How AI is Transforming the Conference Space

How AI is Transforming the Conference Space

Inspiring Design Trends for 2022

Inspiring Design Trends for 2022

Top 5 Social Trend Predictions for 2022

Top 5 Social Trend Predictions for 2022

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16 Feb
2022

How AI is Transforming the Conference Space

by Jodie | in Digital, Events, Industry, Support | on 16 Feb 2022

Artificial intelligence, and more specifically machine learning, is the ability for computer systems to take tasks that normally require human intelligence. While for many people AI can seem unnecessary for the daily tasks they undertake, there are in fact many ways that it can enhance your conferences and events.

Chatbots

You may have had a negative experience with chatbots in the past, but they are getting more sophisticated rapidly. In the future, they will save you a lot of time in the run-up to your event. Unlike you, who needs sleep and a social life, chatbots can be available 24/7 to provide support for your presenters, vendors, and attendees. Given a small investment of your time to train it on common questions, the chatbot will save you far more time so you can focus on the bigger tasks.

Curated attendee recommendations

Today, as an event organiser you cater to a wide range of interests by creating agendas that appeal to a broad audience. The sessions are generally tied together by a common theme in the keynote and spotlight sessions.

The demand for curated, personalised content however presents a great opportunity for us to improve the overall event attendee experience. Instead of leaving attendees to make their own decisions by going through hundreds of session summaries, we can facilitate meetings by organising schedules and directing attendees towards certain individuals during networking portions of digital events.

Data from virtual events

Switching to online events has given us a vast amount of data to work with and analyse with ease. For example, we can see exactly who attended a particular event and when they arrived/left. We can then use this to inform who is interested in what and feed that into a machine learning application to curate attendee recommendations (or of course manually curate it).

Voice recognition – multiple languages

It’s likely that your event will be attended by multiple nationalities, and to promote inclusivity we can use voice recognition to, in real time, display subtitles in various languages. Apps such as Wordly facilitate this, which attendees can download to their mobile devices to have easy accessibility in the language they choose.

Video recap software

You can also save your attendees the hassle of having to take notes or photographs of slides by using video recap software such as CLIPr. This allows your attendees to have a batch of searchable and indexed content from your event. Machine learning techniques can even help us to identify key topics and highlight sections of relevant content dependant on the attendee viewing it.

Facial recognition

Many of us use facial recognition every day to unlock our phones, but we can leverage this technology to even greater effect in the event space in several ways:

  • We can analyse the traffic flow of people in and out of the event, what stalls they are visiting and the ‘dwell time’ at these stalls.
  • For both logistical and health reasons, we can track occupancy levels in various sectors and monitor social distancing where necessary.
  • Focusing on faces, we can even monitor engagement with a particular event by tracking the emotions that play out on individuals’ faces as they watch, be it boredom, fascination, or agitation.

Of course, in all these cases attendees would need to be made aware of any monitoring happening and consent to its use. But having this data will give you a wealth of information to streamline your event offerings in the future.

In summary...

You don’t need to utilise all these techniques by any means in the future to run a successful event or conference, but as you can see even by adopting one or two into your workflow you can gain real benefits.

If you’d like some assistance implementing machine learning techniques for your event or conference, then watch this space; we are currently developing some exciting offerings of our own. We also have a bespoke matchmaking service to facilitate targeting networking for your attendees. Get in touch to learn more.

10 Nov
2021

FPC2022 Online Network Platform

by Charlie Jones | in Digital, News | on 10 Nov 2021

The Future Propulsion Conference goes Live with Their New Online Network Platform

When attending a network conference, the main aim is to of course network, but with so many people attending, it can sometimes be a little difficult to reach all the people you want to meet.

Due to this very reason (and because of GDPR rules), we designed an Online Network for FPC2022 purposely built to allow attendees to search and make new connections, from business card exchange to instant messaging.

Each person who registers for the event is then prompted to create their own profile and can select the topics areas they are personally interested in. From here people can then begin to network with other delegates, exhibitors, and speakers who will be attending the physical event in March 2022.

The platform will then also support the physical conference, allowing attendees to continue to network leading up to, during, and after the conference.

Visit FPC2022.

