The past few years have witnessed remarkable transformations within the events industry. Emerging from the challenges of the pandemic, the concept of “the new normal” has taken centre stage. During our recent event, Gevme CONNECT Fall 2023- Omnichannel: The New Normal For Event, we had the privilege of sharing our latest updates, demonstrating how we’re empowering event teams to not just adapt but thrive in this evolving landscape.
It’s been a journey of change and adaptation, one that has highlighted the resilience and creativity of event professionals. Our commitment to providing cutting-edge solutions remains unwavering as we navigate this exciting new terrain. We’re here to support you in crafting exceptional event experiences that captivate, connect, and inspire.
The Journey to Omnichannel
The pandemic necessitated a shift to entirely virtual events. But we’ve been reminded of the irreplaceable value of in-person gatherings. The energy and serendipity can’t be replicated digitally.
However, events have nevertheless changed. Attendee journeys now span both physical and digital touchpoints – from online promotion and registration to onsite check-in and post-event content. Interactions happen across channels.
Omnichannel is the new normal. It’s about crafting a unified experience across all channels attendees engage with. The Apple WWDC event exemplified this blended model – an exclusive in-person event made accessible to millions virtually.
Gevme’s Omnichannel Vision
At Gevme, our vision is to provide event teams with an integrated suite of solutions to deliver seamless omnichannel experiences.
We focus on 4 key pillars:
- Enhancing Customer Experience: Providing consistent branding and access across channels through our integrated tools. Our unified attendee account is a game-changer, eliminating login hassle.
- Unleashing Creativity: Intuitive tools like our Visual Builder and Experiences Marketplace make it easy to create stylish, engaging digital and physical touchpoints.
- Boosting Productivity: Gevme centralizes event content creation and syndication. AI-powered innovations like Project Spark eliminate tedious tasks.
- Deriving Data Insights: As an end-to-end platform, Gevme unifies data providing comprehensive analytics on event and attendee engagement.
Gevme CONNECT Fall 2023 Highlights
At our recent quarterly product launch event, we showcased innovations aligned to the above pillars:
Enhancing Customer Experience
- Empower both attendees and customers to engage seamlessly with your event, utilizing their preferred communication channels through a unified account that spans across multiple platforms. This integrated approach enhances the overall experience, ensuring that individuals can interact with your event effortlessly,
- Tailor both your physical and digital event experiences to align perfectly with your specific requirements and preferences by leveraging the integration capabilities with GitHub. This powerful feature allows you to fine-tune every aspect of your event, ensuring that it reflects your brand identity and caters to the diverse needs of your audience.
Unleashing Creativity
- Maintain a cohesive brand identity from the start of the event with upgraded kiosk software. This advanced software comes equipped with a unique feature: reusable magnetic stickers. These innovative stickers enable you to effortlessly maintain your branding elements across various touchpoints throughout the event.
- Modify and manage content on digital screens instantly and remotely with real-time updatable digital signage. This cutting-edge technology allows you to maintain dynamic and relevant messaging throughout your event without the hassle of manual updates.
Improve Productivity
- Experience the convenience of simplifying complex device administration tasks with our bulk device management solution for onsite hardware. This powerful tool empowers you to efficiently manage a multitude of devices, streamlining operations and saving valuable time.
- Supercharge your productivity with Project Spark, a collaborative effort by PCMA and Gevme. This innovative initiative handles tasks like crafting speaker bios, composing LinkedIn posts, writing email campaigns, and repurposing event content while multiplying your efficiency by tenfold.
Data Analytics
Real event analytics
- Enhanced default analytics reports provide you with comprehensive data to not only understand your past events but also to empower you to make informed decisions that will elevate your future ones.
- Conduct comprehensive and advanced analysis of custom data while enhancing visualization capabilities through tailor-made business intelligence integrations designed specifically for enterprise customers.
We also highlighted our commitment to enabling sustainable events through initiatives like the Workshop Agreement on Sustainable MICE.
The Future is Omnichannel
The events world continues to evolve rapidly. But the human need for in-person connections endures. The new normal blends physical gatherings with digital accessibility and data-driven insights.
At Gevme, we’re pioneering solutions that empower event teams to create unified omnichannel experiences. By partnering on this journey, we can transform events into beacons of innovation, collaboration and a sustainable future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between Multichannel and Omnichannel events?
The difference lies in integration and consistency.
- Multichannel: Uses several different channels (e.g., in-person, a separate app, an email campaign) but they operate in silos. The attendee must repeat information or adapt to each channel’s requirements.
- Omnichannel: Seamlessly integrates all channels (physical and digital) to create a single, unified, and consistent experience for the attendee. The attendee’s data and journey context are carried across every touchpoint, from registration to post-event follow-up.
What are the main benefits of adopting an Omnichannel strategy for events?
Adopting an omnichannel strategy provides benefits across three main areas:
- Enhanced Attendee Experience: Eliminates friction points like repeating login information or losing context when moving from a virtual session to an onsite kiosk. This leads to higher satisfaction and improved loyalty.
- Superior Data Insights: By unifying data from all touchpoints (website traffic, onsite check-in, virtual engagement), the platform provides a single source of truth for comprehensive analytics, enabling better ROI measurement and future personalization.
- Increased Productivity & Reach: It centralizes content creation, saving time. Crucially, it allows you to maximize audience reach by making content accessible to millions (virtually) while preserving the high-value interaction of an exclusive in-person event.
What are the three essential steps to create a successful Omnichannel Event strategy?
A successful strategy is built on data, audience focus, and technology:
- Map the Customer Journey: You must first understand every step an attendee takes, from discovery to post-event. Identify their preferred channels for different interactions (e.g., they prefer the app for networking but the kiosk for check-in).
- Centralize Data and Adopt a Unified Platform: Do not rely on siloed tools. A single, integrated platform is necessary to collect, analyze, and apply data across all channels to ensure the experience is consistent and personalized.
- Prioritize Seamless Transitions: Focus on eliminating friction when attendees switch channels. The experience should feel like one continuous conversation with the brand, regardless of whether they are checking in physically or engaging with a session virtually.
Why is data unification a ‘game-changer’ for Omnichannel Events?
Data unification is critical because it allows for hyper-personalization at scale. When all event data (registration forms, session attendance, mobile app activity, onsite check-in) is linked under a single attendee profile, the platform can:
- Deliver contextually relevant content and recommendations.
- Provide real-time service and support without the attendee having to repeat themselves.
- Give organizers a 360-degree view of attendee behavior, which is essential for proving event value and ROI to sponsors and stakeholders.
