Archive for the ‘General’ Category

  • Highlights from The Gathering

    Date: 2011.04.04 | Category: Events, General, Technology | Response: 0

    For some time we have been really keen to get together a group of thought leaders from the events industry to discuss a range of technology related topics. With a fantastic team effort this event, which we called ‘The Gathering’, was held on the 30th of March at Lords futuristic media centre. Each of the four panels was focused on a specific area of technology with industry experts giving practical guidance, their opinion and answering questions from the audience. The notes below highlight some of the points raised but a lot was covered in the five hours so they are just a very small window on the discussions . To keep the discussion about technology in events going we aim to keep the twitter hashtag #eventtech for questions and comments.

    Ticketing and Cashless Payments – Tom McInerney facilitated a panel involving Paul Pike from Intelligent Venue Solutions and Darren Jackson from Ticketscript discussing the latest innovations.

    • Many events are now becoming aware of the customer data associated with tickets. The opinion of the panel was in many cases this is worth more than the face value of the ticket as events should be starting to build profiles from their customers which can then be the cornerstone of many other activities (such as loyalty schemes).
    • Loyalty systems may take the form of branded cards or RFID wristbands but the important element to consider is using these in more than just a ‘closed loop’ way, perhaps opening them up for eating out in the local area or purchasing merchandise providing another revenue stream for the event.
    • Paul Pike discussed trials which are under exploration for this year which would see significant steps in making cashless events a reality.

    Social Media – Chaired by Ian Irving the panel included Andrew Cock-Starkey from Lords and Jonathan Emmins from Amplify discussing how events can use social media before, during and after an event.

    • Ian discussed how events should continue to focus on using social media as a core element, enlarging the community past just those that attended.
    • Lords Andrew Cock-Starkey talked about how they have developed a large following for their Twitter feed, using it for continuous commentary on matches and a channel for last minute tickets (which can then be tracked back using offer codes to get quantifiable value).
    • There was lively discussion on managing the ‘negative’ aspects of social media too, engaging with, rather than ignoring those who are complaining.
    • Many of the panel thought the key technologies of the future would be live streaming content to those not at the event and ensuring that those attending can access online resources.
    The Gathering taking place at Lords Media Centre

    The Gathering taking place at Lords Media Centre

    Event Vision – Tom McInerney chaired a discussion between Dan Craig, Loudsounds and Dale Barnes from Virgin Media focused on the key technology elements events will be focused on in the future.

    • Dale talked about how as a major brand when he is asked to deliver services in temporary events locations it really helps to have a technology person to engage with and discuss practicalities. The requirements from sponsors will only become greater as events continue to look for ‘partners’ who can contribute to the event not just push product X.
    • The panel discussed how events which take place at the same locations year after year will become more focused on what investments can be made. Not just in terms of water and power but also internet presentation. In many cases arranging service over multiple years can generate significant savings.
    • Dan discussed how events are continuing to invest in backend systems to simplify event management but also share data quickly with suppliers so everyone has up to date information. Tools like Dropbox and Google documents were sighted as invaluable but increase the pressure on IT systems at events.

    Applications - Joanna Wales from Ascot Racecourse, Adrian Strahan and Chris Green discussed the key elements to a successful application and the challenges which still surround creating an app which gains traction within what is becoming an increasingly crowded market.

    • The panel shared their experience of working applications released by several large customers, and that by working within the businesses to find the different things the application could deliver was critical to its success.
    • Chris discussed the issues of delivering a ‘cross platform’ application (i.e. one which works across Android, Apple, Microsoft and Blackberry) this continues to be a challenge however planning for a multiple release during the design and creation process can avoid painful re-working later on.
    • The panel discussed the Edinburgh Fringe application as a great example of an application that was really useful and improves the event experience.
    • Many of the audience thought that applications should be free for events, since trying to charge generally puts off those that might find it valuable. Some discussions identified that a good app will encourage more people to attend and get more out of the event.

    Real World Experience – Chris Green, Mike Lang and Tom McInerney fielded questions from the audience and discussed how some of the customers they partner with had developed an on-going technology strategy encompassing many of the topics that had come up during the day.

    • Several questions from the audience focused on how smaller events can take advantage of technology without huge investments. Chris discussed how many technology services can be delivered for growing events – the key is to ensure enough lead time as solutions which have to be delivered in a rush tend to more expensive. There is also opportunity to share some of the costs of connectivity between events that use the same locations.

    In summary a fantastic day to network, meet new contacts and learn. We hope to run The Gathering again and are really excited about developing the forum and taking on the feedback from the attendees.

  • Passes Ready for the Event Production Show

    Date: 2011.01.26 | Category: Events, General, Technology | Response: 0

    The Etherlive team are now in the last stages of planning in preparation for the Event Production Show at Olympia on 2 – 3 February. We are on stand 620, on the right hand side of the main isle not far from the entrance. As usual the team will be ready to answer questions, discuss services and demonstrate equipment. With a Royal Wedding this year and the Olympics next year it is important to get services booked early – we are already seeing a knock on impact from these events, for example lead times are increasing for telecommunication services and this will get worse during the year.