27 Sep
2021

Why is web accessibility important and how is it carried out?

by Keely | in Digital, Industry | on 27 Sep 2021

Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.

There are also strong business benefits for accessibility. Accessibility modifications overlap with other best practices such as mobile web design, usability, design for older users, and search engine optimization (SEO). This means that accessible websites have better search results, reduced maintenance costs, and increased audience reach, among other benefits.

So, what can we think about when we build our websites to make them more accessible? We’ve come up with a list here of the things we like to bear in mind; even implementing just one or two into your own site will make a massive difference!

1. Alternative text for images

Images should include equivalent alternative text (alt text) in the markup/code. The alt text should summarise the purpose of an image. The source filename of the image should not be included because generally it is not useful to a visually impaired user.

2. Transcripts for audio

Providing a text transcript makes any audio information accessible to people who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as showcasing it to search engines and other technologies that can’t otherwise hear.

3. Keyboard input

It must be possible to use all of your site’s major features via a keyboard – including accessing all pages, links, content, and so on.

4. Choose colours carefully

Colour-blindness spans a wide spectrum and affects different people to varying degrees. So, you need to make sure the colours you select on your site contrast well to ensure that everyone can distinguish between various elements on the page.

 

5. Use headers to structure content

Adding different header levels will make your content much easier to understand and improves the flow of the page. This will also help screen readers interpret your pages.

 

6. Underline links

Even though it may look stylish, removing the underline from links makes it difficult for colour-blind users to see them. So, we need to make sure that links are underlined where possible.

 

7. Use relative CSS units

Low-vision users, and a lot of people over 50, increase the browser default font size to make text easier to read. Absolute units such as pixels ignore this user choice. If we use relative units like EM and percentages however, they re-size according to the screen size and/or user’s preferred font size and work on a large range of devices.

 

These are just some of the many ways we can think about making our websites accessible. To learn more check out W3C’s comprehensive guide, or contact us today to see how we can help you to help others.

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17 Feb
2021

Virtual Events

by Keely | in Digital, Industry | on 17 Feb 2021
The ongoing pandemic has thrown the entire events industry into uncertainty; we can no longer set dates for in-person events for the foreseeable future. This is why it is a great time and resource investment to start thinking about taking your events online.
Whilst hosting virtual events is not an ideal situation by any means for most of us, there are several unexpected benefits unique to moving online. Here we have looked at 9 ways that virtual events can positively impact your organisation, whether during the Coronavirus pandemic or long after.

1. Capture a new and potentially wider audience

  • Provided that someone has an internet connection, they can tune into your event no matter the geographical location. This exponentially expands your reach and could even generate a new in-person audience sometime in the future!
  • What’s more, it is easier for attendees to fit virtual events into their schedule, dipping in and out of the day as they choose whilst also getting their own work done. The convenience of this is sure to please the crowd.

2. In-depth analytics

  • It goes without saying that it is much easier to track online engagement than in-person. Whilst you cannot physically track your attendees’ attention span, it is possible to get continuous insights into session attendance, resource viewing and networking connections made.

 

3. Cost reduction

  • Venue hire can cost tens of thousands of pounds a day, and additionally you must factor in the cost of food and drink, accommodation for speakers, and venue insurance. Virtual events can offer potential cost savings depending on your platform, promotional activity, and support requirements.

 

4. Easy to manage

  • When running a physical event, you will often find yourself with the impossible task of being in several places at once. In contrast, simply having one or two laptops on hand will allow you to control every aspect of your virtual event. This is also reflected in greatly reduced number of people that you will need to employ for admin and management purposes.

 

 

5. Easy to collect feedback

  • You likely send your physical attendees a feedback survey after the event has passed. This has a less successful response rate than gathering this feedback right at the end of the session, which is what many virtual platforms offer when a participant leaves a session.

 

6. Environmentally friendly

  • Physical events incur thousands of miles travelling, which of course has an impact on the environment. Virtual events negate this completely, allowing your organisation to play their part in the fight against climate change.

 

7. Increased engagement

  • This may at first glance seem counter-intuitive, but research has shown that people are 30% more likely to initiate a chat with somebody virtually than in person.
  • Additionally, it is possible to gamify the experience online, with quiz features, challenges and a points-based leader board for attendance and engagement with resources throughout the day.

