By Julius Solaris – Event MB
1. Bolster Guest Management and Experience with Facial Recognition
Home tech is influencing event tech. Just as in the case of voice search, we’re likely to see facial recognition from devices like Apple spill over into the event industry. The ramifications of this are extraordinary but the processing time is still being fine-tuned. Still, it’s something we all should be watching. Ultimately, we’ll learn how to… Increase efficiency with facial recognition:
• Check-in and registration become much quicker with this tech. Some theme parks are already using this technology. It’s also more secure.
• Ensure greater safety by using facial recognition to spot people on known security lists.
• Improve your social media reach by using facial recognition in tagging people in photos from your event.
2. Play Up Group Tech Experiences
Another hot trend is using tech to create social experiences out of what was previously alone time. Friends are watching movies together from thousands of miles away. They’re competing with one another on video games across continents. This has some fantastic implications for your event attendees and those who are following the excitement at home. They no longer have to be mere voyeurs but can join in. Link up people online for stronger connections:
• Use live 360-degree video (what many refer to as VR) to connect remote audiences. Give them the opportunity to attend an event together in order to bolster buying online-only tickets.
• Create content for sharing. YouTubers make a living out of commentary on videos. Their commentary becomes additional content and a way to enjoy a video or event. You can use industry influencers for play-by-play commentary on your events, creating a secondary event (and additional content) in the process.
• Develop tracks for niche interests at your event. With a virtual ticket and a paired up “host,” guests could experience inside tracks in a way much different than in prior events. They could attend meetups and the hallway track by being able to select from in-person led experiences not just watching sessions.
3. Employ Voice for Greater Engagement
AI is increasingly becoming the norm behind attendee experience. Even if you haven’t started using it at your events, your attendees are using it at home and work. In fact, according to Google, in 2016 20% of searches were voice searches. Use voice to drive engagement:
• Look into ways for your voice tech to perform actions. People are moving away from asking questions to asking voice assistants to perform commands, from “where is my next session” to “sign me up for the session on X.”
• Create “if, then” scenarios that are helpful to attendees. Be proactive in your voice assistance. For example, if someone asks where vendor X is on the exhibit floor, the assistant could then ask if they’d like to schedule some one-on-one time with that vendor.
• Link the ability to read badges with your chatbot or voice assistant so it has all the information about the attendee it needs to be helpful.
4. Build the Data from the Ground Up with Clever Floor
Clever flooring is creating some exciting opportunities for events. It’s making data collection and analysis easier than ever and something that happens (nearly) organically. Slay data collection by:
• Using smart mats and other unobtrusive technologies to collect data from critical areas.
• Employing smart mats to increase sponsorships with known traffic numbers and accurate, real-time data. No more talk about generic “great exposure” with potential sponsors. You can show them real numbers.
• Collecting floor traffic data and correlating it on the spot so that you can sell sponsorships for next year before sponsors leave your event. You can use fear of missing out and scarcity to sell out sponsorships in key locations while your current event is still going on.
5. Connect with a Greater Number of People Through App Interpreters
Electronic translators aren’t new for 2018 but the technology has undergone some much-needed maturation. These apps are now reliable enough to offer a positive experience for event attendees and help bridge some of the previously-existing communication gaps. Traverse the communication gap:
• Use remote translation services. Finding local translators isn’t always easy. With this type of technology, translators could be available remotely or through an app giving your attendees a good communication experience regardless of time and where they are at your event.
• Save money using remote translation services. Apps don’t have to be paid hourly, for travel, or incidentals.
• Use subject matter experts regardless of their knowledge of the language that most of your attendees speak. This frees up the selection process to find the person who knows the most without sacrificing attendee experience or understanding.
6. Putting Chatbots to Work
It’s estimated that by Q3 of 2017, Amazon alone had sold over 20-million Alexa units, not factoring in non-Echo smart speakers with Alexa built in. Why do you care? If your attendees are using voice assistants at home, you can bet it’s become their new normal. That means you want to be covered at your next event. Harness the power of chat for better response:
• Design a system to answer questions with chat. It’s faster for attendees and won’t tie up your staff with the same old “where is the restroom” type question.
• Use chatbots for exit surveys. They are much more adept at matching questions with answers and using “if, then” pathways for more meaningful information gathering. Plus they’re fun for your audience.
• Employ chatbots to assist attendees on next steps. Voice assistants have become wildly popular because they’re easy and enjoyable to use and they act as our own personal attendant. They can remind us of engagements as well as tasks. Use chatbots to tell attendees if their silent auction bid was trumped or what their next session is and where it’s located.
7. Improving Attendee Experience Through Personalization Tech
Personalization has been tops on most trends lists for a few years now but with event tech, it’s becoming even more actionable. According to Statista, the average email open rate for a personalized message was 18.8% versus 13.1% for one that was not personalized at all. But personalization is about more than just adding someone’s name to an email. Personalize your approach to make an impression:
• Use activity history for personalization such as removing those who have registered already from the “reminder to register” email list.
• Analyze attendees’ preferences by keeping track of their click-throughs and noting which URLs drive clicks. Present content based on those interests.
• Alert attendees when they are in close proximity to their contacts or “want to meet” list. The dating apps do it and many event networking apps have those abilities as well.
8. Gain More Sponsorships Through Augmented Reality
Online marketing has pushed the need for accountability, tangibility, and return on every dollar of investment. Events are starting to feel the hit of not being able to obtain satisfactory sponsorships. However, augmented reality can help. Harness creative opportunities in augmented reality:
• Animate static objects to gain more attention. Think of it as 2018’s version of neon.
• Use customized filters like Snapchat does. Even Facebook is making profile frames easier than ever to use.
• Tell the sponsor’s story with augmented reality. Cruise ships are already using this tech to educate cruisers about the artwork on board as they pass it.
9. Win Over New Attendees and Larger Audiences with Influence Marketing Tech
There are a lot of marketers doing influencer marketing wrong. They understand the importance of it and how suggestions from a tribe have greater conversions but they fail to understand the importance of the approach. Propositioning a complete stranger and asking for a favor will undoubtedly yield horrendous results. But how do you develop those relationships over time? How do you scale for it and make it worth your while? Is there an efficient way to approach it. There is with tech. Build valuable relationships with influencers:
• Look past numbers. The number of followers means very little if the said influencer can’t motivate their tribe into action. Look for a high interaction ratio, not just audience numbers.
• Approach the midrange of influencers. Most marketers look at the same A-listers as someone to target for their marketing efforts. While these names are well-known, they are often more difficult to approach and win over. Midrange influencers still have adequate-sized followings and you won’t have to hurdle their gatekeepers to get their attention.
• Look at influencers who are already among your supporters. Those are much easier sells.
10. Roll Out the Red Carpet and Create VIP Experiences
No one wants to be a number and this preference is becoming more pronounced with tech. Voice assistants make us feel like royalty. Few people are ready to give up the personalization we’ve gotten used to in our everyday lives at an event. But are you using personalization to impress and retain without sacrificing the needs of the larger group? Create meaningful VIP experiences:
• Personalize based on type. Vendors, sponsors, attendees, and the like should all get their own set of communications and drip marketing. Tech is making this much easier by correlating data and sorting before sending.
• Offer specials to “frequent flyers.” Reward loyal attendees by creating automatic communications and available discounts for those who have attended in the past. Ensure your communications have a familiar feel so recipients feel like you’re sending them to a friend, not a stranger.
• Offer exclusive VIP experiences for those who qualify. Analyze data to track what makes someone a successful attendee. What have they been a part of? Reward those who perform those activities and find ways to encourage those who haven’t through drip marketing and “if, then” scenarios.
