5 ways to use technology at events

There is no weekend short of an event anymore in Zambia and there’s a lot of ways you can use technology at events to get them the right vibe, before and after.

Here are some suggestions especially around digital platform use:

Online ticket sales

Not everybody has the time to buy tickets from a physical location, and some events won’t allow attendants to buy at the gate/door so get online, and make the process easy for an attendant to make the transaction. You can also consider a ticket delivery service after orders are made online. Consider all this when coming up with the cost of an event ticket.

Digital communication channels 

You can have different but efficient options for digital channels of communications. Some are as simple as a WhatsApp contact number, or through a Facebook, Twitter or Instagram account. Whatever you choose, make sure someone is there to moderate and respond almost immediately. People have questions about what they’re spending their money on so be ready to give answers, even repeatedly. Consider this digital customer service. If there are changes to event or its program, use these channels to communicate updates. Nothing like a frustrated event goer who finds everything shifted!

A hashtag

Nothing’s more effective than a social media hashtag to get conversation (good or bad) going about your event. Hopefully, your event was awesome enough to get it trending online for the right reasons. It also helps you keep an online archive for the same event if you host it monthly or annually. For smart event planners this is also useful to get feedback about the event after it’s done, helping you improve the next one.

Free WiFi

How will people who have not decided to come to your event see just how much fun their friends are having if they don’t see posts about it while the event happens? Sometimes attendants may not have data, or have it but just don’t want to post there and then. Nudge them a bit with free WiFi. It’s a standard necessity a any event these days. It may woo other people to rush to attend your event while it happens. If you can’t afford it, maybe postpone the event till you can. For real.

Charging ports 

Phones die all the time because batteries do their job: run out. Have some adapters in either one area or around the venue depending on the setup to allow attendants charge their phones. This is essential for 3 and 4. They can use their phones to post updates for their friends to see who may end up rocking up to the event. The best social media influencers are ordinary people, not always celebrities. More people attending means more money for you, meaning you may actually get to cover that WiFi bill 😉

Got more ideas? I’m excited to read them. Post them below and let’s improve Zambian events one post at a time.