While participating in insignificant events or conferences, attendees sometimes feel lost without help. Using beacon technology to guide the attendees toward relevant information about the theme of the event, event schedule, people and presentations of their interest, and discussions they can participate in can increase the expectations of the attendees for a more contextualized experience.

More about Beacon technology

Beacons are low-powered, low-cost, indoor transmitters that can notify devices near their presence. They are so tiny that they can be installed in the space where the event is to take place without being noticed. This location and proximity detection technology works on the Bluetooth low energy (BLE) or Bluetooth smart technology by continuously transmitting Bluetooth signals which are detected by the smartphones of the attendees. Moreover, Bluetooth 4.0 devices, such as Android and Windows devices, that support dual-mode also have BLE.

Creative ways of using beacon technology for events:

Instant event registration: People these days don’t have the patience and time to stand in long queues. Beacons help here by allowing immediate registration for the event at the entry by entering necessary information using a scan, QR code, or from within the app. The beacon then checks the attendee in and directs him/her to collect their welcome kit.

1. Guiding through floor maps:

   At a large event location, many different mini-events may be taking place simultaneously. This may lead to confusion among the attendees in regard to where their activity is taking place. Beacon technology helps event organizers in preparing floor maps to prevent attendees from getting lost as they can navigate to their event using the event app installed on their mobile. This works similarly to Google Maps. In the case of mobile apps, beacons act as the perfect location identifier.

2. Sharing the event schedule:

   Using beacon technology, the entire event schedule can be shared with the attendee, and he/she will get a reminder about the start of an event and the option to navigate to that event.

3. Food and refreshments guide:

   Corporate events may host people in large numbers and sometimes they may be from all over the world. Food and refreshments are, without any doubt, an integral part of such an event and serving food according to everyone’s taste is needed for a wholesome experience of the event. Event planners and organizers get needed information related to food preferences and dietary habits of participants through beacons.

4. Building up a smart network:

   One of the primary reasons for visiting events is to build professional networks. Rather than moving around and looking at every attendee’s badges, beacons, paired with the use of geofencing, can let a participant know who else is present in a room at any point in time with details including their name, employer, and designation.

   The participant can then carry out a quick LinkedIn search to start a meaningful conversation with another participant as per their interests and may even be able to strike a partnership or convince the other party to invest in their start-up.