Keeping Up With The Latest Event Management Technology Trends, 2023

The transformative power of technology should not be a strange concept to you as an event planner.

Perhaps you're already utilizing event technology.

But how much does it matter?

Well, 91% of event organizers consider event apps crucial to their event success.

But the landscape of event technology is vast and dynamic, with new trends emerging all the time.

How do you keep track of all of it?

We are here to help.

To keep you up to date with the latest technology, this article is going to discuss the emerging trends in event technology and how they can help attract more crowds that keep coming back for more.

A. What is event technology?

Event technology means any tool, app, or software that event planners use to plan, execute, and measure an event. The event management technology trend is driven in part by the availability of a particular technology and by the audience’s desire for experiences driven by technology. In a fiercely competitive landscape, event planners need to keep up with the latest trends in event management.

B. Why do you need event technology?

Utilizing event technology might seem like an added expense but in reality, these are investments that can drive your returns. That is not all, there are multiple ways in which technology trends in event management can help you. Here is how-

i. Increased audience engagement

For an event to be successful, you have to employ ways to engage your audience. The more engaged they are, the more connected they feel and the likelihood of coming back for your next event increases. With tools like audience engagement software, you can give the audience opportunities for interaction, live poll participation, message boards, and more.

ii. Greater personalization

Each event has its unique purpose and goals. Be it a summer party or a product launch event, emerging trends in event management give you the full freedom to customize for your audience. From branding your landing page to designing your tickets, technology helps you create the perfect event that resonates with your audience.

iii. Enhanced security

Security is the topmost topic of concern when organizing an event. Any negative incident can put your organization, attendees, or vendors at risk. But thanks to new trends in event management, security concerns are minimized to a huge extent. With features like QR Code check-ins and ticket validation, an event management platform can help planners to stay stress-free so that they can solely focus on improving the experience of the event.

iv. Event Registration

The process of event registration plays a vital role in making your audience sign up and stay. The easier the process, the more likely they are to buy the tickets. If the registration is complex, the users might abandon midway through the process impacting your sales.  Event registration platforms can handle the entire process swiftly ensuring that you have all the information you need when the big day arrives.

v. Social media presence

Social media plays a major role in event promotion or marketing. Whether you plan for it or not, social media marketing can take your visibility and brand presence to the next level. Social media technology can help you create the buzz weeks before the event and keep it alive till it is over.  

vi. Data and analytics

One of the most important event management technology trends is the introduction of data and analytics. Event management software like Ticket Generator offers data analytics solutions that can help you identify your target audience, how many people attended the event, the peak hours of the event, and more. These are priceless insights to help you plan your next event better.

vii. Time-saving 

Weeks, months, or years? You would know how much time it takes for event planning and execution. Using the right technology can make a powerful difference by automating the boring and monotonous parts of the process like sending emails, reminders, publishing marketing campaigns and so much more.

C. Types of event technology trends

As event planners, your top priority is to stay up to date with what’s being used and what is available so you can quickly integrate technology into your events. For now, we have got you covered.

i. Event planning apps

Event apps offer a one-stop solution for registration, information, engagement, and community. Moreover, these apps are boosting attendee engagement where they can easily access schedules like speaker bios, venue maps, and updates in real-time.

These apps offer several features like QR Code check-ins, customized tickets, mobile-optimized landing pages, bulk ticket generation and distribution, event tracking, and analytics to enhance the attendee experience and manage events more efficiently.

ii. Online registration and ticketing

Online registration and ticketing are the top two areas in event management technology trends that have transformed planning and management. Event managers can now streamline the entire registration which can lead to higher sales.

What’s even better is that it allows event planners to gather powerful insights about your attendees and the event. This data can be used to segment the audience and send targeted communications to such email drip campaigns.

iii. Augmented and virtual reality

Grand View Research estimates that the global virtual reality market is approximately worth $22 billion currently and will grow at an annual rate of 15% through 2030. And event planners are likely to be a major contributor to that growth. 

The virtual reality experience has the potential to take your audience engagement to the next level by uniting in-person and remote experiences like never before. This includes VR headsets on-site with 360-degree video and interactive data visualizations to transport audiences beyond the screen.

