Using live data to improve your event

August 9, 2019

Audio Visual Trends and News Conferences Event Professionals

Live data can be a valuable asset to event organisers, giving them insights into attendee behaviour that would previously have been inaccessible. Through a variety of tools, from apps to chatbots and everything in between, event organisers can imbue their events with increased personalisation and tailoring to make sure all elements run smoothly.

81 per cent of event professionals say integrating data from attendees’ digital and physical footprints is important and that on-site technologies provide not only act as an analytical tool for organisers, but also make the event a better experience for visitors.

IBM Watson technology conference and exhibition at The Brewery

Collecting the live data

If you want to use live data at your event, the first thing you must do is gather it. There are several ways to do this, from monitoring social media mentions and hashtags (#) of the event and positioning feedback devices around the venue, to use of apps and wearable tech.

Event apps

When organising an event in our technology-saturated world, one of the main focuses should be creating an app to help attendees navigate their day and provide organisers with the data they need to personalise and improve their events.

An app can contain numerous features that allow you to harvest live data, including event agendas, digital passes, chatbots and the ability to poll users.

Social media

Social listening is a fantastic way to harvest live data, especially if the event has a hashtag, since it’s an easy way for attendees to share their thoughts and opinions. Setting up a way to monitor this, whether that’s through a tracking system or by setting up alerts on the event’s social media channels, can be highly valuable because that will give organisers a central place to manage and review all event mentions.

The effectiveness of the tool for event organisers will depend on the theme of the event. For example, the demographic of a festival may lend itself more towards social media interactivity than a business conference, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t still be monitored.

Feedback devices

If you’ve ever seen stands out and about with smiley faces asking you to rate your visit or experience, you have encountered feedback devices. These tools are simple and inobtrusive but allow for organisers to register the sentiment of guests and attendees throughout their event venue, focusing on different locations or specific services.

Wearable tech

By far the most recently developed way of harvesting live data, wearable tech is available in many forms. Entry wristbands are most common, and, as they contain Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) chip, they can either be linked to an event app or used in isolation with a social media channel to track attendee behaviour and movements, and the possibility of ticket fraud.

At The Brewery, we have recently begun a new partnership with Visit by GES, who provide Smart Exhibition technology, in the form of their Smart Badges, to help visitors navigate exhibition shows with greater ease and foster richer interactions with exhibitors, content, sessions, and features, all through scanning the ticket.

Technology exhibition at The Brewery

Utilising the live data

Once you’ve decided on the method for acquiring the live data, you can then investigate how you want to use it.

An event agenda allows attendees to book onto talks and presentations enabling organisers to find out how many people want to attend each talk and send attendees notifications when these are about to begin.

Attendees can receive their tickets or passes through the app meaning that organisers can track when a visitor enters and leaves the event. The pass could even be used to check into talks or access services, providing organisers with a map of attendees’ movements around the venue. These types of tracking systems can also help to redistribute guests to avoid big queues at popular locations.

A chatbot could exist in the app to assist with questions from attendees, giving organisers an insight into what needs to be adapted to make the event either run more smoothly or provide more enjoyment to visitors e.g. clearer signposting if many attendees ask where things are.

Polls and questionnaires could be provided during the event, asking visitors to provide feedback on talks, services, and the event in general. These would be especially effective with events spanning over multiple days since the feedback from day one can inform and help to improve the following days.

Gamification

If you want your event to lean even more towards interactivity, why not consider gamification and create an interactive experience for all your attendees? Use game design concepts to engage your attendees while allowing them to win prizes, enter competitions and score points for their teams.

The live data this produces can be useful to measure not only how involved and engaged your attendees are, but also show what motivates them to play and help you achieve your own event goals. For example, a game where visitors score points for meeting and having conversations with new people can be an effective way to encourage networking.

Embrace live data with The Brewery

If you’re looking for a live data-friendly venue that can help you adapt your event to achieve the data insight, look no further than The Brewery. We can help host your event, using one of our six fantastic spaces, and will be able to assist with implementing any live data collection methods you have, whether that’s through using our fast, unlimited Wi-Fi connections, or through our brand new partnership with Visit by GES, who bring Smart Exhibition technology right to the exhibition floor.

Interactive smart robot

Contact us today to find out how we can help you harness live data at your next event.

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