last time you went to an event and truly enjoyed a coffee break? Fully in the moment? Not replying to emails. Not returning missed calls. Not scrolling while half-listening to the buzz around you. Those breaks that are designed for connection, often become the most digitally distracted moments of the day.
Unplugged holidays, where guests pay upwards of £250 to lock their phones away and live offline, are booming. On the surface, it sounds wild. Pay to have your phone taken away? But the growth tells us something important: people want this. They just don’t want to be the lone sheep asking for it.
And here’s the irony: our industry demands high performance, long hours, constant availability, and relentless problem-solving. So why aren’t we designing the very spaces we need most?
The data tells a clear story about the demands we face as an industry:
- 90% of event professionals say work‑life balance issues are impacting staff retention, and over half have seen an increase in burnout, stress or wellbeing issues in the past year. Yet fewer than half of organisations have wellbeing embedded in their culture. (MIA UK)
- Those working in hospitality and events in the UK report feeling stressed on average 15.6 days a month, more than most other occupations. (Event Organisers Summit)
- Surveys also show over 50% of event professionals experience significant stress and long hours, with many working well beyond standard working weeks. BriteBiz
That’s not just numbers, that’s lived human experience, reflected across teams, agencies, vendors, and suppliers.
At Be In Your Element, we’ve tested this approach at events, intentional moments of disconnection, tech-free spaces, and gentle invitations to put devices away. And it works:
- People talk more
- They listen better
- They laugh louder
- They leave feeling restored rather than depleted
It doesn’t require locking phones in safes or enforcing strict rules (although sometimes that works too). It’s about design, permission, and intention.
As an industry, we’ve already led cultural shifts: No smoking indoors, low- and no-alcohol bars becoming mainstream. So isn’t it time we asked the next question?
So, is it time for a no phone zone?
Not as punishment, not as restriction, but as a gift.
A conscious invitation to feel more, connect deeper, and remember why gathering in real life still matters. February is the month of love. And perhaps this year, love looks like designing events that help people truly log off, even just for a moment. Phones off, hearts on. That’s how we make connection real.