After analyzing the results of aggregated research and expert interviews, five of the top-level reasons why companies are relying more and more on technology became apparent.
The two main factors for event managers are efficiency (getting the job done properly and accurately)… Anytime we can utilize technology to make things easier for us or our staff, create time efficiencies that mean we can do more or that free us up for more strategic responsibilities, we will use technology to make these things happen. Making things easier for our teams is important as well, and we will see increasing numbers of technologies and platforms that help all of our different databases, spreadsheets, management systems speak to each other. People management apps and systems that help you respond to challenges in real time.
…And gadgetry (the wow of an event experience). Eric Rymer, founding director of events consultancy Right Solution, says comfort is an important factor for delegates, as well. “We go to conferences to be changed through education; we want to come away with different knowledge and contacts. Change is inherently uncomfortable, and we use technology to make that change more comfortable.” Technology should also give people unforgettable, pervasive experiences.
Ways that embrace our organization’s and attendee’s desire to be more environmentally friendly will also continue to be a reason to invest in new tech. From NFC-enabled badging that reduces print waste to Hi-Def video and teleconferencing that supports virtual events to platforms like Glisser and Slido that make sharing presentations easy and negate the need for participant manuals to companies that are implementing audiovisual solutions with energy saving options, we will continue to see event tech as a way to eco-fy our conference experiences.
Technologies such as cloud systems, mobile apps, advances in broadband speed lead to more flexible working conditions and reduced carbon output. Technologies like BrainDater and event apps that help people engage with each other. I mentioned Glisser and Slido as presentation management systems that help people like and share content, take notes, download PPTs, ask questions, vote and more. Technology used to supplement the reason people actually come to events—which is to MEET like minded people, subject matter experts—and find the answers to their challenges all in one place will be a major force in why we invest in technologies moving forward.
And of course, flexibility—being able to work from anywhere anytime, allowing for changes to be made to programming or logistics in real time, allowing our attendees to connect from anywhere in the world to our live event via smart phone or in regional pods. Creating as flexible an experience as possible to maximize our reach (and increase live, in-person attendance over time) will be a major role that technology takes on for us.
Big data surrounds businesses today—both large and small—and it’s impossible for most professionals to sort through it without some kind of automated tool. And this corpus of data is powerful. Data mining technology allows companies to infer a whole lot more about you than you told them. And it allows organizations to use the information you provide to reveal much more than you think. There are now hundreds of tools on the market to help meeting professionals organize not only their quantitative data, but their qualitative data, too. From free tools like Survey Monkey to organizations like MeetingMetrics and even Tableau… softwares are becoming more and more user friendly for meeting professionals.
Facebook boasts more than 1 billion registered users. It’s unlikely any of our bevy of social media options will be going anywhere soon—but they may see more competition. Due to their fluid natures, new sites will continue to evolve. Needless to say, companies are embracing social networking for marketing campaigns, research, audience engagement and interactions. The value of social media to young companies with shallow marketing budgets is deep as well. Now consider what our attendees are actually using, and we may well be forced to add a bevy of social media options to our arsenals. Then too think of the ways that you can use social media advertising (which can be inexpensive and effective) to target different audiences.
Radio frequency identification (RFID) is a tagging technology that doesn’t require contact or direct line of sight for communication. RFID data can be read through the human body and non-metallic materials. Near-field communications is a subset of RFID and forms the basis of many of the recent technologies that include contactless payment and data exchange. With NFC, devices need to be within close proximity of one another.
Speech recognition technology has been available on many computing systems for years, though it still faces difficulties in the processing of accents, sentence structure, grammar, language, noise and other factors that help a computer distinguish for example “rain” from “reign.” Concepts of artificial intelligence (AI) are applied in information retrieval and voice/speech recognition in which the understanding of spoken language is aided by semantic computing. The SIRI voice recognition system on the Apple 4S mobile phone marked a breakthrough in general voice/speech availability and usability, and similar systems are already available on other mobile systems such as Android (Samsung’s S Voice). Voice recognition has progressed faster in the mobile than the desktop world, as tech companies have engineered mobile devices to be “spoken to” and desktop computers to be used with keyboard and mouse. Technically, there are two different applications of this technology that are relevant for future meetings. Technology now allows for live speech-to-text transcription, allowing immediate keyword tagging and making the distribution of presentations and notes nearly instantaneous. Look for voice recognition that distinguishes among several speakers. In particular, this is relevant for panel discussions and round-table meetings. Voice recognition systems can detect “genuine-ness” and levels of stress in conversations and discussions, opening the possibility of tagging delegate opinions and portions of conversations with varying levels of truth or confidence. This could provide new avenues into enhancing feedback mechanisms to support meeting planners. Real time translation is here as well. Look for these options to become more and more affordable in the near future.
In terms of audio technology, improvements can be expected in terms of sound processing for removing reverberations in rooms. Any sound that misses the intended audience is classified as noise. The technology now exists to direct sound with the same precision as light, creating a tight, narrow beam. Spatially localized audio can provide a more engaging auditory experience in meeting venues in a tightly specified area. In conjunction with visual AR, this can increase the impact of messages and information. Targeted audio will benefit the conference environment; multiple presentations will be able to take place in a single space without distraction. Remote participants could also be represented by, for example, holographic avatars; the direction of the hologram’s head and voice could be synchronized to further simulate reality, adding to the overall virtual experience.
