Event Technology Glossary

The workflow for soliciting, collecting, reviewing, and selecting research abstracts or presentation proposals for an event.

A structured multi-step process where content, documents, or requests must be reviewed and approved by designated people before progressing.

Features that help event attendees connect with each other before, during, and after an event.

Monitoring attendee movements and engagement throughout an event using check-in scans, session scanning, app usage data, RFID, BLE beacons, or Wi-Fi triangulation.

Audio-visual production encompasses all the equipment, crew, and processes involved in delivering sound, vision, lighting, and staging for an event.

The on-demand production of name badges at an event, usually triggered by check-in.

The process of assigning exhibition spaces to exhibitors based on sponsorship tier, preference, seniority, or a selection process.

The period before an event when equipment, staging, signage, exhibition stands, and AV are delivered to the venue and set up.

The period after an event when everything is dismantled, packed, and removed from the venue.

A public invitation for speakers, researchers, or practitioners to submit abstracts or proposals for consideration in an event programme.

A predefined list of tasks or requirements that must be completed for a specific entity — an exhibitor, a speaker, a session, or a venue.

A screen positioned at the front of the stage, facing the speaker, that displays their presentation slides, notes, a countdown timer, and sometimes a live feed of what the audience sees.

The recording, processing, and packaging of event content — typically session recordings, speaker presentations, panel discussions, and interviews — for post-event distribution.

A system for managing all content assets associated with an event: presentation files, session descriptions, speaker bios, sponsor logos, signage artwork, and video recordings.

The process of turning raw event content — recordings, slides, transcripts — into derivative assets like social clips, newsletter summaries, and marketing materials.

Continuing Professional Development tracking records which educational sessions an attendee completed at an event and generates certificates or transcripts for professional accreditation bodies.

Continuing professional development and continuing education credits are used by associations and professional bodies to track member learning.

Screens placed throughout an event venue displaying dynamic content: wayfinding maps, session schedules, sponsor advertisements, live social feeds, and real-time announcements.

Event-specific digital signage that displays session schedules, wayfinding, sponsor content, and room status on screens throughout a venue, updated in real time from event platform data.

The amount of time an attendee spends in a specific area, such as an exhibitor booth, session room, or networking zone.

The collection, processing, and visualisation of data generated before, during, and after an event.

An application programming interface that lets external systems read from and write to an event management platform.

A mobile application (iOS, Android, or progressive web app) that attendees use during an event to view the schedule, navigate floor plans, receive push notifications, participate in live Q&A and polling, network with other attendees, and access session materials.

A customer relationship management system tailored for event organisations.

The ability to export all your event data — registrations, attendee profiles, session content, exhibitor records, analytics — in standard formats so you can migrate between platforms or feed data into other systems.

A social-media-style activity stream within the event app where organisers, exhibitors, speakers, and attendees can post updates, photos, and announcements.

The operational coordination of everything required to physically deliver an event: freight and shipping, equipment hire, signage production, catering, accommodation, transport, staff rostering, and on-site setup.

A centralised software system that handles scheduling, registration, exhibitor management, speaker coordination, floor plans, communications, and reporting for events.

Any software used to plan, execute, or analyse events.

The process of collecting attendee information, processing payments, issuing confirmations, and creating the attendee record for an event.

A tool within an event management platform that generates a branded, public-facing website for an event without requiring a separate CMS or web developer.

Tracking whether exhibitors have completed all required tasks and submitted all mandatory documents before the event.

The end-to-end coordination of exhibitors at an event: onboarding, booth allocation, compliance tracking, portal access, communications, and post-event reporting.

A self-service web interface where exhibitors manage their event participation.

The return on investment that exhibitors realise from their event participation, measured through leads captured, meetings booked, brand impressions, booth traffic, and post-event conversions.

Structured levels of exhibitor participation (e.g., Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) that determine booth size, location priority, included benefits, branding placement, and pricing.

The digital design and management of event venue layouts, including booth placement, room configuration, aisle planning, and interactive attendee-facing maps.

Applying game mechanics — points, badges, leaderboards, challenges — to encourage specific attendee behaviours at an event.

A registration workflow that allows one person to register multiple attendees in a single transaction.

The branded content displayed on room screens between sessions at an event, typically showing the upcoming session details, sponsor logos, and event branding.

