Tag: event technology

New Airbnb Tool for Event Planners and 5 Other Tech Stories to Read

In this month’s round-up of top event tech news, we look at Airbnb’s new accommodation tool for event planners, as well as the UK launch of the world’s first real-time venue booking portal. With GDPR in place, we also bring you some expert advice on understanding the kind of new obligations the legislation will create for the events industry – especially when it comes to vetting technology suppliers. Finally, we look at the latest engagement tools from Facebook and Instagram – as well as a new form of audio tone technology that provides a much simpler (and cheaper) alternative to on-site notifications compared to traditional tools like NFC, Bluetooth and iBeacons.

Have a look at the top event tech stories you don’t want to miss:

MeetingsNet: Airbnb Launches Interactive Tool for Event Planners

Airbnb, the online marketplace for short-term lodgings, recently announced a new tool for event planners to offer attendees accommodation in homes brokered by Airbnb. The new offering, called Airbnb for Events, is an interactive map of lodgings available near the site of an event that planners can use to either book directly or embed on registration sites.

It makes sense for Airbnb to be courting event planners and attendees this way – however, it isn’t clear yet whether the new tool will help or hinder conference accommodation plans.  In cities with tight accommodation markets, it could certainly help boost attendance.  If Airbnb is willing to share reservation data with planners, it could also help determine how many attendees are opting out of the room block and why. On the other hand, Airbnb accommodations don’t typically come with guarantees of standards.  So, if it’s something you’re considering for one of your events, the article suggests consulting a legal authority first to check whether or not your organisation would be legally liable if an attendee made a booking through your event registration site but consequently had a bad experience. Read more.

BizBash: How Audio Tones are Changing Event Communications

In the past few years, new technology solutions such as NFC, iBeacons and Bluetooth have become a lot more common in the events industry – offering a variety of ways to send notifications and offers directly into the hands of attendees. Now another option is gaining traction – Lisnr’s ‘Smart Tones’. The technology which transmits information between devices using sound as a conduit has been successfully used at some major events over the past year, including Budweiser’s Made in America festival, the Grammy awards, and Cleveland Cavaliers home games.

Lisnr’s Smart Tones can be added to existing media—for example music playing during an opening ceremony—or transmitted on their own. It doesn’t require any hardware such as transmitters, wristbands, or scanners as the tones can be played over speaker used at the event. It also means organisers can push content to attendees without having their Bluetooth or location services on – they won’t even need an Internet connection or a mobile service, which is great because we all know how connectivity is a big problem in large audience environments like trade shows and live events. Some of the content examples mentioned in the article include notifications about exhibitor discounts or restrooms with shorter lines, or an exclusive download from an artist or speaker. Read more

EIN: World’s First Real-Time Event Venue Booking Portal Arrives in UK

iVvy, the world’s first real-time booking engine for the events industry will be launching in the UK this month. The platform allows venues to publish live-availability and pricing for their meetings and event spaces, while giving them the tools to market and manage their own function spaces.  For event planners, it is a venue-finding portal that makes it easier for them to search, book and pay for their event space online instantaneously. It offers them a direct connection to venues showing real-time pricing and live availability for function spaces, catering and group accommodation. Read more.

Successful Meetings: 6 Things Meeting Professionals Need to know About GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on May 25th and is set to impact all events that collect data on EU citizens and residents. This article looks at six key takeaways that will help event planners understand the kind of obligations the new legislation will create – especially when it comes to vetting event technology suppliers. As well as getting their own event operations compliant to the new GDPR requirements, event planners also now have the responsibility of ensuring that all the tech vendors that process data on their behalf (ex. Registration systems, event apps, surveys, networking tools) are also fulfilling their own legal obligations.

The article explains how event planners need to find out from their suppliers where their event data is being hosted and how that data is being transferred in a way that is compliant to the new regulations. They need to find out how the data is being used, who has access to it and where they’re based.    For example, if their customer support team is based outside the EU (even if data is hosted within the EU), then they’ll still need to ensure that they’re complying with GDPR standards.  Also, in the case of registration systems, event planners need to find out how their provider allows them to obtain and store consent in registration forms, as well as how the system can help them delete any personal data.    Having the answers to these questions will protect event organisers from any unpleasant surprises in the future.  Read more.


Are your events GDPR compliant? Read the EventTech Talk GDPR Special for expert advice and articles on the new legislation and its impact on event marketing, data management and event technology.


Content Marketing Institute: 7 Instagram Story Ideas to Get More Followers

This is an interesting one if your events have a big Instagram following.  In fact, Instagram Stories are on many brands’ radars today and for good reason too – it seems over 300 million people use it every day with one-third of the most viewed Stories coming from businesses.  So, if you thought that the social network was something that wouldn’t be so relevant for B2B events – it may be time for a change.

The article highlights some fresh new ideas on how you can use Instagram Stories for your marketing activities and help your events stand out.  One example is a Stories takeover – where an influencer of choice takes over the event or brand account for say, a day, to produce exclusive content. Another idea is the use of polls which can be used for audience research and creating better content that resonates with your followers.  You can also use mini videos, questionnaire and quiz templates, all of which can really help you stand out from the crowd and engage better with attendees – great platform for giving your followers some cool freebies too.  Read more.

