In December 2023, the International Association of Exhibitions and Events unveiled a feature at its Expo! Expo! annual show that could benefit event organizers as well as exhibitors: facial analysis of attendees.
Developed by technology firm Zenus AI, the system of sensors and cameras was set up in Expo! Expo! educational theaters and activation areas to collect anonymous data on attendees’ engagement—their dwell time, facial expressions, and energy levels. The data that’s gathered is far below the threshold needed to identify a person, and the data is aggregated in order to find patterns of higher and lower engagement over the course of a session or interaction.
More details on how facial analysis works can be found in this MeetingsNet article.
Widening Its Usage in the Exhibit Hall
After assessing the usefulness of facial analysis at Expo! Expo! 2023, IAEE is expanding the use of facial analysis across the entire show floor for its December 2024 event in Los Angeles. This will provide every exhibitor an opportunity, for a fee, to analyze attendee behavior and engagement in the area around their booth.
Panis Moutafis, co-founder and CEO of Zenus AI, says that “the floor plan will be divided into zones, and sensors will be spread out within each zone. Approximately one sensor will be installed for every five to ten exhibitors and will cover booths and aisles. The goal is to obtain a sufficient sample size of the attendee behavior in each zone. From that, we can provide exhibitors with a zone report.”
Each report details the timing of stronger and weaker aisle traffic and the estimated number of visitors inside a booth, while exhibitors can cross-reference their lead-capture data for deeper insight. But the standout feature of the facial-analysis system is its ability to calculate dwell times and energy scores of attendees, which is based on positive facial reactions.
Moutafis notes that some exhibitors have contracted for dedicated coverage with an additional sensor at their booth to get more specific insights.
As for informing Expo! Expo! attendees on this year’s expanded use of facial analysis, Nicole Bowman, vice president of marketing and communications for IAEE, says that because the technology “gives anonymized sentiment about areas [of the show floor], we would not need to, nor did we in 2023, notify attendees” that it was being used.
The European Data Protection Board has determined that facial-analysis technology does not require consent and opt-in from participants. However, event organizers might want to provide disclosure to attendees through on-site signage that also features a link to the technology provider’s privacy policy explaining how the technology works.
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