Beyond the closing day: how to ensure an event’s impact lasts

Events may have a closing date, but their impact shouldn’t. From global agreements to everyday brand moments, this feature explores how to design experiences that leave a lasting legacy, with insights from Identity’s Simon Dunnell and Helen Wright. 

By their very nature, events feel fleeting. There’s a date, a deadline, a sense of anticipation, and before you know it, it’s over. But for the organisations and communities involved, the work doesn’t stop when the doors close or the last delegate boards their train home. In fact, it’s just the beginning. 

As Simon Dunnell, Managing Director, International Projects at Identity, puts it: “The event might last a day or a week, but its impact should be engineered to last for years. We’re not building moments. We’re building momentum.” 

From international summits to regional conferences, modern events are increasingly treated as catalysts for change. Whether economic, social or political, their influence must be intentional and embedded from the very beginning. This isn’t just about making noise on social media, it’s about designing events with legacy in mind. 

Events as platforms for future-building 

Helen Wright, Strategy Director, International Projects at Identity, sees this as a mindset shift. “Legacy shouldn’t be an afterthought. It’s not something you ‘add on’ once the event’s done. It has to be designed into the fabric of the experience from the outset.” 

Consider COP26. The two-week climate summit in Glasgow didn’t end when delegates travelled home. It culminated in the Glasgow Climate Pact; a globally recognised policy commitment that became its lasting legacy. The same can be said of the Paris Agreement. These agreements are the events, embedded in public consciousness long after the staging infrastructure has disappeared. 

For governments and global institutions, legacy planning often focuses on hard policy and long-term diplomacy. But for other sectors, from technology to healthcare, finance to fashion, the impact might take different forms: shared knowledge, activated communities, economic uplift, or new standards of practice. 

Scale doesn’t matter… legacy does 

Legacy doesn’t have to mean rewriting international law. It can be small-scale, agile, and digital. What matters is intent. 

“Every event leaves a footprint,” says Simon. “The question is whether you’re deliberate about what you leave behind. 

“An internal leadership summit, for example, could embed its key takeaways into onboarding materials or digital handbooks. A product launch might seed community advocacy through shareable assets, creator engagement, or ongoing social campaigns. A B2B conference could use its keynote outputs to generate white papers, thought leadership articles or client nurture content for the next 12 months.” 

It’s about ensuring the knowledge shared and the emotion sparked continues to influence, well beyond the event itself. 

Create shareable moments by design 

Social content isn’t just a by-product of a photogenic setup, it’s a strategic opportunity to extend reach and reinforce key messages. “The most successful event content strategies are planned in tandem with the experience itself, with moments engineered to be captured, clipped, and shared,” says Helen. 

Think beyond the highlights reel. Smart content teams are working with production crews to live-cut soundbites, distribute interviews, publish opinion pieces, and activate attendees as advocates in real-time. 

“Treat your event like a content studio,” adds Helen. “It’s a rare opportunity to have your audience, your subject matter experts, and your story all in one place.  Make the most of it.” 

Post-event content with purpose 

A common pitfall is focusing too heavily on pre-event hype, at the expense of post-event value. What happens after the lights go out? Is there a plan for the content captured? Are you making it easy for attendees (and non-attendees) to engage with the ideas after the fact? 

Here are just a few strategies to maximise legacy through content: 

• Session recaps: Turn panels and talks into snackable social content, blogs, or podcast episodes. 

• Key quotes and takeaways: Create visual content or carousels featuring standout insights. 

• Evergreen resources: Convert materials into toolkits, templates or ‘how to’ guides for wider use. 

• Attendee-generated content: Reshare reflections, posts and videos from delegates to build community credibility. 

• Follow-up campaigns: Use the themes of the event to power newsletters, CRM nurture journeys or thought leadership series over time. 

Think like a host city 

Some of the best examples of long-term event legacy come from the world’s major host cities. “Nations spend years, sometimes decades, planning for global gatherings like World Expos, Olympic Games, and climate summits,” says Simon. They don’t do this for a week of activity. They do it to reimagine infrastructure, shift international perceptions, and deliver transformation on a national scale. 

While not every event has the same scale, the principle applies: think about the transformation you want to create. What will this event change? Who will benefit, and how will that benefit be measured? 

“Legacy isn’t just the headline,” he adds. “It’s the long tail. It’s the change in how people think, act or collaborate after they’ve been part of something meaningful.” 

The legacy question 

Whether you’re delivering an intimate leadership forum or a 10,000-delegate summit, it’s worth asking the legacy question from the outset: 

“What do we want people to be doing, saying, or thinking three months after this event is over?” 

“Design your experience backwards from there,” says Helen. “The answer might include community building, educational resources, behavioural shifts or cultural advocacy. But the intent – the commitment to create lasting value – is what separates forgettable events from transformational ones.” 

In an industry driven by deadlines, logistics, and pace, legacy forces us to think differently. It shifts our mindset from moment-making to meaning-making. 

Because the best events don’t end… they echo.