TechCrunch: Facebook’s Oculus Venues Brings Virtual Reality to Live Events

Although this may only apply to those running big live events – it does give us a good picture of where virtual reality is going to take us in our industry over the coming few years. This month, Facebook’s Oculus VR division has launched the Oculus Venues social VR app that allows thousands of people to watch live events together in VR. The goal of the app is to make VR more of a social experience, introduce communications and interaction between viewers and essentially, give people an event experience ‘from the best seat in the house’.

The new app was recently demonstrated to a group of journalists to watch a VR screening of a basketball game. Participants had to create Oculus avatars first and were then transported directly into a dedicated VR seating section of a sports arena, with direct view of the action. Once the game had begun, viewers could watch the game surrounded by roughly 30-40 avatars and talk to them via voice chat. As in real life, participants could overhear the conversations of people sitting next to them, but unlike a live event you could switch seats to somewhere else in the venue and adjust the audio of the game. Read more.


Enjoyed reading this article? If you would like to get similar monthly round-ups on all things event tech, along with some expert advice on how to make the most out of your technology investments, then please sign up to our weekly EventTech Talk Newsletter here. 

Top 5 Considerations for Your Association’s Virtual and Hybrid Events

Top 5 Considerations for Your Association’s Virtual and Hybrid Events

We know how important events are for associations and membership organisations. Not only do they provide the educational and networking opportunities their members want, but they are also a fundamental source of income for these organisations – and a great way of acquiring new members too.

Yet the current situation around the COVID-19 outbreak is driving many associations to redefine their event strategies and move their programme online.  Some have already been doing this successfully for years.  But for many others, virtual and hybrid events are entirely new concepts. And many are hesitant to take the leap into the unknown.

The reality is that running events online can create all sorts of new opportunities for associations to increase both revenue and membership engagement.  And even if some are hesitant to adopt a full scale virtual event, it makes sense for them to start thinking about adding virtual components to their live events in the future because remote attendance will be with us long after COVID-19 is under control.

Here are five questions for you to consider when it comes to making your decision on running a virtual or hybrid event for your association:

1.Do You Want to Extend Your Reach?

Whether you’re running a virtual event or a physical one with a virtual element (hybrid), live streaming what is going on at your conference to people that cannot be at the physical (conference) location enables you to reach a larger audience. After all, there is only so much capacity that a physical venue can accommodate without running into capacity and Health & Safety issues – and this will only become more of a problem as we slowly shift to a new post-pandemic world.

One association has been livestreaming their annual conference for many years now. The overall membership they have runs to many thousands of members who are spread throughout the globe. Year on year the number of people who come to the physical event is around 1,000. This association has taken steps to engage their members through making livestreaming an avenue for members to join in. Through tracking their remote delegate stats, they have discovered what type of session works best and what subjects are popular.

2.Do You Worry About Charging Remote Attendance?

Delegates that attend conferences understand that they will need to pay for an admission ticket. After all, there is usually food and beverage available, then you have the networking opportunities and of course speakers need to be paid. But when it comes to virtual events, many event planners struggle with the idea of charging remote attendees.

Of course, it could be argued that remote delegates will not be able to enjoy the food and beverage or networking. But they are still able to access the great content of the various educational or knowledge sessions and that in itself has a value.  Many virtual event platforms also have a range of tools that help people engage with sessions and make valuable connections with others much in the same way they would in a physical event.

The truth is that people are already used to paying for content online – so if you’re delivering engaging educational content that brings value to people, then they are usually willing to pay. The only thing you need to do is set a level of pricing that is easy to understand.

If you’re running hybrid events, you also need to consider the difference between those delegates that attend physically and those that participate remotely.  Some virtual event plaforms like Eventsforce VCD can help you create personalised registration journeys for different types of attendees (in this case, remote and live audience) – so you can easily decide which registration questions, agendas, sessions, prices and packages are going to appear to which attendee.

3.Should I Have Experienced Online Host to Engage Remote Attendees?

Why an experienced online host? Well, because they can provide commentary, updates and reminders for your remote attendees.  It also takes a completely different set of skills set to do this well online. The host becomes the link or the conduit for your remote delegates. They are the voice of, dedicated to and represent the needs and interests of the remote audience.

They add a dimension that will keep your remote delegates informed and engaged with all that is happening at your event as well as conducting interviews with ‘thought leaders’, speakers or delegates. The host can also be used to introduce pre-recorded video content and to manage dedicated Q&A sessions for the remote delegates.

4.Why Not have Sponsors for the Live Streamed Sessions?

Some associations will decide not to charge remote delegates to attend. Some associations will decide to charge.  But, whatever the charging decision is, there is another opportunity for associations to increase their income through virtual and hybrid events. And that is through sponsorship.

The beauty of sponsoring livestreamed sessions is that after the event is over the on-demand recording of the session is still available to be played time and again. This is great news for sponsors as they suddenly have the opportunity of being promoted every time someone plays the session.

Associations could approach existing sponsors and offer them the opportunity of having their brand in front of a remote audience as well. For an extra fee of course.

