There’s no denying that technology is the bread and butter of events these days. While hybrid events are sort of sticking around, and there are still some virtual events here and there, it’s clear that technology is important for all events, and in-person events are constantly incorporating new tech.
It’s becoming common for event companies to create their own apps for their events; over 37% of events now offer an app for attendees to use during the event. The AMEX 2024 Global Meetings and Events Forecast found that in 2023, mobile apps continue to be a staple in meetings and events, with a predicted usage rate of over 60%.
There are three big things we’ve heard a lot about over the last year: Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). We’ve also been hearing about tech that automates and streamlines processes. The throughline of all of these: tech that makes the event experience easier for pros and consumers, that creates a more engaging guest experience through personalization, and provides data for improved experience.
AR and VR
AR, which integrates digital elements with a real-life environment through a phone screen, has cropped up at events and tradeshows through product demos, virtual tours, event/product/service information, and games (like scavenger hunts). These are typically used in exhibitions, sports events, cultural and artistic events, and conferences, and we expect to continue seeing AR become commonplace.
About this time last year, we expected the “Metaverse” to take full hold of the events industry. However, the concept is taking a while to catch on; in June, Wired said that “the term itself has eroded into near meaninglessness,” and said the word can be easily swapped with “cyberspace.” In the meantime, we’ve seen other ways that VR has caught on in the events industry as the space for virtual events, as well as for 360° virtual tours of venues. We expect to see VR continue working its way into the event space; the AMEX report found that 41% of respondents expect to use VR next year.
AI
Forget “rizz”—AI is the word of the year, hands down. Some people are excited about artificial intelligence; others are more hesitant. No matter how you feel about it, AI is already working its way into the events industry; in fact, the AMEX report found that 42% of respondents said they expect to use AI in 2024.
Registration is one area foreseen to benefit from AI, and event pros are beginning to use it to match attendees with similar interests, personalize guest experiences, generate leads, remove language barriers, create content templates, gather feedback and attendee data, and even create post-event reports. Plus, chatbots can be helpful tools for answering client questions.
As an article from Forbes put it, event planners “now have access to unprecedented levels of attendee data. They can use this information to segment groups and plan activities based on demonstrated areas of interest. On a more granular level, organizers can employ intelligent registration systems to gather data that essentially curates a guest’s experience.”
One main point repeated throughout the year: AI will help event pros personalize event content for attendees, which will drive engagement and increase ROI.
Streamlined processes
AI fits into the general direction of tech that automates and streamlines processes for event pros, freeing them up to focus on the creative and relational work that is so pivotal to the industry, leaving the repetitive, tedious tasks to tech. With so many tasks left up to different tech platforms, event pros are leaning into consolidation by integrating their tech stack. As an article from Cvent put it, “An integrated tech stack means you can house your event data in a single source of truth. It also facilitates the flow of data between internal systems, such as Marketing/CRM, HR, finance systems, and more. Not only does this provide a holistic view of your entire meetings and events program, but it also allows you to standardize and enforce global policies across your organization and improves reporting.”
As we head into 2024, it’s to be expected that new technologies will continue to improve and integrate into the event scene, both in the office and at the event.
This article is part of a series where we take an in-depth look at the state of the event industry.
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