Impact of Emerging Themes on Chatbots in Event Industry Report

This report delves into the evolving role of chatbots within the event and entertainment industry, examining the impact of emerging technological advancements and social trends over the next five years. It begins by highlighting the growing significance of chatbots, fueled by the increasing adoption of messaging apps, app fatigue, and the commoditization of AI algorithms. The report outlines how these trends influence current business strategies related to chatbots, emphasizing the importance of personalized event experiences, mobile ticketing, and the integration of AI for customer support and predictive analysis. Furthermore, the report evaluates how technological advancements like AR/VR, drones, and live streaming, along with social trends such as unique venues and sustainability, could affect strategic decisions within the industry. The analysis suggests that companies that embrace these technologies and trends will be best positioned to meet the high expectations of event attendees and enhance their overall experience. Finally, the report provides recommendations for chatbots and other event industry players to adapt to these changes, ensuring they can effectively leverage AI and other technologies to improve customer relationships and drive business success.

Emerging Themes Part 2
Table of Contents

Chapter One
Introduction
Technological changes in almost every industry appear to make things easier, more effective and more
efficient. The International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE) suggest that computers and
wireless technologies, as well as social media are playing a key role in satisfying attendees’ demands at
events. Being an event organiser requires that individuals and organisations catch up with all the trends in
the industry to be able to successfully plan and manage events. Some of the trends in this industry
include: event safety, fostering sustainable events, infusing local flavour to events, choosing unique
venues, creating personalised event experiences through customisation, clarifying strongly the purpose of
the events etc. Several companies such as coca cola, Marriott and Snap Travel are some of the
companies that have benefitted a lot from the surge in chatbots such that an oracle survey suggest that
about 80% of businesses will want chatbots by 2020.
Chatbots can be defined as software programs that include Artificial Intelligence components to interact
with people over messaging apps. One of the reasons why people are preferring chatbots is that they
accessible and easy to interact with on mobile devices and most often do not require users to download a
new app. The use of chatbots for events eases accessibility as attendees can easily connect with an event
chatbot. A chatbot can recognize the buyer’s intent and refine offerings based on the buyer’s choices and
preferences. It can then facilitate the sale, order, and delivery process (van Manen, 2016). This is as well
as applicable to the event management companies and organizers in delivering the experience desired by
the attendees.
In recent years major companies strive to meet their clientele where they are already comfortably
spending their time; on messaging apps. That is why several companies from a wide range of industries
can be found partnering with or purchasing apps that can enable them to easily connect with their clients.
Chatbots and Artificial Intelligence (AI) also play a vital role in e-commerce and online marketing as there
is a growing use of them. For example Sephora increased its makeover appointments by 11% through
their Facebook messenger chatbots. Given that event participants always have very high expectations
from an event and it usually requires technology to deliver such pleasant experiences, organisations tend
to use chatbots deliver such personalised experiences that end up saving time and resources. In recent
years chatbots have replaced emails. Barnes and Scornavacca (2004) state the environment of a mobile
phone is a much more personal one than an e-mail inbox.
This report is going to be looking at the manner in which certain emerging themes might impact the
current strategies of Chatbots.
The report is also going to evaluate how the emerging themes could affect the strategic decision making
within the events and entertainment industry within the next five years. The report is also going to make
appropriate recommendations for Chatbots and other players in the event industry.
An Orbis Research suggests that the global chatbot market is set to grow at a Compound annual growth
rate of 37.11 between 2017 -2021.

