Although the pandemic still controls our social and business interactions, it’s time to take a look at how hybrid events can combine the best of in-person events with virtual elements. From safety to lead capture tools, there are a series of critical event tools to consider when assembling successful hybrid events in 2021.
Over 2020, event organizers have been striving to constantly rethink their event event strategy, learn new technologies and constantly test their resiliency towards virtual event platforms. And while virtual events continue to be the go-to format, we can’t help but look forward to what’s coming down the pike. Let’s go through this 5 (not so) groundbreaking, but highly effective and essential event tools:
1. Event app
Event apps are geared toward the completion of many event goals, from improving attendee experience & engagement to collecting otherwise inaccessible data in order to understand how successful your event has been. And it has particular use, depending on who is taking advantage of this event tech tool – whether it ‘s the attendees, the exhibitors, or the event organizers.
Event professionals can actually stay connected and engage with their remote or in-person audience through various interactive ways, such as communicating with participants before, during or even after the event, keeping in mind that the most valuable interaction happens in real-time. For instance, it sounds interesting to get attendees notified every time a specific session is about to start. In this context, organizers can also make use of their event app to create personal agendas and sync them across multiple devices. They can also conduct instantaneous NPS surveys or live questionnaires and allow attendees to bring up their own issues. This kind of feedback will be meaningful to rethink further event strategies, while increasing engagement and interest for attendees.
Besides that, an event app can help organizers and exhibitors collecting and managing attendee data. Both should be free to determine the indicators of greatest interest to analyze attendee profiles and collect data about what they’re searching for or what their demands are. As you can see, it’s not always about keeping participants up-to-date. An event app also promotes interaction for your exhibitors and increases sponsors revenue. In fact, event technology enables brands to extract maximum value from each attendee interaction.
Finally, the shift to virtual must also find a new approach and strategies to generate a strong event ROI, especially for virtual B2B events. With an event app you can actually make money for your event through a ticketing solution, in case you’re hosting a paid event, or simply by selling ad spaces to your sponsors. Recruiting sponsors, selling tickets, and driving revenue not only is it possible to happen in the global nature of virtual events, but can happen in a more powerful way due to all analytical data you’re going to gather about its performance.
2. Electronic identifiers
In these singular times where almost everything happens in a virtual context, it’s hard to imagine an environment with real human connection again. But it’s important to start anticipating it and understand how to meet the needs of a new era of face-to-face events, that will undoubtedly privilege security above all. This means that endless waiting lines, which promote crowding, or the exchange of paper business cards, which can be a risk for spreading the virus through surfaces, are probably things of the past. Fortunately, there are innovative ways to overpower these outdated processes, leaving the traditional behind. If there’s a time to be disruptive, it’s now.
By bringing ID technology to your next hybrid event, you’ll allow exhibitors and participants to connect in a more effective and digital way. The best part is that every time a participant decides to establish an interaction with an exhibitor, and thus give access to personal information, it all happens in a fully GDPR compliant way. Moreover, all this event digitalization promotes data loss prevention, since you’ll be using a paperless lead capture solution for events.
Did you know that the beamian event platform allows the digital identification of all event participants through physical identifiers? The purpose is to bring the power of data to measure event effectiveness, just like marketing has been doing for a while with its digital campaigns. No more guessing, your event ROI should be measurable as any other marketing activity.
Are you wondering how it all works? Get to understand more about how lead capture technology can work for your next event.
3. Capacity control tool
Returning effectively to hybrid events means that you must care about public safety more than ever. Thus, implementing innovative safety measures and getting the most out of event technology will be the only way forward.
In this respect, there are two options. You can opt to use an event management platform that already integrates an access control system to track entries and exits to specific sessions, conference rooms or VIP areas by accessing live numbers from different zones. Or you can measure your venue maximum occupancy using a real-time capacity control tool that also works for any public space.
Everything you need to know to have an effective crowd management strategy is in this quick guide for event check-in & occupancy control.
4. Live streaming
The sharp increase of virtual & hybrid events has been placed live streaming high in the events industry. More than a mere tactic to reach a larger audience, it’s now a modus operandi for almost every event organizers that want to keep succeeding. Event live streaming takeover is indeed unavoidable nowadays, and it’s time for you and your events to make the most of this widespread feature.
It’s quite easy to share live video with anyone, at any time. But it’s not always easy to meet the expectations of the countless sets of eyes connecting with your meeting through a multitude of screens. We’re living in a time of unprecedented virtual fatigue when accessing online content. So, to cut through the noise – the quality of the viewing experiencing you’ll be offering must be superb.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro or just starting out, get to know how to choose the best live video streaming for events.
5. Integrated event management platform
The instability of 2021 demands for a place where all your events can come together. With all the whirlwind of lockdowns and following plans for ending the current lockdown restrictions, still unpredictable vaccination plans, and sudden changes in the ever-new regulations for (re)organizing live or hybrid events is crucial to have an event platform where flexibility rules.
beamian offers a hybrid event platform that allows all event organizers to choose between virtual or hybrid events without any pressure. For live settings, it also provides a digital registration system and the security of contactless & paperless interactions. The beamian solution works for both scenarios simultaneously – due to an integrated platform – helping to pivot back to in person (hybrid) events while keeping the benefits of virtual events.
