Connecting locally is as old as the human race. Since the first caveman invited members of her clan over to barbecue brontosaurus burgers, we have had a fundamental need to assemble to eat, chat and share moments together. Back then, Wilma would just grunt to a friend who would grunt to another friend and then they would all meet up. Today, we have numerous channels and methods to bring people together. Technology has paved the way to make the journey much easier.
Increasingly, professional event planners as well as the occasional event host are turning to technology to help them create memorable events. Not only for sending out invites and managing RSVPs but for also providing increased engagement for attendees while at the event. There are hundreds of event apps across iOS and Android mobile operating systems with varying feature sets. For instance, here’s a recent feature comparison of key event apps prepared by guidebook.
(Source: Guidebook)
As you can see, there are a number of features offered by some of the more popular apps. Yet with all of the event products out there, only 59% of event planners use mobile apps (source: 2015 Event App Bible). Some of the reasons for event planners not using event apps is that there is a major disconnect between what event planners want, and what these types of apps offer. While these apps offer live polling, editing and opportunities for white label, event planners want to take advantage of key trends in event participating and leverage more relevant features like event check in, attendee matchmaking and social integration.
With innovations in technology, events participation will get much more interesting. Trends in event organization and execution like more socially driven event management, Bluetooth and wearable technology, will drive deeper engagement at events.
Social mediaThe best way to be social is to actually attend an event and connect with people locally. With that said, there is no reason why you can’t use social media to enhance that event experience. Social media continues to grow and much of the growth is coming from more visual social media applications like Instagram, Vine and Snapchat. A survey by Maximillion showed that 75% of event organizers said that it was “very important” to use social for event promotion. Facebook was the most popular channel for doing so, at 78%, followed by Twitter (56%) and LinkedIn (49%).
Social media appears to work well for event promotion: 44% of respondents said it was effective in increasing event awareness. In addition, creating a more socially connected digital environment for event attendees will increase participation and add more fun to an event.
Bluetooth
Bluetooth and iBeacon technology allows devices to broadcast their location, connect, send and receive information from one another within a small radius, usually up to about forty yards. This has significant implications for groups of people gathered at an event whether through location tracking or real-time communication and updates. Event planners are just starting to take advantage of this technology and allowing more seamless connections and real-time communication onsite.
WearableFitbit was one of the first success stories in the wearable technology arena but with the Google Glass and now the Apple watch, the opportunities for consumer and lifestyle brands will be endless. Think of connected devices that can connect content, communication and games together within an event environment. The opportunities for engagement are endless.
The moment to leverage these technologies to create an unparalleled platform for event participation is now. Eventure has recognized these trends and is creating products and services that take advantage of these and other burgeoning technologies to enrich the event participation experience. We are looking forward to rolling them out in the coming months.
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