2017 was the year of robots, chatbots and virtual reality. If you haven’t had a conversation with a virtual assistant in the last twelve months or ventured into the world of the virtual reality headset, then you haven’t lived.
So, what’s next in the busy world of event technology trends? At Noodle Live, we create apps for events and RFID badging systems to help #EventProfs meet their goals and measure the ROI of their event. We’re always on the lookout for new software and hardware that could impact the events industry.
Want to know what event technology trends to look out for next year? Here are some of the tech trends our team members are going to be watching very carefully in 2018.
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NFC Apps
“I’m very interested in the ways NFC-enabled apps will impact live events and change the way we connect our mobile phone with the physical space around us. With an NFC-enabled app, you can simply tap your phone on an object in order to perform an action, such as paying for items with Apple Pay, or opening a website. For event apps, this means a whole new level of functionality and dramatic reductions to the cost of event tech systems.” Clemi, MD
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Growth of IoT
“I’m watching the growth of the Ethereum Project really closely. Blockchain technology is about to become a huge disruptor in the industry. On another note, there is also likely to be a huge growth connected products. With the internet of things, more and more of the objects we are surrounded by will start to connect to the internet. I’m expecting delegates to become increasingly familiar with connected products and to begin expecting their world to be responsive and interactive.” Glyn, CTO
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Deep Learning
“Deep learning is becoming incredibly sophisticated and I think it’s going to become much more widely used in 2018. An increasing number of programs and machines are now being created with built-in learning structures that allow them to process data, analyse the results and react. At events, deep learning could be used to read footfall patterns in order suggest methods of crowd control and numbers of refreshments needed.” Vicki, Senior Project Event Manager
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Artificial Intelligence for Personalisation
“AI is capable of processing information about your habits and behaviour in order to make suggestions about what you might do next. For events, AI offers loads of possibilities for personalisation of the event experience. I can imagine loads of potential for personal recommendations including sessions to attend, people to connect with and stands to visit.” Matt, Technical Event Assistant
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Facial Recognition
“Facial recognition could be a huge help when it comes to gathering event feedback. Big advancements are being made in facial recognition software that offers emotion analysis to gather data about how people are feeling and responding. Goodbye event feedback forms – hello emotion tracking.” Kiarash, Event Technology Consultant
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Gamification
“I’ve had so many requests for gamified event tech this year and it’s one of my favourite projects to deliver. There are loads of fun ways to add gamification to your event apps or badging systems: create league tables, incentivise certain actions or create treasure hunts, all using the tech you’re already working with.” Hannah, Senior Event Technology Consultant
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Augmented Reality
“AR allows you to view the real world through your iPhone screen, adding elements that aren’t there in real life. This year we teamed up with Zappar to create AR-enabled event apps. Imagine a digital treasure hunt around your event space with characters and hidden signposts to help you on your way. What a cool way to add a touch of magic to your event!” Rebecca, Projects and Events Manager
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Biometric Data
“It’s been a big promise for a long time, but biometric data is finally getting easier to read and interpret. Biometric data is simply data about people’s physical behaviour and characteristics. It’s everything your Fitbit monitors, from heart rate and exercise patterns to sleep and blood pressure. But biometric data is also increasingly being used to measure emotional states and wellbeing. At future events, I think you could be issued with a wristband that measures your heart rate and blood pressure in order to monitor your levels of excitement and engagement. Coupled with AI, you could then receive recommendations for sessions to attend and exhibitors to visit, all based on your levels of engagement when interacting with certain features.” Kitty, PR and Social Media
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Big Data
“I really think #EventProfs should pay attention to data! Big data offers a wealth of opportunities to help better analyse and understand how delegates behaved at an event. This could allow #EventProfs to make significant changes and improvements in future and in 2018, the tech to measure data at events is going to become even more accessible and affordable thanks to NFC event apps.” Lauren, Events Executive
Interesting in following the latest event technology trends? Follow Noodle Live on Twitter for the latest updates.
