It's Monday and there's no better way to kick off a week than with a brand new episode of Event Tech Podcast. These days, Will and Brandt are bringing in exciting guests to talk about the hottest trends in event technology. Last week, they talked about better brand management with Astute Review. This week, however, they are bringing in someone some of you might know as the host of Event Brew: Nick Borelli. Yep, that's right: we finally got ourselves a crossover episode!

And what's on the menu? Nick, Will, and Brandt discuss Facebook's announcement that they're planning on becoming a metaverse company and Facebook Horizon, a virtual reality that is currently in the beta phase. And since this is the Event Tech Podcast, they elaborate on the implications this futuristic technology might have for event planners.

Every once in a while, our hosts Will and Brandt love to bring guests to the Event Tech Podcast and have them talk about an exciting technology or software they've developed. In September 2020, for example, we had the opportunity to learn more about virtual engagement strategies with Sketch Effect. And today, the techie duo welcomes a very special guest who developed a brand management tool and mostly works with consulting firms and banks. However, brand compliance is an integral part of building long-lasting relationships with clients in all industries, the events industry included.James Hirchak is the president and co-founder of Astute Review, a company that helps companies ensure their brand compliance by offering two computer software solutions: a PowerPoint automation tool and a real-time brand monitoring tool. Will and Brandt brought him on the Event Tech Podcast to explain what these tools do and how they can be used by event professionals.

One of the hottest topics in the events industry nowadays is hybrid and virtual audience engagement. But as the Event Tech Podcast highlights today, you can't really talk about audience engagement without including audience response systems in the conversations. After all, the best way to learn what makes our beloved attendees tick is to simply ask them. Right?

In this episode, Brandt welcomes back Kyle Kocinski, the Head Of Implementation at Endless Events, to fill Will's shoes. Some of you might know him already as he joined the show in the past when the tech nerds talked about virtual and hybrid event platforms. Today, they talk about the history of audience response systems, comment on the current state of audience engagement tools, and recommend some of their favorite tools to our listeners.

Brandt and Will are on a futuristic roll! In the last Event Tech Podcast episode, they talked about face recognition technology in events. And since nothing gets tech nerds riled up more than AI, they'll be talking about AI in event apps today.

When talking about AI, we must be careful: all that glitters is not gold! Many event apps and tools claim they feature AI to lure techy people in, but in reality, they (only) feature predictive analytics or machine learning. So, which one is which and why does it matter? After this Event Tech Podcast episode, you'll know better than to jump on every AI-related hype train!

What's up, Event Tech Podcast listeners? Today's episode is perfect for all fans of Westworld and Blade Runner. Will and Brandt will talk about facial recognition at Disney Parks and events in general. Why Disney? They have always pushed the envelope in terms of what's possible in technology. First, they did the MagicBand and now, they're moving towards facial recognition.

Inspired by the last episode with CrowdPass, Brandt also wanted to continue exploring the related topic of attendee tracking. This episode is futuristic, informative, and also a little bit creepy. Don't skip it, it's like listening to a Black Mirror episode - in a good way!

Just three months ago, event profs were wondering whether it was too soon to lift restrictions and go back to in-person events. While they were skeptical back then, we are glad to say that the era of post-COVID events is officially here! That being said, some safety concerns absolutely need to be addressed. Since this is the Event Tech Podcast, we are going to talk about how technology can ensure better safety at in-person events. One such technology is CrowdPass!

What is CrowdPass, you might be wondering? You'll find out from Brandt's two very special guests! Some of you might know Lawrence Helfant as the co-founder of CrowdSync technology and Crowd Health. Half a year ago, he co-founded the CrowdPass software. It just might be a gamechanger in bringing in-person events faster and more efficiently! He is joined by Quinn Zsid, the marketing director of all three projects. Let's get to it, shall we?

The two hottest topics in the ever-evolving events industry right now are the long-awaited return to in-person events and hybrid events. But as our hosts Will and Brandt have said time and time again, it's not about going back to how things were pre-COVID. It's about embracing the lessons learned along the way and incorporating them into our new events. One of the questions that they get a lot concerns hybrid event staff, so they've decided to share their knowledge with the whole wide world.

They cover all levels of staffing at hybrid events, beginning at basic customer support and tricks for higher audience engagement. Then, they move into discussing AV labor positions. Mics, cameras, graphics - they cover it all!

Today's an exciting day for the Event Tech Podcast! Our resident hosts, Will and Brandt, welcome a guest to talk about virtual and hybrid event platforms. Dear listeners, please welcome the knowledgeable Kyle Kocinski, the head of implementation at Endless Events!

In one of the most resourceful conversations in the history of this podcast, Kyle talks about how event platforms have adapted since last year and where are they going next. From must-have features to pricing, he covers it all. After all, event platforms are key to planning the best hybrid or virtual event and are definitely here to stay.

In today's episode of Event Tech Podcast, Will Curran and Brant Krueger talk about one of the most exciting new technologies in the world, or shall we say universe: Starlink. Last year, Elon Musk's SpaceX launched the innovative broadband internet service for the first time and now, it's seeing some huge developments. It sent out a beta program which enables users to set up satellite internet for approximately $100/month. And what does this mean for events?

In this episode, Will takes the wheel and brings Brandt up to speed about the project. Together, they embark on a journey of exploring the potential benefits of Starlink in events!

Event app platforms have been all the rage for quite some time now in the world of event tech, so it's only natural that investments in event platforms come next. Hopin, the 2019 London-based start-up, is considered a unicorn among event apps. In such a short span of time, it has managed to attract enormous investments. But should we care?

Time and time again, Will and Brandt have proven to the Event Tech Podcast listeners that they are experts in all things tech. In this week's episode, however, they demonstrate that they also have a sharp eye for business. They take a closer look at the news about Hopin's staggering $5.65 billion valuation. Most readers take such news at face value and view the investment as a success, but Will and Brandt know what goes on behind the scenes. What exactly does this mean for Hopin and what does it say about other event platforms? Tune in and find out what the spicy duo has to say!