Virtual reality also allows digital attendees to simultaneously join the live experience and make it feel like everybody's together.  Event planners also use it to provide highly immersive booth experiences where attendees can stop by, put on a headset, and get transferred to a virtual world.

iv. Live streaming

It is not wrong to say that live streaming has played a huge role in the way events are planned and managed. It allows event planners to reach a wider audience with top-quality streams while greatly increasing attendee attendance.

The data gathered from live streams can also provide event planners with valuable insights into attendee behavior. For example, organizers can identify the most popular and least popular sessions and make changes accordingly to increase attendee satisfaction.

v. Contactless check-ins

Even if event planners are rapidly pivoting back to in-person and hybrid events in 2023, it may take a while for everybody to feel comfortable in large groups again. That is why contactless check-in solutions are one of the most popular event management technology trends. Moreover, contactless solutions are not only safe but much easier and faster than traditional check-in procedures.

It is super easy to make it work. With event management software like Ticket Generator, you can make the entire check-in process convenient and secure. Here is how it works-

• Create the tickets first. Each of them will have a unique QR Code embedded in them.
• Event coordinators need to install the Ticket Validator app on their smartphones and scan the tickets. Once a ticket is scanned, the results immediately pop up as valid, invalid, or duplicate.

Sounds great, doesn’t it?

vi. Practicing sustainability with green events

A 2023 study by AMEX revealed that over 80% of corporate event professionals especially those in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region, consider sustainability when planning meetings and events. They are upholding sustainable practices by minimizing paper usage, hiring vendors mindfully with active green policies, choosing locations with minimal travel, and embracing other eco-friendly practices.

They implement this by hiring vendors with active green policies, eliminating paper usage, choosing locations that require minimal travel, and applying other eco-friendly practices. However, the heart of event sustainability lies in essential event technology basics such as digital check-in procedures, paperless tickets, and other digital practices that replace traditional printed materials.

vii. Artificial intelligence

AI-powered chatbots are probably the most exciting developments in this area. You can utilize them to automate registration, ticketing, and scheduling, automating customer service to handle common attendee queries.

The chatbots are intelligent assistants that can understand context, respond to complex queries, and even sometimes exhibit a sense of humor. They learn from past interactions, understand natural languages, and adapt their responses based on the context. Some leading chatbots are ChatGPT, Bing AI, and Google Bard. 

viii. Digital floor plans

Just like how architects use blueprints to design homes, event planners utilize digital diagrams to create 3D renderings of their event spaces. This is a great way to market their event to potential sponsors with 3D walk-throughs, seating, and stage design. Digital floor plans also help attendees to instantly visualize full speaker profiles and session topics.

D. Things to consider before choosing your event technology

The success of your event depends greatly on how well you integrate technology into your events. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind before you choose your event technology-

i. Learn about your audience

You never know how different segments of your audience will react to the technology you are adopting. Some may be more accepting while others may be not. With concerns over privacy and data confidentiality, some attendees might be skeptical about sharing personal and contact information. So always opt for a platform that is compliant with various security and privacy standards in your region.

ii. Keep up with tech news

Finding good sources of information and technology news will help you keep a tap on all relevant information on technology and stay ahead of the curve. This will help you know what’s hot and what’s not in the market to help you in your decision-making.

iii. Try demos

Ensure that your team thoroughly tests the technology platform to ensure it can deliver. You never know what works out and what doesn’t. We recommend you test it at the same scale and same situation if possible.

Wrapping up

Technology has the potential to either take the event to the next level or bring down the event's excitement in the form of glitches and other technical errors. That’s why it is crucial to carefully consider your options and their capabilities before you settle down on any technology. Make sure to choose a platform that is easy to use for both you and your attendees. Avoid features that are too complex or overpowering for the audience.

Speaking of an easy-to-use platform, we have Ticket Generator for you. It is an all-in-one event management software to handle all your event management processes effortlessly. From ticket generation, and distribution to secure check-ins with QR Codes, Ticket Generator makes sure to give all its users a great experience.

Sign up now!