With prolific advancements in digital technology, contemporary corporate events are more interactive, immersive and customised than they ever have been before. Modern technology like enhanced audio-visual solutions, such as large-screen displays and lighting design, from companies like SmartWorks (https://www.smartworksevents.com/services/av-production/) has enhanced and improved the way both attendees and organisers experience, promote and interact at corporate events, from registration through to post event lead generation.
Social media promotion has empowered the distribution and sharing of content and real-time information and sophisticated onsite registration systems allow event managers to learn more about attendees, vendors and delegates than ever before, in order to create more personalised events and engage in ever more sophisticated lead generation.
If you are looking to supercharge your next corporate event, here are five technologies you can’t afford to ignore.
Social Media
Social media plays a pivotal role in marketing modern events and has breathed new life into the events industry. During the run-up to an event, management can create unprecedented awareness, hype and excitement about it on social media.
With the help of hashtags on the likes of Twitter and Instagram (the more memorable the better), you can create a buzz around your event, allowing attendees to easily connect with each other both before and after the event. People can join in a conversation about the event, engage with one another and network in ways that were previously impossible.
Make sure to create a dedicated page for your event on all your major social platforms as this will enable users to view information, photos and videos about the corporate event, and post their own comments all in the same place. These pages, along with your website, will act as virtual forums for everything to do with your event.
Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are making their mark on the world of events, taking the whole interactive and engaging climate of events to new levels. By implementing VR into an event, management and organisers can allow remote spectators to experience the event like they were there themselves.
Virtual reality 360-degree video can be viewed from mobile devices, bringing deeper levels of engagement and consequently lots of opportunities for branding and sponsorship.
By the same token, augmented reality is being used at events to attract crowds and create unique experiences. Businesses can make presentations and displays more fun, relaxing and memorable at events by using AR.
With some simple gamification, VR and AR can help event planners encourage networking, collect feedback and promote their sponsors in an effective and immersive way.
Wearable Technology and Sensors
Wearable tech and sensors, which incorporate Near Field Communication (NFC), GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and iBeacons, bring even greater levels of sophistication to an event, enabling event organisers to gather and analyse data on how attendees experience and interact at events.
Subsequently, event management and marketers have a much more detailed picture of what event goers expect, which can be used advantageously when planning and marketing future events and keeping attendees happy when they are at the event.
With practically every delegate attending an event with their smartphone, the savviest of event management are creating event apps. Building smart sensors into an event app – aka iBeacons – allows attendees to send notifications to other attendees regarding information about the conference, such as their whereabouts and which sessions they are attending.
Digital Signage
Digital signage is increasingly being incorporated into events to showcase content and create dynamic displays for image and video messaging. The strikingly high-clarity, flexibility and ‘always on’ nature of digital signage is become an important, focal feature of live corporate event environments. When equipped with NFC, digital signage can create personalised experiences for attendees as they wander around.
Digital signage can also be used to stream live content directly from the event floor onto social media platforms, thereby keeping audiences not in physical attendance, up-to-date with real-time updates from an event.
Whether it’s a small digital screen at a booth, or a large LED wall at the entrance to the venue, digital signage also allows brands marketing at an event to provide eye-catching, high-impact advertising. Such digital signage also acts as an effective and conspicuous way to help attendees find their way around event, improving the overall experience for vendors, exhibitors and guests.
About the Author: Denise Sharpe is Managing Director and founding partner of Outsourced Events, a London based event management company. With over twenty years in the event industry, she has helped run events for global corporates such as Dell, Citrix and renowned UK organisations like the Royal College of Occupational Therapists. You can get in touch with Outsourced Events on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook or check out more of Denise’s insights on their event blog.
