The “If it ain’t broke” mentality sounds good if we’re talking about a bicycle or a toaster. But when we’re talking about business tech, people in every industry have a natural reluctance that blinds us to possibility. Yes, it’s working fine, but it could be working better. When we introduce new tech, we usually get a big surge up front from the early adopters, and then it tapers right off. So how do you hook those people in the middle and keep the bell curve going? Here are the markings of successful tech adoption at events:

1. The Tech Serves The Attendees

You know your market, you know what your attendees are all about. Technology that helps them meet their goals will be welcome, while tech that does not will be regarded as mere clutter. Tech geeks love new tech for new tech’s sake, but most business professionals will allot their time and attention only to that which has a clear, practical purpose for them in their work. If you want your attendees to use the technology, consider these questions: What problem does this solve? What task does it make easier? You’ll need to consider these questions beforehand, because these are the questions that attendees are going to want answered.

2. The Event Is Structured To Encourage Engagement

You can’t just drop new tech onto a crowded event floor and expect people to be excited. The event has to be orchestrated so as to encourage engagement with the new technology. Integrating the new tech directly into the event will help attendees to understand precisely what makes it useful. Distributing an app for the event instead of brochures and physical maps, for instance, will go a long way towards pushing engagement. Wherever you can incorporate the tech, incorporate the tech.

3. You Can Count On The Wi-Fi

No matter how good the tech rollout is on every other front, if people have trouble accessing wi-fi on the event floor, it will all be for naught. This can be the number one barrier to engagement. You may have a tech-savvy crowd eager to engage, tech that’s intuitive and easy to pick up, but if people simply can’t connect then what good is any of that?

4. Attendees Have Been Primed

Getting people excited for the new tech that’s going to be coming to the event through an email campaign can be very helpful. Even better: You can get people acquainted with the tech before they see it firsthand. This way you can save time on in-person tutorials, since many of your attendees will already have grasped the basics from the email campaign. This can drive enthusiasm for the tech and make it seem less alien on first encounter.

Even in tech-heavy fields, there’s always going to be a reluctance to embrace something totally new. This can be a problem at events, where you need everyone to get up to speed quick. But by following these guidelines, you should be able to maintain a higher rate of success in adoption to the new apps and gadgets.

Original post on Expo Pass.