Eventsforce, a company which provides event management solutions, has announced the findings from its research study titled ‘Are Event Planners Struggling with Event Technology?’.
The study was conducted in October and was based on the views of over 145 event professionals from the U.S. and the UK. These professionals represented corporates, associations, government and educational institutions, PCOs and event management agencies.
Importance of tech in event planning
The main objective of the study was to investigate the importance of event technology for event planners and to identify some of the challenges they face when managing event technology.
The findings showed that 46% of event planners say that event technology plays a very important part in their work as an event planner, while 68% believe that being a technology expert is key for job success.
A further 30% believe that event tech skills are essential for their career progression. However, only 48% of organisers see themselves as ‘tech-savvy’.
The most popular way for event professionals to keep up with event tech is through peers and colleagues, industry blogs, news sites, trade shows and conferences.
Challenges of managing event tech
The biggest issue for organisers is the time it takes to complete the procurement, implementation and integration process of their event technology systems.
Other challenges include familiarising individuals with the technology, limited skills to make confident investment decisions and managing the migration process from one system to another.
The survey also revealed which event technology tools organisers struggle with, which includes data management, live-streaming, event apps and event management software.
Event planners aim to see the emergence of a new ‘event technologist’ role in the industry.
George Sirius, CEO, Eventsforce, said: “The challenges of managing event tech are not going to go away for organisers – especially when you look at things like data management, reporting and analytics and the increasing use of tech tools that help them collect an enormous amount of data on their events and attendees.
“Our research shows, however, that organisers don’t necessarily have the time nor skills to tackle this head on – paving the way for a new ‘event technologist’ role in our industry: an event professional whose job is to focus exclusively on all things event tech.
“Though the requirement of this role can vary from one event organisation to another, it is something we are starting to see more of – particularly across agencies and corporate organisations.”
The future of event tech
Event planners aim to see the emergence of a new ‘event technologist’ role in the industry.
The results also show that organisers are confident that the next generation of event professionals have the correct technology skills that they need.
In the future, AR, VR, smart wearables, facial recognitions, 5G connectivity and holograms will also be used in the events industry.
