The third annual EVENTtech attracted more than 800 attendees, nearly doubling the conference from last year.

And, with more than one-third of attendees as first timers, being able to experience the technology first hand was a huge attraction. 

“This year’s EVENTtech was about pushing the technology experience,” said Dan Hanover, editor at Event Marketer Magazine (the host of the event).

He added, “You learn about the technology in an educational session, and then go over to the exhibitor and actually test drive it. This year, we had $2 million worth of technology showcased by our exhibitors in our Campus.  We purposely called it ‘The Campus’ because it was more than an exhibit hall - it was a place for true hands-on learning.”

This year’s show was Nov. 4-6 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and highlighted the latest technology and newest trends for the event industry. 

“When we started this show three years ago, technology being used in events was a new topic,” said Jessica Heasley, group editor at Event Marketer Magazine.  “Today, our attendee is much more evolved, and has a much higher expectation of the educational experience they will have at a show like EVENTtech.”

First-time attendee James Ellis with Flirt Communications was excited on the session format.

“The fast-paced 20 to 40 minute educational sessions gave a good sampling of the technology, and then you exited the session into the main area with the exhibitor, and got to see the technology,” Ellis said. “Being able to experience the technology was a great pairing with the sessions, and the campus-layout put everything in easy reach.”

Pankaj Prasad, business development manager for exhibitor DoubleDutch Mobile Event Apps, said, “Being the provider of the event app for EVENTtech was great, and we were able to talk to key decision makers in the industry who had the chance to use our app and then stop by our booth. This was a great experience for us, and we were able to hear first-hand what they liked, and what they would have modified with the app.”

The combination of learning and testing technology seemed to provide a winning combination for many exhibitors and attendees alike.

“The attendee came into the booth already armed with questions from the educational sessions, and that made for some great conversations,” said Brett Marriner, director of Interactive Media with exhibitor Glass Slate Digital.

First-time attendee Jen LaBruzza, Western regional manager with Classic Exhibits, concurred. “There were so many strong sessions to choose from, it made it hard to decide which ones to attend,” she added. “That is a great issue to have – when a conference offers so much information on such an important topic as leveraging technology and digital platforms to create the best event experience.”

Next year’s dates and location are TBD.