The event industry is back in full swing even as many parts of the world are still struggling against the current global health crisis. Even in 2020, around 73% of planners successfully held virtual events, and as things start to look brighter for the industry, many event professionals are organizing hybrid events that combine in-person and virtual events.
If you are planning an event to present your latest products and services or you are keen on joining a multi-company exhibition-style event, your event can be significantly more successful, practical, and entertaining if you try out one of the following trends.
Facial Recognition Software
During the recent Olympics in Japan, facial recognition technology proved to be a crucial way to identify and track movement. The organizers employed surveillance cameras equipped with facial recognition software since the latter is twice as fast as regular ID checks, meaning shorter queues and improved security. This software can prevent spoofing and deny unauthorized access to areas in a large venue, making it ideal for large-scale exhibitions and conferences.
Virtual Photo Booths
Innovative tech adds a wow factor to weddings, enabling family and friends abroad to feel closer to brides and grooms thanks to live streaming. These days, savvy couples are embracing new advances in powerful ways, using robotic bartenders and servers, for instance, to entertain and surprise guests. Virtual photo booths, provided by companies like Outsnapped, meanwhile, enable distant guests to take virtual photos with the new couple or with other wedding guests. Outsnapped relies on artificial intelligence to make virtual photos look ultra-real. All images can be downloaded, shared, or printed for a real-life album.
Interactive Wedding Venue Previews
One of the toughest tasks for couples getting married is seating arrangements. 3D event designer tech allows couples to view their reception venue and play around with various table arrangements so they can choose the ideal floor plan.
They can drag and drop chairs, place settings, and buffet areas to choose a layout that will promote social interaction while ensuring that photographs and other professionals have enough space to get their jobs done. Check out the 3D Event Designer site to see what fun it is to play around with a host of venues—including the Castle Hotel and Spa in New York, Big Door in California, and Hampton Inn and Suites in Louisiana.
Virtual Venues
If you are a small business and you wish to hold a slick, sophisticated virtual event, enlisting the help of a virtual venue startup may be worth your while. These startups are made up of studios containing cutting-edge equipment and audiovisual professionals.
They can set up a virtual venue that is similar in appearance to exhibition halls, with different virtual rooms targeted at different customers. One virtual venue company, Hopin, launched in 2019 and it has already obtained some $125 million in funding. These venues are ideal for businesses that need to build confidence before launching a virtual event of their own.
Augmented Reality (AR)
AR headsets are an excellent way for exhibitors at a show to show off their full range of products or services. This technology pairs up perfectly with sectors such as real estate, giving attendees to an exhibition the chance to view a show home or apartment complex as if they were really there.
Thus, aspects such as materials, fixtures, and interior design can all be shown off much more effectively than on video or in print format. AR can also be used to show off the way that cutting-edge smart features (such as smart lighting and home entertainment) work in everyday life.
Smart Flooring
This technology allows event organizers to track the movement of attendees throughout the day, helping planners design a more useful layout at their next event. Far from being expensive, this technology is accessible to businesses of all sizes because it can be installed on any synthetic floor.
It provides organizers with a wide range of data that can be used to recognize and predict attendees’ behaviors and can be used alongside other sensors to collect even better data and optimize movement through designated areas.
Hologram Technology
Holograms are a magnificent way to boost the ‘wow’ factor of any event. They enhance engagement while also reducing the costs of organizing multiple presentations. They can be used to entertain guests and/or inform them about products and services, tell them where to go, or provide information about scheduled events.
They can also be very handy when an event is being held across multiple locations. One speaker can appear ‘in flesh and blood’ in one location while their hologram ‘makes their presence felt’ in all the other locations. Recently, events company Vario provided hologram technology to wow audiences at a summit by Allergan.
Doctors utilized a 60” by 18” holographic surface that permitted doctors to show their subject matter using 3D visuals. The aim was to reveal the inner workings of the brain and how they affected people with migraine headaches. The technology not only enabled audiences to better understand a complex subject but also kept them entertained throughout the talks.
Events have taken a distinctly virtual feel in the past two years. Today, many organizations choose to hold hybrid events so as to reach a wider audience. Top tech allowing this type of event to enjoy great success include robotic servers, virtual software, and 3D planning tech.
Technology can also be used to add a little magic to events. This is the case, for instance, for virtual reality, which allows attendees at exhibitions and other events to really get a feel for the products and/or services being sold by companies.
Hologram technology is another exciting development that is enabling companies to cut costs by holding multi-location events in which the ‘real’ speaker only exists in one location. Finally, data collection technology enables companies to make smarter and more cost-efficient choices.
Smart flooring is the perfect example of how data regarding audience movement can be collected so as to make better decisions at future events. As such, technology is not only improving existing events but also making it easier to plan future ones with greater degrees of success.
