15 Feature
Bruce Rose
technology has the inability to deal with ‘ outliers ’. “ You may receive a suggestion that says 5 % of your audience is neurodiverse , so don ’ t invite them . Which is an opinion a human wouldn ’ t have . You don ’ t know how that technology is coming at the answer and therefore it may exclude people , which is not acceptable from an ethical standpoint .”
The bigger picture There is no point , however , audience mapping without an ‘ end game ’ in sight . “ You should only use audience mapping technology if you know your long-term outcomes before you start doing it ,” advises Rose .
“ For a lot of events , organisers run events every year to build a community . At Live Group , we run a lot of registration sites and we have people that come to multiple events within our database . So , when Bob from Event A registers for Event B , we can say , ‘ we have your AudienceDNA data , would you like to merge it across ?’ This helps your audience member enter your event
Margaret Launzel-Pennes
far better prepared .” After all , there is a key difference of an attendee who is returning to your event , versus , one who is attending for the first time .
“ Use the insights to inform future events . If you know certain topics of formats really hit the
mark , bring them back or expand on them for upcoming events ,” adds Giovanetti .
To close our discussion , I asked the event professionals what the future holds for audience mapping . Rose said : “ I don ’ t know whether audience mapping technology will become the norm , only because the events industry can be very slow to adapt to new technology and new approaches .”
Giovanetti offered a counter view : “ I believe utilising tech for audience mapping will become the norm , if it isn ’ t already . It ’ s not just about making life easier for organisers ; it ’ s about maximising value for attendees and sponsors alike , making each event more engaging and impactful than the last .” Overall , the event professionals agreed that because the technology is moving so fast , organisers must use it now , to avoid getting left behind – even if it is just experimenting with smaller , internal events . One thing is for certain , events in 2024 and beyond may need to map the audience , if organisers truly want their attendees to feel like they matter . CN
l Fab Giovanetti , CEO , Alt Marketing , can be booked as a speaker through Spectrum Speakers and Entertainers .
l To enquire , please contact Lauralee Whyte at : enquiries @ spectrumspeakers . co . uk . www . conference-news . co . uk