Back with a vengeance : How event tech will evolve in 2023
Steve Mackenzie , chief innovation officer at event software specialists Ungerboeck , offers some predictions for the New Year
fter an extended hiatus
A and several fits and starts , in-person events have come back at last . But , as any event organiser knows , getting people back in the saddle is still an uphill battle . So many of us have become so used to doing everything – even events – via live video meetings . It is more convenient , certainly , to ‘ attend ’ from the comfort of one ’ s couch , yet video can ’ t hold a candle to the energy , camaraderie and chance meetings that take place during in-person events .
That means event organisers will need to get more creative to coax attendees back . Based on years of first-hand experience and observation of the events management field , here ’ s what we expect to happen in the coming year . opportunities for online-only or hybrid events for people who can ’ t make it in person .
And on the augmented reality side , we ’ re already starting to see how this can be used to make the in-person experience even better . The NFL ’ s Carolina Panthers ’ viral video of a giant panther jumping around Bank of America Stadium is just the tip of the iceberg . In the sporting and entertainment worlds , especially , there is so much more potential for the use of these two technologies . This is going to be much bigger and much more common as we move through 2023 and beyond .
Better aggregation and use of big data to improve events will be a bigger push in 2023 and beyond As events come back post-pandemic , leaders are grappling with several
Steve Mackenzie
“ On the back end , what needs to happen is more use of big data and analytics to help inform decisionmaking ” challenges stemming from changing expectations from customers and staffing shortages . As the industry works to figure out how to bring people back to in-person events , the technologies mentioned above are going to play a huge role in terms of actual attendee experience . On the back end , what needs to happen is more use of big data and analytics to help inform decision-making .
This has been a conversation for the last several years , and many companies are out there promising they can give events organisers better data , but I really haven ’ t seen that come to fruition yet . We are on the cusp of being able to aggregate all the data from different events , including things like who is visiting each exhibitor , what are they saying on social media and what are they doing at the event .
As we move into 2023 , I see more of that information being brought together to build up a persona of an attendee that includes the topics they were most interested in , the things they were posting about on social media , the exhibitors they visited , etc . That data can all then be used to improve future events and inform decision-making .
Adoption of VR and AR for events will grow rapidly and take permanent hold The Covid pandemic was a turning point for virtual reality . While it had been around for several years , the events space started seeing greater adoption of it during the pandemic . Event organisers had to try new things to increase attendance , and this helped usher in more use of VR . Previously , there had been more apprehension or uncertainty about VR potentially displacing the need for in-person events . What we ’ re seeing now is that VR can really enhance and expand the
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