Associations could approach new sponsors and offer just the ‘livestreaming’ sponsorship option.

Associations could break down all of the livestreamed sessions and target specific sponsors per session.

The opportunities for sponsorship are endless. What will work for an association will depend on what the overall strategic goals and objectives are. Sponsorship of livestreamed session has to align.

5. Do You Worry About Technology?

Every time you take a flight on a plane, step aboard a driver-less train or make a bank transfer you are putting yourself in the hands of technology. Some people will do these things without even considering the intricacies of the technology.

Livestreaming an event means that you also need to trust in the technology. Will it go wrong? Well it could. But then so could any technology. It is no different.  Companies specialise in providing livestreaming technology and they remain in business because they are constantly developing improvements to make sure nothing falls over. It is not in their interest for your event to have a problem.

Trust in the technology and the providers of it. They do know what they are doing.

But to give you peace of mind, run through all the questions you have about failures, performance indicators and back up plans. The providers will be happy to answer all your questions.


Considering virtual events for your association?  Eventsforce VCD combines registrations management, agendas, live streaming, networking and the ability to build lasting relationships with your delegates online.  Book a demo to see whether it’s the right solution for your events or get in touch for a chat.

 

 

New LinkedIn Videos for Event Marketing and 4 Other Stories Planners Should Read

This month’s round-up of top tech stories has a big focus on video and its impact on event marketing – from the new sponsored videos feature that LinkedIn is currently rolling out to a comprehensive piece from Corbin Ball with lots of fresh ideas on how video can be used effectively across an event’s lifecycle.  We also look at what lessons event planners can learn from the Facebook data breach scandal from the perspective of GDPR and data security.   Finally, we look at a new tool from Glisser that makes it a lot easier to connect virtual audiences to physical events and a great article from the team at MeetingsNet presenting the case for digital assistants when comparing them to traditional event apps.

Have a look at the top event tech stories you don’t want to miss:

AdWeek: LinkedIn is Making In-Feed Video Ads Available to All Companies Soon

LinkedIn began beta-testing video for sponsored content last October and it looks like the professional network will now make it available for all businesses over the next few weeks.  The new native video ads appear directly in LinkedIn’s feeds as stand-alone posts, making it easier for B2B marketers to create awareness of their events via rich, visual stories and drive traffic to registration sites. LinkedIn’s superior B2B targeting capabilities means advertisers can hone in on traits including job title, seniority, company, industry and skills, and its ‘matched audiences’ options allow them to focus on their highest-priority accounts.

This article from AdWeek also suggests that the new features will mean better performance insights for advertisers too.  You’ll be able to see what types of professionals are watching, engaging with and converting on your sponsored video content.  You can also use LinkedIn’s conversion tracking tool to tally the number of leads, sign-ups, website visits and other actions generated by the ads. Read more.

TSNN: Glisser Launches Hybrid Audience Engagement Platform

Glisser, the audience-response system and event analytics platform has launched Glisser LIVE, a new online tool that allows event planners to promote and host hybrid and virtual events by making it easier to connect virtual audiences to physical events.   The new offering combines the company’s existing slide-sharing and audience response app with a live video feed and brandable web platform to engage remote attendees.  The event’s video feed can also be extracted from multiple sources, including YouTube Live.  Read more.

TechCrunch: Facebook Urged to Make GDPR its Baseline Standard Globally

Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave the last few weeks, you’ll know something about the data breach scandal that’s hit social media giant, Facebook, and the way it mismanaged users’ personal data.  The dramatic revelations can be seen as a game changer in data protection. Suddenly, everyone is paying attention. And according to TechCrunch, it seems Facebook is now facing calls from consumer groups to make the EU’s incoming GDPR data protection framework the ‘baseline standard for all Facebook services’ – globally. It’s interesting because it raises the prospect of expanding GDPR’s approach to privacy protection regulations to other countries – something many experts are predicting over the coming few years.


Are your events ready for GDPR? Get your eBook: ‘The Event Planner’s Guide to GDPR Compliance’, and learn what impact Europe’s new data protection regulation will have on event marketing, data management and event technology – as well as what steps to take NOW to get ready for the May 2018 deadline.


So how is this all relevant to the world of events? Event planners should use this opportunity to learn from the mistakes made by Facebook and think very carefully about how they’re going to look after the personal information of attendees in a post-GDPR world come May 2018.  The issue of data security in fact is going to become a much bigger deal in our industry.   A survey by Eventsforce last month assessing the GDPR readiness of more than 120 event professionals found that 81% believe data security will be a bigger priority for their events after the GDPR deadline. As an event professional, you may think that the whole issue of data security is something that needs to be dealt with by your IT teams – but the reality is that there are many things you and your team may be doing today that could put your organisation at serious risk of a data breach and non-compliance to the new GDPR requirements.  Have a look at some typical examples here.

Read: Top 10 GDPR Red Flags for Meetings and Events

Corbin Ball: 50 ideas Using Videos to Promote your events

Let’s face it.  Video is a great tool for marketing your events. It gives your attendees the opportunity to learn more about your event and does a good job of conveying the personality of your organisation. It also is a lot more engaging than text.   Forrester Research claims that a minute of video can be equivalent to 1.8 million words – which, by the way, is the equivalent of 3,600 typical web pages!

