It's difficult to keep up with the barrage of new social tools in the event planner's arsenal, but some are definitely worth exploring. According to EMI Research, social media tools and events go hand-in-hand, as they help drive the human experience offline with the use of technology (EMI Research, 2010). Here, we take a look at a few that can turn a humdrum client event into a connected client event.
Bumebox allows the event marketer to tap into real-time social media by allowing brands to schedule special promotional events for a specific period of time. Any posted content interaction that occurs during the event is immediately posted on the brand website - a much more simplier, streamlined process than collecting Twitter hashtags, posting links to Youtube (media is actually displayed). Event goers can comment, vote and engage in real-time.
While good music is essential to any soiree, it's pretty difficult to please everyone. DJTXT gives everyone a chance to play DJ by uploading a playlist and allowing your party-goers to text "like" or "dislike" to change the song selection, or upload song requests into the queue. Now, how fun and interactive is that?
Mobile Barcodes
Marketers love using mobile barcodes in direct mail, retails, and events are no exception. Placing mobile barcodes on site at an event connects the experiential with the mobile- and allows you as the event marketer to capture valuable data, or influence behaviors (purchase, brand interactions, etc.).
These are just some of the tools that an event marketer can use to create a seamless, cross-channel event that blends the boundaries between brand and consumer engagement.