Partner comment
Next level transformation
True hybrid events are the next-level digital transformation for the event industry , writes Tiby Kuruvila , global CEO at eventplus . io
Post pandemic , one of the most disrupted industries has been the events business . The inability to physically bring together organisers , exhibitors and visitors created much chaos , including large-scale cancellations of events worldwide including large expos like CES 2020 . Through much of these uncertainties though , digitisation of events occurred as a natural evolution and helped ensure a basic level of continuity via virtual events . Enabled with cloud-based conference tools and platforms , event industry leaders were able to deliver digital versions of events , albeit with varying levels of success .
The event industry outlook has been extremely promising , with a projected growth rate ( CAGR ) of 23.7 % from US $ 94bn in 2020 ( Source : GWR 2021 ). Given that the pandemic impact may linger for a few more years before normalcy returns , the question then becomes : how can the event industry benefit from this potential upside ? A quick solution was to explore hybrid events that brought together benefits of both physical and virtual event formats . A per recent poll analysis over 64 % businesses say that they are planning virtual events while 58 % of them are planning for a mix of virtual and physical events . To summarise , expect to see a lot of hybrid events . ( Source : HBR 2021 ). So , hybrid event formats are likely here to stay . But are they effective , and can they seamlessly deliver engaging , immersive omnichannel experiences for physical and virtual visitors alike ? Just like cloud-based web conferencing tools enabled the early evolution into virtual events , what can enable the next evolution towards true hybrid events ?
This is where event platforms that are directly integrated with smart technologies become the powerful tool that can address all these questions ( and may be even more ), by combining existing innovations like Internet of Things ( IoT ), Cloud , Artificial Intelligence ( AI ), Machine Learning ( ML ) and Big Data Analytics to deliver ‘ Smart Hybrid ’ events . Technologically wise , as complicated as some of these component ’ s sound , emerging event platforms like our solution , do an excellent job of abstracting the underlying technology complexities and instead enable event organisers to focus on delivering out of the world experiences to visitors . For example ,
Tiby Kuruvila
using a custom event-branded mobile applications on visitor smartphones and Bluetooth Low Energy sensors installed at the physical booths , visitors can get personalised proximity-based experiences , intelligent networking , on-site navigation , floor heat-maps etc . along with safety features like contact tracing and crowd density management to minimize infection risk . Similarly , across channels , a fully paperless event can be provided for both physical and virtual experiences ( omni-channel experience ) in addition to touchless smart kiosk check-ins ( complete with automated facial recognition and temperature scans ), e-ticketing , digital brochures , and AIbased business matchmaking . Organisers and exhibitors can engage both physical and virtual visitors at the same time using real-time visitor analytics and virtual booths while maintaining consistent cross-channel visitor experiences .
While these are only a small slice of the endless possibilities that “ Smart Hybrid ” events can offer , the success of any Smart Hybrid event would be to bring true digital transformation across events and provide a next-generation experience for the visitors , exhibitors and event organisers ( think drones , robots and event intelligent 4D experiences in future ). To summarise , there is no doubt that the pandemic has been disruptive to the event industry , but the silver lining could be that emergence of these new digitally enabled ‘ Smart Hybrid ’ events could help us get back into the game and tap into the projected growth pipelines ; both in the interim , and when normalcy returns in the future .
Autumn — 49