Chapter Two
Findings and Analysis
2.1 Outlining the ways in which relevant emerging themes might impact the current business
strategies relating to Chatbots.
There are several trends that are fostering the need for chatbots in the event industry; the rise in the
adoption of messaging apps, the current app fatigue and the commoditization of the AI algorithms. The
past few years have seen mobile apps being surpassed by messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Facebook
Messenger, WeChat, viber etc. Next to the growth in m-commerce is the fact that the number of monthly
active users of mobile messenger apps is growing. The four biggest messenger apps even surpassed the
four biggest social networks when looking at the amount of monthly active users (Statista, 2016).
Technological advancements
Emerging technologies over the years have played a key part in marketing of products and services. As
new technologies emerge it is imperative for marketers to keep up with the trends to ensure that they are
able to make their audience to best understand them.
One of such technological changes is the growth in Artificial Intelligence (AI) which usually plays a huge
part in an organisation’s marketing strategy. This is due to the fact that it enables consumers to start
feeling comfortable with conversational interactions, digital assistants and chatbots. Chatbots at first were
used with so much scepticism and cautiousness but nowadays with the rising trend and use of a vast
variety of technological uses, consumers are more than prepared to tap all the benefits that bots have to
offer. Zadrozny et al. (2000) agreed that the best way to facilitate Human Computer Interaction (HCI) is by
allowing users “to express their interest, wishes, or queries directly and naturally, by speaking, typing, and
pointing”.
The introduction and use of Augmented Reality(AR) and Virtual Reality(VR) that allows customers to
experience extraordinary dealings with an organisation or the use of a product or service. These
techniques will give organisations and brands the chance of creating awareness, engaging directly with
the clientel and enable sales assistance. The creative nature of VRs eases clients shopping experience as
well as their dream event experiences. Social media apps such as Snapchat that uses Lens studio and
Facebook Spaces as well as Instagram are some of the interactive technologies that allow users to have
interesting virtual experiences.
Another trending technological advancement tool and is being popular in the event industry is the use of
drones especially to cover large events with large venues and huge crowds. Drones can be launched
above attendees’ heads not just to capture the moments but to provide extra security. All of such data and
the feedback or reports from the drones can allow organisers and companies in general to know the kind
of responses to give clients through the chatbots. The chatbots can be synchronised in such a way that
the individual preferences of the clientel are being met easily.

Live streaming is another technological advancement that allows people to tune into major events
remotely and even eases content sharing. There are clients who may desire to broadcast and share their
events themselves.
Artificial Intelligence has gone a long way to impact communication and the general work environment in
that a lot of the work done by humans is being done now by machines. A bot can eventually become a
personal assistant capable of providing a range of services (Shebat, 2016). These services are beneficial
to both the service provider and the consumer.
Social trends and shift
Social trends such as the tendency of people posting pictures and videos of their vacations and events on
social media platforms such as facebook, twitter and instagram etc and expressing how they felt about it
pushes event companies decision making. This is because they expect that viewer seeing how contented
their friends are would likely want to have the same experience or better. Also the fact that many users
post their dislikes and frustrations on social media is grounds for companies to strive to keep their clientele
satisfied. Given that reviews and recommendations have been known to influence purchase decisions of
many people.
Another social trend in the event industry is the use of unique venues. There is a trendy need for
originality and authenticity of venue that leave the attendees with memorable and uncommon satisfaction.
In organising for example an astronaut themed event, the organiser has to ensure that the venue and
technology used for the event gives the attendees the feeling that matches the theme.
The idea of sustainability is not only a trend in the product industry. The event industry is also
experiencing the need to be sustainable in event planning. There is the elimination of use of papers for
invitations and directions. Customers like in any other industry are more attracted to sustainable
companies such that they require event planners to use methods and items that can be used during and
after the event and that there is no waste of food and drink and energy resources.
Apart from product quality, clients usually seek service quality. While others may share their experience in
terms of images, others may share theirs by recounting their service delivery satisfaction. In an effort to
get closer to its clientele Snap Travel for example gives its users the chance to message their basic travel
information to its messenger bots where they can then get response with various hotel options. Event
companies can also employ such bots to best understand the attendees’ event experience wishes.
2.2 Evaluating how technological advancements and social trends and shifts could affect the
strategic decisions of the industry.
The event management industry is not left of the growing use of technological changes. Changes in
technology and social trends will enable and allow companies to develop improved relationships with the
customers/ audiences and giving the responses they need in real time. An event company that is able to
plan and organise events successfully; meeting and exceeding the wishes of its audience through AI and
other technological aspects that enable them understand their audiences better will be very successful in
the industry.

