As we enter 2019, our minds turn to the future and what trends will be popping up across the globe.

Fashion trends are floating down the runway, we know what diets will be on everyone’s lips – or not, depending on your new year’s resolution – but we want to know what technology trends will reign supreme at events to come.

Last year saw the rise of virtual reality, RFID, and LED in the events industry – but what does this year have in store?

Here at ITR, we’ve put our heads together to tell you what event tech we think will be hot in 2019:

DRONES

We predict that drones and live video mapping at events will see a huge increase next year.

The technology allows for audience interaction and creates stunning content to be used at future events as drones soar above busy event halls and setups.

It turns spectators into active participants during a presentation and gives audiences an interactive experience that will create memories for weeks to come.

FACIAL RECOGNITION

You’re familiar with signing into an event with a pen and paper, and even with your fingerprint, but we think facial recognition will be commonplace at events in 2019.

Facial recognition is the fastest check-in method. It’s secure and it ‘wows’ attendees from the very beginning of the event with its ‘futuristic’ elements.

It minimizes attendee actions while in line, such as looking for print-outs or e-receipts on a phone, and is a proven way to speed up admission of attendees.

DATA INTEGRATION AND ANALYTICS

One important thing that can be learned from events is key information relating to your target audience, and we believe there will be big advancements in data integration and analytics throughout the next 12 months.
We believe attendees’ likes and interests before, during, and after an event can be precisely quantified and brought back into each attendee record so that businesses can personalize and tailor their events like never before.

This will allow for much better personalization of marketing as well as improving each attendee’s event experiences, while also allowing planners to make quick corrections during existing events inline with audience feedback.

RFID

That’s right, we predict that the popularity of RFID will continue to soar in the next year, along with beacon technology.

The rise in RFID popularity has benefited many events by streamlining the entry process, minimizing costs, and even collecting useful data on attendees – and therefore, we don’t think this rise will slow down anytime soon.

Similarly, beacon technology has allowed event attendees to use their phones to get connected during events.

As mobile technology becomes more and more sophisticated, we believe beacon technology will become even more integral during events.

CHATBOTS

When an attendee asks a question they want an answer straight away, but you don’t always have enough staff on hand to appease every audience member.

Enter chatbots, a handy piece of technology we think will be making waves during 2019 events.

With the rise of chatbots and their ever-increasing sophistication, we are able to stay in constant contact with attendees, whether they have general questions or need information on specific educational sessions.

They give you the opportunity to communicate with even more members of your audience, without having to be in a million different places at once.

Want to learn more about hiring emerging technology for your next event? Contact ITR for more.