From mobile apps to attendee analytics platforms to web-based dashboards and AI implementations, today’s tech tools that association meeting planners and attendees use are as diverse and unique as the events themselves.

In fact, today’s planners have a wealth of technological tools from which to choose — all with the goal of making the meeting and event planning process streamlined and efficient. And while some turn their attention to the “latest and greatest” real-time event data distribution gadgets, other planners continue to embrace long-standing tech platforms that have provided solid results for years.

When Tory Ondrla, CMP, conference manager at the Association of College & Research Libraries in Chicago, IL, evaluates how her use of technological innovations has enhanced the association event planning process, she thinks of how holding virtual events during the pandemic taught association meeting planners a lot that can now be used to expand participation options and enhance the in-person attendee experience.

“As planners, we’re always re-evaluating how we do things, and trying something new is what makes the job fun. I think providing more options for attendees to decide how they want to experience your event is always a good thing,” Ondrla said.

For Ondrla and other association planners, there are certain “go to” technological tools that they have come to depend on to make sure association events and meetings go smoothly. Online scheduling tools where attendees can easily customize and download their event agenda to a personal calendar is a must, noted Ondrla, adding, “For onsite attendees, we rely on a mobile app for instant notifications and easy interaction among attendees.”

As a Director of Americas Events at the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Richardson, Texas, Leigh Ann Runyan, CMP, said that obviously during the pandemic, using technology was the only way to survive in the meetings industry.

“I believe technology evolved quickly and eventually met the needs of the planners, for the most part. Now that we are through the pandemic, I feel like the evolution of technology has slowed due to vendors’ priorities shifting to things like re-hiring staff, retaining staff and dealing with in-person events again,” Runyan said. “The pandemic did force planners and attendees to develop new skills in using technology. Technology is much better accepted than it was four years ago, and these skills continue to be used.”

During the meeting and event planning process for the SPE, Runyan and the planning team primarily use apps and digital programs in the planning process. They have almost moved completely away from any printed materials.

“I would love to find a good matchmaking technology for attendees and exhibitors. AI and virtual or augmented reality are also technologies we would like to explore, but the costs can be prohibitive,” Runyan said.

SPE also livestreams some sessions, but for the most part, the events are all in-person. They also started an OnDemand program called Energy Stream and it has seen some modest success.

“I feel like it is hard for attendees to go back and watch OnDemand programming unless there is a specific need. People just don’t have the time to do it,” Runyan said. “Post-pandemic, we don’t get any requests for virtual events or for presenters to appear virtually instead of in-person. Business travel continued to increase and attendees are back in-person to network and connect.”

And although it may sound simple, the acceptance of Teams and Zoom calls have made Runyan’s meeting planning life a lot easier.

“The normalization of being on video and having day-to-day meetings virtually has been a huge help. I am 100% remote, so I actually prefer a Teams call versus a cell phone call because I’ve gotten so used to seeing everyone I talk to now,” Runyan said.

Association meeting planner Lisa Larson, MA, owner of By Design Events in St. Paul, MN, has worked with associations on various types of events for many years. Because of her experience, Larson has seen a wealth of change within the types of tech tools being used by association meeting planners.

“The greatest change I have seen is our ability to connect virtually,” said Larson. “While the technology existed pre-pandemic, the focus, the default, was to gather together in person. And while I would never want to remove our ability to engage face to face, the flexibility to host committee meetings, board meetings, to plan together, etc. remotely has been a timesaver.”

In the thick of the pandemic, she explained, their ability to host full-fledged conferences with breakouts was a lifesaver to some of the organizations she worked with. For a couple of associations, their in-person events were their only source of revenue for the year, so the loss of that was staggering. “We had the ability to create an environment that, while not feeling exactly the same, let us be ‘together’ and learn from each other that face to face interactions didn’t allow for.”

Larson works with several smaller organizations and associations that, don’t have the budget for fancy technology. Online registration tools like Eventbrite, simple onsite app programs like Guidebook, document sharing like Google docs, and connection/meeting tech platforms like Zoom have been her “go to” resources. Otherwise, she still finds old school beauty in Excel documents, as these allow for flexibility in creating budgets, sponsor packages, agenda development, timeline upkeep, etc.

