Event Tech: What’s Good & What’s New

Let’s all take and seat and explore the world of event tech. We just did an awesome podcast on event tech and whether or not the industry is falling behind. But because we simply can’t get enough of the topic, there’s even more we want to share! And not just because we are a bunch of nerds…although we do get some kicks out of it. This time around, we’re talking about event tech alongside some very special icons our team had the pleasure to meet during IMEX Frankfurt 2019.

We were lucky enough to sit down with many amazing #eventprofs during this amazing gathering. This week, we’ll be going over a couple of terrific insights from Thorben Grosser and Maarten Vanneste that are sure to be extra helpful for your next event. Let’s talk event tech!

Event Tech: App Security

https://fast.wistia.com/embed/medias/9o0dmm9g93

 

Our phenomenal host Brandt Krueger had a great chat with Thorben Grosser from EventMobi on the topic of app security. EventMobi is actually a platform that allows event planners to establish good communication with their attendees. Everything from “apps to live voting and attendee management in a single platform, that can also be integrated with other tools”, Thorben explains.

EventMobi stands out because they’ve always been concerned with the issue of security. In our industry, it’s an incredibly important topic that many people tend to gloss over. As Thorben puts it, “when you start a company, most small companies that come up with even tech, security, right next to filling your taxes properly is right at the back of your head. That’s nothing that you start with”.

And if you think we’re being paranoid, just remember the fact that anyone can get access to attendee list of numerous events just with a simple Google search. A tad scary, right? Plus, “not only is that a violation of many privacy laws, but it’s also putting these people who have their information published at risk”. This is why it becomes so paramount that we build platforms that keep data safe. And according to Thorben, it all starts with encryption.

“If you store any data online you can also do something called addressed encryption”. It gets you as close to keeping data safe as it is possible. And this is an important conversation to have, because “it’s not about protecting the individual, because event planners handle millions of data sets. And we have the responsibility to our clients that we handle them as well as possible”.

Event Tech: Internet Connectivity

 

Yet again, the illustrious Brandt Krueger sat down with a fellow event industry icon. This time around, we welcomed Maarten Vanneste of the Meeting Design Institute to go over a topic we’re all too familiar with – internet connectivity. It’s actually a funny story for these two. When Brandt and Maarten first met, it was at an event with a beautiful venue, an old hotel in London. But as stunning as the place was, it simply wasn’t prepared to have dozens of tech-savvy people using the Internet on multiple devices.

This time around, things are a little different. “In Europe you have roaming, so you have 4G and soon 5G. and everybody from France or Italy can use their same connection without a cost increase”, says Maarten. Those days of poor Internet connection at events seem to be over. Brandt is on the same page as Maarten: “we’ve come to the point where connectivity is pretty much ubiquitous, especially in Europe”, and it’s even more impressive when you think about how much smaller we’ve managed to make the equipment over the years. “Technology has evolved tremendously”, concludes Maarten. And couldn’t be happier about that, especially when it boils down to event tech!

And if you’re still worried about having trouble with the Internet connectivity at your events, check out Event Wi-Fi Terms Every Event Planner Needs To Know!

That’s A Wrap On Even Tech!

That’s all we have for you today in the always interesting world of event tech. We are you super excited about for the future of technology in our industry. Don’t forget to tune in next week for more nuggets of information we collected on IMEX Frankfurt 2019. The iconic insights never stop!