One of the trends in local events the bloggers at Eventbrite see for 2018 is advanced event technology. The best event technology will make the attendee experience seamless — and make the event a must-​attend. Here are the top two tech trends you can’t ignore in 2018:

RFID

"Radio-​frequency identification wristbands aren’t just for music festivals. RFID can enhance your beer or wine event, your comic convention, or even your film festival in a whole variety of ways, like shortening lines — both at entry and for vendors within the event."

Local community festival planners can consider adding RFID for upcoming events. The newest AudienceSCAN survey showed 15% of American adults want to attend local festivals this year.

"In a survey spanning 5,000 people who regularly attend festivals, 17% said they’re accustomed to using an RFID wristband to enter festivals and make cashless purchases. And nearly a third would like the option to do so. The only thing holding them back? A lot of festivals simply don’t offer RFID — but the ones that do truly stand apart."

Promoting RFID usage for future local festivals can make them stand apart. Event planners could utilize YouTube to get the word out. The latest AudienceSCAN study found 32% of Local Community Festival Attendees viewed a television commercial on YouTube in the past six months.

Some ideas for using RFID at an event:

• Seamlessly handle re-​entry for multi-​day events
• Provide easy, personalized access to multiple zones within an event
• Allow attendees to link their RFID bracelets it with their credit card to quickly pay onsite

Artificial intelligence

"The event industry has been hyping AI for years, but now it’s part of many people’s everyday lives. While most of us still don’t have robot dogs or fully conversant refrigerators, we are familiar with digital assistants like Siri and Google Now. Using a type of AI called “machine learning,” these smartphone helpers only get better and better at serving you over time."

Showcasing AI features through an event app could increase engagement for attendees before, during and after the event. The most recent AudienceSCAN research revealed Local Community Festival Attendees use their phones to watch streamed (61%), get maps/​directions (52%), and purchase products (50%). Give them an app where they can do all of this in one place!

"Progressive event organizers are now starting to use AI for things like chatbots, which can answer basic attendee questions swiftly through an event app, or even before your event, through platforms like Facebook Messenger."

"Similarly, an AI matchmaking engine can interpret data that attendees have already synced with your event app from social media profiles like LinkedIn and Facebook. Using that data, it can make recommendations that would best suit an attendee’s interests."

AudienceSCAN data is available for your applications and dashboards through the SalesFuel API. Media companies and agencies can access AudienceSCAN data through the AudienceSCAN Reports in AdMall.