Finally an event management innovation with some help of a mesh

AetherIoT is a full solution provider that drives real-time tracking (location, environmental conditions) using Wirepas. They provide companies with everything needed: customizable hardware, middleware, and/or software, including API/SDKs to easily integrate with any 3rd party platform.

The challenge:

More data is always needed to serve customers better. More data means more proof points for better decisions. But how to get the data needed from events? By using clickers when someone walks by? That’s only one data source and might be very skewed. How would you know you don’t count the same people over and over again? The real answer is tags. It’s all about making data visible through tags. You know, IoT. That’s the game.

But collecting data is not easy, particularly in the event management space. Traditionally collecting data from events has been highly manual. This may mean that someone has to stand at a door and use clickers to count the number of attendees. And after all, there has been only little data for proper post-event analysis. Other data points, for example identifying areas of high vs. low traffic across various times during the event, has been virtually impossible. This is why a customer of AetherIoT– let’s call it an Organizer – was looking for ways to automate and improve event logistics, as well as gather data-backed insights to improve future events. They were looking for ways to automate and improve event logistics. They wanted to run a smoother event while gathering data for post-event analysis and future event improvement. This wasn’t just any event, either – it was an international event focused on climate & sustainability, with hundreds of global decision-makers gathering in Singapore.

AetherIoT sought to serve the customer in 3 ways:

• Seamless, automated registration with minimal human interaction

• Making the event more interactive

• Gathering data on foot traffic throughout the event – which parts of the events did visitors spend the most vs. least amount of time?

Solution:

Together with the Organizer, AetherIoT evaluated a lot of different solutions. The solution needs to be fully battery-operated, leveraging a single network infrastructure, along with high reliability and minimum hassle. The obvious choice for the connectivity at the end of a lengthy evaluation process was Wirepas Mesh.

The way the solution worked was beautifully simple. Each attendee is equipped with a smart tag. Small enough to fit inside the badge holder. The smart tag took care of the following:

• Automatic registration. Attendees simply scan a code on the smart tag at pre-designated kiosks.

• Elevated interactivity. Attendees used a button on the tag to vote in polls and announced their intent to speak in large round-table events. No more awkward pauses.

• Event data collection. Anonymized attendee data was collected via tags, transmitted to the back end, and turned into a wealth of data showing attendee foot traffic throughout the event.

At a high level, think of the Wirepas architecture like this:

• Step 1 – smart tags collect data (e.g., attendee location throughout the event, attendee button-press for polling)

• Step 2 – data is transmitted through a network of anchors placed inconspicuously throughout the event area

• Step 3 – data reaches the gateway and is thereby a) actioned live (e.g., if a speaker presses a button on the tag with the intent to speak), or b) brought into the back-end user interface software for data analytics.

The best part? Everything was set-up just a day before the event began. Can you get more seamless than this?

Results:

Automation leads to long-term cost savings. Fewer personnel and much less hassle or time needed for checking attendees in, collecting their responses, feedback, and all that.

Increased attendee satisfaction. Nobody likes waiting in long lines to be checked in. Additionally, the event turned out much more immersive and interactive for attendees. Live polls, and a methodical way for attendees to get their voices heard.

Fully optimized events. With data such as foot traffic throughout the duration of the event, organizers can fully optimize future events. For example, assessing which areas and booths experienced the most or least amount of traffic, placing future booths in the right areas and charging sponsors based on the expected foot traffic. And, of course, ensuring attendees are able to move around the event more effortlessly.