Why Event Management Software Will Rule the World

Events are already 30% of large business to business total marketing spend and becoming more important for large corporations in 2020. With social strategies becoming less effective, businesses are tasking event planners with orchestrating more trade shows, town halls, user groups and field marketing programs to generate more leads, foster and nurture opportunities, increase brand credibility, and understand their clients. Since the economic downturn in 2008, the event industry has continued growing at a steady pace throughout the years, peaking at 6% in 2014 and it appears as if the industry will continue to grow at a steady pace in the coming years, too (Lifschutz, 2019). And good news event planners- according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job outlook from 2018-2028 for meeting, convention and event planners is expected to grow 7% which is faster than average! (bls.gov)

This is great news! But as the event industry grows, event planners have to do more with less. Few companies can hire the appropriate number of staff and this creates an unmanageable situation. One way to save 30-50% of the time to plan, execute and report on events is event management software.

What is event management software? There is legacy event management software systems that many event planners have utilized for 20+ years such as event attendee logistic software and registration software. Advanced event planners are using new technologies such as facial recognition, smart floors and end-to-end event management software to streamline their event check-in, attendee flow and reduce the time it takes to create, execute and repeat events. That’s a lot of technology for events, and it's only going to increase. Eventually, it will begin to change the way event managers work and it will one day rule the world. 

So, let’s dive into some of the up and coming event management software that will make your life as an event planner easier, more intuitive, and offer you copious amount more data and analytics.

1. Facial Recognition

Facial recognition is a new technology that is blowing up in many different areas, including live events. Utilizing facial recognition at events can help event managers track attendees’ body language and facial expressions leading to a deeper understanding of their mood throughout the event. It can also assist in creating a more efficient check-in process, attendee feedback, and on-site security (Sawyer, 2017). 

2. Smart Floors 

We are currently in the era of smart devices: smart phones, smart watches, smart TVs. So why not create smart floors? This new technology provides event managers with an incredible amount of valuable data and information. Smart floors are mats that you lay on the ground that can track individual’s steps. This provides information such as which types of talks are the most attendees going to watch, and are they staying for the entire time? Which booths are attendees stopping at, and for how long? Are attendees going back to the same areas multiple times? There is an incredible amount of data that event managers can collect from smart floors. They can also show potential sponsors real numbers to increase their interest.

3. Projection Mapping

Projectors have become a technology of the past. It is no longer exciting to see large screens casted on flat surfaces. That’s why engineers have created projection mapping- which is essentially an augmented reality and interactive experience for attendees, using projectors. These projections can add visual effects to stages during talks, or cast videos onto buildings and landscapes (Cooper, 2018). Why should event planners care? Well, projection mapping can absolutely change the entire vibe of an event. Adding 3D aspects can help engage and “wow” more attendees which makes the more likely to interact with aspects of the event, remember the event long after it is over, and provide a much larger ROI in terms of publicity. 

4. End-to-End Event Management Software

End-to-end event management software is software to help organize all of the back-of-house event operations from approval flows, budget management, task delegation, reports, etc. This software is different than most event technology because it isn’t attendee facing, at all. It is made purely for event managers to help them streamline their event planning process. They can organize and plan their events completely within the software by utilizing the following modules: 

• Event Requests and Approvals 

  • Approval flows 

  • Event request management 

  • Event intake forms 

• Spend Management 

  • Budget management

  • Ability to apply fees.gratuities and taxes to budget 

  • Run reports after event to compare, analyze, track and manage areas for improvement 

• Project Management

  • Indoor and outdoor space planning 

  • Production schedules that are always up-to-date

• Team Management 

  • File organization and management 

  • Task delegation 

  • Event and resource calendars 

  • Chat features 

Event software is changing the way events happen. With event technology increasing year over year, the world for event managers is changing. They’re better able to streamline their events, collect data, and analyze attendee information and feedback. Event management software is well on its way to ruling the world. 

Sources: 

Cooper, Kristen. “Projection Mapping in Events: What You Need to Know.” Endless Events, 28 July 2019, helloendless.com/projection-mapping-in-events-need-know/.

Lifschutz, Marisa. “Party & Event Planners in the US .” IBISWorld , Mar. 2019, www.ibisworld.com.

“Meeting, Convention, and Event Planners : Occupational Outlook Handbook:” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2019, www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/meeting-convention-and-event-planners.htm.

Sawyer, Katie. “7 Event Technology Trends to Explore in 2019.” Eventbrite US Blog, 2 Jan. 2019, www.eventbrite.com/blog/event-technology-trends-in-2018-ds00/.