Before event management technology was developed, organizing meetings and conventions was a manual process. The list of attendees was filled one by one on the computer. Likewise, most of the promotion was concentrated in brochures or banners and personal approaches.
With the birth of virtual events and hybrid events and the rise of digital marketing, the need to track and measure the effectiveness of events while simplifying registration and organization processes has increased.
That’s when event management technology began to play a role in the success of hybrid events.
This technology is made up of all the digital tools that facilitate the work of organizers and improve the experience of attendees. It includes software, applications and programs that are used to control and monitor all aspects of the event.
Currently, it is essential for the experience to develop smoothly and for attendees to feel satisfied with their participation from beginning to end. It is worth noting that the leading of event management technology also depends on data capture, which allows evaluating the performance rate and making future improvements.
Components of event management technology
It is clear that to carry out hybrid events you need an internet connection, computers, projectors and other equipment; but event management technology goes beyond that. It implies a complete platform capable of promoting, sorting and executing the event efficiently.
The main components of this technology are usually:
Event website
Hybrid and virtual events benefit greatly from a website. This space provides a base of operations to announce all aspects related to the event, attract potential participants and record their data.
Among the essential elements that the website must contain there are:
- Event title: when users log into the website, the event name is one of the first pieces of information they need to know. And to be effective, it needs to reflect what the meeting is about or what its objective is.
- Sponsoring company or organization: this is one of the key aspects that gives the event authority and stimulates the confidence of the attendees.
- Where and when it takes place: the time and place should be found at a glance on the main page. Above all, because one of the first questions potential participants ask themselves is whether they will be able to attend.
- Event Value Proposition: this is a description that highlights the benefits people will gain from attending the event. This section is responsible for promoting the registrations of the participants.
- Call to Action: the purpose of this website is to register attendees, so the invitation to register should stand out and encourage clicks on the registration button.
- Exhibitors and activities to be carried out: this information is of great interest to the participants, as it gives them an idea of what they can learn and know by attending.
Similarly, other sections such as frequently asked questions, photographs and opinions of previous events can be added in the case of a new edition of an event already held.
Registration process
This is the first tool that allows you to collect information about attendees. During registration, personal and contact details of participants are requested, such as their names, surnames and email address. You can even include age, profession and a picture to have a more complete profile of each one of them.
It is also possible to add a section in which they are asked how they found out about the event or what are their areas of greatest interest. These answers will be of great help in planning future events and designing new marketing strategies.
Likewise, event management technology makes it possible to use the information collected in the registration process to generate event access credentials and participation certificates that could be sent to each attendee by email.
Programs for planning the event
Hybrid events take place both physically and digitally, so they also require the rental of a room, furniture, sound equipment, computers, projectors, catering service for attendees and everything related to an offline event.
To make it easier to accomplish tasks, organizers can use event planning software to see what to-dos they have and who is in charge of them. These platforms allow them to always keep in touch to monitor processes, streamline decision making and establish priorities.
Event Marketing Software
This type of event management technology refers to all the tools used to schedule email marketing campaigns, and advertisements on social networks and websites. These actions help to:
- Remind registered people of the day and time of the event
- Reach out to people who might be interested in the event
- Invite potential attendees
After the event is over, email is one of the best means of asking participants about their experience, recommendations, and level of satisfaction with the event.
Live streaming software
Hybrid events are broadcasted live, either in part or in full. To view the planned seminars, speeches and presentations, participants need to meet on a live streaming platform at an appointed time.
Many of them have a comments or questions section that the organizers can activate so that those who are connected by this means can interact with the exhibitors.
This event management technology makes it easy to evaluate the level of participation generated by the activities, as well as the number of attendees that each one registers in order to recognize strengths and weaknesses in the development of the event.
Virtual and augmented reality applications
This type of software recreates spaces and objects, so that participants explore places or things as if they were observing them in real life.
Virtual and augmented reality experiences are more attractive to attendees, thus having a positive influence on their level of satisfaction. In addition, it invites them to interact more during the activities.
Data analysis tools
When the event ends, it is time to study the key performance indicators to know exactly their scope, rate of return on investment, churn rate, and consider what improvements can be made in the future, etc. In this sense, it is essential to have a platform in which all the data obtained throughout the process is collected and organized.
These tools are capable of creating attendee profiles, segmenting their final opinions, studying the effectiveness of marketing strategies, and more. That is why they are fundamental pieces in the field of event management technology.
Nowadays, thanks to these technological components, hybrid events or 100% virtual events are increasingly efficient and profitable. Especially because they are present in all planning phases in order to facilitate the measurement and control of each aspect.
