This is a sponsored post by Q Center, a Dolce Conference Hotel. More information about Event Manager Blog’s sponsored posts.
Whether you’re planning a conference, marketing event, concert, art show, or any type of event today, technology is going to play a huge role. If you don’t take advantage of the latest technological advances when it comes to event hosting, you might end up watching all your attendees play on their smartphones while ignoring the focus of your event.
But did you know that you can use smartphones and the latest technology to your advantage as you plan a conference? The latest technology for events, NFC, can be utilized via smartphones and other enabled badges and devices, with amazing results for both event hosts and attendees. Learn more about NFC and how it is a key part of the future of events.
What is NFC?
NFC stands for “Near Field Communication,” a technology that can deliver timely and relevant messages at your conference or event to your event attendees, based on the proximity of attendees with NFC-enabled devices like smartphones or tablets. NFC technology can also be activated by chips in attendees’ wristbands or badges.
NFC technology is already available in many smartphones, and promises to keep expanding across brands – which means now is the time to get into the game when planning events, to fully take advantage of all the great benefits that NFC can offer to you as an event planner, and your event attendees.
NFC Benefits for Event Planners
NFC technology can make so many aspects of hosting an event or conference easier for those in charge of planning. Many aspects of events can now be automated or enhanced through NFC technology. Processes like lead retrieval that used to be manual can now be easily recorded and kept track of accurately with this form of communication.
If you’re planning a conference or event where one of your main purposes is to collect information about attendees, in order to develop sales leads or send marketing materials to in the future, NFC technology can help you collect and consolidate data more effectively and efficiently than ever by directly communicating with your attendees’ NFC-enabled devices and stored event information.
Some other great benefits of utilizing NFC technology at your events include:
• Instead of waiting in long lines, NFC readers can automatically check attendees in – potentially cutting down your personnel costs and keeping attendees happy.
• Provide enhanced security through automated check-ins and access control to certain areas (such as VIP sections), and VIPs, like executives or keynote speakers, can gain access to special areas of the conference hall or event space.
• Attendance tracking, which can be particularly helpful for events that offer credit for attending.
• Data collection on attendee demographics, which events or booths they visited, and more.
• Excellent inventory control for gifts, products, etc.: keep track of gift bags and other giveaway inventory accurately by scanning NFC badges when attendees come to pick them up, which reduces costs and personnel needs.
• Offer gamification features such as scavenger hunts to drive engagement with your event
o You can also reward attendees who come to special sessions with drink tickets that they can redeem at vendors with NFC readers.
• Easily provide event notifications, alerts and updates.
• Provide content tailored to different attendee roles (executives, speakers, etc.) and send it directly to them.
• Surveys that can be directly emailed after the event to attendees.
At the end of your event, you’ll have a great, accurate database of new leads, marketing contacts, social media connections and more.
NFC Benefits for Event Attendees
NFC certainly makes things easier for you as an event planner or host, but it also offers a variety of benefits to event attendees. Not only does it minimize stress for things have they have to keep track of while attending an event by streamlining everything to their phone or badge, but it can offer new and exciting ways of engaging with an event that were previously not possible.
These are just a few of the ways NFC technology can enhance the event experience for attendees:
• If attendees participate in fun events like photo booths, or perform certain actions, NFC can facilitate automatic social media posting.
• During presentations, attendees can access digital content about the particular event via their smartphones.
• Attendees can easily get information about exhibitors, including speaker bios delivered to smartphones at the beginning of sessions.
• Use cashless payment for meals and free drink tickets from special event promotions.
In Conclusion
NFC technology can increase attendees’ enjoyment of events while making organizers’ jobs easier. NFC is quickly becoming the future of event hosting, expanding capabilities, driving interaction and capturing attendee data in a way that marketers and planners have only dreamed of in the past.
Start incorporating NFC into your events today and see how much more you and your attendees will get out of your events. Welcome to the future of event hosting!
