How Technology Is Changing the Events Industry

By Anda Warner

The events industry is constantly evolving. The growth of social media has single-handedly changed how consumers used to engage with the events industry a decade ago, enabling them to have more immersive experiences. Event organizers, on the other hand, are now leveraging technology to interact with their target audience and promote their events. In this post, we shall delve deeper into this topic and identify 6 key changes that technological advancement has brought to the events industry.

1. Online ticketing
Traditional terminal-based ticketing systems are gradually being replaced by online ticketing systems. As an event organizer, you can now engage better with your fans and understand their views from a better touchpoint thanks to smartphone technology. Mobile ticketing and event organizing apps enable event-goers to buy tickets and interact with the venue as well as your event promoters without having to leave the comfort of their homes. You must, therefore, partner with app developers in coming up with a reliable event app for all your event needs.

2. 360° VR interactive experience
Thanks to VR technology, you will soon be able to broadcast your events to the world through virtual reality. Your target attendees will not have to come to your live event because, after all, they can interact with the venue as if they were there physically. You will be able to create the best experience for your target audience from all over the world. And although you may have to make hefty initial investments to bring VR interactive experience to your fans, it surely will prove to be a worthy investment in the end.

3. Better consumer control
The tech revolution in the event industry will continue to make event management and consumer control easier and more cost-effective. Think of the impact that cloud-based event management tools have had in the industry. It is now easier to store and manage attendees' data in the cloud. Technology has also made it easier for you to create a professional website for your events and execute webinars without any technical hitches. As a matter of fact, you don't need years of experience to pull off a great event.

4. Incorporating drones
You can use drones for many purposes before and during your event. For example, you can move a drone all around the designated venue before the event D-day and then share sneak peeks of everything happening behind the curtains on social media. That is one way of getting your target audience in high spirits for the event. Another way to use drones in your event is to move it around the venue as a form of entertainment during the actual event. Intel successfully did this during the 2018 Winter Olympics, and so can you.

5. Leveraging big, cloud-driven data
The International Association of Exhibitions and Events predicts that as big data continues to become easier and cheaper to mine, events will continue to get better and more custom-made. You can now easily collect accurate consumer data from the cloud and then use it to customize and deliver your content. Big data was instrumental in helping Brazil plan and execute the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Since then, smaller events have been leveraging big data to improve their events.

6. Others
Other key contributions that technology is making in the events industry include:

- QR codes that can help you collect attendee data whenever they scan for different items and through different mini-events within a live event. This will help you make your next event even better.
- NFC-enabled phones will soon be helping you to track which merchandise attracts more fans during a live event, allowing you to develop marketing tactics that align with the needs of your potential customers. You will seamlessly analyze different demographics, gauge customer engagement, and when you generate new leads, you will be able to conveniently measure your ROI.
- With mobile payment options such as Apple Pay, as well as the increasing social payment platforms, you will no longer need to invest your money or time in cash management.
- Radio-frequency identification (RFID) will also enable you to collect customer information in real-time, without having to disorient or inconvenience your event attendees.

Actionable Tips on How To Use Technology At Your Next Event

- Hire an event production company to help you apply different data mining and analysis tools. The company will also help you engage with your target audience before the D-day.

- Promote your event on social media using clever hashtags and sponsored ads.

- Make it easier for attendees to purchase tickets and book seats for your event by adding a unique QR code to your campaign posters.

- Develop an event app and use it to share details about your event digitally.

- Use facial recognition technology to improve your guests' security, among other technologies.

Anda Warner is an experienced digital marketing specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry. She's currently helping probleme.me with their inbound marketing strategies.

Opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of WITI.