“My role is unique in that I work with a variety of organizations to plan their events. Some have 20 staff and bring me in for specific pieces of the event planning process. For some, I’m the only paid planner working with a team of 30 volunteers to bring the association conference together. Because of this, using a streamlined innovation is basically impossible — not all of the groups can implement what each of the others have,” Larson said. As a result, she’s had to get savvy with Excel documents and Outlook resources to enable a seamless transition from client to client.

Ongoing Evolution

As technology continued to evolve, association meeting planners must also adjust to the “latest and greatest” technological innovations to do their jobs. Ondrla has found that it seems to be easier lately to find suppliers who can provide several tech tools she regularly uses as a bundle, rather than using multiple suppliers.

“Integrating your ‘tech stack’ into one platform makes communicating with multiple audiences easier,” Ondrla said. “It’s also easier to customize the experience for various sub-groups of your audience.”

Association attendees have also become astute in terms of the tech tools available to enhance their meeting and event attendee experience. As such, more and more attendees expect a virtual option for big events. Ideally, Ondrla said they seem to want live, real-time access to what in-person attendees are experiencing on-site and they also want extended on-demand access post-event to catch up on anything they may have missed.

Runyan added that what association meeting attendees have come to expect from the tech tools being used within the meetings industry really depends on the event and the audience. As she explained, there are so many great applications/technologies that can be used, if the attendees will embrace the technology.

From Larson’s perspective, online registration is an emerging “must have” in the association event planning world.

“It may seem basic, but I still have clients who push for offline forms. I still sometimes have to push it, but onsite apps are imperative. The changing nature of a speakers’ content, ability to attend, flight cancellations, family emergencies, backup speakers, etc. We need to be able to adapt and provide a seamless planning process for our attendees,” Larson said. “Attendees also want the ability to connect and interact with those they met at the conference and speakers they learned from. Apps and tech with the ability for long term interaction are a great add on.”

“I like integrated digital tools that can cover lots of ground — networking, event navigation, social media, fun components. Exhibitors can play a big role in technological innovation and adoption as well,” Runyan said. “At the least, I feel like attendees and exhibitors expect an event app.”

Challenges Aplenty

As with any new and evolving technology, the tech tools streamline the overall experience for meeting planners and attendees alike, but these tech tools also come with their own set of challenges in the meetings and events space.

“Controlling costs is one of our biggest challenges, as well as a strategy around how much of the event to deliver via live stream,” Ondrla said. “Virtual engagement is always a challenge, too. There are so many distractions out there competing for folks’ attention and getting virtual participants interacting live with what’s happening on-site still feels a bit new and magical to me.”

For Runyan and the Society of Petroleum Engineers, the biggest challenge surrounding today’s tech tools is cost. According to Runyan, there are many technologies that they would love to try, but they can’t afford them. Audience adoption is another challenge. These are probably the biggest challenges of any new innovation as they roll out. “I just hope that vendors will work with meeting planners to pilot technology,” said Runyan.

Challenges aside, Ondrla and other association meeting planners believe that the role of tech tools within the meetings and events industry will remain vital as planners and attendees rely more and more on the efficiencies that result of these tech tools.

“There’s no question technology is here to stay and will always be an important part of the industry,” Ondrla said. “People who come to events in person do so for the networking and people who participate virtually are in it primarily for the content. They are all part of your community, so the new challenge is in delivering them both a terrific experience simultaneously.”

And while the world of hybrid meetings is here to stay, some of Larson’s clients are torn. She’s seen a drop in in-person attendance and that opportunity for engagement just doesn’t exist, as much as they like to think they’ve figured out ways to incorporate it.

“It’s just not the same,” she said. “I do hope that integration between our favorite tools continue — namely, the ability for tools to work together. I hope we event planners find ways to continue to share our favorite tools. I’m often so bogged down in planning that I don’t get to do a lot of attending. I don’t get to see the new technologies that others are implementing. I often rely on my volunteers and attendees to tell me what they’re seeing at the events they frequent and determine how we can implement those in our events for the future.”

Association meeting planners agree that technology has always played a big role at meetings and events and will continue to do so. Runyan expects that AI will continue to evolve, and said that it will be very interesting to watch how it is used and developed. Networking and chatbots also will have an influence on the meetings arena as the more attendees use them, and the technology of this technology evolves and improves.

“Gamification is also a great technology for the right audience. It added some fun and intrigue to engage attendees and incentivize participation,” Runyan said. “The companies who produce event technology need to be sure to train, retain and reward the staff who sell, produce and service the technology. In the end, most of the technologies we use are only as good as the people behind the scenes.” | AC&F |