Pre-designed slides displayed on screens in session rooms before a presentation begins, during breaks, or between speakers.

An event that combines in-person attendance with a live remote audience, offering meaningful participation to both groups.

Indoor navigation for events using software-computed paths on digital floor plans.

A full-screen wayfinding interface deployed on screens at venue entry points, registration desks, or high-traffic intersections.

Technology that allows exhibitors to collect contact information from visitors to their booth, typically by scanning the visitor's badge QR code or NFC chip.

The act of scanning an attendee's badge or QR code at an exhibitor booth to capture their contact details as a sales lead.

A moderated question-and-answer feature that lets attendees submit and upvote questions during a session via the event app or a web page.

Broadcasting event sessions in real time over the internet to remote audiences.

The process of connecting event marketing activity to event outcomes.

An algorithm-driven feature that suggests relevant connections between attendees, or between attendees and exhibitors, based on profile data, stated interests, industry, goals, or past behaviour.

A computational geometry structure that defines walkable space on a floor plan for pathfinding.

Registration that happens at the event venue, either at staffed desks or self-service kiosks.

A local server deployed at the event venue to ensure critical functions (check-in, badge printing, session scanning, lead capture) work even if the internet connection fails.

Web-based registration that allows attendees to sign up and pay before arriving at the event.

The systems and workflows that handle collecting registration fees, exhibitor payments, sponsorship invoices, and other event-related transactions.

A structured evaluation process where submitted abstracts or papers are assessed by subject-matter experts before acceptance into the programme.

Technology that counts the number of people entering, leaving, or present in a specific area of an event venue.

Real-time audience polling during sessions, where attendees vote on questions via the event app or a web link and results display live on screen.

The comprehensive analysis delivered after an event that synthesises all collected data into actionable insights.

The collection, review, formatting, and delivery of speaker presentation files for an event.

Messages sent directly to attendee mobile devices via the event app, even when the app is not open.

An attendee check-in method where a QR code — sent via email or displayed in the event app — is scanned at entry to verify registration and trigger badge printing or access.

A live visual display of key event metrics that updates continuously during the event.

A category that determines what an attendee can access and how much they pay.

Using radio-frequency identification chips embedded in attendee badges to track movement and interactions at an event without requiring active scanning.

An event management platform delivered as a cloud service on a subscription basis, as opposed to installed on-premise software or project-based licensing.

A visual tool for creating and managing event programmes.

A touchscreen station where attendees check in, print badges, or register without staff assistance.

Surveys or ratings collected from attendees immediately after (or during) a session to evaluate speaker quality, content relevance, and overall satisfaction.

AI-powered analysis of event session recordings that automatically generates transcripts, chapter markers, highlight clips, and content summaries.

The process of creating, organising, and maintaining the individual sessions that make up an event programme.

The practice of scanning attendee badges or event app QR codes at the entrance to individual sessions to track which sessions each person attended.

The real-time direction of a live event session, where the show caller (or stage manager) cues lighting changes, slide advances, video rolls, audio transitions, camera switches, and speaker entries.

A signage playlist that automatically populates content from live event data, such as today's schedule, current session info, or sponsor rotations.

Coordinating everything related to event speakers: invitations, confirmations, biography collection, headshot uploads, session assignments, travel arrangements, AV requirements, and presentation uploads.

The architectural and visual design of an exhibitor's booth or stand at an event.

Organising, assigning, tracking, and completing the hundreds of tasks required to produce an event.

The role responsible for all technical aspects of event production: AV systems, staging, lighting, rigging, power distribution, networking infrastructure, live streaming, and content capture.

A curated collection of pre-built venue floor plans that event organisers can import and customise rather than drawing from scratch.

Managing the relationship with the event venue including space booking, room configuration, catering orders, AV requirements, access schedules, and compliance with venue regulations.

The attendee-facing technology infrastructure a venue provides to event organisers, including digital signage, indoor wayfinding, event apps, on-site registration, and session recording.

Automatically generated timestamps within a session recording that mark topic changes, making it easy for viewers to jump to specific sections.

Recorded event sessions made available for viewing after the live event has ended.

Automated handling of registrations that exceed capacity for an event or session.

An event app published under the organiser's own brand rather than the software provider's.