Event technology suppliers, Crowd Connected and Konduko have agreed a strategic partnership, designed to help exhibition organisers adopt attendee tracking and data capture solutions.
Both Konduko and Crowd Connected deliver real-time and post-show insight from attendee tracking, but in different ways.
Switzerland-based Konduko provides a contactless attendee engagement via QR- or NFC-engaged ‘smart badges’ and mobile phones, deploying it’s Smart Readers around an event. These enable a ‘digital handshake’ – the seamless exchange of information, for example, between an attendee and exhibitor – while simultaneously capturing intent-based activity. This is often called ‘active tracking’.
The technology from UK-based Crowd Connected is embedded into mobile apps. This provides real-time intelligence that optimises and personalises the attendee experience (for example through indoor ‘blue dot’ navigation), while also delivering the data points and tools needed by event organisers for footfall analytics. Because Crowd Connected’s software gathers data in the background, it is frequently referred to as ‘passive tracking’.
The partnership will see Crowd Connected and Konduko working together – where appropriate – to advise and provide a technology solution for new customers who want to bring back successful physical and hybrid events, and where insightful and meaningful data is needed to demonstrate ROI for organisers and exhibitors.
For some organisers – particularly those with portfolios of larger shows who are taking a more holistic approach to improving their use of event data – a combination of Konduko’s active and Crowd Connected’s passive tracking technologies may be recommended. To that end, the two companies have also agreed to evaluate an integration of their respective platforms so that data from one can be readily used by the other.
James Cobb, founder and CEO of Crowd Connected, said: “We’ve always believed businesses should focus on the outcomes they are seeking, rather than the technology under the bonnet – which ultimately is just a means to an end.
“The pandemic has accelerated digital disruption across multiple sectors, no more so than in the exhibition industry. Successful operators will rise to the challenge, data-enabling their physical shows to optimise and personalise the attendee and exhibitor experience.
“By collaborating with Konduko, we hope we’re demonstrating that Crowd Connected is focused on putting the exhibition industry on the right side of digital disruption.”
Matt Harris, founder and CEO of Konduko, said: “Organisers are becoming increasingly confused and overwhelmed by the technology available – with many solutions, often unproven, that will supposedly help the experience use digital or go virtual. Konduko and Crowd Connected have taken a brave, but grown-up and principled approach to helping event organisers make the right decision about their event technology, by working together to make this happen.”
