By Todd Carruth – Director, Client Technology | The Expo Group
Event Tech Live (ETL) is a 2-day exhibition featuring technology designed for the event industry. In 2023, after taking place in London for 9 years, ETL successfully expanded to the U.S. in Las Vegas at the World Market Center.
Showcasing the latest advances in event tech, ETL hosts event professionals around the globe promoting thought leadership within the industry. Here were 5 takeaways from the event.
5. Badges Get Greener
The push for sustainability initiatives continue throughout the event industry. Anything that can be done to improve efficiency and lessen environmental impacts through sustainable practices should be encouraged.
ETL partnered with Choose2Rent to deliver eco-friendly, metal free lanyards. The specialty-cut ends fit through recycled paper badge slots holding it securely in place.
With sustainability being a hot topic in the event industry, clients and customers are asking for out of the box “go green” initiatives like this one.
4. Analog Networking is Alive
Speaking of badges, remember those horizontal ribbons you could adhere to your conference badge that said SPONSOR, SPEAKER, or EXHIBITOR? And if you were lucky, management sometimes offered the “fun” ones including FIRST-TIMER, SWAG ME, or EXPERT.
With that same concept, plus a splash of digital and analog technology, you get JabberYak. JabberYak has created a networking technique that connects and engages people based on common interests like FORMULA 1, ESPRESSO and GAMER. It all starts with a visual cue and the magic number is 7. Seven interests physically printed on a lightweight badge, button, or even a T-shirt that becomes an instant ice breaker and conversation starter among strangers.
JabberYak also offers a MatchWorking (Matchmaking and Networking combined) web-based mobile app called ConnectNOW that provides the same common interest technique with messaging and gamification, plus data analytics that can provide insight to show management.
3. Navigating the Great Indoors
The transient nature of events makes it challenging to put together a flexible map that can point you in the right direction every time. Blue dot location using GPS (like Google Maps) can’t penetrate through multi-floor buildings. Pointr offers both standard A-B Wayfinding and Blue Dot navigation using beacons without having to download an app.
Imagine scanning a QR code that provides a 3d-type map with a precise location of where you’re starting from and a search bar to manually input via drop down locations to help guide you there. Show organizers can have location-specific announcements about sessions, exhibits, and programming while giving sponsors the opportunity to present rich Points of Interest (POI) data on the map.
Large live events can be overwhelming and Pointr’s solution can improve the attendee’s experience and add value for exhibitors.
2. An AI Assist with Accelerated Agendas
ETL hosted lots of AI-focused sessions but not as many AI-branded technologies on display at the show. One company stood out with their demonstration on how Artificial Intelligence could save you quite a bit of time!
Social 27’s Hive GPT can create entire event campaigns in a fraction of the time it would normally take.
By simply uploading a campaign brief and answering a few questions, Hive GPT can automate those tedious tasks and create content including personalized landing pages and microsites, suggested sessions and speakers, and event websites. Plus, over 250 templates offer more options including social media posts and content, webinar invitations, catering menus, gamification updates and much more! The in-person demo was impressive. Visit their website for more information.
1. Captivating Captions
It’s not just foreign films that require subtitles nowadays. Did you know that a report from 2023 by Preply showed that Gen Z is overwhelmingly turning on subtitles when watching videos? In fact, 50% of Americans watch content with subtitles most of the time. So, it’s only natural to have that idea shift into the live space.
At ETL, each of the live sessions had a large monitor set up with remarkably precise AI-powered live captions powered by Interprefy. This also served multiple purposes and allowed attendees to catch something they may have missed during the presentation. Interprefy offers simultaneous captioning in other languages as well as an AI-powered speech translator technology that was utilized via headphones that contained a simple switch that went from English to Spanish.
Event Tech Live hosted lots of innovative event technology. You can learn more about ETL here!