Corbin Ball has put together a great article that offers lots of ideas on how you can use videos to engage attendees before, during and after an event – from promo clips that give a quick overview of your event, to messages from your CEO/show organiser and behind the scenes time-lapse footage which can be played during an event.  You’ve also got examples that use live-streaming and video competitions on social media channels. There are also significant opportunities to use videos of the content generated during the event to extend the life of the meeting after the event and for promotion of future events.  Have a look at the full list here.

Read: Why Video is a Big Deal for Marketing Your Events

MeetingsNet: Why Your Events Need Digital Assistants

In 2016, Gartner analysts predicted that by 2020 the average person will have more conversations with bots than with their spouse. While that is a depressing thought, there is no doubt that chatbots are popping up everywhere, including hotels and events. There are different types of chatbots, from voice-activated personal assistants like Alexa to intelligent, purpose-driven bots designed to interact via voice or text message and ‘trained’ to provide information in a defined situation, such as conferences.

Currently, event chatbots are available on most texting apps, and while many use artificial intelligence, they still need ‘training’ by humans. The bot can gather some data from the event’s website, including dates and locations, but the meeting planner needs to supply it with other detailed information. When someone asks a question, the bot responds with an answer that will cover everything. For example, if an attendee texts the bot asking if there is free Wi-Fi, the bot could text back ‘Yes,’ or it could text back ‘Yes, here is the password, and this is the download speed.’  This piece from MeetingsNet covers some interesting perspectives on the use of chatbots vs. traditional apps, including the benefits and drawbacks – as well as some good case studies on the use of chatbots at events like ArtFest Fort in Florida and the IMEXLab in Germany.  Read more.


If you would like to get similar monthly round-ups on all things event tech, along with some expert advice on how to make the most out of your technology investments, then please sign up to our weekly EventTech Talk Newsletter here. 

 

How to Choose the Right Payment Gateway for Your Events

So you’ve taken the decision to charge people attending your events. You need a payment gateway that will allow you to process payments on your event website but aren’t sure where to start. Or perhaps you are hosting an international event and the payment gateway you are currently using doesn’t support the currency of the country many of your delegates are coming from. Or maybe you’re just not happy with your current provider and would like to make a change.

There are many different options for you to choose from when looking at payment gateways. The big names include the likes of Sage Pay, Worldpay, PayPal and Stripe but there are dozens of possibilities out there. So how do you know which is the best fit for your organisation?  The decision, more often than not, is something that is usually headed up by finance teams.  It is worth noting, however, that there are a number of important factors that need to be taken into consideration when choosing a payment method around your events. And the role of the event planner is key to ensure these requirements are met.

Have a look below at some of the top things you need to think about when selecting a payment gateway around your events:

1. Is Your Organisation Already Using a Payment Gateway?

The first thing to do is to find out if your organisation is already using a particular payment gateway for other parts of the business.  You may be required to use the same one as part of your company policy. Payment gateways can take time to set up and will be subject to security checks and audits from your bank. There may also be different levels of bureaucracy and hierarchy regarding approvals within your own organisation.  Going through this timely (often complex) process may not be worthwhile if there is already an existing deal with a gateway that your organisation is happy with.

Payment gateways aren’t the only thing you need to think about. You also have to think about the merchant accounts, which is essentially where your attendee payments go into (different from your regular business accounts). Some payment gateway providers offer just a payment gateway and require you to have your own merchant account. Other payment providers such as PayPal offer a combined payment gateway and merchant account. What you decide on really depends on what kind of existing arrangements your organisation may already have in place.

2. Can the Payment Gateway Be Used with Your Registration System?

The next thing would be to check which payment gateways are supported by your current registration or event management software.  This can significantly narrow down your choices. Choosing one that already integrates with the system makes it a lot more convenient and saves you time – it also means you may not have to spend additional money on development time.  Ask your event tech provider what they recommend – they have a lot of experience in this and can provide good advice on which gateways are better suited for certain types of events.

Like we mentioned above, your organisation may want you to work with a specific gateway solution.  In which case, you will have to work with your event tech provider in building the right type of integration between the two systems in exchange for a fee. Each gateway solution has different versions of the product – with different features and functionalities. Bear in mind that each one of these will have their own type of integration. For example, your organisation may use the ‘Worldpay Corporate’ integration, but your event software may only support ‘Worldpay Business’. Again, this will require additional investment in development time, so make sure you factor all these things in when making a decision.


Are your events ready for GDPR?  Get your copy of ‘The Event Planner’s Guide to GDPR Compliance’, and learn what impact Europe’s new data protection regulation will have on event marketing, data management and event technology – as well as what steps to take NOW to get ready for the May 2018 deadline.


