Each match automates personalized actions, such as printing a badge with the attendees name, sending an email with a scannable lunch voucher, and finalizing a swag bag for their ticket-tier (no sense creating swag bags for no-shows).

The technology speeds event check-ins, improves security, and helps businesses at tradeshows collect more valuable leads by tracking attendee visits to booths.

can also use facial recognition to watch for crowd flow bottlenecks and collect session attendance data so you know what worked—and what didn’t.

The ability to support advanced tech like facial recognition makes venues more attractive to corporate planners. The technology also allows automation at certain access points, which means lower manpower requirements and lower costs. 

Properly integrated apps add value to events, providing attendees with more opportunities for networking, interaction, and engagement with peers, speakers, and exhibitors.

Offering tech to support projection mapping provides bang for the buck. There’s no need to physically construct or deconstruct any part of your exhibit hall to add this fun, popular technology to your toolbox and draw more events. 

This visual technology is an efficient, cost-effective way to create optical illusions on anything—from cars to landmarks to stages.

With tradeshow or conference maps, speaker bios, and schedules in the event app, there’s no need for bulky information packets. Push notifications in the apps help keep attendees informed and on schedule. Planners can also use apps to personalize the event agenda through live polling and attract event sponsors with the option of targeted attendee surveys.  

Event spaces can create customized apps to share helpful info like maps, historical tidbits, and even the personalities of their unique employees

Easy-to-use 3D event diagramming software provides accurate, customizable, collaborative project planning regardless of venue design or size.

Give clients peace of mind and leave nothing to chance on the big dayUpload a floor plan to work with, so you know the diagram is to scaleTake clients and stakeholders on 3D ‘fly throughs’ to clarify your visionPlan seating charts and manage attendees’ meal choices or other preferencesHelp staff easily identify and accommodate VIPs and guests with special requests

Sales reps can collaborate with planners in real time, share variations on the event proposal, and visually portray upsells.

Attendees can use this tech to follow slide presentations, participate with quizzes and polls, take notes, and engage in text-based Q&A. They can also view graphs, tables, videos, and other content; and follow website and social media links. 

Any speaker can keep an audience attentive and engaged with this technology, leading to good reviews and a successful event.

Supporting second screen tech for presentations is much less expensive than making physical upgrades that aren’t in the budget. 

This data underscores the importance of social media sentiment analysis in monitoring your brand and messaging, keeping an eye on competitors, and making improvements to services during and after events.

Tracking attendee activity on social media during an event provides actionable data to help you make adjustments in real-time

Replenishing food and beveragesEasing show floor bottlenecksDriving session attendanceAddressing technology issues (mobile apps, Wi-Fi, or audio/visual)

Venues can social media sentiment to promote popular services and learn where there’s room for improvement:

Wristbands and smart badges using near-field communication (NFC) chips keep disruptions and lines to a minimum, thereby increasing attendee productivity and engagement.

Access different event areasExchange information with peersReceive exhibitor marketing materialMake cashless purchases

Wearable tech helps you speed-up check-in, control access, and monitor attendee behavior with less staffing. It also improves ROI for exhibitors, who can drive attendees wearing the tech to visit a booth of interest based on an individual’s profile.

On-site staff can use real-time data to learn when they need to offer overflow rooms or investigate security breaches, such as non-VIP guests in restricted areas. 

Indoor wayfinding helps attendees navigate exhibit halls with ease,

gather useful attendee behavioral data, send leads to sales team members in real-time, and build attendee profiles to send targeted messaging

You can also incorporate proximity advertising options as a value-add for exhibitors and sponsor

Post-event, you can utilize IPS data to see where attendees spent their time visiting booths and attending presentations.

Adding hotel bars, restaurants, spas, gift shops, and other amenities to the location map can help drive additional revenue during events while improving the attendee experience

store attendee admission information on their person, helping to detect fraud and streamline access

Attendees can review their travels throughout a tradeshow and see who they interacted with, while exhibitors are notified in real-time when sought-after prospects come into their booth.

Planners can generate pop-up directions for attendees based on their location at an event instead of investing in producing/shipping/replacing physical signage

validates your event and highlights improvement opportunities by tracking session popularity, length of attendee visits to exhibitor booths, and strong tradeshow traffic.  

RFID and beacon technology helps security and general event staff do their job better in real-time, which is essential for building trust and streamlining crowded events

event planners are turning to venue sourcing platforms to connect with the perfect site for their particular event.

discover detailed venue layouts, capacity ranges, and on-site services

Venue platforms offer exceptional ROI and generate more leads through improved discoverability.

