Nowadays, smartphones do seem to know us better than we know ourselves. We expect our experience of the world to be personalised, your event should meet that expectation. A one-size-fits-all approach to your event just won’t do in this experience-driven economy. Millennials are an experience-driven generation, this means that events are far more valuable to this generation than physical items.
Therefore, it is now your job to craft a truly unique experience to make your event the one attendees remember- and come back to.
Nowadays, technology can satisfy all of your event-goers’ desires. Here are five ways to use tech to give attendees the personalised event experience they demand.
Event Apps- Of Course!
An event app has become a necessity. You can use it to communicate to attendees in real-time, they never have to miss any awesome activities that are going.
Once attendees have downloaded your event app, you can use it to share critical information. This allows you to manage everything from safety info to event traffic flow. For example, if there’s a little too much congestion in one area of the venue, push notifications can be used to encourage attendees to disperse themselves.
Let attendees create a personal schedule on the event app by marking their favourite sessions. Once they’ve indicated this information you can serve them personalised notifications when their favourite sessions are about to start, or where to meet for certain evening activities. You can also monitor this data to see which elements of the event people were most excited about.
Artificial Intelligence
As an event planner, it is likely that you’re going to be very busy, especially when it comes to show-time. You probably don’t have the time to answer every question your attendees have, especially if you’re being asked the same thing twenty time a day!
AI can be used to answer any FAQs that your attendees may have. Many systems are available, including a customer service plugin through Facebook Messenger to answer any common queries.
For usability, your AI concierge can be linked through your event app. This means that everything your attendee’s will need is still available in one place. Your event app should act as a hub for all event information.
Attendees enjoy the instant gratification of receiving a response, something that a human being isn’t always available to do. AI also saves you the cost of running a 24/7 help desk or helpline.
Artificial intelligence may seem futuristic, but it’s already having an impact on events in 2017. Now, it’s an impressive perk for attendees, but soon (much like event apps) it will be considered a staple for the attendee experience.
Techy Wristbands
RFID (radio-frequency identification) wristbands seriously speed up event entrance, but they also help make payments within the event as fast as possible. By syncing their credit card with their RFID wristband, attendees can spend less time in line and pay with cashless payments.
This way, attendees can pay for food, drinks, or merchandise with a simple tap of their wrist. They can add their payment information to their RFID wristband before the event, or through the event app, making it easier than ever to buy.
Social Media
Nearly half of millennials say they attend live events specifically so they have something to share on social channels. And the majority believe that attending a live event is the best way to show other people what they’re interested in.
So, make your event experience shareable. Give them unique or exciting content to share by renting a smart photo booth so fans can take photos, looping videos, and GIFs to post directly from the booth itself. Post these on your event apps activity feed as well as your event’s social media pages.
Let them show off where they are in photos by creating Snapchat geofilters that reflect different elements of the event experience. Use the live display feature of your event app to create a social wall and exhibit your attendees’ pictures.
