Are We Really Embracing Technology?

I wonder if we are embracing technology enough here in the events industry. When I see a really cool thing being done at an event, it’s mostly through an industry outside of our own. Lots of very cool things being done with social media in the media industry, for example. Things that are incredibly cost prohibitive in the events industry. And sometimes, I have to wonder if we’re really on the right track.

This year, I attended IMEX America, where I had the pleasure of leading a roundtable discussion on technology in the Future Leader’s Forum. These were young students aspiring to be in our industry and they had the choice to sit at various tables throughout the hour session. In total, there were probably about 6-8 rounds of sessions. You know what I found very interesting? My table only had people at it for half the time. I only had a full table once. As I looked around the room, I was surprised to see students who simply weren’t interested in technology.

And no – the answer was not that they were already so informed. When I did get a table full of students, most of them were not active on social media for professional reasons. They asked questions like “What is a mobile app?” and “How could technology be used in events?” Great questions – and I’m glad they were asking them – but the weren’t advanced questions at all.

Read more: http://blog.cvent.com