PRESS START TO CONTINUE
echnology has been an integral part of my life for as long as I can remember , which I ’ m not entirely sure is a sentiment shared by all aspects of the industry . Many of my fondest memories growing up are of interacting with friends online . In fact , in many respects I was doing meetings in the metaverse before it was cool , it was just about meeting to play football rather than organising an event for thousands of people . While I won ’ t argue that the metaverse is somewhat of an unknown in today ’ s event market , meeting in an online space is not an unfamiliar concept .
This familiarity with the digital world meant I was quite excited when everything went online during the pandemic – the idea of never stepping outside again had a certain appeal . But then came the onslaught of technology , alongside a certain degree of cabin fever , leading to what is now colloquially called screen fatigue . It ’ s this dichotomy that is presenting a challenge for planners . Returning to live is exciting , but technology has become intertwined with creating successful events at any scale .
What event organisers must do now is learn to sort the wheat from the chaff , figure out what works and what doesn ’ t . Hybrid and online events have gained ground , but there ’ s still a heap of question marks around platforms , hardware and the organisation in the digital world . The industry needs to know how it continues its technology development .
This need makes the Big Tech Review timelier than ever this year . Carrying on the legacy from CN ’ s most popular edition in 2021 , we brought together a group of independent organisers to tell us what they really thought of seven event technology platforms in today ’ s market .
The issue is also packed with case studies , features and columns on the ever-evolving face of the event tech sector . From data usage and market sentiment to hardware and accessibility , event technology is changing the game .
Cameron Roberts Digital and Community Editor Conference News www . conference-news . co . uk