3. How Does Your Event Management/Registration System Manage Payments?

The other thing you need to take into account is how your registration systems takes payments details from your event attendees.  There are two options here.  Does your system support non-hosted payment payment gateways? This is when your attendees are able to enter their card details without leaving your event website. Though it is the smoothest check out experience for your attendees, it is also the least secure. To take payments onsite you typically need an SSL certificate and you will also have to comply with PCI-DSS requirements. It’s worth taking a look at this article that gives good information on PCI-DSS compliance and what it means when dealing with delegate card payments. The fines for non-compliance can be hefty!

The alternative is to use a hosted payment gateway which redirects users to a ‘hosted’ payment page.  Once a payment has been made then your attendee will be returned to your website and the payment will be confirmed. It will likely be the case that your event tech provider may only support these ‘hosted’ payment gateways so that they don’t have to take responsibility for PCI-DSS compliance.

4. How Quickly Do You Need It Up and Running?

Setting up a merchant account and payment gateway can typically take anywhere around 3-4 weeks – although providers like PayPal and Stripe let you sign up without a merchant account so you can get started straight away. On the other hand, set up can also be a long and complex process – particularly if you’re a new or ‘high-risk’ business.  For example, banks can sometimes be reluctant to approve merchant accounts to event organisations because of the ‘interval’ between the time delegates make a payment and the event itself. In which case, you may be requested to provide detailed application forms so that the bank gets a better understanding of your business.  This isn’t a big issue but you need to bear it in mind and find a gateway that can support your specific needs, as well as meet your event deadlines.

5. Don’t Forget About Your Cash Flow

Once a delegate payment has been processed, it typically takes a few days for that payment to be settled into your bank account.  However, these payment timings can vary significantly from one provider to another. Gateways that are also merchant accounts generally sit on your money for a lot longer. This can slow down your cash flow and has a real impact on small businesses (think about the payments you need to make to venues, caterers and other suppliers).  Other providers on the other hand can settle your funds as quickly as the next day, while some may also only pay out funds on set days. Ideally, look for a provider that pays out every day.

6. The Kind of Events You Run Will Determine the Fees

The fees you pay for the payment gateway and merchant accounts can include monthly fees, fixed fees per transaction (whatever you are charging attendees for), variable fees based on a percentage of transactions, as well as other fees for things like payments from international cards.  So an organisation running one major international event can have complete different requirements to one that hosts several local events with a greater number of attendees.

Make sure you get a good overview of fees and ask to see a full schedule of charges before committing to one provider. Don’t forget some payment providers (not all) have been known to lock organisations into lengthy contracts – so make sure you understand what you’re signing up for.

7. Do You Need to Support Multiple Currencies for Your International Delegates?

If you are hosting events across different countries and need to take international payments or have a large number of international delegates – you should check whether the payment gateway offers international and multi-currency payments or even an interface with multiple languages. The APAC region, for example, only accepts payments through specific gateways and some global systems like Worldpay aren’t actually accepted all over the world. You should also check whether there are any additional fees for accepting multi-currency payments or payments from other countries and whether you will need to have a merchant account in a specific country.

8. Your Events Can’t Afford Downtime.  How Important is Reputation?

The short answer is very.  If you are processing payments from your attendees, you’ll want to work with a provider who has a good reputation in the industry and one that won’t let you down if things go wrong. Some payment gateways have had problems with outages and others have blocked merchants’ money unexpectedly without cause. Look at providers who take PCI-DSS compliance seriously and who provide a good level of support.  Find out how responsive their support service is, where their support team is based and whether or not they work the same hours as you. Do you need to pay extra for this support? Be sure you to do your research thoroughly before signing up with one.  Read reviews and get recommendations from organisations you can trust and use comparison sites which highlight the key features of each gateway.

Eventsforce offers quick and easy integrations with a number of major payment gateway providers, including Sage Pay, Worldpay, PayPal and many others.  If you’d like to have a chat about which gateway is best for your events, please get in touch here.


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Is Facebook Data Breach a Wake-Up Call for Events Industry?

The Facebook data scandal that’s unravelled this week is an important reminder to everyone in the events industry as to why GDPR is happening. The incident has shaken up people’s trust in the way organisations manage their personal information and highlighted the need for more tighter regulations around data protection.

Event planners should use this opportunity to learn from the mistakes made by both Facebook and Cambridge Analytica and think very carefully about how they’re going to look after the personal information of attendees in a post-GDPR world.

Download eBook: The Event Planner’s Guide to GDPR Compliance 

Why is Facebook in Trouble?

In 2014, Facebook invited users to find out their personality type via a quiz developed by a Cambridge University researcher. About 270,000 users’ data was collected, but the app also collected some public data from users’ friends. Facebook has since changed the amount of data developers can gather in this way, but a whistle-blower says the data of about 50 million people was harvested for political consultancy firm, Cambridge Analytica. He claims the firm used the data to psychologically profile people and influence voters on behalf of clients – including Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Facebook says users’ data was obtained legitimately but Cambridge Analytica failed to delete it when told to do so. Meanwhile, Cambridge Analytica denies any wrongdoing – saying it did delete the data when told to by Facebook.

