Event Apps in 2017: new ways to enhance the attendee experience Felix Stroud-Allen

What happened in 2016: a quick summary Not much really…

What happened in 2016: a quick summary 74% of B2B planners increased their event budgets 52% increase spending on Event Technology Smaller events with shorter lead times We have seen an increase in event budget and drilling down further 52% of B2B planners increased their spend on event technology. Then we’ve seen an increase in the number of smaller events with smaller lead times. The increased spending on Event Tech shows that the benefits are clearly tangible producing efficiency and cost saving. Customers are now maturing as event tech users and correlating with that is the increased sophistication and availability of event tech features. From our perspective it is a stark contrast to 7 years ago when we trying to convince event planners that everyone would have a smart phone and it they wouldn’t remain a plaything of the rich. We all did a dance when Blackberry finally disappeared, removing a huge barrier to audience engagement. Reference data source

Event planners are more savvy…and more demanding  Event planners are very comfortable with the tech and know what they want and how to get the best out of what is available to them. The event planners demands are increasing, and rightly so, event planners drive our product roadmap. It’s up to us as event tech companies to respond accordingly. So what does this mean on a practical day to day basis.

What’s happening in 2017… Enhancing existing functionality Building out new functionality

Live Polling and Q&A Typically moderator lead… …needs to be driven by the speaker! Enhance the attendee experience but giving control to the speaker to effectively manage delegate driven content.

Mapping & distance filtering

Gamification…..V2 Incorporating elements of AI. Explain gamification as it is, engagement and event related challenges.

Video….live streaming Video content is starting to change how we interact digitally. We are working with a global brand to have streaming 360 video content accessible via the event app. You can move this on and introduce Google Cardboard: a great entry point to move to your first VR experience for your delegates.

Augmented Reality Again, when it comes to AR event planners have always been challenged in terms of budget as to how AR will have a positive net affect on your event. Now there are specialist AR providers who can provide cost effective AR solutions for your events. API technology has also advanced allowing you to easily plug AR into your event app.

And lastly…robots

What would you like to see on an event app roadmap?