The rapid evolution in technology is reshaping every industry, and the events industry isn’t an exception to this phenomenon. Having said this, it isn’t always easy to keep up with the pace at which the industry is adapting with newer forms of technology. Unless, of course, if you’re involved day-to-day watching the new and upcoming trends unfold right in front of you. As we are at Purple Patch.
In 2019 (and beyond), you can expect technology to change the way your event will impact your audience and how much value they get out of it. So, how exactly can you leverage the current advancements in technology to give your audience a rich and immersive experience that lasts the test of time in their memories?
Read on to get a glimpse of what the future holds for the use of tech in events and learn about the latest technologies that are already set to go mainstream in the arena of event management.
What Technologies Are Set To Revolutionise the Way We Do Events?
There are many emerging tech trends that are going to get big pretty soon and you might have already noticed some of them at big budget events.
Of all of these technologies, here are some of the top ones that the leading event companies across the globe are bullish about and are planning to implement in the future.
Augmented Reality (AR)
At trade shows and roadshows, for example, it’s now possible for the exhibitors to showcase their latest product or service offerings to the visitors in a rich, almost surreal 3D viewing experience. Surpassing even the best Powerpoint presentations by a mile, allowing your audience to get an immersive display that they can nearly touch!
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Did you know you could personalise recommendations for the event attendees and keep them engaged using AI? Just learn about their interests before or during the event and let AI-enabled Chatbots do the rest of the “talking”. If you are planning to host a few corporate events every year, you probably know a good deal about your company’s employees, so put that information to good use and have interactive AI bots checking them in.
Virtual Reality (VR)
How about letting people not just attend but actually experience being at your product launch, without even physically being there? That’s the power of VR! Plus, it’s also a nice way for companies to save a huge amount of money they would otherwise have to spend on travel for their employees. Therefore allowing you to increase the exposure your launches get, and welcome more guests without more cost.
Mobile Apps
How about letting people not just attend but actually experience being at your product launch, without even physically being there? That’s the power of VR! Plus, it’s also a nice way for companies to save a huge amount of money they would otherwise have to spend on travel for their employees. Therefore allowing you to increase the exposure your launches get, and welcome more guests without more cost.
Who wants to carry a lanyard to signup for a conference or attend a seminar in person when you could just simply use an app to do the same?
Dedicated event apps can also help you monitor the attendance and have seamless interactions with your audience at the same time. If that wasn’t enough, how about letting your attendees order drinks and food direct from the app rather than filling up the lounge area?
Drones and Robots
Did you notice this year’s CES had drones and robots? In fact, robots were there to replace both attendants and bartenders, aswell as offering entertainment to the people around them. Drones can even deliver drinks and snacks to the attendees, whilst capturing aerial photography, and helps to position your brand as high-tech and forward thinking.
Big Data
From using analytics to discover audience behaviours at an event to finding which booths are attracting more visitors, big data can aid your event success – but only if you know how to utilise it well. Unfortunately, there are not many event agencies that are experts at big data as of now, but things are changing rapidly and you can expect to see more data analytics in use to improve the event structures of the future.
Facial Recognition and Biometrics
From using analytics to discover audience behaviours at an event to finding which booths are attracting more visitors, big data can aid your event success – but only if you know how to utilise it well. Unfortunately, there are not many event agencies that are experts at big data as of now, but things are changing rapidly and you can expect to see more data analytics in use to improve the event structures of the future.
No longer do you need registration booths or name searching. With facial recognition and biometric data, these could be a thing of the past!
Facial recognition can be used for registering micro-expressions from your audience members allowing you to understand the emotions and behaviour of their audience. This technique is especially useful in case of big international events with large audience sizes.
Recognising these micro reactions and mapping them against your presentation graphics, the videos your play, or what the presenter says will help you understand what triggers your audience’s emotions and collect this big data.
Plus, facial recognition is obviously good for security reasons too, especially in case of larger events where the audience isn’t limited to just a few delegates. This can be used to save costs on staffing but once again, leaving a lasting impression on your attendees about the brand.
Final Thoughts
For making an event a major success, it’s essential to focus on fostering interactions and leaving a lasting impact on the audience. There’s nothing better than using technology if it makes it easier for you to quantify those interactions.
But before you get excited about the possibilities, here are some crucial questions that you would need to ask yourself (or your team members; or your agency):
- Firstly, are your messages and objectives for the event absolutely clear?
- What exactly do you want your audience to feel? Or what do you want them to learn, and ultimately what did you want them to DO? After attending the event.
- And most importantly, what would make the highly distracted audience of today actually engage with whatever content you have lined up for them at the event? If there is a simpler way to communicate a message than by AR… use it – No doubt it will be cheaper.
Without having a clear answer to these questions you won’t be able to do the best you can with your event management skills. Event agencies will help you figure out this part of the equation that is ‘running a successful corporate event’.
So, if you ever feel lost when trying to plan an event and keep wondering what you can (and cannot) do with the help of technology, it’s always a great idea to reach out to an industry expert who can help you out.
Want expert tips and recommendations on how to captivate the attention of your audience like never before? Are you interested to find some of the best (and the coolest) event tech ideas that you can implement in 2019? Don’t forget to check out our next article in this series!
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