The Biggest Event Tech Trends of 2015

From virtual reality sales pitches to emotion-based heat maps, check out the three biggest event tech trends of 2015.

• Virtual Reality: Virtual reality has easily been one of the most exciting tools to use at events within the past few years, and the technology is only improving. VR headsets have been used to provide a wide range of experiences – from visualizing home improvement projects at Blackhat to experiencing a front row seat at fashion week. 

• Beacons: While beacons are not new to 2015 (Apple released the app-pairing technology in 2013), they have become one of the most popular tools to install at major events. The low-energy transmitters provide easier networking and navigation during events like South by Southwest. The Austin, Texas event paired beacons with their SXSW GO app to notify attendees as they moved throughout the festival this year. For example, instead of waiting in a long line, the app sent a QuickCode to attendees when they were in proximity of the registration area for a simple badge printing process. 

• Wearables: Wearables combine the tracking technology in beacons and the exciting experience that comes with virtual reality. During Wimbledon this year, Jaguar partnered with Mindshare to create wrist cuffs with sensor technology that tracked fans emotions. The GPS-enabled cuffs monitored atmospheric and biometric levels to create an interactive heat map of the tournament. Chris Cardew, Mindshare’s strategy head, explains the visualization in AdWeek.“When Andy Murray walks onto the court and everyone suddenly shoots up and moves around, that’s about pride and anticipation the match provides the moment in the story, and the data validates it.”