 

8. Scalable

  • While in-person events are limited to the venue size that you hire, virtual event hosting plans can expand and contract. This allows you to focus on your reach without maxing out capacity.

9. Reliability

  • Perhaps the most crucial point – whilst there is still potential for technical failure, virtual events do not have to be called off for adverse weather, venue issues or global pandemics…

 

So, you need not see virtual events as a hinderance by any means. Some of us may even find we make a more permanent switch to online thanks to these benefits! Of course, there are many obvious benefits to running your events in person. But a hybrid of the two may be a mainstay looking into the next decade.

Get in touch with us today to see how we can help bring your event to life!

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06 Jan
2021

New Year, New Trends – What are the Key Internet Marketing Trends for 2021?

by Keely | in Digital, Industry, Marketing, Social Media | on 06 Jan 2021

2020 was the year that businesses, small and large, all over the world were forced to change their ways on how they operate, with many products and services moving to online platforms and employees continuing to work remotely as a result of the global pandemic.

In addition to this, lockdowns and isolation periods have also caused a change in customer behaviour, meaning all the necessary changes to digital marketing will continue to change and evolve throughout this year.

So, what are these changes to internet marketing and what is it that we need to look out for in order to engage new customers as well as to keep hold of existing ones? We’ve outlined 5 areas below:

1. Social Media Marketing

The pandemic has resulted in people spending more time online than ever before, so in order to keep earning a profit, it’s crucial that you commit to your social media marketing resources.

As we keep coming in and out of lockdowns, physically going to a shop to browse or buy is getting more difficult, especially when non-essential shops have to close. Many people don’t want to leave the house at all or unless absolutely necessary, resulting in the increased use of online platforms instead. This is where having a strong social media presence is necessary to reach your target audience, as well as ensuring that your company brand and products/services are getting noticed and then shared around by users and potential buyers.

2. Interactive Content

To get a higher rate of engagement in your social posts and/or website, you will need to increase the interactivity of your content. This is a good way to get your audience’s attention and engage with them, as well as showing that your business is up to date.

A few good ways to do this is by live sessions, surveys, asking questions and holding polls & quizzes. Another idea is to offer giveaways and create competitions to get people talking and sharing. A few prizes won’t break the bank, especially when it’s a great opportunity to build up the number of followers and potential customers.

3. Ensure your Business Information and Local SEO is Correct

One of the most essential things for small businesses is to ensure your company details and local listings are up to date and established across all platforms and search engines.

‘Google My Business’ listing is quite useful in giving valuable information about your company. Say you own a café for example, if someone is walking around a town and searches for café’s nearby, you will display on the search if your information is up to date – and obviously you would want the right contact details to be visible if they were to contact with any questions.

With this in mind, ensure that your local listings have a specific area to make sure your business is picked up and found in the ‘near me’ search, as well as keeping finer details up to date such as opening hours – you don’t want to be closed when you state to be open.

 

4. An increase in Voice Searching

Now that many people are using voice assistants like Siri and Alexa etc, it means that it’s not just text searches that your content needs to be optimised to.

With this in mind, you need to ensure that your content is available in both voice and textual cases, meaning a change in the types of keywords you use in your content. For example, when people speak to Alexa, they mainly use words like “why” and “how” in order to receive the answer they are looking for, so if your tone is more conversation-like, you are much more likely to be shown in voice searches.

 

5. Using Messaging Apps for Marketing

Messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp are now two of the main platforms that this generation uses to engage with friends and family. However, with the ever-changing times there’s now huge potential for business as well, with Facebook continuously developing new features in this area, there’s a great opportunity to engage with a huge audience of where there is now over a billion users on both the above platforms alone.

Although Messaging apps are a huge part of communication, you still can’t be without the trusty email marketing platforms, which is also going to be a big part of 2021 as these instant messaging platforms are where people are most active day to day. And on the topic of instant messaging, live chat options are very popular for any questions from an extensive audience, so incorporating something similar using one of the common platforms could be a good option for your business.

All in all, digital marketing has no fixed approach or eternal rule book to abide by as it’s ever changing with the world around us, so all we can do is focus on our goals and follow the current trends where appropriate.

