5 Industry Insiders On The True Power Of Event Booking
We’re long past the point where booking events and registering events has gone online but it’s no longer just a way of confirming attendance and handing out tickets.
Websites dedicated to event management such as Eventbrite and Eventbee create the opportunity to prime guests prime for events with video content, social media posts, and music playlists.
Tickets can be sold securely and with a variety of payment methods, while allocating space and finding unique venues is is far less labour intensive. You can look at 12 of our most highly recommended venues here.
The biggest change to event booking is the way guests are becoming accustomed to planning their whole social lives using the same websites. Sites which offer you access to their internal marketing system and provide deep insights into what guests are looking for.
To find out how the industry is making the most of managing competition and getting these sites to work for them, we’ve asked five event industry experts for their take on the future of event booking and registration.
Abi Cannons, Slido | Twitter: @slidoapp
“Over the last few years, participants have come to expect to play an active part in their own learning experience and organisers have become much more familiar with interaction tech. As such, you can expect a burst of creativity from planners when it comes to designing meetings and events, maximising the capabilities of software that enhances the delegate experience.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Tech providers will take a more proactive approach with their clients assisting in all areas from design to planning.” quote=”Tech providers are going to be taking a much more proactive approach with their clients, consulting and assisting with event design from the early stages of the planning process.” theme=”style5″] Event planners should embrace this shift – use all the resources and skills of their tech suppliers early on to help create events that truly engage their audiences.
As planners become more educated on the tech that’s out there, we predict a much greater amount of integration between tech suppliers; rather than one supplier providing an end-to-end solution, organisers will be able to pick ‘n’ mix the parts they need to create a much more personalised and tailored solution for their events.“
Asaf Darash, Regpacks| Twitter: @regpack
“Thinking about their data in a more holistic and complete way. Gathering data for your event touches every point of event planning – not just registration and information gathering, but informing marketing campaigns, demographics, organisation, payments and more.
[clickToTweet tweet=”Many companies will marry all available tools to create the complete event going experience.” quote=”I think you’ll see many companies attempting to marry all of these tools in one platform so you aren’t looking for a customised solution to target each aspect: planning, marketing, communication, etc.” theme=”style5″]
And you’ll see more small and medium sized software companies doing this for affordable prices that will allow the “little guys” to complete more completely with the “big guys”.
Lisa Vecchio, Givergy | Twitter: @givergy_com
[clickToTweet tweet=”An important area event planners must embrace in this day and age is to invest in digital skill sets and tools.” quote=”One of the most important areas event planners must embrace in this day and age is to invest in digital skill sets and tools.” theme=”style5″] “With the complexity of detail which accompanies most events, event planners specifically need to understand how tech can simplify their day-to-day, reduce errors and improve the guest experience.
Everything from paid ads on Google and social media to drive registrations, apps like Eventbrite to manage attendance, to interactive auctions from Givergy to drive engagement; all of which can completely transform a traditional event experience to meet modern expectations.”
Melody Ansara, Identity Events | Twitter: @identity_ince
[clickToTweet tweet=”Marketing budgets are being cut so companies need to be more innovative than ever with their events.” quote=”It’s imperative for planners to understand that more than ever marketing dollars are being cut first, which means that those champagne budgets that once existed in great numbers are becoming more and more fictional.” theme=”style5″] “Clients, however are still looking for unique ideas and memorable moments.
Having a vast pool of vendors to select from that are not only great collaborators but creative with their bottom line helps. It makes for a more seamless proposal process and strengthens the longevity of a relationship. A win win for all in the end.”
James Unger, Hornblower Cruises | Twitter: @hornblowernoca
“The events industry is rapidly evolving due to changes in the use of technology, and generational preferences for meeting and event content & delivery.
At Hornblower Cruises & Events, our trademark expression says: “We Create Amazing Experiences”.
[clickToTweet tweet=”It’s apparent to leaders in our industry that the event attendee experience needs to be amazing from end to end.” quote=”What has become apparent to leaders in our industry is the fact that the event attendee experience needs to be amazing from end to end.” theme=”style5″] That includes the registration or reservation, online digital experience, the live event participation, and finally, post event follow up content.
It is still a big challenge to excel in every one of these areas, which are now considered important for optimal attendee engagement and ROI.
Another trend is the changes to live meetings. Hornblower was built for the meeting and special event business. We used to be the venue chosen for the post meeting celebration, or for evening entertainment. More recently, the actual meetings are being held on board.
We are so fortunate to have yacht venues that cruise about with ever-changing, amazing views, while accommodating both technical and creative interior space treatments.
What used to be thought of as a distraction for meetings is now considered to be inspirational, interactive and engaging for the attendee. We see this as a growing trend, where the attendee wants to be an active participant in the events they attend.”
Event Booking And Registration In Years To Come
It’s clear that the time and planning leading up to an event is going to be just as important for a successful event as the day itself, including the booking process.
This means customers are going to be turning to event organisers more and more for their digital expertise. And event organisers are going to need that expertise in order to analyse guest feedback, to simplify their planning schedule, and to ensure a consistent guest experience.
Luckily, there is a growing range of apps and websites that allow even small organisers to keep on top of it all.
Thanks to our experts for taking the time to share their vision of the future of event booking and registration. This new direction in events is going to push us all to provide timeless experiences for our guests.