Event technology
Skilling up to get the best
out of event tech trends
recent Hire Space event
tech webinar session,
Business And Events In A
Post-Pandemic World,
featuring Carla Hallmark Jones,
Head of Events at Nesta, and Sanj
Surati, Digital Atelier/Founder of
Tiger Heart, explored event tech
trends and what skills events
professionals might need to acquire.
The webinar was moderated by Mash
Media’s Martin Fullard and we look
here at some of the key takeaways.
Learning curve
The coronavirus pandemic has been a
learning curve for everyone, and
Nesta is one of many companies that
have been looking at their content to
decide what works best in a digital
way. Hallmark Jones says that is far
preferable to succumbing to the urge
to just turn everything digital, even if
the content doesn’t really work in that
medium.
As an events team you can be as
prepared as you like, she says, but it’s
also important to prepare your
speakers, too, who may not be used to
virtual events. Many have been
‘learning on the job’ in these
extraordinary times and one tip from
Hallmark Jones is to consider joining
a peer group or network groups. And
with the market flooded with content,
talking over challenges and
experiences within online groups can
be a helpful exercise, she says.
Observe and adapt
Tiger Heart’s Surati believes human
behaviour is changing dramatically as
we evolve to a new events landscape
post-coronavirus. As a result, the
digital medium has been tested to the
extreme, he says, and there are
multiple platforms in place to
accommodate great digital events.
It is common, now, for organisers
to be asking technology companies
about AI and how this can be
incorporated in the digital space to
manage certain things, such as who
goes into an event, as well as for data
gathering purposes. Surati adds that
it is important for companies to listen
to how the consumer uses the
technology and then adapt
accordingly to any change in
behaviour.
Simplicity is key
A key factor in any adaptation process
is simplicity and here Surati picks out
the example of Zoom. “The platform
has been so popular due to its
simplicity to use and has caused other
platforms to re-evaluate their own
digital architecture.”
Some platforms, although simple to
use, were simply not designed to
being used in the capacity in which
they are now, he argues.
So, what tools do event
professionals need?
“Knowing the technology you’re
using inside out is invaluable for an
event organiser planning digital
events,” says Hallmark Jones, who
adds it is also important in the new
digital event world to understand how
the technology works (at a basic level
at least) and how it can be used to
achieve your objectives.
Basic video editing is another skill
she identifies as being very useful
right now, as well as the ability to
take content and turn it into a
marketing tool – thus saving also on
outsourcing costs.
Surati notes that collaboration is
also key and ensuring that the
platform you’re going to be using is
the right one for your business and
event objectives.
“Don’t just play around quickly
here,” is his advice. “It’s important to
invest the right amount of time to do
this - you could hire, some interns or
temps to really get to grips with the
ins and outs,” Surati suggests.
As for charging for digital events,
Hallmark Jones believes it should
come down to what you did before. “If
you didn’t charge for live events
before, then don’t charge now! If you
did charge, then maybe consider
charging for access to your online
events, as otherwise it may devalue
your product and the content you’re
offering,” she says.
“If you use the right technology
and offer fantastic content, then
attendees will be getting a fairly
similar experience as before and will
be willing to pay for your events just
as they did before the pandemic,” she
adds, also suggesting slowly
introducing any charges, such as
running a few smaller virtual events
for free, and then holding a larger
event where there can be a charge for
access. This differentiates the value
for money and also gets your
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