Convey elements that make your venue uniqueShowcase your event spaces visually with accurate floor plans, 3D diagrams, quality photos, and videosLeverage the success of past events with testimonials and social media accolades

artificial intelligence (AI) tech is using badge scans, social media info, and other behavioral data to match attendees with people they should meet or seminars they may want to attend. 

Instead of taking-up significant time pre-event and on-site manually recommending seminars, exhibitors, and sponsors to attendees, AI can do it for you—even in real-time—based on their profiles and preferences captured during registration. 

it requires transparency and advance notice about how you may use data submitted by attendees. 

Attendees entering the geofenced area triggers predetermined actions, such as event check-in, push notifications, or advertising related to the event. 

Planners can sell geofencing to exhibitors and sponsors to reach attendees at events, or even promote their event on attendee devices at a competing event under a separate geofence. You can also provide attendees with a better experience via seamless registration and check-in, along with automatic app downloads as soon as they walk on-site.

provides analytics, both post-event and in real-time to help you better understand things like the duration of an attendee’s time at an event and overall peak attendance. 

Hotels can serve ads promoting their brand, facility, and services to attendees at events

once a prospect visits an event website, ads for that event will appear on any subsequent websites the prospect visits, in the form of website banner ads, search engine results, and pop-up or push ads on mobile apps. 

Event marketing teams should develop relevant and creative ads with clearly visible event dates to convince prospects who have visited an event website, but haven’t yet registered

venues can use it to generate return visits from event planners

retarget attendees during events with offers for in-house services like food and beverage, spa, and discounts on extending their stay.

Gameplay creates an immersive attendee experience, while generating leads and booth visits for exhibitors via quizzes, scavenger hunts, and trivia on mobile apps.

Gameplay fosters a sense of common purpose; creates an environment of collaboration and trust; facilitates easier communication; and boosts attendee confidence. You can also gather information about attendee engagement and interests via game choices.

Promoting the use of gameplay on-site showcases a venue to organizations looking for facilities supporting team building exercises as well as immersive attendee experiences.

Event technology is a term used to describe all of the digital tools and software used in the events industry. Everything from check in & registration, to diagramming, to social media tools, and more can be considered event technology.

Proximity marketing—also sometimes called hyperlocal marketing—uses cellular technology to send marketing messages to mobile-device users who are in close proximity to a business.

While the audience is limited to those in the proximity of the business and those using its Wi-fi or Bluetooth signal, the message is very user friendly and reaches those most likely to visit a store. Who employs Proximity Marketing?

Major retailers, such as Ikea or Macy’s, can send store maps and coupons or offers to apply for their credit card or to enroll in their loyalty or rewards programs. Hotels can inform guests about on-site events and promotions or can offer to enroll them in loyalty or rewards programs. Restaurants can send special menus/daily specials, coupons, offers for loyalty programs, or perhaps send trivia questions or other games to help them pass the time while they wait for their table to be ready. Shopping malls can offer a proximity marketing benefit to their tenants by putting together a package of coupons or offer a discount at any mall retailer. Travel hubs such as airports and public transportation centers can provide maps or display ads that can be sold to local tourist destinations. General information about a product or service can be delivered through proximity marketing even if the fixed location of the business or service agency changes

This makes just about every consumer with a smart phone potentially susceptible to a proximity marketing campaign, particularly younger, tech-savvy shoppers who are more likely to own smartphone and use them while shopping.

Locations such as shopping malls, large retail outlets, and trade shows, where consumers are generally planning to spend at least an hour or two, are prime areas for a proximity marketing campaign.

One of the key benefits of proximity marketing is that its messages reach a high percentage of potential customers who are in the area.

The main purpose of the proximity marketing plan is to connect with customers while they are near your business or service and spur them into action

In the case of mobile messaging, it’s important to consider adding an opt-in component to your campaign.

More and more, customers value control over the messages they receive and desire privacy from unwanted solicitations

Mobile devices are made for short messages and quick interaction, and there is intense competition for the attention and time of the mobile device user. Therefore, in developing a proximity marketing plan, messages must be sharpened and honed to be as clear, concise, and impactful as possible.

If the goal is to drive as much traffic as possible to the business and maximize sales that day, then an electronic coupon or special offer might be the best strategy. If the store has a high turnover rate, the goal may be to make a connection with customers by offering them incentives to return.

