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Insights on events, technology, and the future of gathering
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Insights on events, technology, and the future of gathering
Quick answer: Event technology is any software or hardware used to plan, run, and analyze an event - from registration platforms and webinar tools to event apps and analytics dashboards. The right tools broaden audience engagement, personalize the experience, improve security, streamline registration, and save your team significant time and money.
Planning and hosting an event, whether large or small, is a balancing act. There are countless details, vendors, and moving parts to keep straight, and event technology can help at every step - keeping your event running smoothly and even protecting you from major mistakes.
Every tool is an added line in your budget, but the right event technology is an investment, not an expense. Below we explain what event technology is, the main types, and the eight biggest benefits it can bring to your event planning team and your organization.
Event technology is a general term for any technology - software or hardware - used in the organization, planning, implementation, and analysis of an event. It usually refers to tools built specifically for events, like webinar software for virtual events
Event coordination involves so many skills and tasks that the list of possible tools is nearly endless. These are some of the most common types of event technology:
Webinar software to cast presentations for virtual or hybrid events
Event management software that handles numerous aspects of your event
Virtual event hosting software with a full ecosystem for online events, including casting and breakout rooms
Event apps that let attendees interact with the event's sessions
Social media tools to market the event and track mentions during it
Data analytics software to evaluate attendee data and surface insights
Vendor management software to keep records of vendors and contracts
Survey technology for live polls during sessions and post-event feedback
Marketing tools, like email marketing software, to promote the event
This is not an exhaustive list, but any of these can help your next event run more smoothly - and the eight benefits below explain why they are worth the investment.
Audience engagement is one of the most effective ways to improve the outcomes of your event: attendees get more out of it, and vendors are happier too. Audience engagement software creates opportunities for interaction, like apps where attendees track their sessions, live polls within sessions, message boards where they discuss their takeaways, and more.
Every event has its own purpose and goals, so you need to be able to customize your event. Technology makes this possible by helping you tailor your presentations, branding, and marketing collateral - and attendees can personalize their own experience too, using apps to plan their sessions and vendor booth visits.
Safety and security are vital for any event, because a negative incident can put your organization, attendees, or vendors at risk and overshadow all your hard work. Security technology like surveillance equipment and identity verification tools improves safety for everyone on site - and choosing a GDPR-compliant, ISO 27001-certified platform such as Canapii protects your attendees' data as well.
The way you register attendees shapes their first impression of your event. A smooth, user-friendly, and accurate process ensures you have all the information you need when the big day arrives, and event registration platforms can handle the entire process swiftly.
Social media will be a factor in your event whether you plan for it or not, because attendees and vendors will post about it. Social media technology helps you market the event in advance, set up special event hashtags, and create groups where attendees can network. When people talk about your event in a positive light, it looks great for your organization.
Tracking and assessing your data is a cornerstone of throwing profitable, productive events time and time again. Data analytics software shows you who your target audience is, how people found out about your event, and how much attendees engaged during it - priceless insights as you work to make your next event even better.
Planning and hosting an event will always be time-consuming, but the right technology makes a powerful difference. Event technology can automate parts of your process, like tracking vendor contracts, sending reminders to registrants, and publishing marketing campaigns.
Event technology is not an expense but an investment. It saves money on planning time and staffing resources, helps you avoid costly record errors, and protects the facility and your equipment from damage or theft, to name a few examples.
Event technology is any software or hardware used to organize, plan, run, and analyze an event - from webinar and registration software to event apps, analytics tools, and badge scanning hardware.
Common examples include event management platforms, webinar software, virtual event hosting tools, event apps, survey and live polling tools, data analytics software, vendor management systems, and email marketing tools.
Yes. While every tool adds to your budget, event technology pays for itself by saving planning time, reducing staffing needs, preventing record errors, improving security, and boosting attendee engagement.
Yes - small events benefit too. Even a simple registration platform or event app reduces manual work, improves the attendee experience, and gives you data to make your next event better.
Canapii's all-in-one event platform brings registration, engagement, and analytics together in one place, and has powered 2,000+ events across 45+ countries since 2020. Learn more about Canapii or speak to our team today to see how we can facilitate your next event.