Expert event technology can really increase attendance and enhance the experience for everyone involved in the event. But event technology needs to meet your needs and the needs of your audience – if you go in the wrong direction you could end up making an investment where you do not see the returns. Here are a few handy hints for avoiding the kinds of mistakes some people make when planning AV technology for their event.
Forgetting Your Audience
One of the biggest and most important mistakes event organisers make is getting carried away with the possibilities of technology and forgetting to consider the audience. Who are they? What do they want to get out of the event? What experience do they have with technology and what are their expectations? Do you need to have this tech at the event or is it just to “show off”? Of course, everyone wants to make an impact but technology needs to be something accessible to the audience too.
Trying to do too Much
You need to seamlessly integrate tech into the overall event in order not to alienate sponsors or attendees. Make sure than any new technology integrates with more familiar setups and don’t change everything just to try and make a bigger impact. Similarly, if your tech seems to do too much it can alienate people who really just want a simpler solution to issues.
Using Technology you have no Clue About
You will find it very hard to justify the cost of a piece of tech if you are really not sure what benefits it will bring or how it will enhance ROI. Just because something is new and cool, doesn’t mean it is necessarily right for your event. A good Audio Visual Equipment Supplier will be able to advise you on new technology so you are better informed and know that it is an exact fit for your needs.
Expect Everyone to Learn New Things
Beware if you are bringing a lot of new systems on board at the same time as this can cause stress and panic among your team, and among clients. There may be an element of learning involved but make sure that everyone is kept up to speed on what you expect them to do, and ensure that expert project managers train the relevant people in how to make the technology work. There is nothing worse than paying for technology that someone doesn’t utilise to the full extent because they are afraid of messing it up.
Just because something is new and technological doesn’t mean you should shy away from using it at your next event. Just make sure that you understand exactly how it fits into your event planning, and how it will make a positive difference to the success of the occasion.
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