“Technology is a given” by Scott McLeod is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Barely a week passes without a shiny new piece of event technology being announced (just see this write-up of new tech on display at International Confex).

We live in exciting times, and there’s no doubt event planners can utilise this technology to improve their events and increase their productivity and efficiency.

However, despite the proliferation in software and applications, budgets remain limited, so how can we evaluate which ones are really worth investing in?

We asked a leading event tech provider and an event tech blogger how organisers can best vet systems before signing up…

Juraj Holub is from Sli.do, a Q&A and polling platform for live events, which enables delegates to ask questions or vote via their mobile phone.

Juraj’s Top 4 Questions for Evaluating Event Tech

1. Is this tech a good fit for my type/size of event?

This might be the most important question of all. Selecting the right event tech tool will impact how well it will be used and how much it will help you achieve your event objectives.

Not every conference needs an event app with a full set of features, neither does every presentation require a Q&A tool. Therefore it is absolutely crucial that you confirm with your tech provider if their solution is a good fit for the size and type of your event.

Make sure to provide information about the number of expected delegates, session formats and the general event type (tradeshow, conference, etc.) so your tech provider can suggest the right solution for your needs.

2. How will this tech solution help me achieve my event objectives?

Event objectives always come first! Event technology should be just a means to achieve those goals. There is nothing worse than using the tech for the sake of using it.

Identify your event objectives first and then find the solution that will help you to fulfil them. Depending on your event goals, you might ask the following questions:

How can this tech help me boost networking at my event?
How can this tech help me increase audience interaction at my event?
Will this tech help me get rid of printed guides and go paperless?

3. What do I need to do to make sure my delegates will adopt the tech?

It’s pointless to implement an event tech solution if your delegates don’t use it. Ask your event tech supplier what are the best practices for ensuring that delegates will eventually use the event tech solution. How should you promote the tool prior and during the event?

Also find out who are the key people for getting delegates to adopt the tool – is it the moderator or should you also get speakers on board in promoting it? You want to ensure you make full use of any tools you have invested in.

4. Does this tech solution require stable Wi-Fi?

Wi-Fi is the lifeblood of any event focused on audience interaction and engagement. Yet many event planners fail to provide the stable internet connection that is essential for many event tech solutions. Confirm with your supplier well in advance if their tool needs Wi-Fi and what internet bandwidth is necessary to run the tool smoothly.

Related: Quick Guide – Second Screen Technology for Live Events

Technology Blogger Liz King’s Top Tips For Choosing Event Solutions

• Too many planners evaluate tech before they’ve evaluated their event and set their goals. If you don’t know what you’re trying to achieve, you will have a very hard time identifying which company will be a good fit for your event.

• Look for companies that support you. Planners aren’t the experts in RFID or other forms of tech so you want to find a tech team that is approachable, in for the ride and will offer suggestions to make your event more successful. If you find a company that’s just plug and play, they aren’t for you.

• Look at the experience of the event tech companies. Do they work with events like yours? How successful are they? Don’t be afraid to ask for references.
  Visit Liz’s blog at TechsyTalk for more on the latest in event tech.

Related: 4 Mobile Event Apps to Enhance the Conference Experience

And here are a few more questions from us…

Eventbrite’s Top 4 Questions for Evaluating Event Tech

1. Is this tech solution within my budget?

Finding out the costs right at the beginning is vital. No matter how amazing the capabilities of the technology, if it’s going to put you way over budget it’s just not a sensible choice. There’s no point wasting your time or the supplier’s time by taking Ferrari-style tech for a test drive if your budget is more Vauxhall!

Decide how much you have to spend on your tech solution and stick with it. Let your provider know the size of your event and your budget and see if they can work with it. They may be able to offer you a solution with reduced features.

 2. How safe and secure is this tech?

If you will be gathering delegates’ personal information or payment details, it is vital to have robust data protection and site security in place. Ask your provider about the measures they take to protect users.

Are they compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI), which ensures that attendee credit card information is being stored in a secure environment?

Be sure to view their privacy policy and ensure they won’t sell your attendees’ personal information to third parties.

You should also ask the supplier where their platform is hosted, whether there is a disaster recover plan and how many engineers they have. The engineering team is what keeps any tech platform reliable and responsive.

3. Does this tech solution also offer analytics and insight?

Any event tech solution that collects data should provide you with that data. However it should also help you visualise and sort it into meaningful insights.

Do they provide a real-time dashboard that gives you a snapshot on how things are progressing? Is it easy to compile and compare data from other events?

The ability to track your event as it happens and build a database across events will help you learn about your attendees, adjust strategies and gain valuable knowledge about what makes your events most successful.

Make sure you maintain full control and ownership of the data and that you can access it even years after the event.

Related: Use Marketing Analytics And Eventbrite Reports To Improve Your Event ROI

4. Do you have responsive customer support?

Time is money, as they say, so if something goes wrong with your tech, or you don’t understand how to use a particular feature, you will need help – and fast!

Does your provider offer 24/7 support? Will you have a dedicated account manager? Can you get them by phone as well as by email? What is their average customer service response time?

If the tech is attendee-facing, it is also preferable to have a support resource attendees can consult directly.

Shameless plus: Eventbrite provides customer support to you as an organiser and your attendees, 24/7, all year round across email, phone or social – however you want to get in touch.

Related: 10 Event Technology Trends to Watch in 2015

Conclusion

Who said you had to be a geek to understand technology? Now you should be equipped with the questions to evaluate any kind of event technology like a pro.

Not only can you decide which are right for you and your event, you can also see how they measure up against one another. It’s worth taking the time to do your research because technology that does not perform the way you need it to is ultimately pointless – no matter how shiny!

How do you choose which event solutions to use? Have you discovered any great new bits of tech we should know about? Tell us…