opinion
Embrace the tech
L
et’s talk about Marks & Spencer, or any other
major retailer with an online and physical
presence.
Not your typical way to start an events industry-
focussed column, I’ll admit, but bear with me.
We take it for granted that stores like M&S use
technology to analyse what products are selling best.
If we accept this approach as normal in our high
street, why do we have such a hard time getting our
heads round it with our events?
Say a group of your attendees are particularly
interested in plastic cups. They’ve registered their
unique interests and, with this evidence-based
knowledge, you have a way of specifi cally tailoring
their experience. When they arrive you can provide
them with smart badges to guide them towards the
plastic cup exhibitors.
This type of interaction should be the industry
standard. ‘Smart’ technology in events and
exhibitions has been around for ye ars, but for some
reason there is still low adoption, that we see in
everyday life around us.
Imagine the possibilities if smart technology was
embraced by our industry. By harnessing technology
to create better experiences for all parties involved
in our events’ ecosystems, we can create a more
sustainable and progressive industry.
Lets look at three core event stakeholders: visitors,
exhibitors and the organiser.
Attendees
Remember a few years back when event apps were
the big thing? Everyone said that you had to have one
in order to engage your attendees. Well, that wasn’t
necessarily true. While apps can be a great resource
for both your attendees and your exhibitors, we’ve all
realised that 100 per cent adoption is a pipe dream.
This is where technology like smart badges really
comes into its own. Smart badges are handed out to
every single attendee – from the minute they step
onto the show fl oor they have this powerful little tool
at their fi ngertips.
They’re in control of their digital briefcase and
collect the materials that are the most relevant to
their needs and goals.
Winter 2017/18 in association with GES
Matt Coyne,
Engagement Technology
Architect at Visit by GES
Exhibitors
One of the benefi ts of smart technology for
exhibitors is the ability to react in real time to what
is resonating on their booth with potential buyers.
Exhibitors are now equipped with a multitude of
ways to maximise their return from exhibiting.
Whether an exhibitor is collecting qualifi ed leads,
for example with the Visit Connect lead retrieval app
or via Poken touchpoints, the exhibitor can see, in
real time, how their booth is performing. They can
see instantly what products are generating interest,
which booth staff are performing well and they can
measure how the event is working for them.
Organisers
For organisers, using smart technology should be
a no-brainer. It’s about being smarter about what
you’re selling in order to increase your stakeholders’
experiences and your bottom line. Organisers can
start to think beyond selling square metres and, dare
I say it, start selling more intelligently.
So why this little rant about smart technology?
Because this is the way forward for events and
exhibitions. The whole point is to create better
experience and enhanced engagement. Organisers,
exhibitors and attendees all coexist in an ecosystem,
and engagement is the glue keeping that ecosystem
together. We have to change our mentality towards
smart technology, it will help us shape a better, more
engaged future for our industry.
engage
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