Technology impacts just about every sector out there, and the events industry is no exception. Whether your event is online, offline, or hybrid, innovative technologies help organisers create more immersive and streamlined experiences. In this blog, we’ll take a look at the trending tech we can expect to see this year.
Trending Event Tech in 2022:
Contactless check-in
People have been checking in to their flights online for years now, and the same concept is filtering through to events to create a more seamless experience.
Gone are the days of standing in line, fumbling to find your ticket and get checked in. Instead, people can be granted or denied access to the venue based on their online actions. In situations where queuing is unavoidable, you can set up a virtual queue. If you’ve never heard of a virtual queue before, here’s how it works:
- Guests arrive at your event and are “checked in” to your virtual queue.
- You decide how many guests to allow entry to the venue at a time.
- Guests are notified via SMS or app notification when it’s their turn to enter the venue.
- As they enter you check them off the queue, allowing the next batch of guests to be notified of their turn.
This means that attendees don’t have to stand in an actual line. They could wait in their cars, or grab a coffee from a vendor outside. They should only head to the entrance once they’ve been notified that it’s their turn to do so. Quick and easy!
Contactless verification
While we’re on the topic of quick and easy, let’s chat about contactless verification. When it comes to in-person conferences, safety is still a top priority. To that end, some businesses are limiting access to venues to those who are vaccinated and/or willing to take a COVID-19 test before the event.
To make verifying these requirements a smooth process, guests could include their certified COVID-19 status in their profile on your event app, which you can verify while they’re in the virtual queue. Once you’re satisfied that they meet requirements, you allow them to enter.
AI assistants
Virtual assistants and chatbots are already making an appearance at events and webinars, and we think they’ll only get more popular. These bots make it easier for attendees to find event information, certain locations, and more.
AI bots can easily integrate with your mobile event app, offering push notifications when tables are ready, or answering FAQs, for example.
Custom event apps
Whether your event is online or offline, custom event apps are all the rage in 2022. As we’ve already mentioned above, an app can be extremely useful for verifying and checking guests in, but that’s not all they’re good for.
An app allows you to organise and distribute event information quickly and effectively, while giving guests immediate access to that important information. It also allows them to engage with other guests or speakers, and provide useful feedback and data about the event.
QR codes
We’ve seen QR codes rise in popularity in the restaurant industry, and now they have their place at events. Using QR codes is a wonderfully efficient way to share content without printouts. Leaflets and physical freebies are unnecessary when guests can access the same content in an easier and more eco-friendly format.
This doesn’t mean that you have to do away with branded merchandise and freebies – it just means you can shift over to online content, which is much more affordable for clients anyway. Think of branded social media filters, online vouchers, and discount codes.
Will you be adopting these trends for your events this year? If you’d like to receive more event industry tips and tools, subscribe to our newsletter here.