SheMeansBusiness: Technology Trends That Will Shape the Event Industry in 2022
Instead of giving our predictions in the new year, we asked five #eventtech founders their thoughts about what technology or trends they think will play a critical role in the next few years in the event industry.
Interestingly enough, it all points toward an expanded focus on year-round community, and the metaverse (obviously).
Sandy Hammer, CMO, and Co-Founder of Allseated
“I think the future of tech will be artificial intelligence (AI), data collection, and pixel streaming that will allow for movie quality to go on our web browsers and keep us engaged for hours.
After Allseated’s trip to AWE (which we were very excited to attend) last year, we felt a little let down – VR hardware is just taking too long for the masses to be comfortable.
At the end of the day, if we cannot put something into our day bag and pull it out fast, like a phone or even a tablet, we will not use it.
While the Oculus and other VR software we saw is not at that stage yet, it does not mean people will not use it. Younger generations are already using it for games and will for sure stay in that world.
But asking us to shop, have a conference for three days, and travel will prevent many of us from using VR for that length of time.
AR was also disappointing on the hardware side. Yes, it’s cool, but the display size has a lot of work still to be done — you must have amazing eyesight to see anything that small!
We have a future of extremely high-quality data that will allow us to give clients what they want and not what we think. If we offer them exactly what they want, they will also be engaged, and the experience will be rewarding and valuable from both a monetary aspect (ROI) as well as time – both of which are key for us to continue in the virtual/hybrid world.”
Rachel Stephan, Founder of Snöball
“What’s ahead for events will be out of this world.. literally!
The transformation in how we meet and the introduction of a new meeting universe with the metaverse will open up a whole different world of event experiences to come.
In addition to the diversity in how we meet, I see a rise in the diversity of content creators. As a result, the creator economy will spike and be fertile ground for growing micro-communities of like-minded professionals where everyone has a voice and contributes.
These content creators will ensure 365 communities are thriving and engaging. Organizers will then need to leverage these communities as a viable business model and monetize and grow them.”
Pauline Kwaniak, CEO of Finedeeds.com
“I would like to see more women in the event technology space. We know the events industry is predominantly female, but most entrepreneurs supplying technology solutions are male. Why is that?
This change is happening slowly, and I feel this will be a huge trend when Gen Z becomes the biggest spender in our industry. We need more women in technology, and frankly, in every industry.
Obviously, whether we like it or not, the metaverse for digital events, marketing, and team collaboration with virtual meetings will also be necessary. Any virtual event platform out there should be investing in it now and exploring its options (Microsoft Teams and Webex already doing it). I also see a rise in “ethical” and smaller social media platforms where specific niche communities can come together and collaborate.”
Tamsin Treasure-Jones, Co-Founder of Kubify
“Within conferences, technologies that help build a conference/association community will be on the rise, strengthening the links between those who take part in the shared experience of the conference and offering them ways to continue their conversations.
Technologies that allow sharing outwards from that community – as a way of promoting the benefits of being part of the community – will also grow. Finally, it will be crucial to support early-career researchers within these communities. They may have missed opportunities to start building their networks (through serendipitous meetings) when in-person conferences stopped.
However, technology can certainly help here. First, virtual or hybrid conferences are more inclusive and accessible for those who cannot travel for various reasons. Second, the 365-day access to the conference material, contacts, and activities supported by technology platforms make it much easier to follow up on the interesting connections you make at events.
There is no single technology that will achieve this. But, the increasing interest in technology that supports communities is an area I believe is essential and will remain important beyond the pandemic.”
Cindy Chin, President, COO, and Co-Founder of CLIPr
- “Hybrid and virtual is here to stay
The trend for hybrid and virtual is not going away. We still see large legacy companies not going back to their offices, and the behavior change is shifting in how people work.
As behavior and adoption change, innovations have an opportunity to thrive, and a new generation of workers will have their first experience in their professional careers in a hybrid world. That generation is the largest growing population in the U.S., and economically we will see the effects and measure the metrics in GDP. - 365
The 365 concept of work productivity is now becoming an actual reality. The trend existed before the pandemic, but the choice in tools had not. They were still proof points, sometimes inefficient with unstable tech, and people adjusting en masse to work from home in varying time zones.
We will see and be able to measure those shifts in work hygiene and productivity through the output in companies and their successes with customers or partnerships. CLIPr is one of those tools that people can adapt quickly with the meeting video recordings and our engagement and collaboration platforms to search and share CLIP reels. - Content is key
As event organizers and professionals know, content is vital.
However, that content is also data and has a longer tail and opportunity for attendees to watch, engage, and collaborate with it.
This is what the explosion in video technology has created in the past 18 months and the number of hours of high-value recorded content. There are monetization opportunities as well as building brand and cross-market opportunities. Event professionals are in the early stages of realizing how underutilized video is a tool and implementing new ideas to leverage the power of video. I see adaptation and adoption coming and CLIPr being a more significant part of this movement in adding value for search, analytics, and engagement post-event in our video content libraries.”
We appreciate these five amazing female entrepreneurs sharing their insight with us. Here’s to the new year ahead!
