Tech
C
reating a feature area or
installation at a show
adds value to the visitor
experience. In the age of
festivalisation, adding an
animated technologically
interactive feature area can
add the ‘wow’ factor to the
show floor. Although some
organisers want to do this
on a shoestring budget,
sponsorships and activating
brands in feature areas is one
way of getting a great feature
at very little cost. Bars,
business lounges, meeting
areas and education theatres
are established fare in this
area, but what about a do-
over to inspire visitors?
Using technology in
various functional and visual
forms is going to enhance
visitor experiences and
create positive memories.
One of my favourite feature
areas is at Best of Events
in Dortmund, Germany.
The show hosts 10,000
event professionals every
year in January. The ‘Acts
on Stage’ area in the
show features acrobats,
comedians, musicians,
illusion artists, sand painters
and other performers. Simple
functional technology –
headphones – are used to
create a ‘silent show’. This
animates the hall without
interrupting the exhibitors.
Technology can be used
in other functional ways.
Organisers could inject
some hard-core networking
into visitor lounges. One
great app used at Event
Tech Live in London last
November was Brella. The
app allows people to connect
before a show and arrange
a networking appointment.
At the show itself, a Brella
Lounge is set up with small
highboy tables and table
numbers. The person you
want to network with has
to accept a timed meeting
request through the app,
then a table is allocated. The
Brella lounge was a busy
animated feature at the
show.
Intel’s Wonderwall
installation designed by 2LK
for Mobile World Congress
in Barcelona last year was
visually attractive. The idea
could be easily adapted to
an entrance feature. By
using different data inputs
– images, audio, screen
touch, movements and
motions, different graphic
outputs would appear in
real-time on a large LED
wall. For a show floor idea,
if you were using the Zenus
facial recognition software
at the entry point, the
data could be fed in to the
Wonderwall software and an
artistic image of the visitor
appeared on the screen.
Other options such as using
touch type technology like
the Pavegen kinetic energy
tiles or motion sensors that
track people walking by can
convert these movements
into visual data that appears
in various artistic shapes .
Jack Morton’s interactive
installation for Ericsson
at Mobile World Congress
is another example of a
visual feature that can be
adapted to the show floor.
Their Genuine X innovation
practice created large
custom-built hardware,
consisting of 3D printed
knobs and dials on a console,
so visitors could navigate
Ericsson’s large market
research. Visitors were
drawn in through interactive
play by engaging with the
hardware, with differing data
sets appearing on a screen
above the console. The
visitors’ actions generated
conversations and Ericsson
were able to provide
engaging, interesting and
consumable content in a
playful way.
Technology features
can also be educational.
Boston-based DAHLIA+
agency feature areas provide
educational experiences
on the show floor. One
of their most popular
offerings is a one-on-one
genius bar-style Tech Bar.
It empowers visitors by
applying technology to their
day-to-day lives and educates
on boosting productivity.
The agency’s experts
demonstrate a variety of
technologies including
digital note-taking, social
media management, top 10
must-have apps, wearable’s,
AR/VR and artificial
intelligence.
To conclude, using
different functional and
visual technologies to engage
and inspire visitors whilst
demonstrating that the show
has evolved is something
that organisers should
consider. Sponsorships can
cover costs, but the ultimate
aim is to use technology
to enhance the visitor
experience.
Chiselled
features
James Morgan, founder of Event Tech
Lab, takes a look at some of the high-
tech features bringing a ‘wow’ factor to
the show floor
May — 47