The past couple of decades have brought many changes to the event industry. And in 2019, as the industry’s growth continues and steps into a tech-driven future, many cutting-edge event technology trends are set to become an integral part of it.
If you represent an organisation that cares for its guests and pushes the boundaries to make every conference and corporate get-together memorable, why not take a look at these latest trends and implement them to make your next event a hit?
Immersive Technologies
According to Gartner, more than 70% of enterprises will have started using immersive technologies like augmented reality and virtual reality by 2022. The change isn’t going to happen overnight, but with these technologies already being introduced today, it’s important you recognise their place in time for when they rule the mainstream market.
Both AR and VR have been in existence for some time now, and with technology becoming more sophisticated in 2019, their use in the event industry will continue to flourish.
Since the competition is growing at a fast pace, businesses have to think outside the box to stand out — and AR and VR can help them easily achieve this. AR and VR boost engagement at the event venue and also present the products and services of brands in an innovative way.
2019 will be the year to see more companies incorporating AR and VR into their corporate events to offer a unique experience to their clients.
Artificial Intelligence
Imagine if you had the shopping preferences, age group, interests, professional background, and purpose of the visit of every event attendee right on your fingertips. Wouldn’t you be able to suggest to them the right product for their budget or put them in touch with others with similar interests?
Event organisers have always tried to create a profile of their guests. In the past, collating this information was more than most organisers could afford — in time and money. However, thanks to the growth of artificial intelligence at events, information gathering can be conducted comfortably as AI pulls visitors’ data from different social media sites and — along with their registration details — creates an easily assembled profile for each guest. This is a growing trend that will only escalate in the months to come.
Bots
Since most people have smartphones with 24/7 access to the internet, many event organisers now use online facilities like social media platforms and websites to create a buzz about their event — such as sharing updates and offering online registrations on the day of the event. This saves time and allows announcements — such as changes to dates and venues — to be made at the last minute.
Increasing the number of staff handling website enquiries and communicating updates is an extra expense most events organisers could do without. Bots, however, are a cheap and easy solution to handling websites demands. Bots automate the proceedings, answering most of the general questions asked by the site visitors.
They can make event-registration a fun and engaging process — sparing the back-end team the pressure.
Many companies have already started using bots, and the response so far has been positive. The use of bots is sure to increase in the coming months.
Drones
Drones have proven themselves useful in entertainment, security, advertisement and much more. So it’s unsurprising that many event organisers have started using them in different creative ways at various indoor and outdoor conferences and meetings. At the moment, drones are one of the hottest event tech trends in the market and their popularity will keep on growing in 2019.
As the laws related to drones are expected to get more flexible in the coming months, we will see a lot of companies bringing them on-board to offer an unbelievable experience to their guests.
5G
Ericsson predicts that over 1.5 billion people will be using 5G internet by 2025, which means that the data speed you get now will have increased by up to 20 times in five to six years’ time. Of course, this won’t happen immediately.
It’s going to take at least a few years for 5G to be fully rolled out, with implementation beginning in 2019. Many smartphone makers have already announced their plans to launch 5G handsets this year, and soon, we will see many more developing new products so that they’re not left lagging behind — both in terms of technological advancement and data speed.
5G will have a direct impact on other emerging event trends including AI, AR, VR, and bots, so expect to see a sudden rise in their usage across the globe. As an event planner, you need to start preparing for this transformation now to stay ahead.
Data Integration and Personalised Experience
Data integration is another event tech trend that will create a huge buzz in 2019. Companies like Aventri and Cvent are constantly developing the ways they integrate their products to pull event attendees’ interests, likes and dislikes, and quantify such data. This precise information can help event organisers offer a unique event experience to their guests, make mid-course corrections and improve future event offerings. To ensure event managers are constantly learning from the successes — and failures — of their previous events, data integration is vital.
So if you want to host events that live up to your guests’ expectations and help fulfil your organisational goals, start exploring these latest event management software and tech trends today.
Author: Harriette Wilmoth, Marketing Manager, Banks Sadler
Banks Sadler is an award-winning full-service event management agency that delivers corporate events across the globe for large brands.
