Event Management: Trends 2017

by Alex Sica, Digital Marketing Specialist

Technology develops at a rapid pace, and this has not been something that surprises you for a long time. As for the technologies used in events, the multitude of things that you have at your disposal now, you certainly couldn’t do them 5 or 10 years ago. True, right? As I used to in 2015, but also in 2016, I have prepared a list of 7 trends to take into account when organizing your events this year .

1. Share experiences with mixed reality

How would it be to hold an event and the participants are not necessarily present in the room? This is what mixed reality is all about, one of the most popular trends in the events industry. With the help of the mix between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), people can interact with different destinations, even if they are not physically there. While through AR three-dimensional elements are introduced in real time over images from the environment, VR completely transposes your participants into a visual experience of an ordinary reality.

2. Capture 4K footage with drones

It is no stranger to the fact that drones are mandatory for large-scale events. Sure, you’ve noticed that the videos after festivals or events are usually shot with a drone. 2017 will be the year of the live-stream, that’s why drones are the 4K alternative of VR. And what is even more great is that the main social networks such as Facebook or Instagram have the possibility to distribute live video directly in the newsfeed.

3. Increase engagement through artificial intelligence

In 2016, the use of artificial intelligence (AI) increased a lot, whether we are talking about chat bots, the voice assistant from Apple, Siri, or the one from Microsoft, Cortana. Find out that AI is a trend this year as well. As an event organizer, you will have the opportunity to use a digital assistant to help participants with additional information at the time of registration, with details regarding the event agenda or many others. Thus, artificial intelligence will help you shift the focus from the administrative side to building a valuable experience for the people present at your event.

4. It delivers an engaging experience

Since 2017, the focus has been on the engagement of participants because it is no longer enough for your event to deliver a universal experience. In order to be able to maintain high levels of interaction with the public, it is recommended to take into account the careful management of the emotional needs of each individual participant. Thus, emotional intelligence will play a key role, and as an organizer it is necessary to think of personalized engagement strategies for the participants of your event.

5. The show is now open to the public

“Regarding corporate events, we will see a change in the conference format that will allow greater participation in content delivery. This means that participants will be able to contribute more before and during the event” says James Morgan, founder of Event Tech Lab. This means that the information delivery process will take place in two directions, the participants and the speakers being able to learn from each other.

6. The locations are becoming less… typical

Classic conference rooms or other corporate events will be emptier in 2017. This is because this year the use of unconventional spaces is popular. Whether we’re talking about rehearsal studios, cafes, bars or lofts, any place that breaks the mold is better than an ordinary location.

7. Analyze information in real time

We talked about trends that impact the participants, but 2017 looks just as good for the organizers. An advantage of using technology in the event industry is that it can help you make decisions more easily. How is that possible? Firstly, it will become easier to collect a large amount of information about the participants of your event, and secondly, it will be much easier to interpret them to discover valuable insights about your audience.

Feeling more inspired for your events in 2017?

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I learned from:

• Planningpod.com
• Helloendless.com
• Eventbrite.co.uk
• Themiceblog.com