Two simple questions to help you choose the right event technology

The pace of innovation in the event technology field is exciting. It seems like every week there are new apps or solutions for everything from networking and registration to AI and VR. While innovation is great, it can make choosing the right event technology feel like a huge challenge. As Jason Hensel writes in the Meeting Professional’s International blog, “figuring out what technology to use, when to use it and how to use it to boost an event can leave one flustered.”

Flustered is an understatement. We see it in our work all the time. Event planners are asking us things like “Can attendees make substitutions without our staff having to get involved?” or “Will I be able to customize the registration flow for our attendees?” It can be overwhelming to sort out all your options and find the right solution.

That’s why I really like Jason’s suggestion. Ask these two simple questions to determine the right technology for your event:

“How will this event technology help make my event more efficient
and how will it enhance the attendee experience?”

2018 – The year events became “experiences”

As the Event Tech Bible from EventMB correctly points out, technology has permanently raised the bar on the event experience for our attendees. (And frankly, if your tech isn’t raising that bar, then why bother?)

“The contribution technology has brought along to make events more lean, engaging and successful is unquestionable,” the report states. “2018 specifically has been the year when we have redefined events as experiences.”

The kind of elevated event experience we’re talking about starts with the right event tech stack. Something as simple as single sign-on (SSO) enhances the attendee experience right from the start. So does a fully branded registration site that looks, feels and acts like a legitimate part of your own brand.

We’ve all been to event registration sites that are clearly “off brand” or aren’t built with responsive design. It’s a jarring experience that lowers your attendees’ trust and their engagement. For example, take payment processing. Any platform that sends your customer to a third-party site for payment processing can lead to significantly higher abandonment rates. And UI research from The Manifest demonstrates that 67% of people who abandon an online form never complete it.

Even a behind-the-scenes decision like how your registration and housing data is stored and integrated will have a big impact on an attendee’s front-end experience. Say a guest cancels their event registration, but forgets to cancel their hotel reservation. With two separate tech solutions for housing and registration, the attendee isn’t flagged to remind them to cancel their room. The guest ends up paying a no-show charge with the hotel, and potentially locks out another attendee from their hotel room of choice.

I’m sure you can think of other examples where your choice of tech influenced the user experience — for better or for worse. But what about the quest for efficiency?

The mandate for improved efficiency from your event tech

Let’s return to the first of Jason’s two questions:  “How does this event tech make my event more efficient?”

Renee Lewis, CMP, of Infinity Management Group raises a great point relating to the data silo example.

“How often do we [planners] cross reference the registration to the housing lists?” she asks on Twitter. “Think of the time saved if it were all on the same platform.”

Efficiency can be improved across all areas of your event when you tie your event data into your existing marketing analytics, for example, or port your registration data into your CRM and marketing automation. And don’t overlook tech support; does your tech solution include a dedicated support team, or will you be dealing with an overseas call center when you have a problem? That can be a huge time sink.

Finding the right event technology doesn’t have to be such a daunting process. Start by asking how it will make your event more efficient and enhance the attendee experience. Your answers will inform a tech decision that adds true value, both to your attendees and to your team.

If you’ve got questions about your event technology, let us know. Ask us if a custom event registration solution can enhance your attendee experience and make your event more efficient. We promise a straight answer.