What will be the biggest trend to make an impact on your upcoming event ? This is the question all event planners ask at the beginning of the year, in order for their event to connect with the most successful target market. As event planners, it’s time to deal with the changing world around us. Event MB states, “94% of event professionals will invest in technology to increase engagement at events.” This being said, read below to see the top 10 event trends for 2016.
1. Audio Beacons
These beacons offer endless possibilities of establishing quick communications with your attendees. It’s the increasingly trendy way of communicating with your audiences at small and large events. There’s anticipation of a lot of interest from key players in the event industry. Companies to look at that are into Audio Beacons are Lisnr and Silverpush.
2.Digital Swag bags
Gift bags were always the best part about going to a friend’s party when you were little, right? You’re lying if you disagree. Apps like Virtual Event Bags and Event Baxx are making this childhood memory come back to life in the virtual world. You can send all of your attendees a goody bag of promotions and discounts after your event, while gathering valuable lead generating information.
3.Safety First
Event planners always have to have the ‘safety first’ mentality as a priority. We see this movement with the shift in the environment that we live in today. These apps help event professionals stay connected with their attendees to effectively communicate through common scenarios at events around the world. Initlive and Lineapp are apps that are growing in this industry.
4.Mobile Pay
Cashless payments are becoming a reality in larger cities around the world. Apple Pay is already making a huge impact in this industry so event planners are having to change the way they exchange goods. Payments are being exchanged over cell phones, wristbands, or badges. The convenience makes the cashless payments a big part of what we are going to see this 2016 event season.
5.Wedding Technology
Weddings make up a big portion of the event world. Everything is going online now, and so is planning your wedding. Apps like Wedocracy and Aisle Planner make planning your wedding that much easier to connect with vendors to checklists before the big day.
6.Online Staffing
Online support for events has massively grown over the past few years. Apps like GetTheEvent is a good way to quickly find high quality professionals to help last minute for your event that you know have similar experience for the event world.
7.Social Ambassadors
Over the past few years, we’ve come to find that sharing the Facebook and Twitter posts aren’t enough to get the positive impressions that we need. Having a social ambassador promote your event or brand within their own community and having a tangible face and experience to remember is just another perk for our business. Apps like Ingo and Peppertix are companies in the Social Ambassador industry.
8.Venue Hunting
The venue search is a lot like how people look for houses and apartments now. Event professionals have the classic venue search while driving in the car, solely at their fingertips. Apps like Headbox and Splacer make is so the event planner can go straight to the source while skipping the marketing and sales nonsense.
9. Match Making
Event mobile apps are steadily growing, as is our industry. They connect the people to the event in order to network with other individuals. The networking capabilities of events has increased so these apps like Charlie App and Intros help people make the most of it.
10.Crowd Streaming
Though live streaming has been around for years, it’s making a comeback in 2016 with people downloading apps like Meerkat and Periscope. It is affecting the event planner by connecting individuals and groups to a live broadcast of the event that they might not have been able to attend otherwise.
Hope the top 10 event trends for 2016 helps you get ready for this eventful season. Check back to our blog next week to see more tips and trends in the events industry!