The digital and interactive nature of most proximity marketing campaigns provides the advantage of real-time data collection of response and success rates. If a message is failing to connect, it can be easily and quickly adjusted.

uses sensor data to recognize hazardous trends and alert the appropriate maintenance engineer before the issue escalates.

Mobile can be seen as a front and back-of-house application.

“IoT has the power to increase guest satisfaction, decrease unnecessary costs and labor and increase productivity.”

As the IoT market matures, vendor consolidation will likely occur, creating a smaller number of vendors with more cohesive system offerings.

Each device incorporated into a hotel’s digital infrastructure can be exploited by hackers.

That being said, one incident shouldn’t lead hotels to fear IoT in hospitality or all together. IoT is the way of the future and it’s unavoidable.

It’s a way to increase customer satisfaction and be ahead of the competition while still preparing for the worst situation that could happen.

When it comes to the big differences between the two, it boils down to deployment and technical requirements, cost and accessibility.

Data is stored on a server located at the property. This means that data and hardware maintenance and security are the responsibility of the property.

A reliable Internet connection is important.

On-premise systems require significantly more on-property hardware than cloud systems

While vendors of on-premise PMS may offer guidance determining the suitability of existing hardware or purchasing new items, the technical requirements of an on-premise system add considerable cost to implementation and maintenance, and benefit from in-house IT expertise.

All the property needs to access the PMS is a computer or mobile device, a stable Internet connection and a Web browser. No in-house IT skills required!

With an on-premise system, data security is the property’s responsibility.

Anti-virus software is generally a good idea for any computer accessing the Internet

Cloud software vendors have the expertise and budget to implement robust security measures and procedures

On-premise hotel management systems are a traditionally expensive investment that can cost a mid-sized hotel $10,000 to $20,000 or more for the software licence (additional licenses normally need to be purchased for each additional workstation), plus annual maintenance fees, as well as significant hardware and IT costs

typically based on a monthly cost of around $5 to $10 per room, and normally a one-time setup and training fee (approximately $500)

Modern on-premise PMS can be integrated with external systems such as call accounting software, point-of-sale (POS) systems and in-room entertainment systems but it is a complex process that requires manual technical work and additional hardware (for example, a dedicated computer between the PMS and interface system).

Cloud PMS are much more easily integrated with external systems,

While it is possible for on-premise systems to be accessed remotely from an off-site computer, this ability requires additional technical setup, including installation of a Citrix or Terminal server onsite

Because cloud PMS are deployed online, the system is accessible via a secure login from any computer or mobile device connected to the Internet, anywhere in the world.

On-premise systems typically face lengthy development cycles compared to cloud-based systems and require expensive upgrades to remain current.

Upgrades are frequent and usually free with cloud-based systems and can be deployed instantly.

Cloud PMS make a lot of sense for independent lodging operators who are passionate about hospitality rather than technology.

help hotel managers uncover new market segments to promote their products.

GDS Hotel bookings often result in multiple nights stays.

The main purpose of a global distribution system is to help travel agents search for hotel accommodations that fit a set of criteria.

Agent increase in use of GDS systems over the past 2 years:USA- 30%, Latin America- 49% , Europe & Middle East-47%, APAC-64%.

agents have access to live rates and availability

The number of bookings generated through a GDS generally outpaces that of direct bookings.

GDS is an important mix into larger properties’ distribution channels.

By making use of cloud computing, as a hotelier, you pay only for what you demand. It specifies that your upfront costs are kept low as you are only paying for the computing power and cloud storage which your hotel actually needs.

The need for hardware overload in your hotel is brought down, because of which your electricity bills are also reduced by a huge margin.

also shortens the project time resulting in costs cutting and higher productivity.

An added advantage of cloud computing is that it frees your staff from their otherwise fixed terminals and lets them work independently and even more efficiently.

increased in the speed at which the guests access the products and services, thus only creating seamless hotel experiences for them.

Also, one of the major benefits is the real-time update — it makes the process much smoother and cheaper, and saves a lot of time.

However, when you put your hotel process and management on the cloud, it provides you with the flexibility to access it and work on it from any part of the world — all you need is a steady internet connection and a smart device (a laptop, or a computer, or mobile phone or tablet.)

When it comes to the benefits of cloud computing in the hospitality industry, the list includes enhanced guest experiences, massive reduction in costs, faster services and their seamless access, software and service security, and more flexibility.