Data and tech are two powers that every event planner leverages. Large or small, events perform better and engage attendees faster with the efficient use of data-driven solutions and, of course, technology. How about integrating all the latest trends that impact the world event industry and see what comes out of it?

What is the SMART event of the future?

Events in the future may look completely different.

The innovative trends in digital, big data, and AI won’t pass the event industry by. As event attendees are becoming more demanding and crave flexible and tech-powered registration options, digital interactions or “heads-up” activities, event managers have to keep pace. Well, in this case, it’s better to say: run fast.

Events in the future

SMART event of the future may be a good definition for the event that utilizes the most vibrant tech- and data-related solutions such as augmented reality, or big data, to optimize event experiences.

Why event technology is changing?

The process of event organization integrates several different levels of interaction between attendees and a client. The latter relates to a ticketing system, venue selection, cooperation with partners, and so on. Each of these levels requires maximum benefits for event revenue, which is something that technology can provide. By implementing new all-the-rage tech solutions (even those, which were developed for a different purpose), events are made more appealing. A good reason for the change, isn’t it? What’s more, according to the Enterprise Event Marketing Study of 2016, technology can help reduce around 30% of event-related costs.

What to expect from events in the future?

Making SMART events work, requires either bringing some incremental changes into the existing platforms and applications or developing the brand-new approaches. Either way, there’s much that the future of events can offer:

  • Virtual presence. Yes, we’re slowly immersing ourselves into the world of virtual reality. Sad? – Maybe. But the potential of VR tech also promises extra convenience and the opportunity to enable one’s virtual presence at events.

Prediction #1: event attendance shifts towards virtual spaces.

  • The boom of mobile. Event consumers of the 21st-century demand fully-integrated mobile decisions.

Prediction #2: ticketing goes 100% mobile.

  • Accounting automacy. Big Data promises unbelievable accounting solutions for the event industry.

Prediction #3: Extra automation enters event accounting systems soon.

The future of events

Ok, so where do we go with this? The key event technology trends open up new horizons for event planners who know the tools and are able to apply them. Let’s explore how the future makers see SMART events.

#1. Big data & privacy

Big data gives event planners a bird’s eye view of the event success. There’re three ways, in which big data is actively impacting event organization:

  • Analytics. You can get actionable insights into attendees’ data, track their preferences and monitor behavior and tap into previous events’ metrics.
  • Segmentation. Big data provides means for sharpening your event targeting. Say thanks to smart segmentation features!
  • Reaction to changes. Capture any of the slightest changes in attendees’ behaviors and react to them when they emerge.

Big data & privacy

Warning: with the quickly-expanding big data outreach, there’s a risk that the events of the future may damage the privacy sector. Since more and more private data is required to track the event agenda, there’s a fine line between optimizing event accounting and interfering with someone’s private information.

#2. Improving engagement & personalized experience

The advent of social media in the event industry became a breakthrough innovation, which is still positively impacting attendees’ engagement. Looks like social networking is going to be adding more value to SMART event planning in the future.

What should we expect in the future?

  • Social networks get self-controlled and integrated with virtual reality – the event promotion takes on a full shift towards these new spaces.
  • Solidifying privacy and escaping irrelevant ads become key priorities for social media users. Accordingly, they’ll have to pay for viewing only relevant posts. This might enable highly targeted event promotions and increase the cost of advertising events on social media.

Takeaway: 1) Think of tailoring highly-relevant event contents to your target personas. 2) Cater for visual & sound solutions.

#3. Augmented & virtual realities

Augmented & virtual realities

These two innovations can cause exponential changes to how people attend and discuss events:

  • With VR you can create computerized spaces for event organization. This will substantially reduce the venue costs and engage those who want to join in virtual space.
  • Virtual attendance won’t mean simply taking the role of an observer. Thanks to VR technology, the attendees will be able to interact with other event guests even if they aren’t physically present.
  • Experiencing event products with the help of AR will become a great asset for exhibitors and companies that promote products too big for being exhibited at event venues.

#4. Wearable technology

As event trends reveal, wearable technology can become the new frontier in the establishment of relationships with attendees. The employment of bracelets and wristbands and iBeacon use can broaden attendees’ experiences  considerably:

  • Personal data embedding will speed up attendees’ registration and elaborate payment processes.
  • Through behavioral triggering, the possibilities of mapping and geo-location will expand.
  • Simulated experiences will become a part of events.

#5. One-stop-consolidation of tools

While one tech innovation can move your event a step forward, the integration of several SMART tools will make it function at top gear. The essential task for event industry is creating tech-powered, consolidated platforms that’ll help manage, plan, and run events without switching to any assistant instruments. One-stop-consolidation of tools may be provided by event management software that captures new event trends and aligns them with the event industry needs. You can request a demo now and start testing the potential of  GEVME – a one-stop online platform for managing future-oriented events.

Conclusion

The unknown-unknowns of the future event technology may be scary. However, with the smart use of advanced tools, an ambitious event planner can make the management of events much easier. Let’s try to tweak the conventional event story and enlighten it with the power of tech! If you’d like to learn more about the potential of SMART events, check out GEVME Xchange 2017.