Event Marketer Spring 2022 - 24

TRENDS
TECHNOLOGY TAKES WING: The
rise of new-era digital platforms and
tools offers event marketers a fresh
engagement opportunity.
UNCHARTED TERRITORY
How marketers can tap into the power of emerging
technologies, from NFTs to the metaverse
A STAGGERING STATISTIC to consider:
By 2026, 25 percent of people will spend
at least one hour a day in the metaverse for
work, shopping, education and social or
entertainment experiences, according to a
2022 Gartner report. Indeed, from NFTs
to holograms to everyone's favorite buzzword,
the metaverse, new technologies are
coming in hot, and event marketers across
the board are scrambling to figure out how
these platforms could impact their strategies-and
their bottom lines.
This surge in mind-boggling tech
seems to have happened overnight. But
experts agree that two years of living life
virtually during the pandemic has played
a major role in accelerating the adoption
of emerging technologies. As has influence
from brands such as Meta, formerly Facebook,
which is going all-in on bringing
these lofty concepts to the masses.
While concepts like the metaverse represent
nascent territory, plenty of brands
have been quick to dip their toes into the
waters of what could be industry-defining
trends in the near future. Accessing the
metaverse and related tech is becoming
easier thanks to open 3D virtual worlds
like Decentraland and The Sandbox, and
gaming platforms like Roblox and Fortnite.
24 EVENT MARKETER SPRING 2022
eventmarketer.com
And companies across industries have been
experimenting heavily with these tools and
platforms, from Miller Lite's Super Bowl
LVI bar to Universal and Snap's virtual concert
to promote the movie " Marry Me " to
Kia's Robo Dog NFT Collection that helps
fund pet adoptions.
The million-dollar question is: What
happens to face-to-face marketing if we're
spending all of this time in virtual environments?
No one really has the answer, but
the industry experts we talked to agree that
in-person interactions can't be replaced. As
Tara Reilly, vp-experiential at Vox Media,
told us, experiences in real life and in the
metaverse can be complementary. " It's not
an 'either/or,' it's an 'and,' " she says.
Following are further insider insights
on navigating a brave new world of technology.
IDENTIFY
YOUR 'WHY'
Just like IRL events, creating an NFT or a
metaverse experience should be used to
achieve a business solution, not to jump on
the bandwagon of a trend.
For Neil Wright, head of collaborations
and experiential at Complex Networks,
pivoting the brand's flagship event, ComplexCon,
into a gamified virtual experience
with a host of sponsors, dubbed ComplexLand,
illustrated just how important it is
for brands to approach this landscape with
a purpose.
" A lot of the conversations start at the why-
why do you want to do this? What are you
filling the void of? You want to do an NFT, OK,
but does your customer care about that? Is this
going to provide a unique business opportunity
for you? "
-Neil Wright, Head of Collaborations
and Experiential, Complex Networks
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Event Marketer Spring 2022

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