techsytalk Crystal Ball: 2018 in <3 Minutes

Drones. Artificial Intelligence. Cryptocurrency. Vacation Space Travel (soon, soon.)

Technology is morphing faster than a client’s mind and it ain’t slowing down! In less than 3 minutes we’ll give you 3 important event tech waves to surf in 2018:

Artificial Intelligence
We’re not **quite** Tom Cruise in “Minority Report” level but, AI is impacting our industry TODAY and it will only increase in 2018. What if you could use the terabytes of data points you’ve accumulated about your audience to help them make decisions and deliver a more intuitive experience? Customize an experience to their taste? Increase your attendee retention by automating suggestions based on prior attendee behavior (in a non creepy way, of course). AI is enabling us to leverage technology to make smarter, more targeted decisions to benefit our audiences faster than previously humanly possible. Am I saying technology is smarter than us? Wellllll, not just **yet. <<wink>>

Digital Payments
You’ve heard about Venmo, Stripe, Apple pay and other digital payment solutions and a once seemingly far-reaching concept called cryptocurrency, now being embraced by the mainstream. The landscape of how currency is being exchanged is evolving right before our eyes and will have a lasting impact on how we plan and execute events. The key here is to learn about these types of technology by experimenting with some of these new modes of payment and to stay in the conversation with other early adopters via reputable Facebook groups, blogs etc. Expect to see these new modes of payment integrated in our day-to-day planning and influencing how we think about paying for services, pricing (less fees please!), transaction speed, digital security etc.

Drones
From the dynamic possibilities with aerial event videos & photos, to the promise of Amazon drone deliveries – drones are here to stay. And the thing you’re really going to want to pay attention to with drones in 2018 is the law. The FCC and other entities are scrambling to make sure your drones are registered and that you’re properly trained to operate them. If you’re hiring drones at your next event, make sure the operators are up-to-speed on the regulatory requirements. Oh – and make sure they are properly insured!

My 3 minutes are up, but JOIN US AT TECHSYTALK LIVE 10: THE GRAND FINALE as we dive deeper into these and other event tech trends to anticipate NOW.