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HelpEVENT INDUSTRY RECAP: WHY #CTRLALTDEL16 WAS MORE THAN A SIMPLE “REBOOT”
The recent international gathering of the events community in Amsterdam (and across social media worldwide) was, as many had described it, a collaborative effort to make “lemonade out of lemons.” It was the perfect blend, mixed and served “chilled” to satiate those parched for education, insight, and inspiration in the events community. Paired with a side of Live Meeting, the pop-up events proved that this industry is super-charged and ready to take on the future of events…in the absence of the event, Future of Events:
Image: Lessons learned from the FOE16 experience via Nick Borelli
Many attended the on-site events and others followed along via social media – and to no surprise – the CtrlAltDel event lives on well after the hashtag-turned-trending topic. Here’s a recap of some of the highlights, trends, and tips for the event world.
Communal Impacts
“When people get together, they really change the world.” -David Adler, BizBash
Events scale relationships, and this was more than evident in the masses that signed up to participate and/or attend the pop-up events. Coming together as a whole moves an industry and its people forward while keeping innovation alive and thriving.
Image: Adler also discussed the transition of event vocabulary.
Digitalizing Engagement
“Digital engagement gives live engagement more options.” Nick Borelli, Borelli Strategies
It’s no longer an option to simply have one or the other, nor is it beneficial to rely solely on either online or offline channels. Leveraging digital with its offline counterpart not only amplifies event production (plus marketing, sales, etc.) efforts, but maximizes the overall experience for participants, on-site or online.
Live Data
“Every touch is trackable in real-time thanks to mobile technologies, and with beacon technology, soon every movement will be trackable.” Corbin Ball, Corbin Ball & Co.
Event technology is going above and beyond to make it easier for event professionals to do their job with one source. Event marketing automation is playing an even bigger role in the sharing of data between products and services, incorporating real-time tracking and analytics, which in turn builds into live engagement marketing.
There’s a strong emphasis on integrations in and among mobile event technologies and platforms. However, it’s up to event professionals to work together with these mobile technologies to learn how to manage and use this collected data.
BONUS VIA LIVE MEETING AMSTERDAM: Participatory Technologies
“Technology should add value without disrupting visibility of the brand or experience.” - Jens Oliver Mayor,Jack Mortan
The time has come to focus on the engaging and the emotional, and the time to do so is now. Invite participation at events and make people want to use the technology, though it’s crucial to remember the objective at hand when organizing and producing an event, especially when implementing event technologies. This will ensure that time, budget, and other aspects will be adequately and appropriate utilized.
Image: Event technology benefits everyone when it is used appropriately.
Both Kevin Jackson of ILEA UK and Julius Solaris of Event MB emphasized self-worth and value that event professionals need to uphold when it comes to themselves and their services. Jackson called for more focus on creativity and the thinking process of the craft, mentioning that there’s increasing profitability in events the more these professionals start valuing themselves.
Solaris also built upon the idea of value by converting the industry hashtag #eventprofs to #proudeventprofs. It’s time to ask why event professionals are doing what they’re doing and if, in fact, they’re doing enough in terms of embracing every aspect of the event process.
Connectivity, relationships, and beliefs are derived from live events, and event professionals produce value for clients, so why not for themselves? It comes down to determining the purpose not of what you do, but why you do it.
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
As a community, event creators want to use their time just as wisely as the attendee who’s chosen to allocate their time to an event. Event professionals have layers of event components to develop, manage, and continue to innovate. Incorporating participation, emotion, and the right technology before an event starts keeps attendees happy and coming back event after event, year after year.
By working together and challenging the creatives across other industries along with ourselves, the event industry is inspiring change and moving forward, full steam ahead.
A message from Boomset: Our sincerest “thanks” again to all of the event organizers and those who continue to share their energy, talent, and inspiration in the events industry. It is a pleasure to work with you all!
Attendees want to be a part of the event. More popular than ever is starting the attendee participation right at check-in. See how to create an engaging experience at university events, expos, meetings and more with self check-in kiosks:
