Welcome to 2015. Another year filled with promise and potential. An opportunity to re-organize your life and get back on top of the game before the year takes over. Like many event planners, you’ve probably resolved to figure out this “technology” thing that everyone seems to be talking about so I’ve put together this guide to help you understand some of the big trends to be on the lookout for in 2015. I’d recommend taking a bit of time this month to research a few of these topics and see how you can implement some of them at your upcoming events. Forcing yourself to test out new technology trends is the most effective way to get the experience you need to make technology a driving force in your life and your events.

We will be featuring a new trend over the next few weeks to inspire you. So – without further ado – let’s begin!

DATA

Thanks to very robust registration systems, mobile apps, social media analytics and client relationship management systems, we have access to more data than we know what to do with. The challenge for many event planners is that we are totally overwhelmed by it all. Pulling together all that data into a format that can be analyzed is a huge task and so many event planners simply put it to the side. However, 2015 will see the rise of products that will help us manage our data. There will be great tools to pull in data from multiple sources to better inform us of the important details we need to make decisions. We’ll get influencer profiles that show us which event attendees are driving the most marketing for your events. We’ll track registration patterns. We’ll even be able to access user behavior throughout the day of our event. All of this data will then be used to help us market, plan and execute our events with more ease and precision. Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?

Our Techsy Tip: Now is a good time to start organizing your data the best you know how. Sync your contacts across platforms, ask important questions on your registration forms etc. Start thinking about what you would like to know about your audience and start gathering as much info as possible. Even if it’s hard to analyze right now, you will want the maximum amount of information available to you when the right tools become available.