I recently played a Friends tv show quiz with my daughter.
One question asked, ‘what is the name of the tv gameshow on which Joey made a disastrous appearance?’
I didn’t know the answer.
But I later fondly remembered it was the gameshow format that required Joey to correctly guess the question, from a series of possible answers.
Turns out this format is the basis of long-running US tv gameshow Jeopardy!
I looked up the official rules.
Contestants are given clues in the form of answers and must respond with a question that identifies the clue.
I love this line.
It really had me think about how guesswork is still perhaps seen by so many as an adequate problem solver.
I think it has the power to unlock the value debate around implementing interactive event technology into events.
If you’re an organiser, responsible for your organisation/brand events or an agency event planner then consider for a moment how you understand event technology’s role in your events.
What if these were the answers.
· Attendee registration website
· Event surveys
· Event app
· Social media monitoring
· Live polling
· Interactive programme Q&As
What might your questions be?
Things that…
· Indicate how many attendees have signed up
· Highlight dietary requirements
· Make name badges easier to produce
· Mean we can make communication feel more personalised
· Creates the impression we value feedback
· Cut down on paper usage
· We should be doing
· Cost money
· Enable us to respond if someone shares a negative social sentiment
· Fill time
· Make event experience more interactive
Looks familiar?
Then maybe you’re Joey.
You haven’t yet unlocked the value of implementing event technology and moving from ‘logistical tools’ to ‘gaining valuable insight’.
But ‘gaining valuable insight’ doesn’t mean working deceitfully.
I often argue that events are temporary by nature.
It stands to reason then investment, resources and potential of event technology products is marginal comparative to the $billions spent on social platforms development.
And so, if user dwell time is significantly less and event products typically lack sophisticated algorithms and reporting features, unlocking value means working more intentionally.
Start with the answers.
Then work backwards.
Set the questions that unlock the clues.
Here’s a simple yet powerful illustration.
Working closely with our client, we introduced a new question into their event registration process. We asked, ‘is this your first attendance at [insert event name]?’
The yes/no responses simply illustrated new versus return attendees.
It illustrated loyalty.
Ask yourself, armed with this insight, how could you better personalise the event experience for this cohort and, how valuable is this insight for evaluation, reporting and future development?
The ambition for events should be more engagement, more inclusivity.
Deploying event technology tools in such a way that enhances the logistical features by gaining valuable demographic insights reveals how your events promote diversity, equity and inclusion.
Insights also enable organisers to address their event story-arc for continued audience engagement over time and improving retention for future events.
Back when we weren’t allowed to gather in groups, everyone heralded the emergence of virtual events.
The event tech platforms soon became rich environments for demographic analysis.
Looking back, were we so eager to return to in-person that we abandoned most of what was so valuable about virtual event technology?
Today’s CMOs are digital marketers.
Reliant on decision making by data sets.
So, let’s revisit some of the answers.
· Attendee registration website
· Event surveys
· Event app
· Social media monitoring
· Live polling
· Interactive programme Q&As
Now, what might your questions be?
Things that…
· Segment my audiences into accurate attendee profiles
· Hyperpersonalise event communications and event experiences
· Better identify loyalty, advocacy, marginalisation, distrust
· Indicate peak engagement periods
· Report tangible success metrics
· Convey intent to return for future events
· Drive hyper-relatable content for future event programmes
· Report attendees’ interaction, dwell time and shares
· Record positive, negative and indifferent sentiments
· Generate prized testimony
· Nurture user-generated content
· Promote diversity, equity and inclusion for audiences
· Redefine event experiences as pioneering and truly interactive
· Eliminate guesswork
· Unlock the value of investing in event technology
· Prove the value of staging events
“How you doin’?”
Learning more about audiences doesn’t have to be complex. If you’re interested to learn more about how we help clients unlock audience insights and, how rethinking the use of event tech is to your huge advantage, then we should talk.
