Once only present in science fiction movies, robots are now part of our everyday world. They are already widely used in industry, making complex tasks and substituting humans for delicates works. Other B2B robots are emerging in the hospitality and retail industries, as well as in the medical field, much like the robots of the French company Event Bots, among many other. You also may have seen them and maybe used them in a more entertaining way through drones and other chatbots.
We are still at the beginning of a huge development in robotics, and you may already imagine or wish that new inventions come quickly to reality. This branch is experimenting, alongside other technologies like AR and VR, artificial intelligence and IoT, new perspectives of growth. Let’s have an overview of what is already on the market, and let’s explore what events’ future could be.
ROBOTS IN 2018 EVENTS
Robotics in the event industry is still taking its first steps and is mostly used for entertaining purposes. Drones have been one of the first engines to enter events and meetings in order to create new customer experiences. Taking aerial pictures and videos from different perspectives have allowed event planners and venue industry professionals to propose to their attendees unique promotional content or great memories of an event.
Other examples are hospitality robots, welcoming visitors and able to go through a little discussion. South by Southwest Interactive meeting has for example experimented a 3D-hologram presenter that could speak and gesture. You may also have seen robot bartenders, capable of serving drinks and cocktails with the recipe you love, or even drone servers who can deliver food and dishes to the audience. Not forgetting robots like MantaroBots or Anybots, offering to people who can’t attend meetings to connect to these robots and to “roll” through the venue and interact with other visitors.
ADVANTAGES OF HIRING A ROBOT
You will for sure make the difference by using a robot at your next event, because it is still unusual. Of course, drones might be used for entertaining, light shows… but also for a strategic communication, as you may implement livestreaming or goodies deliveries. Chatbots and hospitality robots can welcome attendees at your booth, or even gather some data while chatting with them. For the show, you may also think about DJ robots, already available on the market, and able to mix and dance.
As we have seen in our former articles concerning new technologies, you should definitely try to use these robots as a powerful tool for communication, and not only for entertaining. You must make it different if you want visitors to remember you, by offering them a unique customer experience. Think about the ways to catch attendees on your booth, and how they can relay information to their social media followers. Logos and hashtags are of course advised.
ROBOTS AND LEGISLATION
Robots are still part of a gray area in terms of legislation, especially concerning drones’ flight. In the U.S., states might have their own rules about the topic. Sometimes, cities have their own restrictions, and venues can also have their own. Flying objects can fall onto the crowd, and the venue might contain numerous obstacles. Thus, be sure that the operator has licenses and insurance, and that he can always have the drones in full eyesight.
You will also check battery levels, as they usually tend to run out after 30 minute or an hour depending on the models. Finally, “hiring a robot” must not frighten your attendees: make sure that the target demographic is technology-friendly.
ROBOTS AND THE FUTURE OF EVENTS
The most interesting part is what you will be able to do with robots in the near future. They will no longer remain as entertainers but will become staff members. With the development of artificial intelligence, they won’t need any human control anymore. They will be able to bring visitors from their hotels or from the airport to the venue. They will be able to collect physical and emotional data while chatting (in a human way) with attendees, to advise them and to answer technical questions.
They will help you to spare time for more complex operation in terms of organization. They will be equipped with every tool like iBeacons, social media connections and photo booths. They will be able to anticipate your needs thanks to their integrated artificial intelligence. And you will only have to focus on making contacts and having fun.
The power of these new inventions is not yet thinkable and in the year 2018, we are still on the early stages of their development. Thus, we let you imagine how event industry will evolve until 2050.