The repercussions of this incident so far?  Facebook has lost around $50 billion in its market value over two days and we’re now seeing the #DeleteFacebook campaign which is rapidly sweeping across the Internet, as people leave the site in protest again its use of data harvesting and manipulation. Advertisers are also now telling Facebook ‘enough is enough’ with news on the BBC emerging that the ISBA, a trade body which represents major UK advertisers, will meet Facebook this week saying if the company fails to provide assurances about the security of users’ data, advertisers may spend money elsewhere.

How is it Related to GDPR?

According to Reuters, privacy experts have said the data breach is a prime example of the kind of practices that GDPR is supposed to prevent or punish: “Had the Cambridge Analytica incident happened after GDPR becomes law on May 25, it would cost Facebook 4% of their global revenue,” said Austrian privacy campaigner and Facebook critic Max Schrems. Because a UK company was involved and because at least some of the people whose data was misused were almost certainly European, GDPR would have applied.

The maximum GDPR fine would come into play in an incident like this because of the number of users affected and what appears to have been inadequate monitoring of third-party data practices: “The fact of the matter is that Facebook lost control of the data and wasn’t adequately monitoring what third-parties were doing,” said Scott Vernick, partner and expert in privacy and data security at law firm, Fox Rothschild.

The article goes further to say that the firestorm has prompted a furious response from lawmakers on both sides of the Atlantic, raising the prospect of expanding GDPR’s approach to privacy protection regulations to other countries. Again, a warning for organisations of what may lay ahead once the new legislation comes into force.

Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, has admitted that the social network ‘made mistakes’, apologising for the incident and admitting that a huge ‘breach of trust’ has occurred – but needless to say, damage is done.  People have lost confidence in Facebook and the way it manages their personal information.  And this is key when you look at why GDPR is happening in the first place.

GDPR is all about the protecting the rights of individuals over organisations.  And it’s happening because current legislations no longer meet the privacy needs of the connected world we live in today. We’re giving away our personal information freely to organisations without much thought into how they’re using it and how they’re keeping it safe from both theft and manipulation.  And this is exactly what GDPR wants to address: that organisations dealing with personal data (the events industry is no exception here) are doing so in a transparent and secure way – and always in the individuals best interests.

Ironically, Zuckerberg’s response to the incident reiterates the same thing: “We have a responsibility to protect your data, and if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you.”

The Importance of Data Security in Events

GDPR will certainly change attitudes to individual rights when it comes to data protection – especially in events. It will also change the mindset of event planners when it comes to deciding what data they should collect from attendees, how they use that data for things like marketing campaigns and personalisation, and what they need to do to keep that data safe.


Did you know that a data breach is essentially what can get your events into a lot of trouble under GDPR? Find out what you should do to prevent your attendee data from getting lost, stolen or compromised by getting your copy of ‘The Event Planner’s Guide to Data Security in a Post-GDPR World‘.


In fact, the issue of data security in a post-GDPR world is hugely important for the events industry.  A survey by Eventsforce last month assessing the GDPR readiness of more than 120 event professionals found that 81% believe data security will be a bigger priority for their events after the May 2018 deadline. And yet surprisingly, only 30% have taken steps to update their data security practices or prepare for a data breach (both of which are key to compliance requirements).

Data security is also an important issue when assessing the GDPR readiness of technology providers that process personal data on behalf of events (ex. registration systems, mobile apps, surveys, networking tools). The survey, however, found that only 41% of event planners were confident that their systems met the new requirements.

As an event professional, you may think that the whole issue of data security is something that needs to be dealt with by your IT, legal and operations teams – but the reality is that there are many things event planners do today that can put their organisations at a serious risk of a data breach and non-compliance to the new GDPR requirements:

  • Emailing unsecure spreadsheets that contain personal attendee data
  • Not paying attention to the data freelancers and temp staff have access to
  • Leaving printed registration lists unattended on-site
  • Not reporting theft or loss of laptops and devices that contain personal information
  • Not changing system passwords often enough/sharing passwords with others

It is therefore more important than ever for event planners to understand what they should and shouldn’t do when it comes to collecting, processing and securing the personal information of attendees under GDPR.

What Should Event Planners Do?

Most event planners will follow their organisation’s own set of data security and protection policies when it comes to storing and sharing event data – from communication procedures to firewalls, encryption and anti-virus software.  However, it is important to take some additional steps that will help your events meet GDPR requirements and minimise the chances of data getting into the wrong hands:

1) Keep Your Data Safe

GDPR makes ‘Privacy by Design’ a legal requirement, which put simply means that privacy concerns should be a consideration from the offset in any event planning campaign – and not simply an afterthought. Data protection and processing safeguards must become part of the DNA of all the systems and processes you have in place. This will be a major shift in thinking for event planners and something they need to think about now, not later.

You need to think about risk factors and see how you can minimise them. For example, find out who has access to your event data, whether they need to have that access and what happens to that access when the event is over? You should also assess the kind of personal information you’re collecting in registration forms, apps and surveys around your events.  Do you need to ask your attendees all the demographic information you currently do? If you’re never going to use their phone numbers, then don’t ask the question. If you only need to verify they’re over 18, don’t ask for birth dates or passport details.  Don’t forget, the more personal data you hold, the higher your chances of risk.

