Organizing an event is all about data: the endless lists of invitees and registrations, ticketing and payment history, surveys and analytics…you just can’t ignore that. With the growth of technology, the complexity of data in the event industry raises as well.
The ways of collecting data and analysis progress, which is where the story of Big Data begins.
What is Big Data?
The term Big Data has lots of definitions and is often mistakenly associated with purely digital data inputs. The right way to describe Big Data would be “the mix of unstructured and multi-structured data that companies can collect from diverse platforms in a real time.” So, basically, it’s all the information that you can extract from virtual interactions, as well as any traditional financial and transaction records.
The role of Big Data in event management
To meet the event objectives in the 21st century, the industry professionals are actively using Big Data in terms of ROI measuring, analyzing the data of target audiences, and so on. So, why should you care? Because Big Data use offers you new opportunities to make a closer acquaintance with clients, understand why they behave in a certain way when interacting with your event, and how can you leverage this information to sharpen the strategy.
Best Big Data tools
The event professionals who manage to cater for personalized expectations of attendees leverage two types of big data management tools: those focusing on collection of data and those dedicated to analysis. Only when you know how to use Big Data for both, you can get your event strategy wrapped up. The Big Data analytics examples include the following:
- Surveys. These are great automated platforms that allow tracking feedbacks and reactions of event attendees before, during, and after the event.
- Email Marketing apps. With attendee database and CRM integration available on advanced email marketing apps, event planners can cater for targeted promotion online, track the reactions of invitees, and reach out to those who missed it.
- Apps for networking. People love to ask questions and connect to each other at events. This is where networking apps help. The use of big data from such apps provides the best source of first-hand reactions and concerns.
- Onsite apps. Event registration has multiple flavors nowadays. People can register online, onsite or even self-register at the venue. By tracking onsite check-in data through automated apps, you can offer the most popular solutions for registration at your next event.
Fascinated by all these possibilities? What if I told you that you can have all of them in one place? The most advanced tools for Big Data that facilitate top-notch convenience are one-stop event management platforms.
How is the data collected and how event apps help?
If you’re planning on organizing a conference or a meeting, your management strategy can get in a perfect shape in case you know how to use data collection. The key sources include but are not limited to:
- Radio-frequency chips
- Social media channels
- Email marketing
- Networking apps
- Online registration platforms
So, how do you make an event app work for your success by collecting Big Data? Well, sometimes you have to act fast to respond to the needs of event guests. The collection of data uses through RFID and iBeacon can help you elevate the participation of attendees by making adjustments in real time. So, yes, you got that right – Big Data collection can, basically, help you manage the movements of crowds at events and revamp travel procedures. Apart from that, collecting Big Data with event apps helps prepare the foundation for further strategy improvements through registration and interaction tracking.
Data analytics and how does it help?
With the event data getting bigger, the scopes of data analysis expand as well. The analytics tools for Big Data help make the good use of the information collected from different platforms and can either be aligned with a specific event app like email marketing or an end-to-end solution. Here are three ways your event management strategy can benefit from Big Data analytics:
#1. Adjust budgeting. Based on the analysis of preferred registration formats, and interaction with the venue space, event planners find out how they can spend less on event management, without any loss of quality.
#2. Target with pinpoint precision. If you look over the data that was collected at your next event, you’ll definitely identify some trends. These trends are your Big Data analytics solutions when it comes to creating a targeted event promotion strategy. Collect meaningful insights, analyze trends, and voila, – you’ll get the ideal image of your target persona. By sharpening the targeting strategy, you don’t waste your time on talking to the wrong people and delivering the wrong messages.
#3. React to changes in a blink of an eye. Event management practices change over time, even if you work with the same event formats for years. Big Data solutions help you capture the slightest shifts in terms of entertainment preferences or venue selection (while only a decade ago a contemporary construction for event was a rare thing, it’s the major sustainability-directed trend today). By responding to such changes fast enough, you don’t let your competitors stay ahead of you and keep pace with progressive tendencies.
Conclusion
The tools used in Big Data management today allow for forgetting about your math skills. The advanced technology of event apps is capable of tracking tons of online data and align them with an event management strategy. Either you focus on a specific event planning segment or target trends in general, using a one-stop cloud-based event management software helps you capitalize on your data collection and analytics efforts.
If you want to find out more about the benefits of Big Data analytics with event management providers or dive into the other assets of event technology, please don’t hesitate to contact us.