Event Professionals face the challenge of sourcing and using event technology tools that are reliable and deliver successful results, whilst also working with ever changing requirements and budgets. There is pressure on event organisers to provide technology that will enable attendees to be both impressed and use it with ease. So, what are the four main considerations you should bear in mind when looking for your next event technology solution? 

1. Wi-Fi

On the day, whether event technology either flies or flops is all down to connectivity and accessibility. This is where you need to consider venue choice and assess the Wi-Fi or network capability and capacity. Some venues make reliable Wi-Fi connectivity a priority, but if your event technology is completely reliant on Wi-Fi, then you need to factor this in when choosing your venue. Ask proposed venues if they can cater for your audience size when connecting to their current Wi-Fi infrastructure or if they would need additional resources to scale up their bandwidth/connectivity speed. Make sure the venue Wi-Fi can support your total number of attendees as simultaneous​ active connections, so you can be confident that connectivity will not be an issue if all attendees are connecting at the same time. 

Bonus Tip: If Wi-Fi is a priority for your event, make sure you communicate this with your venue/IT team early on in planning and create and publish clear joining instructions for your attendees to access the venue Wi-Fi before and during the event to offer the best experience. 

2. Adoption

One of the questions that all Event Professionals ask when using event technology is, how do I get my delegates to get on board with this technology?  Make sure you understand the technology's full capabilities (or limitations) and discuss adoption strategies with your technology provider. The technology provider should be able to give expert advice on the best ways to communicate any instructions for connecting or accessing the technology, including ways to encourage your attendees to participate based on their experience. It goes without saying that your chosen event technology should be straightforward to set up and operate for event organisers and easy to use for event attendees. 

Bonus Tip: It is important to make sure that everyone is comfortable using the technology, so a test run for organisers and an icebreaker question for attendees are easy and effective ways to do this. 

3. Suitability

Create a list of features and benefits that you need the technology to have. This will ensure that you are focused when looking for your event technology solution and will not be sidetracked from the goals and purpose of the technology. For event tech to be truly effective, event organisers need to choose a solution that will help them fulfil the planned outcomes of the event. 

Bonus Tip: Make sure there is a dedicated person responsible for managing the technology for the event. Even if the technology is easy to use, it is good to have a person responsible for the technology so they can be the go-to person and champion of the tool. This person could be an employee or an events company that can manage and deliver the technology for you. 

4. Cost

More often than not, Event Professionals will have a strict budget for their event and will be looking for technology that offers a competitive price or a good offer. Think about what you want to get out of your event, align your technology to your goals and research technologies based on this. Once you know what you are looking for, you can then compare the technology tools out there that fit your criteria and budget.

Conclusion

There’s countless event tech out there to choose from so it can be tough to immediately know which is right for your event. Not all event tech is created equal and it’s not always wise to pick a solution that has too much functionality which might complicate things and cost you more. By following our steps, we hope it will help you narrow down your options and help you choose the option most suited to your needs.

If you are looking for a live polling and Q&A app that can engage your attendees at your next event, why not try Vevox for free?