The rise and popularity of chatbots have made it such that there is an increased level of customer support,
the growth in ecommerce and the ease of use of social conversations which come along with valid
changes. Chatbots is also a platform that is independent as they use the messenger infrastructure and
downloading (branded) apps is no longer required (Amir, 2016). Customers will always want that level of
support without necessarily needing to download different apps.
One of the prominent emerging trends in the events industry is use of mobile ticketing; gradual elimination
of cash and papers. The idea of paying tickets by cash and obtaining a printed paper to show at the event
is almost completely going out of use. This use to be more costly and portrayed a lot of difficulty in
managing the tickets at the venue. These days the ease with which the audience can purchase their
tickets online or on an event app is more convenient for both the audience and the event planner as they
can just use a tap-and-go ticket scanning entry system; which goes a long way to reduce costs and crowd
management. Closely related is the ease with which the audience can make payments at the venue
through Apple Pay, Google Pay and other mobile money means of payment reducing the risk of carrying
around cash which could be lost in the course of movements.
In line with relationship marketing, chatbots have been realised to be more personal than social media.
Businesses that seek to have personal interests in the likes and dislikes of clients are able to understand
clients and thereby try as much as possible to keep the clientele satisfied at all times, thereby increasing
client’s loyalty. Coupled with the fact that chatbots engages clients in such a way that they can always
check availability of products and services from different companies. There an enhanced level of
personalisation with the use of chatbots which permits organisations to prepare unique and personalised
packages for their clientel that meets individual needs and desires. Rather than just competing based of
price and quality of products chatbots usually give the company the advantage of carrying out a predictive
analysis of the clients special needs.
Technological advancements also enable smart pricing; by being able to predict client preferences the
company can decide to optimise pricing.
An industry such as the event industry sees the level of technological advancement as a means of
satisfying the high expectations of their audiences in terms of added value. With an AI enabled event, an
organiser will not need an assistant or need to hire someone to remind clients of events or to gather
feedback from events because the AI enabled chatbots responds to attendees’ questions, obtain feedback
and deliver personalised notifications.
Furthermore, modern day events have become in such a way that while waiting for an event to start or
during breaks or follow up during events like conferences , the attendees usually require internet services
and most often want their minimise their own data usage. They usually look up the organiser to make free
internet available and all attendees logged into the connection. The would also like to be kept informed of
details such as the venue, they would like to know the guest speakers/ artists, topics of discussion and the
timing of each and every activity. Attendees’ satisfaction also comes from them getting the notifications on
sudden changes in location or any other aspect of the event. Attendees nowadays love to be kept in the

know of every detail concerning an event. Event companies therefore need to be able to consider all these
aspects in the strategic planning of the company or of its events and services.
Technological advancements help event organisers easily gather feedback from the event such as ratings,
live polls whereby polls can allow the attendees to rate the entire event or speakers or the event company
as a whole. This will enable the company to make better strategic decisions when organising other events
in the future. The organisers also get to understand the participants’ feelings through sentiment analysis.
This helps the organisers to better understand how participants felt after or during the event so as to be
able to provide and or improve whatever it is that was lacking and provide the experience they desire in
the future.
2.3 Recommended courses of action to be able to effectively manage the emerging themes
With the realisation that more consumers enjoy the immersive experiences of the technological
innovations, event management companies need to grab such opportunities and deeply incorporate these
ideas into their businesses so as to gain competitive advantage.
Event marketing should be a key point in the management of events companies. Event companies have to
strive to enable shareable content; including digital marketing and social media campaigns. Organisers
should use Instagram and Snapchat to ensure that your events have plenty of memorable moments that
the guests will love to capture and share.
Event organisers or companies that choose to drones for their events have to determine the type of event
that the drones can be used in. This is because there are events that the attendees may require their
privacy at certain times. The organisers must also ensure that the pilot is well trained so as not to
endanger the lives of the guests.
Event companies should always try to understand the needs of clients even if they are not in relation to
the particular products being offered such as their personal reasons for desiring chatbots. There are
several reasons why many consumers prefer and want to be contacted by service providers over chat.
Some customers belief it will help them resolve their problems more quickly due to the fact that with
chatbots the consumer gets an immediate response rather than waiting for call-back or email. Others
looked at as being more convenient others thought it would enable them to have a record of the
communications with the service providers. Others said the chat app is the most frequent app they use on
their devices and that service providers can send messages based on their location.
Despite the many benefits of chatbots, AI and other emerging themes, customers as well as service and
product providers have to be very careful in using such technology. As companies will engage in mobile
marketing through chatbots, the platform can become a threat to privacy and there is a possibility of
receiving spam through the messaging app (Müller, 2016).

Chapter Three
Conclusion
In using chatbots with accompanying technologies, event organisers can leverage technology as much as
possible so as to easily navigate the staff and attendees as well as creating the “wow factor” at events.
From the above look and analysis of chatbots and AI it can be concluded that technology plays a very vital
role in the event industry and is going to do more in the coming years. As event organisers and companies
seek to satisfy the wants of each and every attendee at events and their contracting clients, the
personalisation of their experiences will enhance said satisfaction. The fact that organisers are able to
gather details of the clients’ wishes will enable them optimise future events, thereby gaining clients’
satisfaction and loyalty. These trends are already being used by many event organizers and there are
bound to be more developments in the coming years. Event companies are there charged with the
responsibility of keeping abreast with new changes that satisfy clients’ personal and collective wants and
deliver them experiences that are “out of this world” to be able to gain competitive advantage.
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