MAY | TECH
Bleep on the bottom line
Image Fest
Ross Weszka, group marketing manager, Bleep
UK talks technology in 2019
What have you noticed changing in technology?
One major change we have noticed the last few
years and accelerated here in the UK, is the move
away from cash and the growth of contactless and mobile payments. Event’s
organisers and operators are now seeing this as essential across hospitality,
food and beverage and retail environments.
Words: James Morgan, founder,
Event Tech Lab
Images from festivals are
used as a marketing tool
by organisers or by fans
as a means of sharing and
extending their experiences.
Aside from attendees taking
their own photographs lots
of organisers make sure
that there are opportunities
for fans to record their
experiences.
We have seen all types of
photo booth experiences at
festivals. My favourites are
the Hippie Van - stepping
inside the van with all sorts
of 1960s Flower Power
memorabilia – and Noonah’s
360 degree Holi Festival dye
throwing photo booth.
Brand new is Visual
Hive’s artificial intelligence
application - Snapit – a
Facebook-based chat bot.
It is accessed through a QR
code or link that the festival
organiser or sponsor would
send out to festival goers as
an add on service or as part of
the ticket price.
The chat bot uses facial
recognition software to
tailor images of interest to
attendees, using Facebook
with no need to download an
app.
Users are asked if they
want to see photos of
themselves or an organiser
curated photo stream of
the best images from the
festival. If a user selects the
best festival photos option,
they have a curated stream
of images sent to them in the
chatbot chat window. They
can the share with friends or
save from there. If the user
chooses the “your photo”
option, they will be asked to
take a selfie in the chat bot
environment and all their
photos - facially recognised -
will be appear in the chat bot
feed ready to be shared and
saved.
The marketing benefits
of using the bot for image
creation are about organisers
controlling the visual content
stream and increasing
online engagement and
transforming sponsorship
activations. Snapit can also
target users with advertising
and calls to action, while
being fully GDPR compliant.
What sort of demands are organisers/agencies requiring?
The obvious one, and this is probably the same across a number of
industries, is the pressure on costs and ultimately maximising the bottom
line. Whilst investing in technology, like our EPOS and Payment solutions
can be seen as costly, they can positively impact an events bottom line
through increased spend per head, maximised sales through speed of
service and card payment methods and by a reduction in losses, the latter
often a ‘hidden’ cost.
How much does cost come into the equation?
Of course, it is a factor – however, with artist and production costs rising
and ticket prices generally at a ceiling, new, or improved revenue sources
are required. Investment in EPOS and Payment technology can offer event’s
organisers this new or improved revenue stream – whether that is just by
serving more customers, offering card payments, or just a greater level of
control over what they are selling, how much they are selling and how much
they are taking.
Are you more proactive or reactive in this competitive market?
We are more proactive – we have to be to continue to win events business
– event though the value of ‘word of mouth’ and positive customer
experiences cannot be underestimated. We have won a lot of business on
the back of successfully supplying certain events and therefore resulting in
the ‘go to’ supplier for any event looking to enhance its operations.
What does the future of event technology look like in 10 years’ time?
The future of event technology will likely all be around new forms of
content delivery and consumption, with the growth of mobile and social
engagement. Obviously, events becoming cashless environments is likely
to also be a given in the not too distant future, with some events organisers
looking at this much sooner.
Is the events sector is on trend with technology solutions or behind?
In terms of point of sale technology and the availability of this kind of
customer facing tech, events are quite far behind other industries. However,
in the past couple of years we are seeing huge growth in event organisers
of
all shapes and sizes looking to improve and enhance
the way they transact with customers on site and
how they take payments.
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