Event professionals can enrich the attendee experience, while saving time and money, thanks to new capabilities announced today by Aventri and Sciensio.

The partnership combines Sciensio’s artificial intelligence chatbot technology with Aventri’s enterprise software. The result is the industry’s first end-to-end event management solution that leverages EventBots to provide quick answers to thousands of common event questions.

Where should I park? How do I get to the convention centre? What’s the dress code? Can I get gluten-free meals? Do meeting rooms have Wi-Fi … Using Aventri, planners can now get instant answers to these and countless other questions 24/7/365. Sciensio’s conversation design engine delivers millions of answers to everyday event questions with an average response time of less than three seconds.

Previously, attendees have had to log onto a computer and search a website, download an app, contact a call center, or send an email and often wait hours or days for answers. Organisers, in turn, have had to devote a great deal of time to responding to repetitive questions. Many of these inquiries pour in all at once when planners are busiest, the day before the event.

“As consumers, attendees are used to getting immediate answers on their smart devices about weather, news, sports, directions, recipes … you name it,” explains Brad Langley, senior vice president of channel and partner management at Aventri. “EventBots use AI and text to drive richer event experiences. They enable attendees to get answers in a way that’s in tune with how they receive information in the rest of their lives.

“One of the beauties of an EventBot is you can have hundreds, even thousands, of participants receiving answers to different questions at the same time,” Langley continues. “You can’t do that with other communication channels. This frees planners up to focus precious time and energy on the other responsibilities that go into creating successful events.”

EventBots are available as an add-on to the Aventri product suite. Set-up is easy. Now, organisers can access EventBots directly through the Aventri dashboard. The integration ensures a seamless experience and eliminates the need for redundant data entry.

EventBots in Action

EventBots work best on mobile devices and go hand-in-hand with event apps, websites, social media and other channels. They deliver information through SMS, WebChat, Facebook, Messenger, Twitter, WhatsApp and more. But the most popular channels by far are SMS and WebChat, according to Bob Caldwell, founding partner and chief revenue officer at Sciensio.

“Not all attendees read event emails and printed material,” Caldwell explains. “But text messages have a 98 percent open rate. On average, people read them in less than five seconds. That means attendees actually read the important things organizers send them. Attendees have the technology in their hands and know how to use it. If they can text, they can use EventBots.”

With the new Aventri/Sciensio chatbot technology, attendees simply text their questions to a phone number the organizer provides. The EventBot’s AI analyzes the text and responds with the exact information the customer needs. Since potential attendees often have questions before committing to an event, the EventBot helps drive registration.

Sciensio’s award-winning EventBots have a 95+ percent correct response rate, exceeding even a call center industry average of 80 percent. When necessary, they can easily refer complex questions to another customer support option, so the attendees needs are met quickly.

Event profs gain a powerful message delivery tool and real-time view of EventBot interactions with participants. So they can use the power of AI to drive engagement and improve their events.

Push/Pull Solution

Organisers can customise EventBots with a name and personality to match their brand.

The solution not only answers questions, but also serves as a powerful tool for sending targeted notifications like greetings, feedback requests and reminders. What’s more, the technology plays a key role for event emergency preparedness, by providing a fast, reliable tool to alert attendees of changes and emergencies.

Of course, attendees, sponsors and speakers have different priorities. Aventri/Sciensio EventBots lend a friendly voice to event data. The technology can customise communications by participant roles, interests, educational tracks, sessions and more to further enhance the attendee experience.

“We’re delighted to partner with an industry leader like Sciensio,” Langley says. “Our customers have engaging new technology that strengthens their brand and radically reduces their workload and costs, while adding value throughout their events.”

EventBots improve customer service at large-scale events. They also work well for smaller, single-day meetings and conferences of 30 – 300 attendees or more.

For additional information, visit Aventri.com.

Adam Parry
Author: Adam Parry

Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.