WHY TECHNOLOGY IS IMPORTANT TO YOUR EVENT

The landscape of the event industry has changed over the past two years, and technology plays a bigger role now than it ever has. Although the needs from previous events are similar, the expectation from attendees has changed. Love them or hate them, video calls have impacted the way we interact with each other and the way we consume information. Some of us may find great value in physically attending an event, while others find it more valuable to have more time for other things and still attend the event — only virtually.

Hybrid events

Keep in account, your audience may not only be in person. They may be at home, at the office or on the road, but you still need to get your message to them or include them in your event. This is where the term “hybrid” event comes from. It’s a combination of an inperson event along with a streaming portion to serve those that are not physically present.

It’s important to deliver high-quality content to those attending virtually, because they are most likely watching on the same device that has Disney+, Apple TV+, YouTube, games, email and every other possible distraction at their fingertips. Your content needs to be compelling enough to keep them interested.

With this said, you should consider whether the remote audience experience is an important part of your event or if it is necessary at all.

Remote guests

What about bringing in a remote guest into the in-person event? This can be done in a few ways — sometimes it’s as simple as pre-recording an interview with said guest and playing the video at the event. Sometimes it’s having them Zoom in, and they are projected onto large screens or TV’s.

Another option is to have a small crew travel to the guest and professionally live-stream their presentation or conversation to the in-person event in real time. This allows for high-quality video, faster transitions, and puts the technical burden on a professional crew, but it does come at a higher cost.

Video content

For the in-person experience, video will be more important than ever. This includes custom-sized screens, multiple displays, projection and soon 3D glasses rendering a unique perspective for each guest. Special content can be created to show on these displays, and this is where you can impress attendees.

The power of a good story is more compelling and emotional when that story is shared with everyone experiencing it together, all at once. Yes, video can be expensive between content creation and equipment, but it is also one of your most powerful tools as an event producer. >

Lighting

Consider lighting as the mood setter. LED lighting fixtures have continued to improve over the past decade — they are brighter, have better colors and are more affordable. Properly lighting a room with just a few lights can change the look and feel of that space entirely. Lights can also add depth and texture. Often “painting” different surfaces with light gives the sense of awe and wonder — this works both inside and outside. Our brains react to different colors and brightness levels, and multiple feelings can be triggered by these colors. Lighting is an easy, cost-effective way to add energy to an environment.

Audio

Clear audio is simply expected at this point in our technology-driven lives. The $19 Apple EarPods have shown consumers that good audio is easily accessible, and attending an event comes with the expectation that audio should at least live up to that standard. Professional audio can and should be an important part of any event. At a minimum, guests need to be able to hear clearly and certainly not be distracted by the audio system. EarPods don’t allow us to actually feel air movement unlike that of a professional sound system with subwoofers, so there are ways to consider audio as a unique and an added experience for your guests.

Immersive audio takes multiple sound sources in an environment and allows for three-dimensional sound in a listening area — this is the “wow effect” for audio. This can be similar to surround sound in a movie theater, but the event production team can take that experience even further by utilizing the newest mixing consoles and speaker systems. Studio Lab NHBR Ad.pdf 2 5/3/22 1:53 PM

All the realities

We aren’t quite there yet, but start thinking about how to incorporate augmented reality into future events. PowerPoint slides on big side screens or even IMAG (image magnification) screens won’t be needed. Phones, glasses and maybe even contacts will allow us to see things like graphs, images, videos, IMAG and other content appearing in the space with us. There is no doubt that this is not far off. Studio Lab is already utilizing augmented reality on their XR (extended reality) stage in Derry. They will be utilizing these advances in spatial positioning to add augmented reality items to live events, and when it is ready, a whole new level of in-person experiences will be born.

Combine all of this tech, and your virtual attendees will make sure their next appearance is in person.

Tim Messina is the owner of Events United and Studio Lab.