Research
Many of those findings can be compared with previous editions of the research to help give eventprofs a long-range view of these trends .
The study also reveals how much revenue eventprofs expect to come from digital channels , with more than a third stating that it would make up between 10 % and 29 %.
Achieving good ROI for exhibitors was by far the biggest challenge highlighted by the research .
A total of 76 % of those who took part in the study chose this as a key hurdle they face , comparing this with findings from previous studies suggests this is a persistent yet growing issue facing planners .
ROI was found to be the biggest challenge in January 2023 with 55 % and 64 % in the July edition .
Guidance on how to tackle this issue and others is given from the expert contributors to this study .
A completely new section was introduced for this edition to take on the growing importance of AIpowered features in events .
Meanwhile , personalisation of experiences was chosen by 64 % of respondents as a key area for event tech development – taking over from July ’ s leader of AI-powered features .
Proving exhibitor ROI is now in second place with 60 % and better event analytics in third with 56 %.
Proving exhibitor ROI was also high in the previous edition , with 72 % of respondents choosing it .
One of the other new sections introduced to this edition of The Event Tech Forecast focused on the metrics for success used by organisers .
The number of leads reported at their show came out as the most important metric for the respondents , with a weighted score of 8.8 out of 10 .
But the results show this was in close competition with customer retention hitting 8.7 , while engagement and revenue came out with 8.6 .
This comes as lead retrieval is one of the biggest areas that event technology can make a huge difference for exhibitors and event success .
For instance , ExpoPlatform has shown how an omnichannel solution can boost the number of leads at shows by more than 250 %. The Lead Intelligence solution does this by bringing all online and onsite interactions into one real-time dashboard for exhibitors , giving a clear overview of their ROI – helping to tackle one of the challenges highlighted in the report .
Find out more about how digital tools will impact live events this year by downloading the free Event Tech Forecast from ExpoPlatform .
You can also get a one-to-one consultation with ExpoPlatform to discover how their event tech solutions can digitally enhance the value of your in-person shows . EW
www . exhibitionworld . co . uk Issue 1 2024 35