1. engagement
apps
93% of events apps on the market offer
engagement tools. *
How to ensure your app will be a success:
• Provide the right information to the right users
• Offer app monetization opportunities
• Gather data to improve events and content
• Include engagement tools to allow interactions
*Event Apps are Dead: Welcome the Event Remote Control
(Webinar), Event MB & etouches, October 2015
drones The drone market is predicted to nearly
double next year and almost triple by 2017.*
How event organizers can exploit drones:
• Capture creative event photos of venue
and surrounding area
• Map out the venue for GPS
• Show off your total number of attendees
*5 Disruptive Tech Trends That Could Dominate in 2016,
The Motley Fool, September 2015
virtual reality
$2.8 billion hardware market by 2020.*
Virtual reality shipments will create a
How VR will change the event industry:
• Virtual site inspections for planning
• Virtual attendance and training
• Booth engagement via games and
immersive product demonstrations
*The Virtual Reality Report, Business Insider, April 2015
responsive
design
Traffic to non-mobile websites
from Google mobile searches fell 12% after
Mobilegeddon.*
Which content should be responsive:
• Webpages for events
• Mobile event apps
• Email marketing efforts
*Digital Advertising Report, Adobe Digital Index, May 2015
internet of
things (loT)
By 2016, the IoT market will surpass the PC,
tablet, and phone market combined.*
Benefits of IoT for event participants:
• “Smart” name badges to share business
cards, open hotel rooms, and more
• Monitoring food and beverage levels
• Presentations controlled from devices
*The Internet of Everything, Business Insider, April 2015
INTERNET
OF THINGS
BLE and
beacons
65% of smartphone owners would rather learn of
a promotion from their phone over a sales associate.*
What beacons can do for events:
• Measure crowd flow to eliminate bottlenecks
• Automated and targeted push notifications
• Improve scavenger hunt gamification
*http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/15/ibeacon-retailers
50% OFF
order now!
wearables Worldwide wearables market to grow to around
155.7 million units by 2019.*
How event guests will use wearables:
• Quickly glance at event alerts and notifications
• Respond to audience polling questions
• Record and track CEU credits
*http://www.statista.com/statistics/296565/wearables-
worldwide-shipments
mobile
payments Nearly one in five smartphone users will use
mobile payments by 2016.*
How attendees will use mobile payments:
• Event registration
• Certification and training costs
• Donations and silent auction bidding
*Mobile Payments Will Triple in the US in 2016, eMarketer,
October 2015
$
mobile
security 25% of all mobile devices encounter a threat
each month.*
Event tech security practices:
• Use complex passwords
• Limit user access to critical data
• Communicate security policies to members
*https://www.skycure.com/blog/skycure-study-2015-
best-worst-tourist-attractions-for-mobile-security
venue wi-fi By 2018, mobile device and Wi-Fi connections
will surpass wired connections. *
Wi-Fi standards for event organizers:
• Determine Wi-Fi importance based on
audience needs
• Secure your Wi-Fi network with
password protection
• Conduct an onsite speed test
*Cisco Visual Networking Index: Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast
Update 2014–2019 White Paper, Cisco, February 2015
Event Tech Trends to
Watch for 201610