One of the greatest things about running a startup is the steep learning curve. I am continually amazed at the number of things we learn here daily. Whether it’s getting Amazon SQS up and running as a Celery message broker or determining which fonts drive the best engagement for our digital cards and invitations, we just keep stacking up knowledge.
Recently, while researching feature enhancements for our social calendaring platform, I found some interesting information on trends in event planning and management writtem by Corbin Ball Associates.* The article mentions 10 technology trends but I’ve distilled them down to 5 key trends that I find extremely compelling.
Lower Attention Spans
The barrage of content we are bombarded with every minute has resulted in decreased attention spans. This has changed how events are marketed, managed and experienced.
- Increase in use of productivity tools (calendaring, RSVP management, etc.)
- Shorter presentations at conferences
- More audience engagement tools are being used (Mobile event apps, interactive sessions, etc.)
- Shorter event content
From “Attendee” to “Participant”
The advent of social media and mobile have offered increased engagement for event attendees.
- Mobile Event Apps – specifically tied to events and provide increased interaction, matchmaking and gamification
- Social media apps help recruit and engage participants
- Media walls with twitter, postano and other live polls
- Personalized communication is being expected by attendees
Bluetooth / iBeacon
iBeacons can interact and share information with nearby mobile devices (up to 150 feet). Beacons have been installed in sports arenas, museums, airports and retail outlets to support:
- Gamification/Scavenger Hunts
- Navigation assistance
- Personalize welcomes
- Tracking
- Push Promotions
Analytics
Mobile event apps offer an unprecedented amount of useful, real-time data to track and improve the event experience like:
- Trending topics
- Top Speakers
- Most attended locations
- Crowd flow
- Key influencers
- Ratings/Polls
Connected Devices
Connected hardware like cameras and aerial drones are providing an entirely new prospective for events. The FAA has yet to impose many restrictions however they may be coming given the rash of incidents involving people being injured by drones while watching events or during activities.
Some examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s949S8pYgk8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5QGrBfcXeQ
Make sure you are taking advantage of the latest trends and technology to make your next event an “eventure”. And stay tuned as Eventure continually leverages these insights to develop a leading event participation platform to connect people locally.
*http://www.corbinball.com/articles_future/index.cfm?fuseaction=cor_av&artID=9207
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