The event scene, such as meetings, conferences and general events, is changing rapidly. In this new scene, millennials are the ones you want to focus on since they have the upper hand in what is trendy and what isn’t. Forming the majority of today’s labour force, they are also the people you will see visiting most events. To keep up with technological advancements, the expo scene is constantly growing in terms of event technology. But what does that mean?

Simply put, event technology includes any hardware and software technology used at events. However, the term is often used for specified event tech as well. Examples are webinar software (online events) or badge scanning software (in-person events).

Each event is different and thus needs a different mix of event technologies. Some organisers might choose a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) to keep track of vendors and contracts, whereas others might benefit more from data analytics software, which helps evaluate data about the attendees in question. Both provide insights and offer the opportunity to make expo events more engaging and successful, leaving countless possibilities in their path.

The “down” side is that event tech is an addition to your budget, but definitely one worth the cost and should be considered a much-needed investment. The right use of technology can and will significantly improve your planning team’s ability and overall event technology.

Here’s a list of the most valuable advantages of incorporating event technology into your planning methods.

Increases Attendee Engagement

The power of audience response systems cannot be underestimated. This technology allows event attendees to contribute to the discussion, leading to more engagement in the overall event.

An audience response system is a tool that uses a combination of hardware and software that allows the speaker to genuinely interact with their audience through collecting and analysing responses to questions.

One of the best parts of this system is that the effects are immediate. One question is enough for the event software to tell you if your audience is following you or if they have no clue what you are talking about. This allows you to modify the ongoing event right away and note down any given feedback, meaning no more sitting around waiting for survey responses to come in.

Consistent Communication

At the core of each expo event lies the desire to communicate and build a relationship with its attendees. Event technology can provide exactly that.

An example is event app technology. According to 62% of event planners, the number one benefit of using a mobile application during your event is the ability to communicate with your attendees immediately. It provides solutions for networking, content absorption and audience engagement. 

Security Benefits

During the COVID-19 pandemic, event technology was the safest, if not the only, way to host an event. Online events became a hit almost instantly. But now, after the coronavirus has been tamed for the most part, hybrid technology for events is here to stay, especially because of the security benefits it offers.

Advanced event tech protects your data first and foremost but think of a more literal form of technology that helps keep events safe. That’s where badges come in. If the technology is more futuristic than that, you can even use facial recognition at the check in for an event.

When talking about the security benefits of event tech, we cannot leave GDPR unmentioned. This legal framework demands event planners to collect, process and protect personal data from individuals in the European Union appropriately. Event technology, for example mobile applications, can support expo organisers in meeting these requirements.

Helps Events be Sustainable

It is no secret that the event industry has a massive impact on the environment. Think of waste, travel and overall crowd pollution. Over the past few years, sustainability has become one of the key focuses in any event plan. Many event planners and experts take this topic very seriously. Event technology can help curb the effects that the events industry has on the environment on a global scale.

Not only does event tech offer the possibility for enhanced sustainability at in-person events, but it also realises the option of virtual events, which is, of course, a lot more environmentally friendly and can be considered a sustainable solution.

Data Collection and Success Measuring

Technology is supposed to simplify tasks, and event technology is no different. Event technology helps you collect valuable and important data from, for instance, survey responses, but it can also take actual attendee numbers and measure the overall engagement. The event technology of your choice will help you collect and review the data, so the eventual registration of it all leaves you with a clear overview of the overall quality of your event. This way, you can process feedback twice as fast and plan an even better event next time.

Assisting Event Planners

Last but not least, event tech is one of the greatest support systems for event professionals. According to a 2020 Event Study, 89% of organisations that incorporate event technology into their working methodology spend 200 hours less (that is around 5 work-weeks) on event planning and management per year.

Final Thoughts

With the use of the right technologies, all event experts will be able to organise and host even more impressive events.

Since the pandemic, event technology has done nothing but evolve and innovate, which means it is continuously becoming easier to incorporate and use. According to ReportLinker’s research, the market size will increase from £5.97  billion to £11.8 billion in the next 5 years.

Technology has changed the industry’s landscape. The digitalisation of most tasks has brought great development into the event planning and event management scene. With technology trends such as virtual reality, live streaming and contactless technologies on many fronts developing as fast as they are, the expo event industry simply cannot fall behind. Event tech is certainly the future of events.

 Find out how ExpoBeacon can help with using event technology for your event.