Event-tech as an online complement for your conference

A friend of mine once said that the chef is no longer the most important person in a restaurant if you’re sat at a dirty table. No matter the reputation that accompanies the steak you’ve ordered, the most important employee in that restaurant is now the one holding the bottle of Flash – not the spatula.

This adage holds true for PCOs and other companies in the congress and conference industry. All that spent focusing on quality speakers, powerful sessions, and the fancy plenary hall may amount to little if due care and consideration is not provided for improving the digital presence of the event.

A major proportion of the conversations surrounding the content shared at your event evolve outside the space of the plenary hall. Which is why having a clear strategy to engage delegates online and bringing them into your event’s digital space is crucial for its success.

Though PCOs are at their best when it comes to providing stellar event experience to attendees, the expectations of today’s audience keeps on mounting. Now, apart from satisfying attendees’ needs; we need to delight them.

Technology providers must ensure that the event website is easy-to-use and highly personalised. There is no reason why a delegate must be forced to go through different systems to register and access their badge, connect with others at the event, and manage their schedule and agenda. This should be readily available on the website for a seamless event experience.

Registration forms are the biggest barrier to attracting more delegates at your event. So why force them into filling out the same form each year? There is no need for end-user to have several accounts and remember several credentials for each profile in different systems, or even across different events. Data should seamlessly flow through all business applications invisible to the end-user.

And of course, given our reliance on handheld devices, the website should be realised on attendees’ phone through an intelligently crafted app. If, as a visitor, I browse a conference website that allows me to add sessions to my agenda, connect with my favourite people, and schedule appointments, then it is imperative to showcase this information when I log in with the very same details on the conference app as well.

Thus, it is of key importance to seek technology-enabled solutions for enhancing the value proposition of our events, especially when the demand of event-tech savvy organisers is steeply rising in the realm of live events.

You should be the one activating your clients, not your competitors.