Embracing the evolution of experiential: The critical role of event technology & data-fueled insights

Curating successful experiential events is not a matter of luck. The key to their success hinges on utilizing event technology and data. By producing experiential events informed by data intelligence, brands can engage event attendees on a deeper level, fostering stronger connections with customers and strengthening their brand.

In episode 2 of 3 of our limited-edition content series—Embracing the Evolution of Experiential—Augeo’s President of Experience, Joan Wells, and Vice President of Experiential Marketing, Kevin Cobb, discuss the critical role of event technology and the impact of data-fueled insights.

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KEVIN: It was number 1 on our top 10 global event trends and innovations list: the data journey and the role of data in experience. Why is there such an intense focus on data right now? 

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JOAN: All the stakeholders in the room within a company are saying, 'What is it that we want to know from this audience?' and 'How does that dovetail with what we want to know from them across all of our experiences?' Then, designing solutions that provide that data and a mechanism to feed back insights that inform strategy within the organization for years to come.  

KEVIN: The expectations are so high. 

JOAN: It’s all about frontend designing for what it is that we need to know and what we’re going to do with that information—and then, at the backend, turning all that data and reporting into insights and strategic recommendations.  

KEVIN: Surveys. Certainly, they play a role—but they’re probably not going to get you to the level of data that delivers the most valuable insights. Beyond that, insights that can become intelligence will lead you to better engagements with your customers and key constituents. 

JOAN: Taking those survey questions and ensuring they are similar to what’s being asked across all their experiences, so then companies can look and say, 'How are certain types of teams interacting with our content and responding to our content differently than others?' and 'How do our experiences benchmark against industry standards when it comes to engagement scores?'

KEVIN: How do you start building a data journey? 

JOAN: What would help us in our business to be better if we had this information? Who within our organization needs this information? And so, designing the tactics and strategy after we know what it is we want to know first. 

KEVIN: It’s powerful being able to consider those key questions and then build that data journey. Here’s what’s going to happen and here’s what we’re going to learn. 

JOAN: Here’s what we want the experience journey to be. Here’s the data that we need at the end. So how do we look at all those touchpoints and determine this is an opportunity for us to glean this piece of information? This is an opportunity for an attendee to feel seen and heard in this particular way—and that’s going to be really insightful for us.  

KEVIN: The idea of how you’re going to collect data and then how you’re going to use that data—it is so directly related to how well you can engage your attendees. 

JOAN: Working with presenters who are confident enough to stop and say, 'Let’s see how you feel about this. Let's see what you think our next priority should be.' Quickly looking at the result and adapting content to what the audience is thinking and feeling—it’s the pure definition of authenticity that every brand is seeking.  

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KEVIN: What’s the right way to put it all together? 

JOAN: At Augeo, we’ve designed a variety of super-cool tech stacks that enable our client brands to create consistency across their event experiences. Also, in terms of giving each of the event organizers a deep view on the experience, having consistent dashboards for events is critical. 

KEVIN: I am seeing more of this idea of engagement scores or experience scores. You can only get to that level of evaluation by having consistency in your measurement plan—in your data journey—because now you’re looking at it over time. You’re benchmarking it against yourself, against the industry, and you’re able to make decisions based on effectiveness. 

JOAN: This is a goal of every global event leader out there.  

KEVIN: And moving beyond somebody who registered for your event to the idea of a rich profile of what that person cares about.  

JOAN: Yes. Robust profiles are something that you hear me say every day. What I love about a robust profile, it’s a co-created profile. It’s information that the attendee wants to make sure that the event organizer knows about them. 'Here are my preferences.'

Then, think of that profile being fed into Salesforce. Any salesperson within an organization who wasn’t involved in the experience but who wants to understand and learn more can now do that and communicate with them in a way that is most effective and fruitful. 

KEVIN: I know we’ve covered a lot on the data journey, but there’s so much more to unpack. Where do we start? 

JOAN: We want to have a conversation at Augeo. We have a belief that we invest in you before you invest in us. We have created a 60-minute design and discovery session—an opportunity to understand and help our partners make sense of the data journey as it applies to their experiences.

What is it they need to know and want to know? What would it look like? What technologies and design techniques are out there that would help them achieve their goals? It’s fun! I have learned so much from those conversations and have met a lot of great, interesting people. 

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Watch this session now. In 5 minutes, discover how event technology and data-fueled insights can amplify your next personalized and immersive experiential event. Explore further with the third episode of this limited-edition content series revealing The Impact of AI in Revolutionizing Attendee Journeys.

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*This transcript has been abridged and edited for clarity.