EVENT TECH
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Event technology can enhance your event or festival
o matter what the event, be it a corporate outing, an exhibition, a music festival, a county show, a day at the races or a themed spectacle – every event organiser ultimately asks themselves the same question: What do my guests want? Once those specifics are decided upon the task at hand is then making that vision a reality. Among the many tools in an event organisers’ belt, one of the most powerful is the array of event technology solutions that are now on offer to the industry. From registration systems to workforce management, ticketing, RFID, artificial intelligence (AI) and even virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), what can now be achieved using event tech is beyond what many could have ever imagined. Organisers are continually joining forces with event tech solution providers to push the boundaries of what constitutes a “stand out” event. One such organiser is Graeme Barratt, managing director and founder of Freshers Festival Group. Barratt founded Freshers Festival, a series of events that bring together thousands of students to interact with global food and drink brands, famous bars and clubs and some of the biggest retailers. It was announced earlier this year that the event had been acquired by Yada Events, a previous exhibitor and sponsor of Freshers Festival, and producer of the Yada Events app, a digital events platform. The app focuses on social engagement and provides organisers with a self-service solution that offers everything from
ticketing and promotion through to datacapture and post event marketing.
Amplifier and enabler
Barratt believes that the use of technology has only enhanced the experience on offer at Freshers Festival. He explains: “For me, live experience and the face to face connection you get when you meet somebody is hard to beat. Events offer the opportunity for people to meet and have a conversation and tech is an enabler and amplifier of that, of course. “What I felt like we were always missing at the event was the ability to continue the
conversation. The people that download the app are the most important people, they’re the ones we think about first, so it is all about what experiences we can offer them,” he said. This year has seen Freshers Festival utilise the Yada app to offer visitors a digital goody bag, which contained money off vouchers from a number of brands. Students could also post and share content on the app, as well as get involved in the on-site photo booth. Mehram Sumray-Roots, product director and co-founder of Yada Event Technology, believes that the true value
lies in organisers and brands being able to analyse the actions and reactions of eventgoers, something which she says the Yada Events app offers. She explains: “We know what organisers need, because we have done focus groups with them. “There is no point having what the industry needs, if the people you want to use it are not using it. It is all about that mix of live and digital and giving the users a fun experience but making sure the organisers are getting from it what they need too. So, with every photo share, every Twitter hashtag, organisers and brands are able to analyse exactly what that means.” However, Barratt admits that it isn’t easy finding the tech provider that is a perfect match to the ideologies and feel of your event. He continues: “We worked with a lot of platforms as clients and some of the platforms out there were Frankenstein monsters, there was bolt on technology to add a different feature. “Whereas with Yada, it has always Jika Jika Festival felt like the team understands who the end user is.”
Beyond human ability
Natalie Roberts, creative strategist at The Fresh Group, concurs with Barratt, believing that at its core the events industry is all about human interaction. She explains: “In its very essence, the events industry is all about people, so no matter how much a technology uses personalisation it still feels less authentic than real-life human interaction. “There are some applications though where AI can perform roles beyond human ability, or a lot quicker. Chatbots
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are possibly the easiest and simplest way AI can be incorporated into events. Many people are familiar with using chatbots for support and queries on websites without even realising they are interacting with artificial intelligence, so there shouldn’t be a barrier to delegate uptake.” While chatbots are one of the more simpler ways of incorporating tech into an event, Tom Szirtes, co-founder of Mbryonic, a VR and AR development agency, argues that VR and AR shouldn’t be discounted because they may seem too complex or out of reach. He comments: “I think we are going to see more use of this technology in events as the cost, quality and convenience of devices improves. “With VR/AR you are moving the visitor from a passive observer to an active participant. As this technology spreads out to consumers and enterprise, the big disruption will be completely virtual events. We are also likely to see hybrid events that combine a virtual element with a live element, allowing remote audiences and attendees to interact with each other. “Event organisers need to find a partner who has experience in this media. You are
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better off having no VR/AR than bad VR. If it is hard to use, buggy or leaves users feeling nauseous or frustrated then it can do more harm than good. However, a great immersive experience will delight your audience and get everyone talking.”
