Event planning has changed a lot in the last several years. It used to be that event organizers would have to draft attendee lists contact by contact, promote upcoming events with flyers and radio or television ads, and make sure they had various documents organized in a folder or binder. All events were in-person gatherings.
We’ve come a long way since then. Virtual events, which were on the rise even before the pandemic, have become increasingly popular. Hybrid events have grown, too. Even as in-person events come back, event-goers have very different expectations than they did a few years ago. Event technology has allowed organizers to stay on top of the latest trends and deliver experiences that their attendees won’t soon forget.
What Is Event Technology?
Event technology (or event tech) is a broad term that encompasses any digital tool, software, or hardware that helps you plan and execute all kinds of events. Incorporating these tools into your planning processes can help you put on better events and create better experiences for your attendees. They can help make your job a lot easier, too.
Today, there are numerous types of event technologies available. Some are standalone solutions, such as registration software, digital marketing platforms, or mobile check-in tools. Others are all-in-one solutions, which provide a suite of tools to help you manage all aspects of an event, from before it begins to after it ends.
How To Use Event Technology In Your Event Strategy
There’s a lot that goes into planning a successful event. Even small events have several dozen steps that need to come together just right. The use of technology in events allows you to create experiences that not only meet but exceed the expectations of your attendees. They save you time, help you cut costs, and reduce human errors. In essence, these tools allow you to put on better events more easily.
Use Event Tech Tools & Features for Better Data & Analytics
You can’t expect to put on incredible events if you don’t know what’s working and what isn’t. That’s where collecting and analyzing various data throughout your event’s lifecycle comes into play. The information you gather can provide valuable insights such as:
- The effectiveness of your marketing strategy
- Who your attendees are (demographics)
- Registration rates and churn (if there are any issues with registration)
- Main sources of traffic to your event landing page
- Number of people who attend your event versus the number of registrants
- How satisfied your attendees were with your event
Choose event technology tools with features that provide at-a-glance insights with visual dashboards that allow you to dive deep into event data with various reports. You should be able to track conversions, view real-time purchases, and generate custom reports that allow you to make better decisions faster.
Use Online Event Marketing to Reach Your Audience More Efficiently
Marketing is essential for attracting and converting attendees. After all, people can’t attend an event they don’t know exists. While you can incorporate more traditional strategies like radio ads and event flyers, digital marketing tactics make it easier for you to reach more quality prospective attendees and increase ticket sales or registrations.
Digital marketing services like Event.com Promote use artificial intelligence to promote your event through key marketing channels, including Google, social media, email, and the Events.com network. You create your event, and the technology does the rest. It targets your audience based on geography, interests, and affinity, helping you to get your event in front of the right people more efficiently.
Use Personalized Experiences to Improve Your Follow-Ups & Audience Engagement
There are countless ways to personalize your events, and event technology services can help. For instance, online registration forms can help you collect valuable data from your attendees, including their names, their specific interests, where they’re staying, dietary preferences, and any other pertinent information.
Personalized experiences help your attendees feel like the event is all about them. Every touch, no matter how small, can help to increase their engagement and enjoyment. A mobile app can give attendees the power to create their own schedules. Push notifications can tell them where to go next or what to check out based on other selections.
After the event, personalized thank you emails that include images or video clips remind attendees of their experiences. Including a follow-up survey (and implementing changes based on the feedback you receive) allows you to create even better events in the future. Repeat attendees will take notice of those changes.
Choose a Reliable Event Management Software Solution
Rather than rely on several separate pieces of event technology, you can choose a single reliable event management software solution. Event.com’s event management software offers an all-in-one solution that checks all the boxes. The platform provides you with everything you need to create, market, run, and analyze your event. Tools like custom landing pages, event promotion using AI, and data analytics help make your job easier to provide exceptional experiences for your attendees.
Upcoming Trends & Advances In Event Technology to Know
Event tech is constantly evolving. Here, you can take a quick look at some of the latest upcoming event technology trends and advances to watch:
- Virtual reality: VR technology has the power to immerse people into an entirely different place with the help of a headset. For virtual attendees, it can make them feel as though they’re physically at an event.
- Facial recognition: With facial recognition, you have your attendees upload photographs of themselves, which the technology records. During check-in, you use the technology to scan your attendees’ faces. Every match generates a series of actions, such as printing a badge or assigning an attendee ID. You can also collect data such as session attendance, bottlenecks in crowd flow, and more.
- Artificial reality: Also called augmented reality, this technology overlays digital content onto the physical world. The technology can drastically transform an everyday structure, turning it into a large-scale map, social media wall, interactive art display, and more. You can even use the tech to create an AR scavenger hunt.
- Live-streaming solutions: Live streaming is the live transmission of video (and audio) over the internet in real-time that’s become popular on social media platforms. It allows people who couldn’t attend your event to participate from the comfort of their homes.
- Personalized experiences: Artificial intelligence can analyze data to create personalized recommendations for each event attendee, including what sessions to attend, which booths to visit, which speakers they should hear, and even who they should meet.
How Can Technology Boost Your Next Event Experience?
In an increasingly digital world, event technology is a must. Not only does it make your job easier, but it allows you to create better events that keep getting better year after year.
Are you ready to incorporate event technology into your event strategy? Visit Events.com to schedule your demo or start planning your next event today!