    Alongside our normal array of solutions for connectivity, communications, monitoring and interactive technology we will also be demonstrating three new services:

    Crew Accreditation System - A contact-less RFID card (or wristband) system which makes managing crews simpler. The system uses a PC or touchscreen terminal to manage crew as they book out keys, radios, plant equipment and doubles as a crew catering system replacing those pesky paper vouchers. Multiple terminals can be used over the site such as in the catering tent and production offices. All the data is easy to manage allowing production to forecast catering requirements and track items quickly.

    Event Production Show 2011

    Dynamic Secure Wi-Fi – There has been a lot of press recently about the security of wireless networks and even though we already have a very secure system we will launching an even better solution. What’s great about it is that it’s easier for the user but more secure as every user has their own unique encryption key. Aimed at events when privacy is critical it will reside alongside our existing range of wireless services so that you can decide what level is appropriate for your event.

    Communications Tower Light - Not completely new as it is in its second year of use by Etherlive but this palletised, environmentally tower light was a great success during the 2010 season so we have been improving it further. Supporting Wi-Fi and cabled networking, public address and CCTV from one unit, it is perfect for quickly deploying technology services in areas with no power. The 2011 unit now has multiple camera options with a new higher zoom and motion tracking enabled camera added to the range; and if you need high density outdoor wireless there are options for up to 750 simultaneous Wi-Fi connections off of one unit.

    Take a moment to register here if you plan to come along to the show to speed up getting in and of course if you want to set-up a specific time to meet you can  get in contact beforehand.

    We hope to see you at the show!

  • UK Festival Conference 2010

    Date: 2010.11.19 | Category: Events, General | Response: 0

    Spent the day at the UK Festival Conference yesterday, very interesting day with all the key players from across the industry together. A two minute summary/key points list around the different sessions below:

    The Crime Busters

    • Partnership between festival organisers, security teams and the police is working very well with lots of up front intelligence.
    • Online ticket scams remain an issue, educate the ticket buyers
    • Festivals are very safe with much lower crime rates than typical towns and cities
    • One area of concern is organised criminals targeting smaller festivals now that the big festivals have well developed crime prevention

    Non-Ticketed Events Should Be Banned

    • Overall opinion was heavily in favour of ‘No’ but with some strong points (below)
    • They must be organised by professional, experienced event management companies
    • Understanding the environment, location, draw, capacity, contingency factors are all paramount
    • Licence granters must not be the organisers

    Best Practice for Leveraging Brand Activity at Festivals Without Selling Out

    • Expect another year of reducing budgets
    • Move is much more towards ‘experiential’ (hate that word) i.e. tangible benefit to attendees
    • It’s now more than just the attendees, it’s the whole position of the event within the market (especially online) with an appreciation of the broader number of followers
    • Looking for year round association, not just the few days of the event

    UK Festival Market Report 2010

    • Market still growing, although exact data hard to define (approx 700 festivals)
    • PRS, Government Policy & Policing costs all possible issues
    • Average age of festival goers 31, average age of ‘first timer’ 18
    • Average spend £363 (inc ticket)
    • Average attendance 2.1 festivals pa
    • Biggest ‘downers’ – bands that clash, cost of food and drink
    • Reasons for choosing – line-up, being with friends, organisation
    • More of – cashless payment, Wi-Fi, festival information and of course toilets.

    Making Your Festival More Profitable

    • Big variance and issue around policing costs, no easy answer
    • Focus on the bottom line from day 1!
    • Build and grow in a controlled fashion – you will not get 50,000 people in year 1!
    • Build partnerships and trust with suppliers, who grow with your festival

    Battle of the Bands

    • Promoters want the cost of bands to come down, agencies want then to go up!
    • Market is changing now that a bands primary income is touring/festivals rather than album sales
    • Many bands are on the road continuously leading to a ‘staleness’, hence more reunion bands as they are attractive as they haven’t been on the road for a few years
    • It’s not all about the headliners, increasingly it’s about the whole festival experience and ‘like minded’ attendees

    Dispatches from the Field

    • It isn’t easy getting to the top, there is no quick route other than a lot of hard work and a true passion for festivals!
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ChrisUKGreenChrisUKGreen: Quick summary and comment from the Autumn Gathering http://t.co/kJOKZ3Io #eventprofs #wifi
5 months ago
tom_mcinerneytom_mcinerney: How tech can bring customer back to the stadium (did they go?) Instant replays on mobile devices and using WiFi http://t.co/EIaRnHvz @PSFK
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tom_mcinerneytom_mcinerney: Photos from Dreamhack Winter 2011 shows continued growth in LAN partys - not just a niche? 12k people attend. http://t.co/kAuGaF9J
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