Impact of Technology on Corporate Events: A UK Industry Dissertation

This dissertation investigates the impact of technology on corporate events, focusing on the UK events industry. It explores the types of technologies adopted, such as facial recognition for contactless check-ins, 3D event diagramming, and live streaming, and the roles they play in enhancing event success, including improved communication and efficient ticket booking. The research also addresses the challenges faced when implementing these technologies and the strategies used to overcome them. The study employs qualitative research methods and secondary data analysis to provide a comprehensive understanding of technology's influence on the corporate events sector, offering recommendations for event industries to optimize their functions.

DISSERTATION
(Impact of technology on
corporate events)

ABSTRACT
Purpose: The main reason for conducting the present research is to conduct detailed
understanding about the topic and also to get a detailed knowledge about the different practices
that need to be applied by company in order to perform social event in sound manner. It is also
determined that there are various technology which can be used for a sound corporate event
which also helps in overcoming the challenges that can be faced in performing the function.
Methodology: In the existing report various research method will be used for gathering and
analysing information in systematic manner. The present investigation qualitative piece of data is
goatherd that does not deal with numerical information. This research will also use secondary
information for addressing various research question in effective and efficient manner.
Result and finding: In this finding part will also be carried out by using thematic method so that
types of technology and role that is played by technology can be obtained in useful manner. A
deeper data will be get about the impact of technology on event industry in performing there
function.
Conclusion and recommendation: This is the last chapter in which a short summary is provide
about the whole investigation. The recommendation part will focus on providing solution so that
event industry can perform their function in right direction.

Table of Contents
ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Overview of the topic................................................................................................................4
Research Aim, Objectives and Questions...............................................................................4
Rationale of the research..........................................................................................................5
Significance of the research......................................................................................................5
LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................................6
What are the types of technologies adopted by events industry and the corporate events sector
of the UK to conduct its corporate events?.................................................................................6
What are the roles performed by technologies to conduct corporate events successfully of the
UK events industry and the corporate events sector?.................................................................8
What are the challenges that would be faced by events industry and the corporate events
sector while using technologies in their corporate events?.........................................................9
What are the ways that events industry and the corporate events sector would use for
overcoming the challenges associated with adoption of technologies in its corporate events?11
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY...................................................................................................13
ANALYSIS....................................................................................................................................17
Types of technologies adopted by event industry and the corporate event sector............17
Roles performed by technologies to conduct corporate events successfully of the UK
events........................................................................................................................................18
industry....................................................................................................................................18
Challenges faced by events industry and the corporate events sector while using
technologies in their corporate events...................................................................................19
Ways that event industries and the corporate event sectors use for overcoming the
challenges and issues related with adoption of technologies in its corporate events........20
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................22
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................25

INTRODUCTION
Overview of the topic
With the changing time every organisation is experiencing digital transformation. The
corporate industry is continuously changing and incredible technologies have become common
place (Spitzer, 2019). There are certain trends like virtual reality which is continuously evolving
and successful. Technology includes any kind of electronic devices, software applications or
tools that assist an organisation to organise successful events (Yateem, Al Dabbous and
Khanferi, 2022). It helps in facilitating scheduling, check-in and scheduling. It assists in creating
robust and advanced presentation, involving staging, lighting etc. Technology holds the potential
to both enhance and enable every type of event (Tan and Zhu, 2022). Therefore, the present
investigation focuses on the collection of information about the impact of technologies over
successful corporate events.
Research Aim, Objectives and Questions
Research Aim:
To identify the role of technologies in conducting successful corporate events. A study on
the events industry and the corporate events sector
Research Objectives:
 To determine the types of technologies adopted by retail industry of the UK to conduct its
corporate events
 To evaluate the roles performed by technologies to conduct corporate events successfully
of the UK events industry and the corporate events sector
 To analyse the challenges that would be faced by events industry and the corporate events
sector while using technologies in their corporate events To examine the ways that events industry and the corporate events sector would use for
overcoming the challenges associated with adoption of technologies in its corporate
events
Research Questions:
 What are the types of technologies adopted by events industry and the corporate events
sector of the UK to conduct its corporate events?

