hat are the new technical entry levels for top level venues ?

Brian Ludwig : You ’ re going to see fewer staff . Even in the lobbies for checking in , for getting keys to access to rooms or even for room service , all of these things are going to get further and further automated . Venues have started to equip registration areas with touchless technology to allow everyone to get in and out without too much human contact .

Some venues are investing in beacon technology to track where you are throughout the event , so that as you move around the venue an application will know your geographic location . This would enable you to know if there ’ s a VIP nearby that you want to talk to or maybe you ’ re walking down an aisle of a trade show and you ’ re alerted to booths you haven ’ t yet visited .

McNeel Keenan : There ’ s no doubt that event planners are rethinking accessibility and they want to make sure their experiences are available to as many people as possible . Live sports have been very successful for a long time by doing this , where they have built a strong international following . Unfortunately , event planners don ’ t have satellite trucks they can park outside to stream across the world , so they rely on the venues for that . Venues now need a fully tolerant live stream out the door service to reach a broader audience because , these days , not everybody can come to the event .

How important is gamification in maximising attendee engagement at an event ?

MK : It can go too far where it incentivises the wrong things , where people just do it for the prizes . At the same time , we also know that just little nudges are incredibly impactful . It ’ s really about making sure people discover the full capability of an event and discover all the content that is there . Discover the less trafficked paths in the Expo hall , where you might find the next key vendor that is going to bring your business to the next level . From the perspective of organisers , we don ’ t just want attendees to go to the five biggest brands , there ’ s a lot more to shows than this .

BL : People are social by nature and they ’ re going to mix it up . But there ’ s

Above : Brian Ludwig

Below : McNeel

Keenan

another set of attendees that aren ’ t of that personality trait , so giving them that nudge really does make a difference in how much they interact with the rest of the folks .

With COP26 approaching , how does Cvent see event technology improving sustainability in the industry ?

MK : People getting on a plane and travelling 10 hours away is a big sustainable issue . For us it ’ s about making experiences that you don ’ t miss out entirely if you ’ re unable to travel . But we also believe in the value of face-to-face . Therefore , you can limit events to more local or regional models . Hybrid events where you don ’ t necessarily have to fly every attendee that ’ s coming in-person to one place 10 hours across the globe , but you might organise multiple locations so people only travel two hours to a smaller venue .

BL : This may be more costly , as you don ’ t have the economies of scale that you would get at a larger event . But it ’ s not about cost alone , it ’ s ROI . If you get 1,000 people at one venue and instead get 1,400 attendees at multiple locations , you get X return from 400 additional attendees . These are the equations and calculations that marketers and event organisers need to think about .