The last World Cup was amazing to watch each country played soccer/futbol to their best abilities, entertaining and astonishing us all with their foot skill and decision making when it mattered most.  The world was watching, hoping, stressing, yelling at the TV (maybe throwing something at the TV), celebrating or crying with the stranger next to them at the bar.  

This kind of global engagement of any event cannot happen without technology.  This year's World Cup was the most hi-tech and interactive in history, whether you were in Brazil or at a viewing center, you got to experience the intensity of soccer.

Obviously this engagement didn't start and end with the opening & final games, matter of fact, it's still going on through social media.  Below breaks down the phases of technology and the benefits it brings to ANY event.

• BEFORE - Helps Inform and Engage Audience

• DURING - Entertains Audience

• AFTER - Measure What Worked and Didn’t

BEFORE - Inform And Engage Audience

• Event Websites & Registration Sites - educate prospective attendees about event, survey attendees to learn what they want to see or learn at the event, and sell tickets.

• Social Media - helps market an event, provide updates on what will be happening, but also to initiate conversations between attendees which can be done thru Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook or private Facebook Groups to keep it more private and exclusive.

• Mobile apps - another way give updates on event programming, you can even add games to the app to get guests more excited OR a way to educate them on the events content.

• WORLD CUP - Gamification was added to the website; one game was to select a world cup Dream Team.

DURING - Inform & Entertain Audience

• Mobile Apps

• Send push notifications to guests reminding them of upcoming programs, and any changes to programs.

• WORLD CUP - A photo app was created termed 'Instagram for the World Cup' that enhanced photos taken at games. Fans could take a photo with real-time data posting the current score, match/event name and team crests and logos, to create a personalized image.

AFTER - Measure What Worked And Didn’t

• Track usage of all web properties using Google Analytics. This gives you an understanding of marketing tactics, tracking which campaigns had the greatest influence on registration, or the impact of social media activities.

• Track info from RFID.

• Engage new followers in conversation to forge a strong relationship.

Thank you for reading this weeks blog.  Please comment below with your favorite technology for events (World Cup or any event).  Look forward to reading your comments. 

Have a great weekend.

Best,

Kim 

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