OUTSIDE THE BOX
Creating Memorable Experiences With the Help of Technology
by Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig
These days, it’s all about going big or going home. Gone are the days when corporate and organizational conferences, general meetings, and similar types of gatherings would follow the traditional path. Sure, there were some fun outside events after a day of workshops and meetings, but now, making sure each event is bigger and better than the previous one is a must. Technology is playing a huge role.
On the consumer side, premium events such as concerts have seen an economic boom in the last couple of years. Iman Noah reports for the U.K.-based Economics Observatory: “Adam Pearson, the commercial director at the O2 arena in London, says the new consumer mindset focuses on ‘protecting their spend for coming to big event experiences.’ This ‘selective splurging’ shows that many individuals are now more willing to invest in memorable experiences, even if it means tightening purse strings elsewhere.” People who attend events—professional or personal—want to feel good while there, and they want to take that feeling back into a world that, to be honest, can be cruel. The best way to do this is to stimulate joy through unique experiences.
“Joy happens in moments, and it turns out that this is how our memories work too,” writes Ingrid Fetell Lee for The Aesthetics of Joy. “Our brains don’t take in an experience and file away the whole thing. Instead, they tend to focus on specific moments that really make an impact, while the rest falls away. This principle is important because ... research shows that we tend to judge the experience as a whole based on just a few key moments.” The following are some technology-based ways that can help you to guarantee that the attendees of your next event will leave with a smile—and memories to last a lifetime.
ALL PHONES ALLOWED
Too many times, cellphones are frowned upon at events. Why not take advantage of the opportunity for phones to foster participation? The following are some suggestions:
- Use (or create) an event app that will allow confirmed attendees to get excited about what is to come.
- Build a responsive website that’s kept up-to-date on what is going on at your event, allowing people to have almost instant access to changes and exciting extras or supplemental materials.
- Encourage attendees to keep their phones out and in silent mode (when possible) so they can capture their experiences in real time.
- Have customized hashtags and special geofilters, such as those offered by Snapchat, ready for attendees to use on social media.
PLAYING IN A VIRTUAL WORLD
Playing games—whether we win or not—makes us feel good inside. Games, along with VR and AR devices, can provide event planners with an easy way to give attendees engaging and fully immersive experiences. Via headsets and apps, a virtual world of play, travel, scavenger hunts, prize wheels, and more can entice attendees to stay inside the venue longer. Hosts can also use VR or AR in event management for hybrid conferences, badges, site navigation, etc. Check out InEvent’s gamification platform for inspiration.
TECH-FORWARD PHOTO BOOTHS
Picture this: You dress for a special event and then end up donning crazy hats, wearing silly props, and holding funny signs. Photo booths are all the rage these days, because they can capture precious moments you shared with friends and family. The best part is that prints are available within minutes, and digital copies can be air-dropped, emailed, and/or retrieved online. According to Our Culture , the popular features of today’s photo booth can include slow-motion, 360-degree video capture, and AR effects, offering an interactive experience that traditional cameras simply cannot match.
If you aren’t able to or don’t want to track down an actual booth, you can create your own photo-booth experience with tools such as Instax’s mini Link 2 smartphone printer, which turns photos taken on your phone into hard-copy prints to share. Using the free, downloadable app, you can print 2" by 3" photos and video still frames directly from your smartphone in less than 2 minutes. Sketches and handwritten text can be imported and edited into photos for added creativity, as well as stickers, emojis, doodles, and shapes.
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