One of the most significant challenges faced by event planners and organizers is the need to remain on top of technology trends and offer attendees the latest amenities. Competition for attention increases with each passing year, and companies must offer enticing technology perks to grow their audience. Here are four trends in particular that meetings and convention facilities need to be aware of:
• Technology is always evolving: The biggest, most obvious hurdle with technology is that it advances rapidly. Popular social media platforms and experiential event components of today might be an afterthought tomorrow. Keeping pace requires a flexible team, plenty of research and, perhaps most important, scalable solutions that don’t require starting back at square one with every new update.
• Modernizing and upgrading facilities: While staying abreast of the latest technological developments is important to any venue, it is impossible to make the best use of new technology if your facility lacks the infrastructure to support increased demand on resources. It seems obvious, but if your electrical system is outdated or in poor condition, renovations are necessary to ensure electrical reliability. Likewise, it is important for venues to include sufficient funding in their annual budget for the level of technology maintenance and upgrades required to maximize venue efficiencies.
• Smarter monitoring technology: Increasingly, new tools and technologies change the way buildings operate and facility managers do their jobs. As it relates to telecommunications equipment, the sheer number of elements that require ongoing monitoring (routers, servers, data access points, etc.) has skyrocketed. Without upgrades to a facility’s monitoring system, it can take much longer to identify and address errors in coverage, leading to outages and unhappy customers. Emerging technologies and cloud-based software allow facilities to reduce the time between system sweeps and enable onsite staff to identify and correct errors in real time.
• The price of doing business: Many facilities are looking to technology as a way to cut overhead and reduce operating costs. There is an increasing call for sustainable solutions, and replacing outdated systems with newer, energy-efficient equipment can have a positive effect on a facility’s operations budget, freeing up funds to be used on upgrading other systems.
The bottom line: Event hosts can’t take a break when considering how to engage attendees. However, every challenge comes with a solution to be better prepared and give attendees an experience they expect. Many components contribute to your ability to deliver a first-class experience. By taking a holistic approach to upgrading a venue’s technology, and by continually evaluating your systems against new technological developments, you can ensure your facility will be a preferred destination for years to come.
Mark Haley is president of Smart City Networks.