Tech
Lights,
camera,
action
James Morgan,
founder of Event Tech
Lab, takes a look the
evolving photobooth
technologies on the
show floor
L
ights, camera, action.
This is a common
expression that we all know
well. And, it’s not surprising
that the exhibitions world
is deploying cameras on
the show floor to add value
to the visitor experience.
Cameras can also be used
to understand visitor habits.
This month we explore what
types of camera technologies
are out there and how
they can enhance trade or
consumer show experiences
and provide organisers with
valuable data.
We all know that the
standard photobooth is a
popular way of engaging
visitors on an emotional
level. We can see the joy and
laughter that photobooths
provide and how these
positive emotions that can
amplify brand, exhibitor or
organiser messages. The by-
product is leaving a legacy of
the show in cyberspace. But
the visitor is becoming much
more tech-savvy and looking
for new creative approaches
to sharing their personal
imagery. Luckily, there are
lots of innovators in this
field, globally.
I had a great selfie
experience at the Baltic
Events Forum in Estonia
a few months ago, with
Latvian-based Kastekust.
The company designs and
codes its own photobooth
software, white labelling it
globally as well as creating
photo experiences at shows
and conferences in the
Baltics and the UK. The
new Bounce video booth is
an automated, 180-degree,
overhead camera movement
– a bird’s eye view – which
captures the human subject
in a world flipping slow
motion video. After the
visitor’s video is captured,
the software adds slow-
motion, hard cuts, colour
corrections, music, static
or animated video overlays,
and more, to personalise the
visitor’s video and add brand
messages. In about a minute,
a stop shot is printed and
visitors can access the video
by scanning a QR code on
the print-out. All social/e-
mail/text sharing options
are available for sharing and
amplifying the experience.
Augmented reality is
also being used to enhance
photo and video experiences.
This is where a photo or
video can be overlaid with
images that augment the
human subject. Istanbul-
based Visionteractive – the
company that created
the first ‘social-vending’
experience – has created a
new AR photo experience,
with no need for a booth.
Show visitors interact with
an organiser’s or exhibitor’s
Facebook page that contains
a call-to-action button that
encourages the visitors to
open their cameras. The
Facebook camera opens
and a fun or branded filter
for a selfie is applied. Once
the visitor is happy with
the result, it can be shared
to their Facebook page or
emailed. And, the organiser’s
or exhibitor’s Facebook
page collects the visitor’s
data. Most providers in the
photobooth area have a
data dashboard that records
numbers of people using the
booth, social media shares
and other data to understand
visitor behaviour.
I’m most excited about
the new emotional capture
developments. US-based
Zenus Biometrics was the
first company to introduce
facial recognition technology
into the events industry.
It has progressed the
company’s use of facial
recognition beyond the
show entry process with
the development of its
‘analytics camera’. The
specialised cameras analyse
facial expressions on the
show floor or at a booth.
The data tells organisers
how people are feeling. The
cameras can also count
the number of visitors at a
booth within a 10x10ft field
of vision. To cover larger
spaces, Zenus deploys larger
cameras which perform the
same analysis and includes
visitor demographics (age
and gender) data. This could
be a game-changer since
emotional measurement
is now a hot topic in the
industry. So, make sure
you are always smiling and
looking good when walking
the show floor.
August — 33