The technology behind things like 3D hologram projections, instant communications and responsive lighting has long been the purview of science fiction. Princess Leia’s holographic message via R2D2 in Star Wars: Episode IV was revolutionary in 1977, and would still have been revolutionary until a few years ago. For the corporate events industry, the long tide of technological innovation that has swept up most of the rest of communications may have finally hit home.

At the launch of the new site dubbed the Tripadvisor for event professionals, Eventopedia, a sentient lighting scheme designed specifically for conferences preceded a supposed world-first projection of a 3D image solely via 4G. The trio of demonstrations – held at 8 Northumberland Avenue – show that a new era has begun for corporate events.

The industry has been slow to evolve, says Eventopedia co-founder and CEO Toby Heelis. Co-founder and COO Alan Newton adds that professionalisation, efficiency and effective technology will be the keys to change. “They’re all really important aspects for the industry if it’s going to mature,” he says.

The Eventopedia site is designed with the needs of corporate event planners, suppliers and venues in mind. Functioning like Tripadvisor, through a crowd-review model, it seeks to eliminate the inefficiencies that suck time, money and energy out of corporate communicators and event planners. The 1% conversion rate for venue-finding was alarming to Newton and Heelis, both with strong backgrounds in event communications. At almost all touchpoints, the new tool seeks to streamline the process – from interactive videos of venues to brief submissions from planners to the responsive nature of the site.

Corporate events have been slow to change with the rest of communications. Yet, recent shifts in the sector indicate a growing recognition that events must change. The merger between Eventia and the IVCA in March of last year indicates a closer relationship between live events, video, corporate communications and internal communications. For corporate events to retain the messaging and communications capabilities they enjoyed in the past, they must learn to integrate technology into the presentation and process of the event.

With the possibility of having a 3D projection of a company’s CEO broadcast to employees around the world, the possibilities seem limitless.