SEO and interactive content that gives informative and beneficial information to your market is crucial for engagement and maintaining your existing audience.

Dedication to your social media marketing resources and creating your own individual content by your distinctive brand will help to make a difference to your online presence.

We hope that 2021 is a better year for all!

(Images: undraw.co)

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13 Nov
2017

Cutting-Edge Statistical Analysis Web Application for CEC TMS

by Charlie Jones | in Digital | on 13 Nov 2017

CEC is the coordinating European Council of the Motor and Petroleum industries for performance tests. The CEC Test Monitoring System (TMS) web application is used across the globe to validate test results for fuels, lubricants, and additives using complex control and discrimination charts. More than 50,000 test results are stored for 29 test types. The application is used by chemists, laboratory managers and statistical analysts.

The Challenge

We took over the TMS in 2008 and developed a new application based on an existing database so that we could integrate with a 3rd party charting software package. The application went through a number of changes and improvements over 8 years to make it more robust and reliable. However, as time progressed, the time and cost to continue development on this platform were outweighing the benefits… At the same time, coding techniques and technologies had advanced massively. As a result, in 2016, we were asked to carry out a complete overhaul of the application. The objectives were:

  • Make it quicker and easier to enter valid data.
  • Simplify the database structure.
  • Simplify navigation structure
  • Extended charting for new, more complex test types.
  • Improve tracking and reporting of labs and test performance.
  • Improve application security and user management.
  • Provide a platform that is easy to both extend and maintain in the future.

The Solution

Using the latest coding standards, CEC TMS was completely rewritten from the ground up utilising the advances in browser and server technology. We were able to generate highly complex and full featured charts using SVG and JavaScript, removing the need for a costly third-party application, whilst performing resource heavy, statistical calculations and data interrogation in a fraction of the time of its predecessor – all on any device. All this allows CEC’s analysts greater flexibility in generating, analysing and inputting data, as well as providing a secure, scalable platform for additional test types and data in the foreseeable future.

The Benefits

  • Improved user experience with a simplified user interface and application speed.
  • Responsive design optimised for a wide range of resolutions; Mobile to high resolution displays.
  • Greatly improved charting features
  • Better analysis and tracking of test performance.
  • Simplified site navigation.
  • Improved authentication.
  • Reduced admin costs.
  • Reduced software licence costs.
  • Reduced time to add new test types.
  • Faster development and deployment of features.

Feedback

“The new TMS web site is a step forward in providing better facilities for users to enter and manage test data and for our analysts to ensure the quality of CEC test results That’s fine to add a quote. The outcome was excellent, and I think the technology is a very sound basis for future development.” Chris Gray, CEC Statistical Development Committee

“Thanks so much – the big thank you is of course for the PDC team! It’s always such a pleasure to work with you and we appreciate so much the knowledge you have, the fast responsiveness and the kindness. And this all showed again in this project!” Sofie Peeters, CEC Secretariat

“I’ve looked at the charts and they seem to work well.  I like the look and layout.” – Dani Fiddaman, Infineum

“Thank you for your work on the New TMS! It certainly looks and feels 2016 “. – Peter Mulder, Chevron

“All seems to work and appear clear and straightforward on both the control and discrimination charts”. – Doug Hunt, Afton Chemical

“Just to let you know I’ve used the “new look” TMS for the first time today.  Just wanted to pass on my comments over the re-design.  I found the site very easy to navigate around. I had no problems with uploading my results.” – Phillip Worboys, Lubrizol

If you would like more information about The Coordinating European Council (CEC) please visit the web site or fill in the contact form here.

To get your project started, contact us.

06 Jan
2017

We’re Moving into a Mobile-First World

by pdc_admin | in Digital | on 06 Jan 2017

No longer are phones simply used to make calls and to text. Our whole lives can be programmed into our phones; contacts, shopping, eating, workouts, music, social media, emails, photography, banking… you get the picture.

Hand-held devices have become such a big part of our lives that it comes as no surprise that mobile has also been dominating the internet over the last couple of years and this isn’t about to change anytime soon. In fact mobile has completely taken over, that Google will no longer be showing desktop sites as primary results.

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