 What are the roles performed by technologies to conduct corporate events successfully of
the UK events industry and the corporate events sector?
 What are the challenges that would be faced by events industry and the corporate events
sector while using technologies in their corporate events?
 What are the ways that events industry and the corporate events sector would use for
overcoming the challenges associated with adoption of technologies in its corporate
events?
Rationale of the research
The main reason of conducting the present investigation is to highlight the significance of
technology for improving the events of an organisation such as meetings, seminars &
conferences, appreciation events, team building events and many more (Govender, 2021). It also
assists me in attaining my two important objectives which are: personal and professional
objectives. In respect of personal perspective, I will get a chance to learn about the different
areas and I will also learn about the different research methods to collect and analyse information
in a systematic way (Kasperson and Kasperson, 2022). In respect of professional perspective, I
will learn about the different advance technologies adopted by retail companies for arranging and
organising events so that their main purpose could be fulfilled. Therefore, the current
investigation helps me in attaining my personal as well as professional goals.
Significance of the research
The present investigation holds great importance as it highlights the importance of
advance technologies for arranging and organising events (Ashraf, 2022). This investigation
holds great importance for researchers because this investigation will act as a secondary source
to collect information about the importance of technologies in conducting successful events.
Therefore, this investigation provides detailed information about the topic of organising events
of corporate.

LITERATURE REVIEW
Literature review is a written document that demonstrates the knowledge and understanding
of the scholarly sources on particular topic. It is a part of dissertation, thesis and research paper
that helps in situating the work in relation to existing knowledge. The main motive of conducting
literature review is to understand the current research in specific field.
What are the types of technologies adopted by events industry and the corporate events sector of
the UK to conduct its corporate events?
As per the viewpoint of He and et. al., (2020), event management is an activity of planning
and organising the social and business events. COVID 19 has created a great impact on the
profitability and growth of event industry but the people who are involved in event industry are
innovative due to which they look out for the survival point in pandemic. The crisis has created a
great impact on the vent industry in terms of face to face events but it also opened an opportunity
for conducting events in new ways such as hybrid events and virtual events. Technology in event
industry plays an important role as it helps in expanding the business and improving the
experience of customers (Perić, Vitezić and Badurina, 2019). Due to COVID 19, people
generally attend digital meeting and events including workshops, conferences, company
meetings, customer meetings, webinar, briefings and etc. There are various technologies which
are used by event planners, these technologies helps in saving time and also it is cost effective. It
helps in providing better communication and better networking with their attendees. The
technologies which are taking over the event planning industry are event management apps,
social media, email marketing, marketing automation, live streaming, facial recognition, etc.
Facial recognition for contactless check-ins:
It is one of the latest technologies which is adopted by event industry and corporate events
sector of UK to conducts its events in smooth and efficient manner. The facial recognition
technology is used at number of events from conferences, trade shows, club nights and matches.
Through implementing this technology, a smart event is held which allows contact less check-
ins, automated which helps in reducing waiting time and interaction between event staff and
attendees. The facial recognition technology also helps in reading body language and facial
expression due to which event manager can predict the mood of attendees by taking feedback.

By adopting this technology, event planner can speed up their check-ins, collect more valuable
leads by tracking attendee and also improves security by tracking attendee’s visits to booths.
Event diagramming in 3D:
It is another technology which can be used by event planner in order to attract their
customers for conducting corporate events. It is the responsibility of event planner to have
complete information of the event which they are going to conduct. They must have detailed
picture of an event layout to ensure seating, cabling, effective floor plans, lighting and other
room elements (Xu, Wong and Tan, 2021). The event diagramming tool helps in facilitating the
communication and also it helps in reducing headache of client by giving them peace of mind
and leaves nothing to chance on big day of corporate event. Through this tool, event planner can
take their clients on 3D fly thoughts to clarify the vision. It also helps in employees to easily
identify and accommodate guests and VIP’s with special request. Thus, this technology can be
used in corporate events as it helps in improving the relationship by empowering to seat their
guest where they want to seat.
(Figure 1: Event Diagramming 3D, 2020)
Live streaming events:

