iBeacons and the Event Industry
There is one word captivating the attention of most event tech pundits around: iBeacons. This is because some of the world’s largest events have started using iBeacons to immerse and engage attendees. This interactive technology is a low-powered transmitter developed by Apple that can sense the proximity of nearby iOS devices and send and receive notifications using Bluetooth LE (Low Energy).
Because of the growing interest surrounding iBeacons, here are 5 ways they could help the event industry manage and improve the attendee experience:
- Attendee check-in – Capture who is attending a session, receive a greeting notification on their device prompting them to check in. Attendees can check themselves in and avoid line-ups.
- Networking – Attendees can network through an opt-in feature, allowing them to discover and communicate other attendees. With LinkedIn integration, attendees can easily connect and collect contact details.
- Navigation – Because of the technology within iBeacons, they provide extremely accurate location services. Where GPS or Wi-Fi is unreliable, iBeacons run on Bluetooth, allowing them to power hyper-accurate floor or venue maps in any circumstances.
- Advertisement – Instead of handing out physical promotion material, an exhibitor can send targeted promotions to attract attendees to their stand within a conference.
- Gamification – The integration of gamification using iBeacons within events will provide a new platform for attendees to interact and engage. These games could increase networking and truly immerse attendees within an event.
It’s still early to know the true impact that iBeacons will have on the Event Industry. However, it’s pretty clear that they have huge potential to improve the overall attendee’s experience. What do you think? Please leave your thoughts below and any experiences you have had with iBeacons.
