The event industry is proliferating with each passing year. Things that seemed beyond imagination a few years ago have already become common, and now that we are in 2019, many more new technologies are set to make their way into the event industry. Here are some of the prominent event technology trends likely to become mainstream this year.
IMAGE: PEXELS
Facial Recognition
Facial recognition technology makes it possible for event organizers to strengthen security arrangements, map user behavior, monitor engagement levels and more, without causing any inconvenience to their guests.
The 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo are set to become the first of its kind to make use of the technology, where images of athletes, volunteers and media staff will be uploaded into a database to ensure enhanced security and rapid admission. In 2019, we expect to see more event organizers begin to use this technology to enhance user experience.
AR And VR
Augmented reality and virtual reality technologies have been in existence for some time now, and their applications will continue to flourish in the event industry in 2019 as well, especially as the technology continues to evolve and become more sophisticated.
At a time when competition in the event industry is at an all-time high, businesses need to make significant efforts to stand apart from the crowd. Appropriate use of AR and VR can help you do this effectively.
These two technologies not only help increase user engagement at the event site, but they also help you increase the exposure of your brand, grow sales, and showcase your products and services, all in a fun, entertaining and, crucially, memorable way. In 2019, more companies are likely to start using AR and VR in an attempt to give their event visitors a unique experience.
IMAGE: INSANE IMPACT
Drones
Amazon and other leading tech giants have repeatedly cited drones in their future customer service plans. And with an ever-expanding list of tasks that drones can accomplish, it’d be foolish to attempt to restrict their use to retail environments. From enhancing the on-site event experience to taking care of security and surveillance, drones could add a lot of value to your next conference.
The only obstacles we currently face are the policies put into effect by the government. As these laws become more user-friendly, we expect to see drones being used at numerous small and large-scale events across the globe.
RFID Tags
RFID, or radio frequency identification tags, are growing in popularity in the event industry. These are used for very close communication via NFC (near field communication) and long-range communication through UHF (ultra high frequency). RFID tags help event organizers with event registrations, analyze visitors’ interests and behaviors, and keep a record of their day-to-day schedule, all without causing any unnecessary delay.
From mapping attendees’ schedules to event ticketing, RFID tags are capable of executing various tasks with ease — and in a fully automated way. Given the rate at which they are being used, it won’t be too long before RFID tags become one of the most common event technology trends used across the world.
Introduction Of 5G Technology In Events
According to noted smartphone developer Ericsson, there will be around 1.5 billion active 5G connections by 2025. While this may seem a lot of time before 5G technology becomes mainstream, event planners should start paying attention to it now.
There is no way 5G will become popular by the end of this year, but we’ll certainly see technologies being adapted for its eventual introduction. This is likely to affect many other event trends, including AI, AR, VR, and bots. As the speed of data increases, there will be a swift rise in all these event trends.
Another thing to note is that 5G will first hit the major metropolitan cities across the globe, so event organizers trying to take its advantage will have to target major cities in place of small and mid-sized cities.
It will be a long game, and only those who make investments in this technological shift now will benefit from an edge over others.
All in all, 2019 is going to be a year filled with many technological advancements in the event industry. Preparing now will ensure that your company isn’t the last to catch onto these rapidly evolving trends.
Author Bio: Harriette Wilmoth, Marketing Manager, Banks Sadler – Banks Sadler is an award-winning full-service event management agency that delivers corporate events across the globe for large brands.
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