The technology is changing really fast and often event managers do not have time in their busy schedule to keep up with it. However, it is extremely important, especially for cutting-edge tech companies to keep up to date with the latest event technology, if not to lead the technology in the right direction. Mobile apps, digital signage, wayfinding solution, social media live wall, high-speed wi-fi, beacons, heat mapping and real-time analytics is already a must-have at big events run by technology driven company. But what´s new? How to surprise your attendees and how to make your event better?

Beacon Wearable Technology

Beacon wearable technology helps to provide high-resolution behavioral data about every aspect of your event. This technology is not absolutely new, but it is still not utilized to a great extent. The main reason is the price of this technology, unfamiliarity as well as the fear of having each step tracked.

So what are the main benefits of this technology? For sure event managers would love this technology as they can gain valuable insights about each attendee’s journey and visualize macro trends based on filters including heat maps or crowd flow. In this way, they can better understand the participant´s interests and use those learnings to improve the next event. It is also important to emphasize that it is not just an event planner who can benefit from beacon wearable technology. The technology can certainly be really interesting for attendees and sponsors/exhibitors as well. Exhibitors benefit from having visitor profiles and behavioral attributes analyzed in order to identify high-value prospects. It could also notify them when high-value prospects are approaching their booth. That enables exhibitors to address the right customers with the right solution tailored to the client needs. On the other hand, attendees can benefit from having complete journey reports that show the booths they visited or people they met at the event including time, duration, and location of the meeting.

Drones

Drones enable you to capture aerial photography or videos that may be used as an event teaser for example. With drones, one can take amazing pictures and videos or even deliver drinks that have been ordered through a mobile app. Sounds exciting, doesn´t it? Think of impressing your attendees with this cool technology.

Robots

Robots still sound like science fiction for many people, but they are already fully functional and can be utilized at any event. You would definitely surprise your attendees if you use robots as booth attendants, bartenders, or just as pure entertainment. Your solution expert cannot physically attend the event? Today this is not a problem. Mobile telepresence is the solution. Your expert can call into Skype and a robot could roll around the event so that your expert can hear and see what’s going on at the conference.

3-D printing

You have probably heard that 3-D printing will change the future of events. 3D printing is a process for making a physical object from a three-dimensional digital model. The idea is to use 3-D printing for event decor and entertainment and this is already available. Attract your attendees by demonstrating 3D printing in action for the very first time! There are many people who have heard about this technology, but they have never seen it in action. If you want to have a wow effect at your event, you should think about this.

Virtual Reality

Virtual reality refers to computer technologies that utilize software to create realistic images, sounds and other sensations. It replicates a real environment and simulates a physical presence by enabling the user to interact with this space. Currently, there are not many events that would use this technology, but it is expected to see the use of virtual reality more often. The event organizers of Sundance Film Festival or the Game Developers Conference are already using this technology to provide attendees with an unforgettable experience. It is a fact that our brains remember events associated with locations. This means that virtual reality experiences have a longer trace in the attendee´s memory.

IoT

The Internet of Things is the internetworking of physical devices, vehicles, buildings and other things embedded in electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity that allow these items to gather and exchange data. IoT is certainly another hot topic that is expected to lead the next wave of event innovation. Just imagine an attendee at the exhibitor booth approaching a product while it automatically boots up and starts its demo. Your attendees will be impressed and they will have a totally unique event experience.