5 Most Common Misconceptions

If you are a meeting planner, you know that the thought of introducing new or different technology into your meeting environment might be a scary one for a variety of reasons. But the truth of the matter is event technology has tangible benefits, according to research conducted at Frost & Sullivan.

When 14,000 industry participants were polled, they felt that event technology can:

• Increase attendee engagement by 33%
• Increase productivity by 27%
• Increase virtual and live attendance by at least 20%
• Decrease group booking costs by 15%
• Increase sponsorship sales by at least 13% for live and virtual opportunities and
• Decrease printing costs by 7%

However, to make a smooth transition, you need to be aware and be able to address event technology solutions. Below are the five most common myths.

Common Technology Complaints

It’s too expensive.

If you purchase the hardware outright, it may be. That is why rentals are a fantastic option! Your attendees and staff can try whatever it is – iPad or laptop rentals - for three to seven days. At the end of the session, they will either love the technology or not. If not, you have no risk. If they love it, rentals still may be the best option if your needs are for annual or bi-annual meetings.

It’s too hard to implement.

Technology has become more user-friendly and has expansive tutorials and support. However, if you haven’t tried an app or tablet out for a few years, you owe yourself to schedule a demonstration. The demo is the perfect time to bring up your concerns and see if they have been addressed. In addition, many rental companies can preload your apps, so you don’t have to worry about them on the day of your big event.

We don’t need to change.

We are coming out of a worldwide pandemic where the meetings industry was forced to change. However, even though live meetings are making a rebound, a section of attendees will prefer virtual for the foreseeable future.

Keeping things all virtual isn’t the best option, and neither is an all-live event. Instead, you need to show flexibility and capability with an effective hybrid strategy. In addition, it is best to keep the CDC’s COVID by County updates that are updated every week to determine if you need to shift your plans one way or another.

We won’t use it. 

Technology isn’t about you or your staff. It has to do with what your attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors want. If you aren’t sure if they what they want, ask them.

The event venue has Wi-Fi covered.

This may or may not be accurate, especially if you have a virtual component to your meeting. You need to test the venue’s Wi-Fi well in advance with all the technology running at total capacity. You will need to consider an outside resource for your event Wi-Fi in most cases.

In Summary

Technology doesn’t have to be expensive or frustrating. It can pay off with the right technology solutions!