Live events have certainly returned with a bang. Over the next few months, we have a very busy schedule as many of our clients are once again hitting the road and looking to us for help, with everything from event planning and management to booth design and event technology services.
Of course, everyone knows there needs to be precautions. Ensuring organisers, exhibitors and guests can conduct business and also enjoy themselves in a covid-secure manner is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry. But as the saying goes, where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’ve certainly seen plenty of will for getting live events going again!
Hybrid events are a hot-ticket item right now – businesses that came to appreciate the value that can be generated with virtual events over the past 18 months are keen not to lose the benefits that have been achieved. At the same time, they know that people are itching to get out and start meeting and interacting face-to-face again. Pre-pandemic, a virtual track was becoming an increasingly popular option for event organisers wanting to extend their reach as widely as possible. Post-pandemic, it’s almost become a necessity.
Likewise, the rapid growth in adoption of technology solutions that was driven by the pandemic – with trends like virtual and mixed reality, computer vision and RFID beacons all experiencing surges in popularity – means event technology is no longer seen as an exotic “nice-to-have” by many. Often it’s the core differentiator between an event that is remarkable, and one that’s hum-drum.
One thing we are hearing with increasing frequency from our partners – which include some of the biggest technology, communications and healthcare companies in the world – is the value they see in us as a unified provider of both events and technology services. Not only do they benefit from our years of experience planning and managing world-class events on a global scale, they also trust our expertise when it comes to selecting and deploying cutting-edge tech solutions that make their events stand out.
Without a unified solutions provider, businesses are left juggling the everyday tasks of event management such as venue hire, agenda planning, PR and marketing, and registration management with reviewing, shortlisting, deploying and managing the technology elements needed to create a truly cutting-edge attendee experience.
Cost is, of course, another factor. A unified solutions provider, such as Buzznation, will have an extensive network of partnered solutions providers. They know us and work with us already, giving them the confidence that events where their solutions are put to work will be professionally and efficiently managed. This translates directly to lower overheads, as there’s less requirement for them to spend time understanding individual customer needs for each deployment.
It also means you know the technology powering your event – from video screens, networking and A/V requirements all the way up to AI-powered attendee tracking and identification, augmented reality and gamified booth experiences – has been chosen to give you the biggest “bang-for-buck” on the market. The number of solutions in all of these areas has mushroomed in recent years and a thorough understanding of what’s available is essential if you don’t want to make potentially costly mistakes.
Your own team can also spend their time more productively when they know that your event, or event presence, is managed by a partner with the experience of Buzznation. This means more opportunities for nurturing bonds with your own customers and more face-to-face time with visitors and attendees.
As mentioned above, hybrid is a huge buzzword in events right now. Here, a unified provider is valuable because who is going to be better-placed to roll out a virtual track, or to build engagement touchpoints between live and virtual attendees, than the people who planned the event in the first place?
A unified solution provider acts as a single point-of-contact for every aspect of your event management, including the technology, and cuts out the need for a network of “middlemen” and the complex reporting infrastructure that this requires. This means you and your team spend less time coordinating the disparate moving parts that are needed to create a truly valuable and innovative event experience.