Few recent moves tell me that Google is giving a lot of attention to the events world. Here is why.
Events are hot for companies like Twitter and Facebook.
Hashtag Pages are the latest move by Twitter. Facebook is constantly tweaking their event pages and offering integration with major ticketing platform.
Google is not a spectator in the event tech game.
Google likes event. It is becoming quite obvious if you look at the latest moves the Mountain View company made.
Google+ is becoming the center of the company social strategy. We know that sooner or later Plus will have an event section.
My belief is that Google strategy will be centered about 3 aspects most of us event professionals crave for: hybrid, live streaming and mobile.
Google+ Hangouts: A New Tool for Hybrid Events
It looks like Hangouts are becoming the tool to use to connect remote attendees to conferences, seminars, worskhops… well, you name it!
Some event professionals are thoroughly assessing the use of Google+ Hangouts as a tool of integration. You can see the output yourself.
Whether or not this was on Google’s original plan with Plus, Hangousts are becoming a popular instrument to connect remote audiences. Mostly thanks to the multiuser capabilities and Youtube integration.
Speaking of which…
Youtube: A Reliable and Valuable Live Streaming Tool
I’ve covered in the past how enthusiastic I am about Youtube livestreaming capabilities.
I am even more impressed after following LeWeb London on it.
Apart from the look, which is great (see it yourself)
I particularly appreciated the reliability of the stream and the familiar interface.
I am sure Google will have an eye of regard when indexing the recorded videos, boosting the SEO value of your video materials.
Moreover, once the stream is over, you’ll be able to count on the second largest search engine in the world (in fact Youtube) to get your event found.
Android: The Ideal Platform for Event Apps?
Google may not offer tools to create your event app yet, but I guess a lot of startups and events marketing managers can take inspiration from the official app of Google I/O 2012.
This is a key event for the developers community and the app (see some screenshots below) got very positive reviews.
They went as far as introducing live streaming and exchanging session informations Android to Android via NFC. This is pure class.
In Conclusion
I am afraid once again we can only speculate on what it is going to be next.
Nonetheless I strongly suggest to keep an eye on the services mentioned in the post as Google likes events and such preference could have an impact on the industry as a whole.
