Has it already been a year since your last big annual corporate event? Time for another one, and now there’s the added pressure of topping last year. You got this!
If this ain’t your first rodeo, you know that corporate conference planning requires much thought and organization. Whether you’re launching a new program, promoting a new product, welcoming a new team, or introducing a further expansion, implementing technology is the perfect way to turn a mediocre event into an exceptional, immersive, and enjoyable experience for all.
Technology must be part of your strategy, from virtual and hybrid events to in-person events. If you have yet to fully embrace tech for your corporate event planning, it’s time to level up, enjoy the benefits, and never look back. Learning new things is hard, but it will help you reach your potential in the corporate world.
Here are six simple steps to steer you in the right direction when implementing technology into your corporate event.
1. Use Technology for Pre-Event Matters
Event promotion, an event website, event registration…with the help of tech, all of these can help you create an immersive experience even before the event.
If you’re hosting a virtual or hybrid event, create a venue and lock down your virtual platform. If you have any virtual elements, make it your priority to have robust and reliable technology that won’t crash in the middle of your event. Having an event website where attendees can pre-register and access helpful information all in one place can help streamline the process and ensure a professional, easy and accessible experience.
Registration is essential, especially for planning. You need to know how many people you’re going to accommodate. Technology makes the whole process easier for you and your attendees.
2. Use Technology to Track Attendance and Data
Tracking is a critical part of corporate event planning, and tech makes it easy to:
- Allow the right people into exclusive, gated events without any hassle
- Maintain compliance and ensure that you are meeting expectations and regulations that apply to your event type
- Offer supplies and resources while saving on paper costs
- Guide your guests seamlessly from section to section
- Track the flux of traffic throughout your event
- Gather, track and analyze relevant event data before, during, and after your event
3. Use Technology to Encourage Networking
Supplying a perfect networking platform for your attendees is a win-win for everybody. People may be more inclined to come if you promote your event as an excellent opportunity to network with other industry professionals. Various corporate apps allow you to set up a communication portal for your event. The idea is for attendees to connect via the app before the event. Specific platforms also allow for one-on-one chats and group sessions.
With these networking apps, people can seek out the most beneficial interactions. Rather than standing around or mingling with people who you don’t have much in common with, apps can make networking more fruitful and relevant than ever.
4. Use Technology to Gather Feedback and Enhance Future Events
Post-event feedback is critical in ensuring your future events continue to improve and operate smoothly. You’ll want to know which elements your attendees enjoyed most, which type of people signed up for which segments, how people liked the venue and amenities (food, swag bags, etc.), and so on.
This extra step will help you fix bugs, adjust, and plan an even better event next time. Send a survey to your attendees to discover what worked and what didn’t.
5. Use Technology to Strengthen Safety and Enhance Security
Safety is a top priority when planning a corporate event. It’s your responsibility to implement some security measures. One option is utilizing facial recognition for security and efficient registration. Once your attendees consent to facial recognition, they’ll be able to scan their faces to gain access to the event and other related festivities. This creates a safe way for guests to enter and exit the venue and signals that you take their safety seriously.
6. Explore Artificial Intelligence (AI)
If just the term “AI” conjures up images of robots taking over the world, you may not be anxious to welcome it to your corporate event, but keep an open mind. A simple chatbot is an example of AI, and it can be used to communicate with your event attendees like a human would. This keeps you from devoting staff to providing the same information to users over and over again. Why not let a sophisticated chatbot application like ChatGPT do it for you?
If your attendees speak different languages, use AI to translate web pages and other event communications. You can also use AI to “learn” about your attendees and guide them through an event. For example, they could plug in some initial answers about their interests and preferences at the start of the event. Then, the AI could guide them to certain offerings while learning as it goes based on what guests choose to see, attend, etc. The application will get smarter as it goes, channeling your guests’ preferences more and more accurately. (And later, it can share these insights with you to help you fine-tune your future event planning.) The networking we mentioned in point 3 can also play out dynamically with the help of AI.
But AI’s not just for the actual event. It comes in handy when you’re still in the planning stages. ChatGPT can be assigned to tasks like locating venues and managing guest lists. And applications like Interior AI can help you design your event spaces, too. It’s kind of like having a designer right there with you, telling you about different options for styles, decorations, room layout, etc.
These are just six ways to create an immersive experience through technology. Tech can come with a learning curve, but it’s part of thriving in today’s digital environment. Technology is not the future; it’s the present, and if you’re not taking advantage of it, you’re a step behind the competition.
It’s time to level up, plan, and become buddies with technological systems that will take your event from mediocre to truly incredible. The organization is crucial. Making a plan is vital. We’ve got your back if you’re on the hunt for an award-winning corporate event planner in D.C, Los Angeles, or Dallas. Contact us today for details.