Navigating what’s new in the world of event technology can sometimes feel like an impossible task. This ever-changing landscape continues to grow; increasing audience engagement and capturing information at an unprecedented scale. New frontiers such as facial recognition, augmented reality, audio beacons and near field communication, or NFC technology, are just some of the newest innovations to be utilized in the event space.
It’s likely that you’ve heard of RFID tags as a popular choice at events for wireless identification, attendee tracking, and access control, however, you may not have heard of its more specialized, more secure counterpart NFC, or near field communication, enabled technology. Unlike RFID tags, which can be read from far away, NFC technology must be transmitted from a very short distance, requiring a user to “tap” their tag to a reader to pass data. This makes NFC tags ideal for transmitting information that requires increased security such as exchanging more personalized information and/or even making cashless payments.
Additionally, unlike RFID tags, NFC-enabled technology can act as both a tag and a reader, allowing, for example, a user’s smartphone to both capture another’s data as well as share their own, making the two-way transfer of information seamless.
Many of the smartphones on the market today are already NFC-enabled meaning the technology to reach attendees in a very customized way, is already available in their pockets. According to the NFC Forum, it is estimated that by 2020, there will be 2.2 billion NFC-enabled devices and this market is only expected to grow in the next decade.
Vendor Spotlight
The Unbridled IO team strives to partner with vendors that are at the forefront of utilizing NFC technology and leveraging it to broaden, customize and capture the attendee experience. Access Event Solutions is doing just that. They use NFC tags to make it easy for attendees “to collect information from sponsors, redeem drink/meal/swag vouchers, vote on aspects of the event, and connect with the event or sponsors post event to take advantage of promotions.” They also use NFC to help event coordinators “sell enhanced sponsorship offerings, increase efficiency of their operations and create a better experience for their attendees.” Lastly, event hosts and sponsors have the ability to capture valuable data giving them the opportunity to market to interested parties beyond the event and greatly increase their onsite experiences in the future.
NFC Ideas For Your Next Event
- Access Control – Place NFC readers at the doors to your event to digitally track guests as they enter and exit, eliminating the need for guests to show a paper ticket or an email with a bar code. The devices will collect entry and exit times to understand attendee traffic patterns and be better prepared in the future at the registration desk. If you have different levels of access to certain areas, be able to better control who gets to go where and when. Turn off access as needed.
- Cashless Payments – Credits can be linked with each tag, such as to give each attendee a set number free drinks, or planners can ask guests to link a credit card with their bands. In that case, either a fixed amount of money can be loaded into the system and purchases are debited from the balance, or charges can be accrued as they take place.
- Social Media – Keep your guests off their phones and focused on your event by using an N.F.C. band to provide effortless sharing on social networks. Planners can invite guests to link their wristbands to their Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn accounts, and then their activities on site can be shared instantly. Examples include an automatic Facebook check-in as the guest swipes into the event or the sharing of photos taken at a photo booth.
- Gamification – To encourage guests to authorize social sharing, clients can use game-based strategies to reward them for participating. For example, if an event has five photo booths, hosts can offer a prize to guests who visit each one and allow those photos to be shared on their Facebook page. The same concept can be used to encourage guests to visit all sponsors or to attend all keynote sessions. Each swipe of the NFC tag tracks guests’ activities, and that data can be shared on leader boards.
- Post-Event Rewards – Extend the engagement with your guests after your event by offering an incentive to reuse their wristbands in some way. For example, a retail sponsor might offer a discount to people who show their wristband when they make a purchase, or hosts can offer a reduced ticket price for future events.
- Analytics – The more the tags are incorporated into the event, the more data they can provide to planners. The information can also be cross-referenced with survey results to provide context to the feedback.
The Unbridled IO team is here to leverage the latest in event technology to create experiences for the next generation. We’re doing the research and the work now to make sure your next event is on the cutting edge. If you’re interested in using NFC enabled technology, come chat with us.