Event tech
Event tech trends on the rise in APAC
Marcus FitzGerald, co-founder and project director, The Bite Project, highlights five event tech trends on the rise in APAC
he Asia-Pacific has
T developed a reputation for pioneering with technology, and events in the region are no exception. From agencies’ openness to integrating it into their internal workflows, to brands’ eagerness to use the latest tools to immerse and enthral, event tech is serious business here.
At the same time, a purpose versus tool-led approach should always be the focus, and it’ s something I see us doing fairly well.
While pretty much everyone in events has, at one point or another, found it difficult to resist the temptation of a shiny new piece of viral event tech, ultimately if it doesn’ t align with an event’ s goals, chances are it’ s going to distract attendees, not help get a message across.
And while I’ d say we don’ t follow the‘ trends’ as such but champion purposeful applications, there are some definite event tech practices gaining momentum in APAC. Read on for five of them.
A new take on personalisation There’ s been a rise in patching AI software into onsite AV desks so organisers can capture live insights about attendee behaviours, act on them swiftly, and personalise experience. Although, the beauty of live is often in those serendipitous moments, so while tech is valuable here, there’ s been a lot of talk about the need to uphold a balanced and ethical approach.
Embracing the B2C More and more corporate clients are recognising the value of borrowing a little from their consumer-facing counterparts, especially when it comes to the way B2C events fuse tech in smart ways to engage their audiences. We’ ve seen an increase in requests for versatile, high-quality LED screens in place of traditional projection, and the industry is having a lot of fun building more visually dynamic configurations, and using software such as WATCHOUT, Resolume and Disguise to craft beautifully animated, content across each canvas.
Above: Marcus FitzGerald
will see more of a 50 / 50 approach moving forward.
Tapping into the short drama app craze The APAC event industry is seeing content being served up pre-, during and post-event in bite-sized video, infographic and podcast formats. Designed to extend the life of the event, broaden reach, and reward those who did attend, it’ s being shared in easily digestible ways across internal microsites and attendee-only portals, to social channels.
Technology is in a constant state of flux, making it a vibrant world to work in, especially in APAC. No matter how it evolves, however, our focus always needs to remain on a tool’ s purpose, not its shiny, flashy status or onetime virality. EW The Bite Project- Leapmotor C10 REEV Launch Event
AI embeds into the everyday Companies aren’ t shouting about their AI usage or prowess as a differentiator, the tech is simply woven into the day-to-day event planning process. The region is, for example, made up of many different languages, making AI-powered live translation and transcription in place of interpreters the norm, meanwhile the likes of Magnific are used to select the right tools for the brief at hand and generate initial mock ups at speed, which are later refined with human intervention.
Tech is all around, but not always seen While technology is being used to streamline workflows and ensure a seamless attendee experience behind-the-scenes, there’ s been a shift towards including tech and tool-free sessions throughout agendas. Digital detoxes are no longer reserved for island retreats as organisers recognise attendees are yearning for a break from screens, and to focus on connecting with others face-to-face. I predict we
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