Technology that Will Change Your Events, Forever
It’s the digital age, and technology has influenced every aspect of our lives – from the entertainment we consume, to the smart devices that control our home’s lighting and electronics, to the way we travel from one place to another.
Yet, many events are still stuck in the early 2000s. Sure, there’s free Wi-Fi access and event invitations arrive in inboxes (instead of letterboxes), but what else?
While staples like selecting good event speakers and locations are important, it’s essential to give your event audiences fresh experiences, empowered by the technology that’s readily available in 2018. Consider these game-changing pieces of tech.
Interactive Displays
Printed banners and standees are outdated, cumbersome, and let’s admit it – are an eyesore with their big metal stands and rods. If your event venue has interactive displays (or at the very least, digital displays), your event signage and visuals can look so much better. Plus, they’re also incredibly versatile and flexible.
Have a last-minute change to your itinerary? Just have your designer change the visual, and your interactive display can be updated just like that. And since there’s nothing to dispose of after the event, it’s also an eco-friendlier option.
Event App
Today, you can expect every event attendee to have a smartphone in their pocket (and maybe another one of two other smart devices in their bags.) With an event app, you can put your event’s most interactive tool in the hands of every attendee – or more specially, in their smartphone or tablet.
Your event app can be a repository of your event’s materials, including the agenda, map, presentation materials, contact list, and more. But it can also do so much more.
The app can help you reduce queues at registration and customer service desks, enable participants to network with one another, allow audiences to interact with presenters on stage, participate in the gamified elements of your events, and lots more.
Charging Stations
Whether you want them to or not, your audiences are using their battery-zapping smartphones all day. Sooner or later, they’re going to want to charge it – and if this means having to leave your event hall to do so, many will.
A simple solution for keeping your audience captive in these situations, is to simply provide them with charging stations. You could bring these to your event ground, but if your venue provider already has these at or nearby your event location, that could save you time, hassle, and cost.
Virtual Reality
One of the most exciting developments in recent years has been virtual reality, which you can utilise in innovative ways. Perhaps the most straightforward approach, would be to bring virtual reality to your event. Let’s say you have an experience that you’d like participants to enjoy – for example, going on a deep-sea dive.
By setting up VR booths at your event (with VR headsets and staff to assist), your participants can have that experience at your event. This means that after your speakers tell audiences about a product, service or location that you’re trying to sell – audiences can experience it in virtual reality moments later.
Certainly, a much more engaging experience than simply listening to presentations and watching videos.
Video Walls
Make your displays larger-than-life with video walls. These displays are great for branding, sharing important event information, announcements, or videos promoting your products and services.
And if you opt for touchscreen video walls, you can even create interactive elements – transforming your wall into a game to keep event audiences engaged throughout the event.
More Tips? For more event-related tips and hacks, subscribe to our blog or speak with your local Angage team, who will be delighted to hear from you.
