event technology for audience engagement.

Event technology has changed hugely over the last few years and it’s really exciting to see how things have progressed.

So here is some simple advice to help you get the right solution for each and every event you organise.

A lot of event technology suppliers (us included) keep telling their clients they ought to do more with the data generated at their events.

But should we still be talking about data, or should we be talking about something else completely?

Ideally, instead of a series of slides, a PowerPoint presentation should take the audience on a journey so they feel involved and a part of the experience.

In short, an engaging presentation is one that tells a story.

We all know first impressions count.

And the first impression at many events is the registration desk, where delegates receive their badge and obtain access to the event.

We asked our followers on social media to describe the Event Technology sector in one word and the responses received have given us food for thought.

So what were some of the responses we received?

Choosing the right technologies for your events is often not simple.

Here are a few pieces of advice to help you get it right.

Event apps all offer some form of polling/voting, so it might appear that the days of the dedicated voting keypad are numbered.

We might respectfully disagree.

Technology is everywhere so it is no surprise that today’s event attendees expect to be consulted & engaged at the events they attend.

So how do you determine which solution is best for your events?

A child walks into class and states the earth is flat. What should the teacher do?

Point them towards the Flat Earth Society’s website?

There’s an app called CityMapper that helps me get around London. It tells me the best route, which carriage to take on the tube to be nearest the right exit at my destination, and my time to arrival. It’s very handy.

So when they recently announced they were launching a real bus service in London, I was intrigued.

Is it just us or is the cost of WiFi and internet access at venues still a complete mystery?

Unfortunately the quality, capacity and coverage is also hit and miss.

Would you use a venue where only 50% of your audience could see the screen?

Or a catering company that provided food for only 50% of your delegates?

What if there were only enough chairs for 50% of your attendees?

Technology has transformed the way we communicate. Audience behaviour has shifted and how they are described has evolved.

This allows stories to emerge and connections to be discovered creating a digital tapestry of information.

We’re often asked for our opinions about what the “next big thing” is going to be, the piece of technology that is going to burst onto the event scene in the coming months.

But people should remember that it’s not the technology itself that makes a difference, it is how it is used that defines whether something is worthwhile or not.

Many of you have probably heard of RFID and how it can revolutionise an event by enhancing attendees’ experiences whilst making the process more efficient for the organisers.

But what is it? How does it work? And where can it add value?

Here we answer these questions and more…

There are a lot of articles offering tips on how you can improve the way you interact with your audience at events but not many explaining why you should interact with them in the first place.

So why should you interact with your audience?

Technology gives us access to a vast amount of information available almost anywhere, and at the push of a button.

But can we get lost in the data? And do we run the risk of information overload?

Mobile event apps have stormed onto the scene over the last few years. The rise of the smart phone has led to the almost universally held belief that they can supplant dedicated devices completely and will be better on all levels.

So, is conference voting dead?

I was recently invited to speak at the inaugural RSVP conference in Zagreb, aimed at Event Managers and Marketers based in Croatia, and thanks to a couple of presentations from fellow speakers my thoughts that we should be doing more with data were confirmed.

Organising conferences can be stressful, especially when you have to print out large copies of delegate packs. Why not go paperless instead to remove this pressure and offer your delegates all the materials they need electronically using a tablet device?

We have all been to meetings where a presenter simply talks and talks using a series of PowerPoint slides. The danger of this format is that delegates switch off and the key messages you want to convey are lost.

It may seem simple but meetings are about people and delegates now expect more.

They want to be involved and consulted and you as organiser need to be able to hear what they are saying.

Tablets, iPads and Event Apps are a popular option for conferences and events now.

With careful planning they can add a huge amount of value to your meeting.

Here are some things you should consider if you are planning to use them at your next event.

For event organisers, one of the key things to avoid at events are bottlenecks. Whether at the registration desk, at the entrance to the plenary sessions, at breaks and lunches, or getting on and off transport, bottlenecks are a guaranteed way to make delegates disgruntled.

The letter “i” might not seem especially relevant to a supplier of Event Technology, but there are four words that begin with this letter that are right at the heart of what we do here at Group Dynamics. Which words are these?