iBeacon, new technology for event management and trade show?

iBeacon is one type of Location aware technology, it is Apple Trademark for implementation of Low-power Bluetooth technology (BLE), as known as Bluetooth Smart to notify nearby iOS 7 devices of their presence. BLE can also be find Bluetooth 4.0 devices that compatible with dual-mode, including Android and Windows devices.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwnmx-5mBLM

How Event Marketers and can put beacons to use:

Gamification

Nowadays, gamnification plans a crucial role in creating brand awareness while offering enhanced visitor interaction. Enabled by the location awareness of the application, the user can influence their devices to receive entertainment massage signal with every visit to the application. Each status will have its own real-world version. For example, at Consume Electronics (CES) 2014, the iBeacon application encourage delegates to explore the important exhibits at the trade show, and attendees can collect badges from each beacon to won the prize.

Improved networking

Networking is one of the important reasons for people attend events. iBeacon have benefit for event to improve the networking services. The application can provide visitor self-tagging or LinkedIn integration to receive notifications, they can also offer guided tour of the event arena based on the interests of the user. For instance, if attendees want to know more about the mobile commerce or relevant stalls at the event, they can easily get the information on iBeacon and help them connect and exchange contact details.

Frictionless Registration

During the trade show, convention or a concerts, one of the most annoying things for attendees is the extensive registration queues, which would have a great impact on attendees’ overall experience and event’s image. However, today, iBeacon is used by many an organizers to accelerate the registration process of the event, they just need to install a small pieces of hardware at the entrance which is to send greeting notification with check-in information like QR code to their attendees’ electronic devices for a fast-speed check-in. This kind of check-in ways also support the new electronic devices like Apple watch.

Navigation and Heat Mapping

Another most confusing thing for attendees is to find the direction, which makes floor maps become one of the best uses of smartphone applications. However, iBeacons is always the best partner of floor map, in the venue of the event, iBeacon can tell the attendees their highly accurate location (including the floor) and indicate them to the place they want to go via application even though there is no Wi-Fi coverage and the GPS is inaccessible on-site. 

Moreover, it would be a great way to enhance the engagement during the event because users can set the notification when attendees walk by the session.

As iBeacon is connecting to the real-time statistics, it also could be used to monitor overcrowded or security issues by recognizing hotspots and alerts organizers.

  

To sum up, with various function of communication, data solving, iBeacons would be an essential part of any event’s and bring a great change to improving attendees’ experience.

If you have any other effective ideas about iBeacon, feel free to comment below!

Written by Pulin CHEN & Huishan LI

Sources:
http://www.zdnet.com/article/what-is-apple-ibeacon-heres-what-you-need-to-know/
http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/using-beacons-event-experience#gj5xEkyBT8tmQEWE.97
http://blog.beaconstac.com/2014/08/how-beacons-can-transform-event-management-and-trade-shows/
https://attendease.com/blog/industry/i-beacons/

The road that leads to a robotised world - The Internet Of Things

The road that leads to a robotised world - The Internet Of Things

            The tourism industry is evolving with the different trends operating around the world. Not only is the sector touched by these different evolutions, it is even sometimes at the heart of the progress.

Back in the year 2000, Internet was the major evolution everyone was expecting. Nowadays, every sector is using this tool to prosper from the different advantages it procures. The evolution of this tool is continuing as we are now witnessing what people call the Internet of things (IoT).

What is the Internet Of Things?

To stay simple, the IoT is connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet. Every device comes in matter concerning technology; it goes from a smartphone to a headphone or from a coffee machine to a heater. The Internet Of Things is some sort of giant network of connected devices. The connection will be done between people and people, people and machines but also between machines with machines.

What are the advantages this evolution can bring to the tourism industry?

As every device can be connected with this technology and with the possibility to exchange between two machines, the opportunities for the tourism industry is huge. For instance a destination can promote its city by placing beacons at strategic points. Visitors will then automatically receive data’s on their smartphones and relevant to where they are. The data’s furnished can also bring real-time information concerning traffic or public transportation.

As this topic can be very large due to the numerous existing devices, the travel industry can benefit from it from every sector.

A luxury hotel for instance that wants to propose a luxury service can install automobiles with built-in sensors. The car can sense the technology in your smartphone and open its doors automatically when nearby. Staying in the hotel industry, instead of creating key card for rooms, the smartphone can simply become the key to your room.

In conclusion, IoT is the next wave of evolution that is arriving really fast. It will allow businesses in the tourism industry to:

1. Make new marketing opportunities

2. Give a personalized and convenient travel experience

3. Improve service thanks to relevancy and automisation

Sources :

http://stayntouch.com/iot-and-hospitality-natural-fit/

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacobmorgan/2014/05/13/simple-explanation-internet-things-that-anyone-can-understand/#4c1c12a86828

http://blog.benelux.amadeus.com/2015/03/23/internet-of-things-for-travel-its-coming-that-much-is-true/

 Patrick Rakotondrajao & Sevan Karaoghlanian