Virtual reality has been a domain of mostly technical simulation. With immersion, 3-D graphics and sound, the user experience simulates aspects of reality. For meetings, virtual reality can provide a more engaging experience for distance-participants, replicating parts of an actual meeting venue and simulating interactions that are customary at face-to-face meetings—especially in a purely virtual event. Simulating meeting spaces online through graphic illusion simulates the face-to-face experience. And, in the context of learning, avatars have been shown to allow users to overcome communication difficulties that they face in real life. Telepresence refers to a set of technologies that enable a person to appear or feel present in a location other than their actual location. Distance participation can reduce an overall meeting experience, due to a lack of engaging and immersive presence cues; telepresence research and development can improve this by providing a more immersive, realistic experience. Immersive systems, holographic displays and spectral imagery will eventually increase the realism with true 3-D visualization, in contrast to the pseudo 3-D visualization that is currently in use in most systems.
Mixing real and virtual worlds with additional information in a real space is the domain of augmented reality. Stemming from the realm of complex machinery maintenance and training, AR has become mainstream with the general availability of small devices, primarily mobile phones, that have cameras and location sensors and provide simple, touch-screen interaction. The video-see-through AR of mobile devices provides some initial glimpse into what it will provide in the future. AR can, for example, highlight printed information such as posters with an additional information layer, providing links to Websites and visualizations. Camera-enabled smart phones provide sufficiently large amounts of processing power and are versatile, inexpensive platforms for AR applications. Social networking technology provides an infrastructure for collaboratively producing and distributing AR content. This combination of widely used mobile hardware and new software allows for the development of a new type of AR platform that can be used on a global scale. For example, at a networking event attendees can use a service that augments the information of other attendees from social networking sites (photographs and business or social interests) onto their smartphones. AR can be used to provide information related to the core of a meeting theme or topic and for conference organization, providing guidance to meeting facilities. In addition, AR can be used to increase the capabilities of collaborative video conferencing by overlaying displays with additional information.
The beauty of the cloud: You pay for what you use, when you use it. With the global economy facing increasing financial pressure, companies are being forced to reduce operational costs and move to the cloud. Increased broadband speed means that the location of both software applications and stored information will be transparent to organizations. The lower costs and heightened maintenance that the cloud provides makes fiscal sense to these organizations.
Knowing what’s around the corner is a challenge when it comes to technology. “Who’d have thought five years ago that the mobile phone would be our primary technology?” muses McKenzie of Grass Roots. For Rymer, the issue isn’t proofing against the future, but preparing for it. Future readiness is key to understanding the approaches taken by these experts. Once the decision has been made to invest in a technology, you’ll need to consider the pros and cons of leasing and buying.
Advantages of Leasing • No depreciation cost of equipment • Currency and timeliness • No up-front costs and regular payments. • Tax depreciation with a capital lease (not an operating lease) – which is considered a loan and therefore “owned” by the lessee. This can be used with the lease of long-term assets—telepresence equipment, 3D projectors, • Short-term operating leases • Buy-out options • Adaptability over time
Leasing TechnologyAdvantages
- No depreciation- No up-front costs- Short-term options- Buy-out options- Adaptability- Tax depreciation
Disadvantages- More expensive- Stagnant terms- Complicated- Maintenance- Long leases- No tax assets
Disadvantages of Leasing • More expensive than buying • Stagnant agreement terms with expensive exits • Complicated agreements requiring a lot of paper work • Expensive maintenance agreements • Long capital leases • Property isn’t a depreciable asset for tax purposes
Disadvantages of Buying • High initial payment • Out-dated equipment As a basic rule, if your requirements are small and if you intend to keep your equipment for a long while, buying is the better option. Alternatively, if the outlay is large, it may make more sense to lease, freeing up cash that could be better used elsewhere.
It’s not always the large amounts of money that companies invest in new technology that pose the biggest risk; many technologies are now open source and free. It’s the huge investment in time and missed opportunities that companies just cannot afford to lose. Three main risks include 1) technology not delivering what’s expected, 2) the length of time needed to implement it and 3) staff who are unable to use it to its full potential.
Party to any decision should be people who have a good understanding of both the organization and the technology. 1. What are the benefits and pitfalls? 2. Does it fit with our moral and ethical policies? 3. Will it make us more attractive for potential strategic alliances? 4. Is it scalable, and will it work with our existing technology? 5. Is it future-proof and sustainable? Is there something better just around the corner? 6. Is it cutting-edge technology that will show us to be innovators and leaders? 7. Will it help to promote our organization, local area or country? 8. Is it just a fad? 9. Do suppliers provide strong customer service, technical support and guarantees? 10. Is the technology reliable and fit for purpose? 11. What are the development plans? 12. To what degree should our organization change? 13. Can we afford to fail? 14. Can we afford not to invest? Will we get left behind? 15. Does it complement our brand image?
It is crucial that organizations receive good advice when investing in technology, especially if they employ no technical staff. You need to appoint personnel to be in the right networks, and at the right meetings, with the right suppliers. • Use social networks to research new technologies, but be aware of pure sales pitches. • Attend technology webinars. • Employ able staff to make fast, informed decisions. • Subscribe to expert groups and forums. • Look around at what other leading players in the industry use. • Don’t rely on just one supplier.
While investing in technology poses a risk, so does not investing. Once you accept the risk, you need to take steps to reduce it. • Devise a phased rollout with key users who learn the technology first. • Have a backup plan. • Develop a partnership with a supplier, so you can build knowledge. • Collaborate rather than compete. • Specify all requirements in detail, and ensure contractual agreements are in place. • Invest in talent and use collective brainpower • Get facts and make educated decisions. • Learn from your mistakes. • Be clear about your expectations and objectives. • Look at similar solutions and talk to other users. • Trial the technology first. • Be prepared to throw the technology away