Read: Infographic – How to Keep Your Event Data Safe

2) Assess Security Practices of Suppliers

Just like Facebook should have taken more adequate measures in monitoring what third-parties were doing with users’ personal data – event planners should look into how their event data is being managed by all the third-party suppliers they deal with around their events (tech vendors, staffing agencies, hotels, venues, event management agencies etc). Why? Because if in the course of an investigation, the authorities find that these parties have not been compliant, then the host organisation may also be liable too (even if they themselves were compliant).

Find out how suppliers like your registration software vendor are managing the data they’re processing on your behalf.  How are they using the personal information of people coming to your events, who has access to this data and where are they based?  How important is data security for them and do they follow best practices?  How long do they keep your data for and what procedures do they have in place to delete this data when you ask them to? What about their own suppliers and contractors who also have access to their data?  You need to ensure they can clearly explain what contractual and legal safeguards they have in place to look after your data at all times. Having the answers to these questions will protect you from any unpleasant surprises in the future.

Read: 5 questions to ask your event tech providers about GDPR compliance

3) Prepare for a Data Breach

Failing to report a data breach within 72 hours can result in crippling fines under GDPR – so ensuring that everyone on your events team has a good understanding of what constitutes a data breach (ex. Loss of iPad containing registration lists) and how to follow best practices is key to compliance. You also need to think about what processes you need to put in place once a breach has been identified, including how to report it within the three-day timeframe.

Conclusion

GDPR clearly presents some new challenges for event planners, but it also brings some big opportunities too. By focusing on the rights of individuals over organisations, the new regulation will help events become a lot more responsible in the way they manage the personal information of people coming to their events. Those that can show they’re dealing with personal information in a transparent and secure way and have respect for the privacy of individuals will succeed in building new levels of trust.  And given what we’ve seen this week, this will be key in deciding which organisations people choose to deal with in the future.


Eventsforce offers a comprehensive set of event management solutions, services and expertise that can help with data security and support the event planner’s journey to GDPR readiness. Get in touch by contacting one of our team members at gdpr@eventsforce.com.

 

3 Ways to Help Your Team Adopt New Event Technology

Getting your events team to adopt a new technology system should really be a no-brainer.  After all, you invested a significant amount of money in something you believe will produce great results in the form of increased productivity, improved attendee experiences, more ticket sales, better engagement and more successful events. But even the most exciting system can quickly turn into disaster if your events team don’t end up using it.  And if this happens, where is your return on investment?

New technology being bought into an organisation means change for everyone involved. And how these changes are harnessed to ensure you’re getting the most out of your technology investment is something that needs careful consideration.

Have a look at three key things you need to look at to make sure the adoption of your new event tech system goes without a hitch:

1. Make Sure You Have a Plan

It has been decided that a new technology system is going to be brought in to your events to improve or replace what has been used before. The technology will be even better, even faster and even more productive. It also solves a problem that the organisation has (if it didn’t, it wouldn’t be needed). Which all sounds terrific.

Driving adoption of your new technology using a large stick with a compliance approach (ex.  setting targets and telling managers to make people do it) will only get you so far. Generally, staff will only do what they have to and not much more. Discovering whether they are actually using the technology can be a challenge. But don’t worry we have some ideas to help you. Don’t forget, if you get the engagement side wrong then you will not reap the business benefits as quickly as you should.

To really maximise the potential of the technology and leverage its full functionality you need to build engagement. Therefore, before it is rolled out to all staff, there has to be plan for implementation and engagement.

2. Engage Your People and Test, Test, Test!

Some staff are going to love the new technology. They will be all over it like a rash. Others may be less enthusiastic. It’s a normal reaction in any group of people. They will be assessing ‘what does this new piece of technology mean for me’? Is it going to make their life easier or harder?

Training staff to use the new system and involving them in testing is good but not sufficient to tackle the underlying concerns that people will have. They are unlikely to volunteer these fears, because they may not feel safe to do so or they do not believe there is any point (because their boss has told them the technology is coming whether they like it or not).

So aside from the onboarding and training services provided by your event tech provider, we recommend that organisations also build engagement and involvement.  Below are three activities that make this possible – which can be carried out before and after the implementation. In fact, before the technology is bought, it is always important to ensure that the key users are fully involved and can have their voices heard. Once the technology has been implemented, the activities can be used again.

  • Collect insights by hosting workshops and conversations so you understand the employee problems that the technology could help solve.
  • Create large visualisations (on a wall with post it notes) of the implementation plan and how the new technology will play a part in the overall business. This makes it possible to involve users and the different stakeholders about how it will or could work.
  • Provide a visible, anonymous feedback wall to allow staff to raise questions and concerns.

Unfortunately, if staff don’t use the system, or maximise the functionality, you will not receive the true value and benefit of the new technology.

Let’s take the example of testing an event management system.  You could use an existing event and then go through all the steps and functions of the new system to see how it works. Does it meet your expectations? What changes will need to be made to existing working processes and practices? Are there any gaps that you have identified that need to be raised with the new provider?  How well do you really understand what it can do for your organisation and events? How does it differ to what has been used previously?