The demand of live streaming is also increasing rapidly due to pandemic which helps in
improving the profitability of event planners. It is becoming essential addition to en event
brand’s social media output as it helps in encouraging consumer trust. Due to COVID 19, the
events are unable to take place live due to which planners have shifted their way of doing events.
In order to reach their customers, event planners are focusing on live streaming technology
which helps in interacting and communicating with attendees in effective and efficient manner.
They are using social media technology in order to conduct live streaming an event. There are
various technologies available for live streaming events such as YouTube live, Facebook Live,
Livestream, etc.
What are the roles performed by technologies to conduct corporate events successfully of the UK
events industry and the corporate events sector?
As per the opinion of Saboo and et. al., (2017), there are various roles which are performed
by technologies in order to conduct corporate events successfully of UK events industry and the
corporate event sector. The event management industry is growing industry and also they are
stepping into future with various technology innovations. The industry is heavily dependent on
the latest technology in order to improve their business performance and productivity.
Nowadays, people don’t use to purchase their event tickets form box office as the event
management organisations and ticketing platforms have bridged the gap between audiences and
event planners (Mair and Weber, 2019). The role performed by technologies to conduct
corporate events successfully are providing the software that helps in saving the time and making
things easy. The software in event industry helps in arranging the data effectively due to which
event planners can immediately start their working on key parts of events. The technology also
helps in creating better communication with parties that are taking part in the planning of an
event due to which they can collaborate with one another. Through proper communication, event
manager can determine whether or not an event will be successful. There are various
technological trends which are changing the way of industry are operating its business such as:
Tickets books and registration:
Without technology, the buying and selling of tickets is considered as hectic and tiring
process as customers has to wait in a line for purchasing the ticket. In order to purchase the
ticket, an individual need to identify the vendor and stand in queues for hours. But due to the
technology in event management industry, people can book their tickets online through mobile

apps and website. The technology registration process helps in engaging audience towards the
event and also it makes easier for them to purchase the tickets (Kitchen, 2019). The introduction
to online booking application helps attendees to choose their seat and avail all the information
related to the event.
Improving efficiency of event:
Technology has played a great role in making event management process efficient.
Through various applications, participants of event can book their tickets by choosing their seat
and also see the event schedule. People generally book their tickets through online booking
application by using digital payment platforms in order to transfer money. Through digital
payment platform, people can easily pay for their tickets from anywhere in the world. Thus, the
technology plays an important role in improving the efficiency of event management business by
making things easier for people.
Flawless communication:
The technology helps in improving the communication between the attendees and event
planner. Communication is one of the factors which are responsible for any unsuccessful or
successful event. Therefore, technology plays an integral role for improving the communication
process between the participants and event manager. The features like social media influencers
and live streaming has influenced the events by changing the way of communication as people
interacts virtually (Jung, Kang and Shin, 2022). From last decade, technology has changed the
game drastically. Through flawless communication, event manager can attract more and more
participants towards the events which help in increasing the profitability of business.
What are the challenges that would be faced by events industry and the corporate events sector
while using technologies in their corporate events?
According to Larivière and et. al., (2017), there are various challenges which can be faced
by event industry and the corporate events sector while using technologies in their corporate
event. These issues can create an impact on the performance and productivity of event business.
It is important for an event manager to overcome these issues in order to run the event in smooth
and effective manner by using different technologies.
Boosting the engagement level of attendees:
It is one of the challenges which are faced by event manager while conducting the event
by using technologies. As due to pandemic, event companies are organising their event virtually

