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Insights on events, technology, and the future of gathering
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Insights on events, technology, and the future of gathering
Planning and hosting an event, whether large or small, involves balance above all. There are so many details, vendors, and components to consider as part of your event, and keeping it all straight is no easy feat. That’s why event technology can be critical at any step of the process, helping your event run more smoothly and even protecting you from major mistakes.
To help you better understand event technology, we’re digging into the types of event technology and how it can benefit your next event.
Event technology is a general term for any technology, including software and hardware, that you may use in the organization, planning, implementation, and analysis of an event. This term is especially commonly used to refer to technology that is specific to events, like webinar software for virtual events or badge scanning software for in-person events. It can also include other types of technology that are used for event planning and other purposes, like customer management software and marketing tools.
The list of types of event technology you may use is nearly endless because event coordination involves so many skills and tasks. To give you an overview, though, these are some of the most common types of event technology:
Webinar software used to cast presentations for virtual or hybrid events
Event management software that handles numerous aspects of your event
Virtual event hosting software that includes a full ecosystem for virtual events including casting as well as breakout rooms and more
Event-based apps that allow attendees to interact with the event’s sessions
Social media software to market the event and track social mentions during the event
Data analytics software to evaluate data about your attendees and provide insights to make your event more engaging or successful
Vendor management software to maintain records of vendors and contracts
Survey technology to take live polls during sessions and to assess attendees’ opinions and experiences after the event
Marketing tools like email marketing software to market the event
This is not an exhaustive list, but any of the types of technology listed above can be used as event technology to help your next event run more smoothly.
Any type of event technology you use will be an added expense in your budget, but the truth is that these are investments. In fact, there are several ways in which the right event technology can offer several benefits for your event planning team and your organization overall.
Audience engagement is one of the most crucial ways to improve the outcomes of your event. It leads to happier attendees because they’ve gotten more out of the event as well as happier vendors. Audience engagement software can improve engagement by giving audience members opportunities for interaction, like apps where they can track their sessions, survey technology to participate in live polls within sessions, message boards where they can discuss their takeaways, and more.
Each event has its own purpose and goals, and you need to be able to customize your event. Certain technology can make this possible by helping you customize your presentations and materials, prepare branding and marketing collateral, and more. You can even allow attendees to personalize their event experience by using apps to plan their sessions, vendor booths, and so on.
Safety and security are vital for any event because a negative incident can put your organization, attendees, or vendors at risk and also overshadow all your hard work. Security technology like surveillance equipment or identity verification tools can improve safety for everyone as well as everyone’s assets.
The way you choose to register attendees for your event will play a role in your audience’s experience. A smooth, user-friendly process that is also accurate will create a positive first impression while ensuring that you have all the information you need when the big day arrives. Event registration platforms can handle the entire process swiftly.
Social media will be a large factor in your event whether or not you plan for it because audience members and vendors will be posting about it. Social media technology can help you grow your presence. Not only are you able to market the event in advance on social media but you can also set up special hashtags for the event, create groups on social media platforms where attendees can network, and so on. When people are talking about your event in a positive light, it looks great for your organization.
Tracking and assessing your data is a cornerstone of throwing profitable and productive events time and time again. Data analytics software can help you identify who your target audience members are, how people are finding out about your event, how much attendees interacted and engaged during the event, and so on. These insights are priceless as you work to make your next event even better.
Event planning and hosting an event will always be a time-consuming project, but the right technology can make a powerful difference. Various types of event technology can automate parts of your process, like tracking vendor contracts, sending reminders to registrants, publishing marketing campaigns, and so much more.
As we mentioned, event technology is not an expense but an investment. It can help you save money on planning time and staffing resources, fixing records errors, and protecting the facility and your equipment from damage or theft, to name a few.
While every event planning team has its own processes and strategies, chances are that there are several types of event technology or event software that can make your work easier while making your event more successful. To start learning about these tools today, learn more about Canapii and how we can facilitate your next event.