GDPR matters
Currently, the roll out of VR and AR in events, and even completely virtual events, seems like quite a leap into the future. However, there are many different tried and tested technologies that are constantly innovating to keep up with the fast-paced events industry and aid organisers in their everyday tasks. One such task is staffing and recruitment, something which uTRAC is on hand for with the launch of its Applicant Tracking Software. Ronan Moore, MD of uTRAC, which specialise in workforce management software, reveals more: “After GDPR was introduced, there was a demand for us to expand our service, so our clients can manage their workers’ data from the point of interviewing for a job. “Our new Applicant Tracking Software is ideal for streamlining how organisers
advertise jobs and quickly recruit only the best contractors, employees and volunteers. More generally, everyone now realises that the days of managing big events with mailing lists and spreadsheets are gone; tech is helping event organisers across the board.”
Data is king
GDPR has had an impact on the way event organisers not only promote their events, but also how they can securely store precious information and data. Richard Howle, director of ticketing at The Ticket Factory, like many thinks that having the right data is paramount. He explains: “Customer insight is an invaluable asset – it can inform who is a decision maker, what their purchasing power is and what they are looking for, so organisers and exhibitors can tailor their content and offerings. It is apparent that there’s an ever-growing need, and thus demand, for this insight in order for organisers to maintain a competitive edge, but it can often be hard to collate. “You can already see a greater focus on how we are all using data – a change which
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has been catalysed by the introduction of GDPR. To meet demand, The Ticket Factory has leveraged advancements in data segmentation, helping us to adopt a more sophisticated approach to the way we market exhibitions and events and how we engage with our database.” Simon Carpenter, business development and marketing manager at Gigantic Tickets, has also felt the impact of new GDPR regulations that were brought in this year. He adds: “Updated just before festival season, GDPR was one of the main challenges faced by event organisers this summer. In the wake of these regulations, many of our clients were keen to have a way to efficiently run their entry systems. “Organisers who use our new iOS scanning app, GigScan, no longer need to keep customer lists, which are often full of private information, on the door, as everything is securely stored in the app. It also displays a live figure of how many people are in the venue and speeds up entry on the door; a positive for both the organiser and the customer.” James Lee, head of marketing at Ticketline, argues that the main challenge
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Tappit in action
event organisers face is obtaining and translating valuable data from their historic events into valuable commercial and development information for future events. He believes it is important for organisers to choose a system that allows full flexibility to be catered to your event, not a system catered for all events and out of the box.
Going green
Making the most of the range of technical solutions now available to the events industry can not only make an organiser’s life easier, it can also help combat other issues facing the industry at the moment, like sustainability. Mo Jones, co-founder of The Ticketsellers, believes the environment can benefit from the use of event tech. Jones says: “I think one of the biggest drivers today that is influencing organisers’ use of new tech is the positive impact improved technology can have on the environment. “Organisers are considering ways to reduce plastic use, lower waste on site and improve the sustainability of their events – and they’re often using technology to achieve this. On our platform, the inclusion of eco-bonds, electronic tickets and the
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ability to influence how people travel to and from festivals means that organisers can be more sustainable with their event.” Laurence Moore, founder of Yellobox, the digital marketing and data specialist, agrees. He comments further: “Printed materials and barcode scanners which are still very heavily relied on in the industry seem to accommodate much of the SME space. The initiative to move to greener solutions in the market will drive up desire for new technological solutions, but it has to be cost effective.”
Risk of losing out
Cashless payment systems are yet another way evolving event technology can make life easier for both the organiser and the visitor. According to a survey undertaken by Tappit, the cashless solutions provider, three-quarters of festivalgoers now prefer to use a cashless method of payment at festivals. Seventy-three per cent of respondents preferred to go cashless because of speed and security. “Our survey shows a high demand for cashless methods of payment at festivals,” says Jason Thomas, global CEO of Tappit. “If organisers don’t keep up with the changes in technology, there is a risk of
potentially losing out to festivals that offer a better consumer experience. With the benefits cashless systems bring to both organisers and visitors, the transition to cashless should be an easy one.” 2018 saw several events go cashless for the first time. In August, Jika Jika Festival marked its debut event by hosting Northern Ireland’s first cashless festival with the help of Event Genius Pay. James Crossan, the director of Jika Jika Festival, praised the decision to go cashless saying that it allowed festivalgoers to spend more time enjoying the music and less time waiting in queues. Steve Jenner, UK and Ireland business development director at Playpass, the cashless payment solution provider, argues that “next level” event tech will change the industry forever. He concludes: “The next level will see the convergence of technologies – RFID, facial recognition, GPS locational tracking and intelligent CRM, deliver a constant, fully personalised experience to guests at an event. “Audiences will no longer be treated as ‘herds’ but as individual consumers. This will have profound implications for depth of engagement, immersion and loyalty across the whole events landscape.”
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