Just because you can doesn’t mean you should
It’s true, technology can be your event’s best ally and the perfect tool to help your event provoke meaningful emotions. For example, you can use a themed mobile app to coordinate an interactive treasure hunt. Or, you can use projection mapping to tell your brand story projected on to the side of your headquarters. You name it, almost anything is possible, with creative ideas and the right technology solution.
Can wow or can distract
Sadly, this is not always the case. Technology is often more of a distraction. Mobile phones teleport attendees back to the office and their day-to-day lives and this can stop them from immersing themselves in the event experience.
The right fit
As technology proficient event professionals it’s our responsibility to expertly integrate technology into our events. Throughout the event’s conceptual phase we must work to source and implement the best event technologies. And where the right technology does not exist, well, we may just have to develop it ourselves from scratch. Ultimately, the right technology must support an event concept that is perfectly aligned with the client’s needs.
Rich data
Beyond the wow factor, there are other important benefits to using great technology. Many solutions allow us to track participant behaviour and help us measure the success of our events. We can go further, we can safely integrate technology used at the event with the client’s internal systems so that the client can use this data in their internal processes.
Frictionless and Invisible
Technology, in whatever form, must function well and it should never have a negative impact on the overall event experience. We must use it to help us on our mission to bring people together, and not to drive them apart. When technology is used well, it feels seamless to the user and even invisible. Great mobile apps, just like great websites, feel intuitive and effortless. Great audiovisuals bring spatial sound, colour, and magic to the stage. An easy-to-use registration makes participants feel confident about the event, no matter where they travel to or from.
User experience above all
Some events don’t require technology at all, but when they do, the secret sauce is creating a great user experience that impresses or assists the participant and helps deliver a great event overall. The human experience is always the most important and the best technology solutions are the ones that please the user. The unique skill of the event professional is to create an experience that truly engages the participants and clearly delivers the client’s message.
