Events and event planning are evolving into new, dynamic formats. Old models are falling away and technology is giving both planners and event participants an opportunity to grow and revisit the underlying ideas about how event spaces work. "It's been fascinating watching just how fast things have changed," said Brian Solis, principal at Altimeter Group, at a New York conference this year.

This articles shows the dramatic shift in technology for event planning. Customers' expectations are high; they want something interactive and fast. Audiences want to be engaged with the event and with technology such as wifi, mobile devices and tablets everyone can communicate in real time all at once. Social Media is also playing a big part in events. Not opnly can an organizer promote their event prior to it taking place but they can also communicate through social media during the event. As an event planner myself I can tell you how important this is. It has taken some time to adjust to this new time consuming demand but the payoff for the event is worth it. Some other trends mentioned in the article are: Data personalization, augmented reality on the floor, wearable technology, mobile apps and my personal favorite Drones. The Drone technology allows an event planner to see their event from a bird's eye view which allows them to know how the setup of traffic flow went, where they need to add attractions and/or vendors, what time was the busiest at the event and analyze why people are gravitating to certain locations of the event. It is also a great marketing tool; to show the entire event all at once is a great way to showcase the event.

Subscribe to BizReport Receive our email newsletter with breaking news, in-depth reports & interviews: Marketing Beyond Marketing by Helen Leggatt Airspace's study in the U.K. among 100 marketing and brand decision makers in the hospitality, retail and leisure industries with at least 500 employees, conducted by Vanson Bourne, found that nearly all (99%) are considering investment in proximity marketing.

In this article they discuss how popular proximity marketing has become and how every company is now investing some of their marketing funding to it. 99% of marketing managers in the UK are investing in proximity marketing. This statistic speaks volumes at how important this has become. This form of marketing allows companies to reach customers like never before and customize every guest experience. It is also another tool for companies to gather data on their customer. The better we know our customers the better we can serve them. With new technology being created daily a company cannot overlook any new revenue generators.

In this article from the UK they discuss how mobile apps have become the preferred way to make reservations. We no longer have time to sit at a computer to search for reservations we want this on our mobile devices. This is where staying ahead of the curve can help your business. If your company does not have app capability your company may be missing out of millions of reservations. However; with staying ahead of the curve there are risk. In this article they discussed some of the issues that are arising with mobile bookings. Security has been the primary concern. Now companies are fighting for the #1 spot of the mobile app. It will be interesting to see how efficient mobile booking will become in 2015.

By reading this article it is clear that customers want mobile POS systems. 69.6% of business drivers that influence the restaurant industry believe that mobile POS systems are needed. Mobile POS system are the hot new item in the restaurant industry. They allow the customers to take control of their experience and make it ask quickly or slow as they would like. We are living in a world of instant gratification and the technology in hospitality is no different. It sounds absurd that we can't wait on a human being to take our order or pay our check but it is true. The rate that people are working in today's time does not allow down time while dining so to add in some extra time we are using the assistance of technology. When asked about the top features in a POS system the highest was mobile phone integration at 45.8%. This comes as no surprise, we now do everything on our mobile devices. They are more than just phones or tablets anymore, they store and control our lives. We can pay bills, order items on the internet, make reservations, check the weather etc… all with a touch of a button so why shouldn't dining be any different. It will be very interesting to see what technology comes about in the next two years and if our way of dining out will be totally transformed.

I thought this was fitting considering the discussion tropic this week. Until reading our discussion board article this week I truly had no idea so many people still use travel agents. With all the search engines such as expedia, kayak, Travelocity etc... Why would we need a travel agent? Well this article explains why. They are the experts and have access to things most people do not. They do something for the customer a search engine has been unable to replicate they can customize and give advice. I agree with this article that if you are taking a quick trip with no special add on expedia or kayak are the way to go. However; when you are looking for something special a travel agent can be an invaluable resource. One thing is they can tell you first hand their experiences with the same trip and they can get things such VIP tickets to the super bowl that you will not find on expedia. Travel agents are still relevant just not in the capacity they once were. Travel sites have made booking travel simple and fast; but when talking that special vacation where to water 5 star service a travel agent may be a good option to consider.

Disney's new magic band technology is leading the way in theme park innovation. They are able to find guest wherever on property and customize the guest experience. The downside to this technology is privacy, by them assuming you want your picture taken or your name displayed on a screen while using a fast pass may be looked at as an invasion of privacy. It is a very unique technology and the convenience of your room key, credit card, fastpass and photo account all in once wrist band is extremely convenient. It will be interesting to see if other theme parks adopt this new technology in the future.

Clear Sky Software Reduces Cost and Labor at Hotel Nikko San Francisco The clear sky software is a program that gives a comprehensive, perpetual inventory system that tracks and controls the F&B products. The system can assist with purchasing, receiving, outlet transfer/issues/returns and physical inventory. Managers will never have to wonder if they have enough veal ordered to make it through a Friday dinner service again. The software will track historically how much veal one typically uses on a Friday night, what you have in inventory and order recommendations. By implementing this software managers will not need to worry about over or under ordering a product. This will save them countless hours and money. The system also has a feature to help with food costs and gives real time cost of the products one is purchasing. This will allow the company to stay ahead of the curve and have real time pricing. If this software is successful at Hotel Nikko it will revolutionize how a Food & beverage department is ran. It seems the main goal of the software is to make things more efficient and cost effective, which is every manager's goal. I look forward to seeing how this product does long term and what new features will be added.