Technology and The Events Industry
Earlier this year we put together an event trends e-book with 6 core trends predictions that would dominate the events industry in 2018. Since then, our project team has been implementing these trends into their strategic planning, and we’re excited to share some of our experiences with you. While we’d love to share the impact that each and every trend has had on our events in detail, the one that really stuck out for us has got to be technology. We’re seeing more and more events using tech as a tool that not only improves the event creation process but enhances your guests’ experience too.
The Global Approach to Event Tech
We’re always looking out at the global event landscape to see how the rest of the world is responding to the experience economy and we currently have our eye on big events integrating tech that give attendees a unique and personalised experience. Virtual and Augmented Reality have made frequent appearances at big events and this is no surprise! There’s merit in using an experiential approach to engage your audience. Yes, we know VR is expensive and time-consuming but attendees have a higher chance of remembering information they can associate to an emotive experience, than for example sitting through a two hour, narrated presentation.
On the other hand, Near Field Communication (NFC) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), are technologies that operate on radio frequencies and actively track guests or movement, behaviour and activities, therefore changing the game in terms of:
- Event registration
- Data collection and delegate feedback
- Marketing practice and tracking
- Gamification
- Engagement analytics
From a team of event professionals who implement these and other technologies as much as possible, we can confirm that pursuing progressive approaches in eventing pays off.
Making A Big Impact with A Small Role
While we have mastered big projects we still find opportunity in doing smaller events and pride ourselves in executing them with excellence. We were recently approached to handle the production element of a tech-oriented event, which meant working very closely with our production partners to create the best tech experience for guests. Instead of sticking to the regular sound and lighting rig, we pushed to include interactive technology to stimulate questions and conversation among guests. Our role may have been small, but we brought in two big-hitting tech elements that guests would immediately be drawn to.
Using a custom-made gobo lighting rig (lighting stencil), that projected a custom, branded lighting show onto the walls of the venue, we were able to give the venue a futuristic feel with technology at its forefront without breaking the bank & putting clients’ message and brand at the front and centre. Interactive flooring, strategically placed at the entrance of the venue, lit up colours and textures as guests walked over it, grabbing their attention and providing a heightened level of technological interaction from the second they entered. Not only was it something different that guests would remember long after the event, but it created excitement for the day ahead.
Embracing the Event Tech Journey
Even when you have only a small hand in an event, it’s important to give a project absolutely everything you’ve got. It’s easy to do something tried and trusted but giving guests a surprising experience that they’ll never forget is priceless. We get it – tech is always changing and keeping up with all the fleeting trends seems daunting but even implementing small technological features to your event could set you apart if done in a creative way. Don’t just think about what you can do with tech trends – start viewing trends in terms of what they can do for you.
We always say, ‘there’s opportunity everywhere’ - make the most of it when it comes.