event trends 2015

26 Jan

 

Now that we’re well into a New Year, we thought we’d look at what we expect to see as the major event trends for 2015.

 

 

Event Trends 2015

 

 

Popping up all over the shop

 

We’ve already looked at the increasing popularity of the pop-up trend in promotional events and we predict that you’ll be seeing an awful lot more of it in 2015.

It’s a great opportunity to fill vacant retail space and encourages a generation who instinctively buy online to come back to the High Street for a one-off experience. Social media has already created the FOMO (fear of missing out) mentality and these temporary events ensure that no-one will want to be the one person that didn’t get to see it for themselves.

 

 

There’s no place like drone

 

Drones are popping up everywhere recently and you can expect to see them being used in a lot more events in 2015. Their choreographed displays are almost an aerial equivalent of a flashmob, and will certainly add some flair to an experiential event, but their ability to pick up and carry things opens up even more possibilities. Working in conjunction with event staff on-the-ground, products and items can be shared to previously inaccessible areas. This recent campaign by Coca Cola in Singapore shows just how effective it can be.

 

 

Keeping it (virtually) real

 

Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality campaigns aren’t anything new in the world of promotional events but advances in technology will make it even easier for promotional staff to use the equipment on the street and in-store. A recent pop-up store inside Harrods used the Oculus headset to give people virtual tours of luxury properties. The video below shows Cadbury’s augmented reality game that visitors to Waterloo could play on the station’s giant screen. This is one of the fastest growing trends we’ve seen in the experiential industry, expect to see a lot more campaigns like this in 2015.

 

 

RFID, NFC, UHF, OMG!

 

To clarify, that’s Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Near Field Communication (NFC), Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and Oh My Gosh (our reaction to all of these).

They’re basically ways to make mobile devices interact with each other. In terms of events, RFID and NFC are used to communicate with people at close quarters, while UHF can be read as far away as 30 feet. They can be used in a number of ways, from digitally tracking guests as they enter and exit, recording volumes of people, demographics, tracking their movements, allowing cashless payments, social media interaction, gamification and even additional offers after the event.

 

Image courtesy of Apple

 

 

Wear your brand on your sleeve (or your wrist)

 

The recent announcement that google glass is being laid to rest certainly hasn’t spelled the end of the wearable tech trend. In fact, rumour has it that version 2 is already being worked on.

When you combine the trends of NFC technology and wearables, as the Apple watch and iPhone 6 have, you begin to see the benefits it can bring to an event. Event organisers will now have even more opportunities to interact with visitors both physically and virtually and promotional staff gain an additional way to communicate with people.


 

Technology opens up an infinite number of possibilities when organising an event, but it’s worth remembering that the success of any promotional event will hinge on finding the right people to staff it.

Drones, VR headsets and Apple Watches aren’t going to do much unless they have promotional staff to use them, and we can help you find them. Contact us today to find out more about our services, including experiential support, corporate event staff and much more