Skift Take
Cameras may be the best all-in-one tool for events that currently exists. Beyond facial recognition and reading emotions, they can also provide extremely accurate real-time images of how attendees are moving around a venue.
The explosion of tech into the meetings and events space has gotten a lot of companies excited, with many looking to invest in emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality. For the most part, though, event management companies are focusing on very basic improvements to data capturing, such as scanning attendee badges before they enter panels. The industry was a black box for so long that even the most simple methods of tracking attendees are a big improvement on the past.
Still, the industry is very much in an experimental stage when it comes to measuring and tracking meetings. It remains difficult to get comprehensive data about attendee movement and behavior, even as the industry funnels more money into tech research and development.
With that said, cameras are emerging as one of the simplest and most effective ways to track events. More than other common tracking methods, such as Wi-Fi and radio frequency, cameras give a highly accurate view of where attendees are at any given time. Still, privacy regulations and public misperceptions about how they’re used is holding the technology back.
Nick Rosier, content and digital director at 2heads, talked to Skift about why the company has begun to invest more heavily in visual tracking methods, and how meeting planners can use them to get the most out of their events.
Check out this story, and many more, below.
If you have any feedback about the newsletter or news tips, feel free to reach out via email at [email protected] or tweet @ikcarey.
— Isaac Carey, Travel Reporter
The Future of Events and Meetings
Less-Invasive Cameras May Be the Future of Event Tracking: Cameras don’t always have to make people uncomfortable, especially if they’re not being used for facial recognition. Deployed as a way to monitor the flow of attendees, they are a big improvement on common tracking methods, such as wristbands embedded with Wi-Fi devices.
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How Global Hotel Chains Differ in Approach to Asia-Pacific’s Huge Opportunity: Who has the best setup in Asia? No one-size-fits-all approaches there. But as competition increases amid a softer market, expect strategies and structures to evolve.
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The Best Of EventMB
The Best of EventMB is our newest section, giving you a look into the most important and interesting content from EventMB, whether it be reports, articles, or resources for planners. EventMB joined the Skift family in September and is the largest online media resource for trends, technology, innovation, and education in the events industry.
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Travel Reporter Isaac Carey [[email protected]] curates the Skift Meetings Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Wednesday.
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Tags: meetings, meetingsiq
Photo credit: The trade show floor at the National Electrical Contractors Association's 2015 conference in San Francisco. National Electrical Contractors Association / Flickr