Read: Why Onboarding is Critical When Investing in Event Tech

Be honest in your answers. Because only then, will you be able to decide whether you are using 30% or 100% of the technology. Your answers also need to be based on the role that you carry out. Some users will have less impact than others. The intelligence that comes back from asking these questions across staff in your organisation will help you build a picture of true ‘engagement’.

3. Stay Close to Your Technology Provider

Any technology provider that cares about delivering excellent customer service understands the importance of listening to and acting on feedback. They want to know what is working well, what needs attention and what would be nice to include as extra functionality in the future.

In other words, your feedback is invaluable as it will be plugged into their research and development activities.

As well as you providing feedback, keep asking them about the changes they are making. Updates come out on a regular basis and you will want to make the most of them. Also establish what ‘short –cuts’ in ways of working they may have up their sleeve that could help you. You can be sure that there will be things that will be obvious to them that you can use – after all, they did develop the technology.

Keep asking questions, listening and challenging when needed and you will be on the right track to squeezing the juice out of your technology investment.


Adopting new event technology is rarely a simple process!  Find out how Eventsforce can maximise your technology investment through a personalised ‘partnership’ approach that covers onboarding, training, dedicated account management, support and a customer-led software development programme. Learn more by getting in touch here.

 

How Will the Rise of the ‘Smart City’ Affect the Events Industry?

For many event organisers, the ‘Smart City’ will soon become an important decision-making factor. If a city can offer a smoother transport infrastructure, intelligent hotels for more personalised delegate experiences, or smarter parking solutions, then this will always give an edge over other cities in the mix.   In fact, Harriette Wilmoth, marketing manager at Banks Sadler, says the agency is already seeing a significant rise in clients asking for sustainable solutions.  And with more hotels and event spaces adopting this fast-growing intelligent approach, it is becoming easier for organisers to fulfil these requests.

What is a Smart City?

Now on the agenda of many of the world’s top capitals, smart cities are continuing to spring up all over the world with Singapore, Stockholm, Boston and Copenhagen currently leading the pack; all with the ambition to build safer, healthier and more efficient environments.

So, what is a Smart City?  Smart cities use data and technology to create efficiencies, improve sustainability, create economic development, and enhance quality of life factors for people living, visiting and working in the city.  This could come in various iterations, from driverless vehicle technology, to automated parking structures currently found in LA, to Ericsson powering Dallas’s smart city traffic solution.

Google’s holding company Alphabet recently announced their plans to turn a disused area of Toronto into a smart city district.  Their plans involve monitoring everything from rubbish bins, to traffic lights, and habitants could expect almost every part of their new environment to be connected.  The area will be home to Google’s Canadian headquarters, and they hope, when completed, will offer a more efficient and heavily automated urban environment. Hello Big Brother!

Why Do Smart Cities Matter for Events?

For event organisers, especially of the large-scale congresses/expos, the Smart City will soon become a decision-making factor.  If a city can offer a smoother transport infrastructure, intelligent hotels for a more personalised delegate experience, or smarter parking solutions, then this will always give an edge over other cities in the mix. Furthermore, the Smart City can also support on many other social and economic factors such as refuse management, intelligent housing, and crime reduction; all leading to a more harmonious, safer and efficient place to live, work and visit.

But smart spaces aren’t just about having high-end technology. Let’s take Crystal, The Sustainable Cities initiative by Siemens, as an example.  It houses 14 event spaces and uses solar power and ground source heat pumps to generate its own energy.  This building was the first of its kind in London and since then, there has been a significant rise in smarter spaces – from hotels using chatbot concierge systems to connected spaces that optimise heating, music and lighting for a far better guest experience.

For events, when using smart venues, the ability to use large spaces that can be configured to the needs of the audience, a more robust approach to catering and food management, as well as contactless payment and safer travel will always be of great appeal to the organiser; driving savings and an enhanced delegate experience.

Smart hotels are becoming more every day, as companies realise the potential to not only give the guest a more tailored experience but also tap into the wealth of data that comes with a connected hotel.  Marriott recently announced its partnership with Samsung to develop the industry’s first Internet of Things hotel room; a smart hotel room designed to show ‘the hotel experience of the future’. This new style of room will allow guests to use a mobile app or their voice to control the temperature, request additional housekeeping services, start the shower at a desired temperature or ask a virtual assistant for a wake-up call.

A city’s transport system can also be the make or break of an event. Especially for large-scale events such as the Olympics, this sudden increase in footfall can cause chaos for a city’s transport infrastructure and become a frustration for delegates for the duration of an event.  Intelligent transportation networks can significantly ease congestion, whether through electronic payments, advanced traffic light systems, driverless vehicles routed to avoid congestion or tube sensors that can identify which carriages are the least busy and relay this to the next station.  Smart parking technology is already being rolled out across many cities, allowing drivers to view vacant on-street spaces and pay through their app; a huge benefit to those travelling by car to an event.  The impending arrival of 5G will also fully enable the Smart City. With the huge amounts of data required to operate an intelligent city, 5G will be the next step needed for this massive increase in data load to be handled.

The ‘Rise of the Smart City’ features in Banks Sadler’s Top 10 Event Tech Trends of 2018


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