Leadership / 06.17.19

6 Event Day Features that Add to the Convention Experience

Lindsay Biondy, Patron Technology

Convention organizers spend a lot of time planning and scheduling special guests, vendors and engagement activities to ensure their convention exceeds their fans’ expectations. But with new conventions popping up all the time, what more can organizers do to stand out from their competitors and ensure memorable experiences for their attendees?

Look no further! Our event experts have put together a definitive list of six key features that are sure to create an all-around amazing event experience, ensuring your attendees are excited to come back year after year!

Mobile Event App

A dedicated event app makes it easy for attendees of conventions featuring a wide variety of panels, presentations and contests to personally curate their schedule and share their plans with friends. It also enables you to communicate scheduling updates, reminders, limited-time promotions and other important information in real time, directly inside the app. Plus, you’ll be in a unique position to collect valuable customer information you can use to help curate the panels, special guests and exhibitions you know your attendees will love. For example, you could tap into your attendees’ music tastes with a Deezer integration, then use this insight to plan out the playlist during your cosplay contest.

Cashless Payment

Enabling attendees to preload their RFID admission credentials with their credit card information or a pre-selected cash value will not only simplify the event day experience for your staff and vendors, but will also decrease lines and give attendees more time to enjoy your convention. Plus, reducing payment for things like concessions, merchandise, autographs and vendor wares to a simple wave of a badge or wristband means attendees will be more likely to make more of these purchases. Encourage your customers to adopt this feature by offering a small, limited-time discount on a loaded value when purchased in advance of your event (for example, offer $30 of loaded value for only $27 if purchased by a certain date).

Photo Stations

RFID-enabled photo stations are a fun way for attendees to share their experience while further engaging with your event. With a swipe of their badge, your attendees can have the option to email themselves their photos and gifs, or even post them directly to their social accounts. Add an event-branded border, logo or hashtag to each photo so those who view it can associate these fun, memorable moments with your convention while encouraging engagement. Plus, consider offering a photo station sponsorship package, as it can create lasting value for you and the right sponsor!

Branded Wi-Fi

Implement an event-wide attendee Wi-Fi network to keep your attendees connected, allowing them to share their fun experiences with their followers all day long. Play into your event theme by naming the network after celebrities or characters associated with your event, like “Gotham PD Wireless” for some Batman-themed fun at a fandom convention, or even use the network as a high-exposure sponsorship opportunity. And be sure to have users sign in through an event-branded splash page, so you can collect their contact information, gain terms of use acceptance and ensure only registered attendees are using your network.

Charging Stations

Providing charging stations throughout your convention floor is another great tactic to keep your attendees happy and to facilitate more event-related social media activity. At each charging station, include charging cables for a variety of device types, and encourage interaction among your attendees by making this an engaging space. Include seating options like couches, recliners and hammocks as well as other amenities like TV screens and drink stations so attendees can connect and relax while their devices recharge. Plus, have your charging stations double as convention floor landmarks by giving each one a fun theme: each station could bear the name and look of a famous movie landmark like Metropolis at a fandom convention, or they could be sponsor-branded with different makes of cars throughout an auto show.

Lead Capture

RFID lead capture allows attendees to quickly provide their contact information to vendors and exhibitors with a simple wave of their badge. Implementing lead capture technology eliminates the need for a physical sign-up process and often leads to an overall increase in the number of connections made at your convention, allowing your exhibitors to reach more attendees. Plus, the data collected with RFID can be far more expansive than that of offline means, so your exhibitors and vendors will receive better, more easily analyzable insights. Encourage attendees to swipe their badge by running contests, giveaways and other fun incentives. For example, one of your vendors might run a contest offering a free artwork print to a randomly chosen RFID submission each day.

This article was sponsored by Patron Technology.

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Tags: Social Media , Mobile , WiFi