What can wearable technology do for your event? So far our notion of wearable event technology includes Fitbits and Apple Watches—one has no use for events and the other is too expensive to provide.
Nevertheless, wearable devices intrigue many people—try mentioning wearables to a millennial and watch their eyes grow wider. So how can you bring this excitement and buzz to your event? And what functionality does wearable technology have? Limefy will be launching LiGo, a wearable device and event app. We found a few unique ways wearable technology can significantly improve your event.
1. Redefine Networking
People act on certain emotions. Jonah Berger, author of Contagious, states that awe, excitement, and amusements are the top three positive emotions that drive people from thinking about something to actually doing it. Applying this concept to business networking, we see that people need an in-the-moment, emotional push to go from planning to network to actually networking. The question is how can we plan an emotion?
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Wearable devices such as LiGo appeal to amusement. The device can be programmed with user profiles, which are used to find matches based on interest. As people navigate the event and a match occurs, the wearable device lights up for both people and sends a notification that a match has occurred. Viola! The perfect icebreaker. That slightly awkward moment when both people look at each other leads them to engage with the person. Not only do attendees find people they should be talking to right away, but they are more likely to talk to them with the help of wearables.
2. Real Time Data
Wearable technology collects a lot of real time data. As people navigate through the event, the device tracks which part of the event people tend to gravitate to, how much time they spend there and how they interact with different exhibitors and sponsors. With this information, event organizes can send out promotional push notifications and messages to attendees to visit a specific area. This opens up the door to new sponsorship opportunities and better control of the crowd, which leads to a custom, tailored user-experience.
3. Gamification Scenarios
Another buzz word in the event industry is gamification. We see a huge potential in leveraging gamification scenarios to create unique event experiences. Wearable devices can track movements and locations to unlock different rewards and achievements based on the person’s behavior. The element of amusement and curiosity comes to play here. This helps sponsors and exhibitors attract people to their product. LiGo is programmed with a person’s profile to unlock targeted and tailored gamification experiences to help sponsors find qualified leads.
This is just the tip of the iceberg for what wearable technology can do for events. The main takeaway here is that wearable devices work because they add a new element of emotions. The feeling of amusement and excitement gives people the push they need in order to start interacting at events, instead of just attending them.
Maria Trizna is a strategic marketing manager for Limefy.
