Opinion
Ones to
watch
drives a sense of ownership, giving
attendees an extra incentive to attend.
Speaker selection
Jamie Vaughan, head of
european sales at Cvent, on the
advancements that are shaking
up traditional event formats
and encouraging new ways to
engage attendees
A
s we all know, attendees expect
more than a hackneyed PowerPoint
presentation and post-event happy hour.
They want to be inspired, they want to
connect with their professional peers
and network in a fun way, they want to
be educated, to hear how the industry
or your organisation is progressing the
debate on important issues. They want an
experience they will remember long after
the event is over. Traditional formats
increasingly don’t cut it.
Here’s my shortlist for those
considering how to shake things up a bit:
Crowdsourcing content
The curation of content is much more
fluid than it used to be as technology
allows organisers to crowdsource
information and ideas. This feedback
gives organisers a better understanding
of what their attendees actually want
and not what they think is in demand;
providing an opportunity to create
an environment, important to their
attendees. Crowdsourcing content also
When selecting the speaker, why
not take a left field approach? New
perspectives from inspiring leaders
outside the sector can offer fresh insight
across various themes and business
strategies. Speakers need to not only be
knowledgeable in the subject matter,
but also offer a compelling narrative,
be relatable to your audience, and most
importantly, be engaging storytellers.
HumaGram (human hologram)
An interesting development to watch is
the adoption of holographic technology,
which allows organisers to “holo-port”
in-demand keynote speakers and panel
contributors to events they cannot
otherwise attend in person. Interaction
with the “humagram” can occur in real-
time via conference video feed for the
speaker.
Web and Virtual Reality events
VR is an exciting prospect which will
see organisers reach global audiences
either by webcasting or livestreaming
one or more live sessions to fully realised
virtual events that replicate all the
content available to in-person attendees.
This technology allows for greater access
for people that can’t physically be onsite
and likely serves as a gateway to in-
person attendance in the future.
Intelligent mobile event apps
Taking the form of a personalised
assistance for delegates, AI-enabled
event apps will understand an attendees’
goals and provide more relevant
recommendations such as which sessions
to attend. The mobile event apps of the
future will intuitively and seamlessly
provide the information attendees need
to know to get the most out of the event
without the attendee having to ask for it.
Facial feedback
Biometrics, more specifically facial
feedback, can provide organisers with
real-time feedback on how attendees are
emotionally responding to their event
or a specific session. This is a valuable
opportunity that can potentially replace
feedback surveys that only provide
information post-event.
Technological innovation
Organisers should never stop
innovating, learning, and searching for
ways to enhance the event landscape and
drive more engaging delegate behaviour.
Attendees want tangible, memorable
experiences, and in the coming years,
technology will play an even more pivotal
role in amplifying and enhancing those
experiences.
The Name in EVENT HIRE
0800 458 5701
[email protected]
Charles Wilson Engineers Ltd
62 — October