In-person events became obsolete after COVID-19, but after a two-year gap, the interaction spirit has returned. We have gathered data that shows how many people prefer organizing in-person events. According to Amex Global Business Travel, 70% of the events were conducted in person in 2023.
Then, vFairs shares statistics on their Linkedin through a survey, where the results show the importance of in-person events, where 67% of the individuals acknowledged the need for in-person events, while 25% said the opposite.
We have more recent statistics from EMarketer. They say in-person events will be the highlights in 2024 as 86.4% of the B2B marketers plan to increase or at least maintain the number of similar events, which was not possible earlier. Technology has also joined hands with in-person events. It is assisting them in being more inviting and exciting for the organisers and the attendants, ensuring that the capital invested does not go to waste. If you are also a representative of an events company struggling to cope, read the following blog and learn how technology is doing the honours of revamping in-person events in the industry.
Technology And In-Person Events
Do you remember how your last office event went? Or any other major seminar that you had attended on behalf of your company. There might’ve been more than a few hiccups during the ordeal like mismanaged staff, bored attendees and a general chaos everywhere. This is where the data-driven approach of technology can help. Let’s see how:
Attendants Engage More
What do you think makes up the life of any event? It’s not the elaborate decoration, the long list of special guests who nobody knows or the hors devours. Its actually the attendees who make any in-person event successful, and their expectations have risen together with the rise of technology. Now we have things like live streaming, chatbots to keep us engaged and augmented reality that can interaction to a whole another level.
Interactive Live Streaming
Attending an in-person event is one thing, but going to one that is taking place online can get pretty boring for the attendee. This is where live streaming can help keep the bar of engagement high using live question-and-answer sessions, live polls, and a platform for chatting. This way, people sitting from other parts of the world and attending your event won’t feel left out just because they are not present there physically.
Event Applications
Multiple event applications install a variety of game mechanics, such as badges, points, and leaderboards. These motivate the participants to play, because they enjoy sessions, and interact in events and virtual booths, having something to remember for the rest of their lives.
AI-Powered Chatbots
In the past, whenever an event was around the corner, the companies hired representatives to answer the queries of the participants and attendants. That made a huge mess as the agents failed to respond to millions at one time, which compelled people to step back altogether. But times have changed, and AI-powered chatbots are available to address your queries. Whatever you want to know, like the date, time, venue, booking, price, and event arrangement. Moreover, the chatbots can assist you by suggesting related networking opportunities. Automation has made information easier and faster at both ends because the agents can work on other things related to the event. Chatbots provide details to potential participants.
Augmented and Virtual Reality
Augmented and virtual reality have created a buzz in in-person events. You might have come across booths where people are seen wearing cameras, and the scenario is shown on the screen ahead. What is the difference between both of them? Overlays of AR can tell details about booths, speakers, and even the venue itself. Hence, the interested audience will find it rather amusing. On the other hand, VR can send them to other destinations via virtual tours and promotional demonstrations.
On The Path Of Sustainability
Everyone is now walking on the path of sustainability and taking measures to keep the environment safe. In-person events are not behind as they have embraced paperless registration, signature generator, and ticketing.
Paperless Registration
Earlier, people had to stand in long lines just to get the physical forms, where the participants had to enter their details, such as their names and the category of stall they wanted to put up. After that came the long lines of waiting to buy the ticket, another form of paper wastage. Looking at the wastage, paperless registration stepped in. A form link is generated and shared across multiple channels where the interested parties can feed in their details without wasting time and paper. Once they have filled out the form, an E-ticket is generated in the email and shown at the entrance, and they get easy access to the event.
Signature Generator
Some events require proper receiving, so physical signatures were used. What was the problem here? The physical signatures used to get tampered with, forged, or the documents stolen. To avoid the mishaps, signature generator have come to the rescue. How? The product has made signing easy and reliable. Just choose what kind of signature you want to keep that reflects your company's style. You can experiment with the font and colour, too. Adjust it in your form so that there is no fear of signing when it reaches the target audience.
Conclusion
We hope you understand how technology is revamping the in-person events industry in various ways. It will also be better for you to apply the same measures in your firm.