due to which it becomes difficult to keep their attendees engaged in event. If event continues for
long time it reduces the interest level of people due to which event gets unsuccessful. Thus, it is
important for an event planner to carefully planned and manage the event in order to boost the
engagement level of people while conducting event virtually. It is important for an event
manager to focus on offering attractive contents that helps in increasing the interest level of
people. They must focus on keeping the event time short which helps in reducing the frustration
of attendees and also they can present themselves with interest (Tiew, Holmes and Bussy, 2022).
High expectations:
It is another challenge which can be faced by event planner while conducting the event by
using technologies. People generally set their expectation with the event. If the expectation
doesn’t meet it can influence their perception. Nowadays, technology plays an important role in
pushing the customer expectation and forcing the industry to adopt latest technologies. The event
industry is shifting towards attendee centric approach with an aim to improve the experience of
people throughout the event. Thus, by keeping up with high attendee expectation is a problem
which is faced by event planners. The knowledge of attendees is increasing and also they are
becoming tech-savvy due to which it becomes difficult event planner to create surprise factor and
engage them in appropriate manner.
Security and access control:
Security and access control is another issue which is faced by event manger while conduc
ting the event by using technologies. In an event industry, security is the hot topic as the
factors like increased globalisation, security threats and political instability creates challenges for
event industry. Thus, it is important for event planner to have strong security and access control
in order to tackle crowd. They must focus on addressing the process and design of entries,
choosing best technology for situation, establishing right proportion of staff and also focus on
addressing the security needs that matches the event size. Therefore, event planner must focus on
offering crowd control feature that enables event employees to monitors the number of people
who are presented in the room at any moment (Hagen, 2021). Due to COVID 19, the events are
moved online due to which event manager faces time shortage for preparing for the event. It is
important for event planner while conducting online event to protect themselves and their
participants from exchanging confidential information.
Sponsorship programs:

It is another challenge which can be faced by event manager while communicating the
event by using different technologies. In order to conduct the event, sponsorship is requires
which comes in terms of money. The sponsorship program helps in connecting buyers and sellers
together. It becomes challenging for event planner to attract sponsors for virtual events. The
event manager faces difficulty to convince the sponsors due to lack of exposure and immersive
attendee experiences. The sponsors in virtual event usually sign up for lower price as compare to
other event. Thus, technology plays an important role in boosting the sponsors for events as it
helps in offering similar engagement levels to in-person events. The event manager must focus
on developing virtual showrooms experiences and focus on engaging branding opportunities by
delivering high level of visibility across websites, social media platforms and other channels.
What are the ways that events industry and the corporate events sector would use for overcoming
the challenges associated with adoption of technologies in its corporate events?
As per the viewpoint of Wang, So and Sparks (2017), there are various ways through
which event industry and corporate event sector can use to overcome the challenges which are
associated with adoption of technologies in its corporate events. It is important for an
organisation to implement these ways in order to run the event activities in effective and efficient
manner.
Create anticipation and excitement among attendees through smart content strategy:
It is one of the way through which event manager can reduce the challenges which are
associated with adoption of technologies in its corporate events. It is important for the event
manager to create anticipation and excitement among attendees through smart content strategy.
The event planner must focus on building the smart content that engages the audience on virtual
event (Makki, Ozturk and Singh, 2016). They must focus on creating buzz through social
media and also notify the guest that they are offering exclusive content during and post session.
Thus, it is important to keep the event content interesting that helps in establishing trust and
encourages genuine communication.
Encourage anticipation through peer to peer engagement:
It is important for event manager to encourage the participation of attendees through peer to
peer engagement. Event planner must focus on using online event platform with polls live chat
and Q&A features. Through using these tools, event manager can encourage their audience to
become active listener and show their interest during an event. It is the responsibility of event

manager to offer exceptional opportunity to encourage communication among attendees so that
they can interact and explore new things. When the corporate events get off stage, event manager
must allow their guest to explore the networking area.
Get sponsors excited about the world of virtual events:
It is the other way through which event manager can overcome the issues related to
technological adoption in event industry. Event planner must focus on making their sponsors feel
excited for the virtual events which help in raising funds for conducting the event. In order to
attract the sponsors, it is necessary to focus on developing attractive content that generate interest
among sponsors to invest in the event. The event manager must show their financial supporter
that they are conducting the event on global level (Remondino, Penco and Profumo, 2019). The
virtual event helps in reducing the cost of travelling and other logistic expenses. Thus, event
manager must focus on boosting the event marketing in order to attract more and more sponsors.
They must also focus on identifying the customisable virtual event platform so that event planner
can virtualises all the physical elements which sponsors might be seeking for.