Thursday 4th June
B is for Beacon
The events industry is forever changing and technology is a huge factor shaping industry trends. We like to follow and to keep up with these trends and one which has people talking is beacon technology.
Beacons are a low-cost piece of hardware that uses low-energy Bluetooth connections to transmit messages or prompts directly to a smartphone or tablet.
They are compatible with Android, iOS and nearly all iPhones globally and are therefore available to most with an active Smartphone. They can be used in a number of ways at events; to track the number of consumer interactions and visitors to a stand & gain valuable customer engagement insights by tracking interactions at different locations at an event.
Last year Nivea used ibeacon technology (Apple’s implementation of beacons) as part of their ‘Stick and Find’ campaign. Parents tore out a waterproof, paper wristband with a beacon embedded in from a magazine for their children to wear when on the beach; they then downloaded an app which allowed then to keep track of their children on the sand so not to get lost; it even alerted them if they went out of a set range! A genius campaign which highlights not only just how effective and readily available this technology is but also how it can be implemented in a fun and creative way!
Furthermore it has also been suggested that strategically placed beacon technology at events, used in conjunction with face to face engagement can help to push unique offers to event visitors. Kru Live are dedicated to providing a staffing service of excellence and can provide high end hosts and technology savvy brand ambassadors in order to facilitate this.
According to Events Marketing “there will be approximately 4.5 million active beacons overall by year-end 2018, with 3.5 million of these in use by retailers.” Definitely one trend to watch!
