Will event technology costs drive low-tech choices?

In Freeman’s 2024 Organizer Trends Report, more than half of meeting organizers surveyed believe technology, including apps and digital displays, is the most important experience element in meetings. While attendees also rated technology highly—44% selected it as the leading experience element—even more (64%) prioritized immersive experiences.

One factor contributing to the gap is that more event attendees now take it for granted that technology will be incorporated than previous generations of attendees, said Ken Holsinger, senior vice president of strategy and research at Freeman their daily lives. Five years from now, three-quarters of attendees will be Millennials and Gen Z, who use their phones to check in at conferences and hotels; use apps to navigate meeting agendas and find solutions; and asking chatbots for help is second nature .

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To help planners create a more immersive experience, more and more conference centers are adding digital resources, including large LED walls. For example, last year, the Austria Center in Vienna launched PolySTAGE, a 3,300-square-foot flexible video display comprised of 52 LED panels combined with an LED banner, two LED sidewalls, and a spatial audio display. But for planners already challenged by rising technology costs, the need to create awe-inspiring high-tech spectacles that wow audiences collectively can push their budgets to their limits.

One trend that can reduce stress is the proliferation of creative but low-tech immersive experiences at conferences. Some notable examples include local musicians turning conference attendees into an emotional a cappella choir during the opening keynote address of the EMEA 2023 conference in Copenhagen, and French Algonquin music performed by the Apitipi Anicinapek Nation of northeastern Ontario, Canada. A workshop led by member Marc Forgette, who told stories designed to deepen understanding of Native history as participants made moccasins. Last May, at a session at the C2 business and creativity conference in Montreal, attendees talked about their neurodiverse experiences while making lasagna.

Barbara Palmer Is the deputy editor held.