{"id":1427,"date":"2015-03-09T16:42:08","date_gmt":"2015-03-09T16:42:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eventsglos.wordpress.com\/?p=1427"},"modified":"2018-11-19T15:49:03","modified_gmt":"2018-11-19T15:49:03","slug":"the-live-experience-the-memory-or-the-moment-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniofglos.blog\/eventsglos\/2015\/03\/09\/the-live-experience-the-memory-or-the-moment-2\/","title":{"rendered":"The Live Experience: The Memory or The Moment?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A sea of mobile devices in the air during a live performance is now an increasingly common sight, becoming woven into the fabric of our consumption of events.<\/p>\n

Does the use of mobile devices improve the live performance experience for the consumer?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

And how should we, as event professionals, react to this developing trend?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Smartphones and tablets have now become irreversibly integrated into our everyday lives, allowing us to create a digital souvenir of our favourite live performances with our mobile devices.<\/p>\n

BUT WHAT IS A ‘DIGITAL SOUVENIR’?<\/h2>\n

Long gone are the days of making an enthusiastic trip to the local supermarket to collect our developed concert snaps. Why now would we join the never-ending queue at our favourite music festival, for a poster of our beloved musician, when our mobile devices can provide an instant digital souvenir? Whether a digital image, audio or video; a digital souvenir can be accessed both quickly and easily, changing the way in which we now experience events.<\/p>\n

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THE LIVE PERFORMANCE EXPERIENCE<\/h2>\n

Previously recognised as solely a method of communication, mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets) now have the ability to store and record some of our most personal live performance experiences. Think back to the last time you attended a live performance; you may have recognised that there is now a digital divide between those of us that would rather experience the event through our mobile device, and those who adhere to traditional live performance etiquette.<\/p>\n

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Should the digital divide be a cause for concern amongst event professionals? <\/span><\/span><\/h2>\n

Memory<\/h3>\n

Mobile devices have an unstoppable influence upon the consumption of live performances; we now have the ability to watch events through our mobile devices and relive the experience long after a performance has finished.<\/p>\n

A commonly voiced negative of events is their intangibility; this is because once an event is over we tend to moan that we want to experience it all over again! Now more than ever, we are eager to capture our live event experiences to create a tangible digital souvenir. Mobile devices are the most personal technological tool that any of us own, enabling the personalisation of our event experiences.<\/p>\n

How can the event industry embrace this growing trend of creating digital souvenirs at live performance events?<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you are someone who uses their mobile device to record a live performance, the odds are that you are more than likely to share your experience during or after the performance has finished. Event attendees are now creating a digital souvenir not only for their own personal use, but to also share with others. Photo sharing applications, such as Snapchat, are allowing live events to be experienced by people that have no physical event presence. Last year Snapchat launched \u201cOur Story<\/a>\u201d; a feature focused solely on sharing live events and\u00a0encouraging users to share their event experiences. Live events, such as EDC and Lollapalooza, showed a willingness to embrace the \u201cOur Story\u201d platform through the integration of mobile devices into their event programme. The result of which were views reaching into the millions, proving that photo sharing platforms are a force to be reckoned with in terms of their broadcasting reach.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

We know that mobile devices are part of the contemporary event experience, but is there any identified best practice for their management at events? <\/span><\/h2>\n

The benefits of mobile devices within events have not gone unrecognised; at this year\u2019s International Confex<\/a>, there were sessions that focused on the presence of mobile devices in events as professionals begin to recognise its unstoppable influence.<\/p>\n

“Technology is misused a lot of the time; people put it into events because they have to, rather than thinking about what it is going to do\u2026\u201d (Meetpie, 2014)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why are we now making a conscious effort to record live performances for future consumption, when a live performance is taking place right in front of us? <\/span><\/h2>\n

Mobile devices have no way of capturing the event experience accurately; they are incapable of replicating the intangible energy of physically attending a live performance, yet we are so eager to incorporate this technology into our own personal event experience. Even when there is a physical presence, how can audience members fully engage with the event if there is no mental, social and emotional engagement?<\/p>\n

Is it now a societal norm to capture the live performance on a mobile device, rather than being immersed in the moment of the event?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Rewind to Woodstock in the 1960\u2019s, an era relatively untouched by technological influence; the quintessential hippy would be fully immersed in the event experience.<\/p>\n

Fast forward to Glastonbury 2015, where the majority of event attendees are expected to experience the event through their phone or tablet. As time has progressed, the event experience has evolved to incorporate mobile devices!<\/p>\n

Should event professionals consider reverting to the idea of the conventional event souvenir, such as visual event merchandise? <\/span><\/h2>\n

Recently the idea of banning mobile devices at live events has been the subject of debate. Live performers, such as comedian Marcus Bridgestocke and musician Kate Bush, are taking a stand against event attendee\u2019s watching their performances through their mobile devices. Bush made a plea to her fans, asking them to refrain from using mobile devices during her concerts in order to \u201cshare in the experience together.\u201d<\/p>\n

SO WHAT DOES THIS ALL MEAN FOR TODAY\u2019S EVENT PROFESSIONALS?<\/h2>\n

Yes, there are positives in enforcing the ban on mobile devices at live events and essentially\u00a0in theory this\u00a0is a viable concept. However in practice, it is likely to fail because mobile devices are now a necessity in the lives of the event consumer.<\/p>\n

The advancement of mobile technology and the popularity of live performances, which have flourished in the face of the recession, must be taken into consideration to remain competitive in the events industry. It is important for event professionals to never lose sight of the needs of the event consumer, yet by opposing the integration of mobile devices into live performances ultimately means fighting a losing battle.<\/p>\n

Do mobile devices at live performances present a challenge or an opportunity for event professionals?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

What do you <\/span>think? <\/span>Please take part in our poll and leave your comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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