We take a look at the latest news and trends in event technology
Crowd Mics hailed as Event Tech of the Year
A new award for Event Technology of the Year has been presented to Crowd Mics - an Arizona-based application that turns smartphones into wireless microphones for the audience to interact in a conference environment.
The award, devised by blog EventMB, was judged by industry professionals such as David Lutz, MD of Velvet Chainsaw Consulting, Kevin Jackson, VP of Business Development at George P. Johnson and Event Industry News Editor Adam Parry. Marja Verbon from Piton Capital also took part in the jury, signalling the interest that venture capital is paying to event technology.
Tim Holladay, CEO and co-¬founder of Crowd Mics, said: “What an honour to be named Event Tech of the Year. We have built a technology to solve a common problem in events and meetings everywhere. Our vision is to give a voice to the audience.”
Crowd Mics received prizes valued at $15,000. The award, although in its first year, gathered 30 submissions. The four other finalists included Catchbox, DoubleDutch, Glisser and Social Tables.
Julius Solaris, Editor of EventMB and founder of the award said: “It is one of the most exciting times to be involved in the events industry and the attention the award has received confirms how technology is changing perceptions and experiences.”
EventBrite moves into RFID entry management
EventBrite is offering an RFID ticketing solution for large events. The announcement follows EventBrite’s acquisition of start-up Scintilla Technologies, which specialises in entry management RFID.
The new solution, which is currently only available in the USA but has plans to expand into Europe, is designed to help large, multi-day festivals and events streamline entry-management operations, create and enhance revenue streams and reduce fraud.
“Eventbrite has always been at the forefront of technology in the events industry,” said Eventbrite’s CEO and co-founder Kevin Hartz. “We are committed to providing our partners with the most in-novative products so attendees can have a superior experience, from buying a ticket to getting into the event and beyond. Our vision is to own that end-to-end experience and we see a tremendous opportunity to democratise entry management the same way we democratised ticketing.”
Eventbrite supports hundreds of events via field operations every year and claims to have scanned eight million barcodes in 2015 through its mobile box office, Eventbrite Neon. The new RFID solution is designed to be accessible for a broader set of event organisers, including expos, festivals and conferences.
Event Club offers ratings website for event services
Event Club, a new ratings website for event support services has gone live.
The online social marketplace for the events industry was founded by former Harvey Goldsmith employee Glyn Hooper. It allows organisers to find, review and recommend event support services from around the world.
A ‘discuss’ function further allows event professionals to chat with global colleagues and ask for advice on everything from accreditation to local licensing laws.
Event Club, so far has more than 500 listed companies from 15 countries and 16 cities.