I remember a time when the most advanced events involved a key light on a speaker, a slide projector (or even transparency projector), a few duffed up speakers and some crazy people running around trying to get it all to work, whilst a client is literally writing on the slides before they go into the projector.

This was HIGH TECH and I’m really not that old. Now we live in a world where most people have seen full 360 degree projection, speakers boxes are to be heard and not seen, social integration is expected and used as a KPI on how successful an event is. This is a fast evolving landscape.

So how do you navigate in this bewildering array of terms and technologies? That’s principally why I set up Gruve to try and help individuals and agencies understand the tech available but more importantly how to integrate it into your event. Lets face it, our clients in the events industry expect us to be the groundbreakers and make them look like rockstars by bringing them the latest and best technologies, to show off their brand better than the competitor

There’s no real secret to understanding what the next big thing is. At Gruve we have been doing it instinctively for years, and can tell you about some new technology that is coming to the fray that will totally change our industry:

iBeacons

#OMG #YOLO this is going to transform the way we interact at events. As people are walking past your event/stand/interactive how would you like to be able to talk to them directly and shout your message to their phone? That may be a little invasive, but if people request it this is a great way of publicising your event and transferring data to the right person. It’s going to revolutionise indoor GPS. Attendees will no longer be left wondering where stand E15 actually is!

Oculus and 540 filming

You have probably heard of oculus rift but on its own it’s relatively basic and not very good quality. When you start to integrate this technology with other tech, it takes it too the next level. You can now transport delegates across the planet without them having to leave their office chairs. You can give viewers the ultimate fan experience – court side seats at the NBA All star game – you can put people on the stage with Coldplay. Who needs the Star Trek transporter?

Fan Apps

Stepping away from the more corporate to the more sports and music orientated, it’s now possible to connect to your fans that are not only inside the stadium but outside too. At the FIFA World Cup 2014 this technology was debuted in three countries outside of Brazil. It connected the participants with the atmosphere inside the stadium. If you were outside you could clap in unison, send messages of support and rally the crowd inside the stadium. If you were lucky enough to be inside the stadium you could see the messages on the big screen and talk back to the outside world on the app, creating a huge community of fans talking to each other and motivating the teams.

This is the tip of the iceberg with regards of use into tech. However, it depends on your clients KPI’s and as to what technology is best to use. One thing for sure – event tech is an exciting space to be in and every day new technology is coming to the fray to make our lives easier and make our events better and more engaging for attendees and fans!

Ru Barksfield @GRUVE