2019 has been a big year in event trends especially in technology that event planners have been anticipating coming into fruition. With mobile devices such as smartphones having a larger capacity and connection to our everyday life, event tech has become more affordable, more targeted to meet your event goals, and more efficient in terms of covering both the event planner and attendees’ needs.
Another influence that shaped event tech is the coming together of companies to offer one-stop-shop experiences. Integrated services are the hot sellers this year.
Event marketers and sponsors are also becoming savvier and data oriented. Fluff no longer has a place in event tech nowadays. Products must deliver value and measurable results.
If you’re looking to implement event tech that will improve your event planning methods, here are 3 Hot Event Tech Trends You Should Implement.
Boost Group Tech Experiences
Another hot trend is using tech to create social experiences out of what was previously alone time. Friends are watching movies together from thousands of miles away. They’re competing with one another on video games across continents. This has some fantastic implications for your event attendees and those who are following the excitement at home. They no longer have to be mere voyeurs but can join in. Link up people online for stronger connections:
- Use live 360-degree video (what many refer to as VR) to connect remote audiences. Give them the opportunity to attend an event together in order to bolster buying online-only tickets.
- Create content for sharing. YouTubers make a living out of commentary on videos. Their commentary becomes additional content and a way to enjoy a video or event. You can use industry influencers for play-by-play commentary on your events, creating a secondary event (and additional content) in the process.
- Develop tracks for niche interests at your event. With a virtual ticket and a paired up “host,” guests could experience inside tracks in a way much different than in prior events. They could attend meetups and the hallway track by being able to select from in-person led experiences not just watching sessions.
Implement Voice for Better Engagement
AI is increasingly becoming the norm behind attendee experience. Even if you haven’t started using it at your events, your attendees are using it at home and work. In fact, according to Google, in 2016 20% of searches were voice searches. Use voice to drive engagement:
- Look into ways for your voice tech to perform actions. People are moving away from asking questions to asking voice assistants to perform commands, from “where is my next session” to “sign me up for the session on X."
- Create “if, then” scenarios that are helpful to attendees. Be proactive in your voice assistance. For example, if someone asks where vendor X is on the exhibit floor, the assistant could then ask if they’d like to schedule some one-on-one time with that vendor.
- Link the ability to read badges with your chatbot or voice assistant so it has all the information about the attendee it needs to be helpful.
Cultivating Attendee Experience Via Personalization
Personalization has been at the top of most event trends lists for a few years now but with event tech, it’s becoming even more actionable. According to Statista, the average email open rate for a personalized message was 18.8% versus 13.1% for one that was not personalized at all. But personalization is about more than just adding someone’s name to an email.
Personalize your approach to make an impression:
- Use activity history for personalization such as removing those who have registered already from the “reminder to register” email list.
- Analyze attendees’ preferences by keeping track of their click-throughs and noting which URLs drive clicks. Present content based on those interests.
- Alert attendees when they are in close proximity to their contacts or “want to meet” list. The dating apps do it and many event networking apps have those abilities as well.
So, there you have it - 3 hot event tech trends that Event Planners in New York should definitely begin deploying when organizing an event. We hope that you are inspired to put these pioneering ideas into practice.
One of the most effective ways to learn about event trends that will improve your event management methods is to attend The Event Planner Expo where you will have the opportunity to attend workshops and listen to advice from major influencers in the industry. Be sure to buy your early bird tickets now before they're sold out!
