You may be wondering what second screen technology, one of 2014’s newest buzz words, means for your events. Second screen technology is as simple as pulling out your phone and opening an app that will tell you what song is playing on the radio. Or being asked to tweet with a specific hashtag during an upcoming Super Bowl ad.
But when it comes to second screen technology for events, it's all about enabling interaction with your attendees. Event Manager Blog lists in its 2015 Event Industry Trends the importance of giving attendees tools to participate ("Let Me Speak") and collecting actionable feedback ("Intelligent Feedback").
So how can you incorporate second screen technology for events? We analyzed some of the industry's newest tools.
Second screen technology for events
Twitter event hashtag
Depending on the event, you might want to encourage attendees to pull out their phones and tablets and be part of the conversation. Display your event hashtag and the presenter’s name prominently on large screens. Use social monitoring services like Tweetdeck and Buffer to monitor conversations around your event hashtag. You can even take questions from the audience via Twitter, an increasing trend that works well for hybrid events.
Presenter tools
Do you want your attendees to be listeners or participants? Tools like sli.do enable your presenters to host live Q&A and polling that’s simply better than passing around a mic. This can actually help your presenters learn more about their audience and better tailor their message.
FreemanXP recently launched FXP | touch, its all-in-one engagement platform that measures audience engagement with polls and surveys and also pushes content to audiences in real-time. FXP recently tested its platform at PCMA's Convening Leaders and found that when they asked the audience to interact, they had more than 70% participate.
Another trend in second screen technology is live slide sharing. Prezentt makes sharing slides seamless and allows for you to collect information from your attendees.
Mobile app or event website
Your attendees want information in an easy-to-access format. Designating an app or mobile-friendly site can help eliminate some of the confusion that frequently occurs during an event. Depending on which tools you use, you may even be able to send push notifications or text updates to attendees.
At Message Blocks, we’ve incorporated our surveys directly into our web-based agenda (viewable on any mobile device) so you can survey attendees and fix problems before the end of an event. Try our interactive agendas.
Potential Pitfalls
It’s worth mentioning as you explore various technologies the potential pitfalls you may encounter. Here are some things to consider as you evaluate different venues and technology providers.
Dead zones
If your venue is prone to dead zones (areas with little or no Wi-Fi signal) or can’t handle surges in traffic (after you ask everyone to pull out their phone or tablet, of course), second screen technology may not be the option for you. A good question to ask your tech provider is how they manage traffic surges and the scalability of their servers. When sending out RFP's to venues, take note of additional Wi-Fi costs. It’s usually a good idea to do a run-through the day before your event.
Adoption rate
How many steps do your attendees have to take to get engaged? Is your audience tech-savvy or more old school? Remember: tech can seem splashy and fun, but it won’t get your results if there are barriers for attendees to participate, e.g. downloading a mobile app.
Cost
A customized mobile app may be branded but it isn’t cheap. Ask technology providers for case studies on what their tool will help you accomplish. Set metrics for measuring ROI before your event. Decide on what proportion of your budget you are willing to spend on event technology before looking at what's out there.
In Conclusion
With new options arising every day, now is the time to explore new ways of engaging attendees at live events. Undoubtedly, there will also be new ways of interpreting this data and finding meaningful ways to represent it.
Have you incorporated second screen technology at your events? What new things did you discover about your attendees?